QUETTA, Jan 5: The Balochistan chapter of the PPP Parliamentarians has condemned what it termed extra-judicial arrests in the province and emphasised that political issues should be resolved politically instead of using the state apparatus against political forces.

Addressing a function to mark the 79th birth anniversary of the party’s founder Zulfikar ALi Bhutto here on Friday, PPP’s provincial president Nawabzada Lashkari Khan Raisani paid rich tribute to Shaheed Bhutto and said that he had sacrificed his life to protect political and democratic rights of the poor masses, adding that Z.A. Bhutto had been hanged because of his refusal to compromise on principles with General Ziaul Haq, the military dictator.

He said that Gen Zia had overthrown an elected government and implicated him in a false case, physically isolating him from the masses.

Mr Raisani said that PPP had been facing the wrath of the military dictators right from the time of Ayub Khan to current rulers, adding that the party leaders’ courage and uncompromising behaviour was the party’s strength.Rejecting rumours that the party’s high command was going for a deal with the government, he said that Benazir Bhutto did not believe in secret compromises, adding that she always acted in accordance with the decisions taken by party forums.

Mr Raisani said that deals were struck by politicians who did not have people’s support, adding that during the 2002 polls, the PPP had emerged as the single largest party in the National Assembly that proved that the people backed Benazir Bhutto.

Criticising the arrests and illegal raids on the houses of political workers in Balochistan, he demanded of the government to release all political activists.

Syed Sadullah Shah, Sakhi Sultan, Tahir Khan Hazara and Ali Ahmed Pirkani also address the function.