QUETTA, July 21: People’s Party Parliamentarians’ provincial president Nawabzada Lashkari Khan Raisani has said leaders of the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy will soon meet in Quetta to discuss the Balochistan situation and the government’s “extra-constitutional steps”.

Speaking at a press conference at the press club here on Friday, Mr Raisani, who attended the recent ARD meeting in London, said Benazir Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif and other leaders of the alliance had expressed concern over the Balochistan situation.

He said ARD president Makhdoom Amin Fahim would announce the date for the alliance’s meeting in Quetta.

The PPP leader said the Balochistan issue could be resolved only through dialogues by an elected government. He said the ARD leadership in London had condemned government’s “anti-people” policies in Balochistan and cautioned that its actions would endanger the integrity of the federation.

When asked about President Gen Pervez Musharraf’s claim in his Thursday address to the nation that only three of 77 Sardars were opposing government policies in the province, he said: “The president should convene a meeting of the 77 chieftains then he would know how many supported him’’.

He also disputed government’s claims about launching mega projects in the province, adding that Panjgur, Pasni, Awaran, Zhob, Musakhel, Chagai were the most backward areas but no development programmes had been initiated there.

He said people were opposed to the so-called development projects because the government was using the slogan of progress to victimise its political opponents, adding that without the support of the masses, no uplift programme could be implemented.

Mr Raisani urged the government to stop the military operation in Balochistan. He reiterated that political issues should be settled politically through dialogues. He said the ARD would next week launch a drive to get signatures of people on the Charter of Democracy.

The PPP leader said Ms Bhutto had nominated the following leaders for party offices in Balochistan: Mr Raisani, president; Jamal Khan Jogezai, senior vice-president; Mail Rauf Kasi, vice-president; Bismiullah Khan Kakar, general secretary; Syed Sadullah Shah, deputy general secretary; Tahir Khan Hazara, information secretary; Manan Gohar, deputy information secretary; and Noor Mohammad Saraf, finance secretary.