LAHORE, June 24: The government may hold talks with Baloch leaders if their militias surrender arms, Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination Salim Saifullah Khan said on Saturday.

Answering a question at a news conference, he said the government could not allow anyone to set up his army nor would it tolerate any damage to national installations.

He said if any Baloch leader, including Nawab Akbar Bugti, wanted to hold talks with the government he would have to ask his militia to give up arms.

Rejecting suggestions that the situation in the country’s most backward province was slipping out of the government’s control, the minister said the situation was fast returning to normal as a result of the operation being carried out by the FC.

He said an impression that people of Balochistan had turned against the government was wrong. “A majority of the people are supporting the present government and we’ll take a press party to the area to enable them to verify the claim.”

Mr Khan said people of Balochistan wanted development and the government was taking all measures for the purpose. He said huge funds had been allocated for the purpose.

The government, he said, was trying to address the deprivation of provinces, but no one could be allowed to use bombs and damage national assets. He said reservations of various provinces about certain issues did not mean that they had got the right to have a separate constitution or flag for themselves.

The minister said he would be calling a meeting of the inter-provincial coordination committee next month to discuss matters concerning national unity. Before the meeting, he added, he would be visiting Karachi on June 29 and Gwadar the following day.

He said the Council of Common Interests (CCI) would be set up next month, adding that it would comprise four chief ministers and four federal ministers, one from each federating unit, to be nominated by the prime minister.

The CCI, he said, would perform the functions mentioned in the Constitution.

He said if federating units had differences on various issues, it should be taken as a routine matter. He believed that differences on dams, water distribution and jobs quota would be resolved through talks.

Mr Khan hoped Punjab being the bigger province would follow an altruistic approach to enable smaller provinces to get more.

About the NFC award, he said the president had announced the same after being authorised by all chief ministers. Thus, he pointed out, it was wrong to say that the award was illegal or unconstitutional.