Musharraf urged to end operation

Published September 6, 2006

QUETTA, Sept 5: Sardar Mohammad Rafiq Siyapad, the provincial chief of PML-N, has appealed to President General Pervez Musharraf to stop the military operation in Balochistan and release all political workers including those who were held during recent riots.

Speaking at a press conference here on Tuesday, he accused PML(Q) leader Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain of misleading the president on the Balochistan issue, instead of using force.

Condemning on the killing of Nawab Bugti, he said that the government should have settled the issue through dialogue.

Sardar Rafiq said our army was a respected institution and Pakistan was dear to everyone but the elements running the government had tarnished the image of the army and were playing with the integrity of the state.

He said that Punjabis living in Balochistan for centuries were always treated as brothers and it was against the traditions of the Baloch people to harm them. “Our people protect our neighbours irrespective of their ethnic or religious affiliations.

The PML-N leader appealed to federal and provincial ministers to avoid issuing statements which could provoke emotions of youths angered by the killing of the Baloch leader. He said that everyone should play a positive role to restore peace in Quetta and the rest of the province.

COURT ORDER: A division bench of the Balochistan High Court has directed that a woman recovered from kidnappers be produced in the court on Thursday.

The woman’s father, Ata Mohammad, had filed a petition praying for the recovery of his daughter who, he said, had been kidnapped by armed men in Sariab area on July 16, 2005.

Acting on the court’s order, the crimes branch of the police department recovered the woman from Kadkucha area of the Mastung district and produced her before the court on Tuesday.

The bench comprising Chief Justice Amanullah Khan Yasinzai and Justice Akhtar Zaman Malghani after hearing arguments in the case allowed her to go with one Obaidullah after submitting a bond of Rs200,000.

Obaidullah had claimed in the court that the woman was his legal wife and he did not kidnap her.

The hearing was adjourned till Thursday.

Opinion

Editorial

Collective security
Updated 12 Mar, 2026

Collective security

Regional states need to sit down and talk. They must also pledge and work towards collective security.
Spectrum leap
12 Mar, 2026

Spectrum leap

THE sale of 480 MHz of fifth-generation telecom spectrum for $507m is a major milestone in Pakistan’s digital...
Toxic fallout
12 Mar, 2026

Toxic fallout

WARS can leave environmental scars that remain long after the fighting is over. The strikes on Iran’s oil...
Token austerity
Updated 11 Mar, 2026

Token austerity

The ‘austerity’ measures are a ritualistic response to public anger rather than a sincere attempt to reform state spending.
Lebanon on fire
11 Mar, 2026

Lebanon on fire

WHILE the entire Gulf region has become an active warzone, repercussions of this conflict have spread to the...
Canine crisis
11 Mar, 2026

Canine crisis

KARACHI’S stray dog crisis requires urgent attention. Feral canines can cause serious and lasting physical and...