• Announces move towards forming a united political alliance to address security and political challenges
• Says provincial issues require political solutions through dialogue, not force

QUETTA: Opposition parties in Balochistan on Thursday called for the dissolution of the provincial assembly and the holding of free, fair, and transparent elections, arguing that only a genuinely elected government could address the province’s worsening security and political crises.

Addressing a joint press conference at the Quetta Press Club after an all parties meeting, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) Balochistan chief Senator Maulana Abdul Wasey, National Party President Dr Abdul Malik Baloch, and Awami National Party (ANP) Balochistan President Asghar Khan Achakzai announced that political parties were moving towards forming a united alliance to restore peace and democratic governance in the province.

They said an All Parties Conference (APC), to be led by JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, would be convened in September, with representatives from all schools of thought invited to participate. Another preparatory meeting would be held on September 5 at the National Party office.

Maulana Wasey urged the government to immediately implement the agreement reached after the Ziarat incident and resolve provincial issues through dialogue instead of force. He maintained that Balochistan’s challenges were political in nature and required political solutions, warning that the exclusion of mainstream political parties had further aggravated the situation. He reiterated that the “Form-47 system” had failed and called for democratic reforms.

The opposition leaders expressed concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in the province, stating that highways linking Quetta with Karachi and other provinces had become unsafe, disrupting travel and livelihoods. They demanded effective measures to restore security across Balochistan.

Dr Baloch said opposition parties would jointly struggle for a peaceful Balochistan and vowed to protect the 18th Constitutional Amendment and the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award from any attempt to roll them back.

Asghar Achakzai condemned the recent killings in Khuzdar, saying the government had failed to protect citizens. He stressed that the unity of Baloch, Pakhtun, Hazara, and settler communities must not be undermined. He added that the emerging political alliance would also consider contesting future elections jointly.

Published in Dawn, August 7th, 2026