QUETTA, Nov 9: Secretary-General of the Jamhoori Watan Party Senator Agha Shahid Bugti, Information Secretary Amanullah Kanrani and other leaders, who had resigned two weeks ago, resumed their party work on Thursday and announced to continue the mission of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti.

Addressing a joint press conference at the residence of Agha Mohammad Ali, general-secretary of the party’s labour wing, they said they had resigned from the party offices after a member of Nawab Bugti’s family had accused them of having hijacked the JWP.

They were accompanied by Nawab Bugti’s son Nawabzada Talal Bugti, Agha Mohammad Ali Hazara, Syed Saleh Agha, Haji Ashraf, Nawabzada Chakar Khan Bugti and Khuda-i-Noor, a leader of the PML-N.

"We had resigned from party offices just to protect the party from disintegrating,” they said. They clarified that they had not resigned from party membership as had been reported in a section of the press. They said that they had been approached by Nawabzada Talal Bugti who asked them to continue to play their political role and save the party.

"We will fulfil our party responsibilities. We will continue with Nawab Bugti’s mission for which he sacrificed his life," Senator Bugti and Mr Kanrani said. They added that leaders and workers would play their role to ensure that Balochistan achieved greater control over its coastline and resources. They said they would continue to work for restoration of political, democratic, constitutional and economic rights of the people of the province.

Nawabzada Talal Bugti acknowledged that he had appealed to the resigned officer-bearers and other party leaders and workers to come forward and save the JWP from disintegrating.

Senator Agha Shahid Bugti said that the leaders and workers who had resigned were founder members of the party, adding that they had resigned because a member of the Bugti family had cast doubts over “our integrity and accused us of hijacking the party”. Referring to the possibility of Talal Bugti joining the JWP, Mr Kanrani said that the party's central committee would democratically take a decision in this regard.

He said that the central committee would meet soon to discuss the domestic situation and party issues. He said that the party would continue its association with the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) and would support its programme at the national level.