QUETTA, Aug 26: Nawabzada Talal Akbar Bugti, chief of his own faction of the Jamhoori Watan Party, has said that helicopters bombed Zain and Arsula areas of Dera Bugti for five hours on Sunday.

He said that a complete strike observed in the province on the first death anniversary of Nawab Akbar Bugti was a referendum against the policies of the Musharraf government.

Talking to newsmen at the Bugti House, he said that security forces had arrested 150 Bugti tribesmen in the Pat Feeder area.

The JWP leader said he had informed former president Rafiq Tarar and PML-N acting president Javed Hashmi about the helicopter attacks near the Loti OGDC gas fields.

He said that Mr Tarar and Mr Hashmi had assured him that the people of Punjab were with the Baloch in their struggle against the Musharraf dictatorship.

Mr Talal said he had told the PML-N leaders that Pakistan was passing through a critical period because of the alarming situation in Balochistan and Waziristan.

He said if the people of Punjab did not play a decisive role at this time the country’s integrity would be at stake.

He said that security forces had carried out the bombing on the death anniversary of Nawab Bugti to tell the Baloch people to either bow before the oppressors or face the consequences.

The JWP leader said the bombing and oppression would not force the followers of Nawab Bugti to give up their struggle.

He said the strike proved that the army rulers had failed to suppress the JWP struggle despite having eliminated Nawab Bugti.

He said the days were not far off when the people would bring the oppressors to justice for killing innocent people in different parts of the country.