LAHORE, Sept 16: The Lahore Coordination Committee of the PPP, condemning the killing of Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Bugti, demanded on Saturday registration of a criminal case against all those responsible for the tragedy.

Khalid Kharal said at a news conference after the LCC meeting at his residence that the JWP leader was a patriot who was in favour of strengthening the federation. He said accusation that the former Balochistan governor and chief minister was running fugitives’ camps was baseless.

Secretary-general Jehangir Badr, provincial president Qasim Zia, Farzana Raja, Munir Ahmad Khan, Sajjad Bukhari and others attended the meeting.

Mr Kharal said the situation was worsening since the murder of Mr Bugti and if the rulers gave themselves the right to kill their opponents, politics would come to an end.

He said nobody was shown the face of the slain leader and those who claimed otherwise were making a misstatement.

This was the second time, Mr Kharal recalled, that a national leader was killed and his family members were not allowed to see his face. Earlier, he said, this right was denied to the family of the late Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

He told a questioner that his party legislators had already submitted their resignations to the leadership and now it was the latter to take a decision on submitting them to the relevant authorities. He said the party was very serious in launching a movement against the rulers.

Ms Raja told reporters that the PPP had been struggling for women’s rights since the promulgation of the Hudood Ordinance.