QUETTA, March 6: Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Mir Mohammad Yousuf has said that the government was ready to hold talks for resolving the issues of the province if the other side wanted to do so.

Taking to newsmen on the eve of Senate elections here on Monday, he said that the government wanted to resolve all issues through negotiations and mutual understanding.

“The government never refused to hold talks and if they wanted talks; people of their parties should come forward,” he said, adding that the situation could be improved if both sides came forward in a positive spirit.

The chief minister said that the Khan of Kalat should come forward and convene a jirga of tribal chiefs of Sarawan and Jhalawan and try to resolve the issue. He said he would join the jirga if they invited him. However, he said that despite having the tribal status, he was not in a position to convene a tribal jirga.

Replying to a question, Jam Yousuf said the situation in Balochistan would be normalized soon. He said if the government did not take action against elements involved in rocket attacks, bomb explosions, attacks on trains, gas pipelines and other subversion activities how could law and order be restored in the province.

“The government would definitely take action against miscreants, otherwise situation would further deteriorate in the province.” He said targeting innocent children was not democracy. “In democracy such incidents never happen,” he said.

Replying to another question, Jam Yousuf who is also provincial president of the PML said that disciplinary action would be taken against members who had violated party discipline in Senate elections.

He rejected opposition’s allegation about kidnapping of legislator Mir Saleem Khosa and said that it was a baseless allegation.