KARACHI, July 16: The leader of the opposition in Senate, Mian Raza Rabbani, criticised action against Senator Shahid Bugti.

In a press statement issued on Sunday, he said that Senator Bugti had been placed under a virtual house arrest in Quetta without arrest warrants.

He said that the regime must realise that the continued political victimisation of the Baloch leadership was not the solution to the problem.

He said that Balochistan was faced with political crisis, where the dialogue was the only solution.

The use of state force had only aggravated the situation and deepened the feeling of alienation in the people, he added.

Only a few days back, he said, the prime minister held a meeting to review the recommendations of the parliamentary committee on Balochistan and now the victimization of political leadership had been started. He said that this was not the first time that the political process had been derailed.

Raza Rabbani said that the federation was under severe strain and the military action in the province must be stooped immediately. Those arrested must be released and the regime must disclose whereabouts of those missing.

He said that the only solution was political dialogue for which the time was running out fast and the consequences of military action would be the responsibility of the government. —PPI