QUETTA, Oct 26: Chief of National Party Senator Dr Malik Baloch has claimed that the lukewarm attitude of the PPP-led government towards the ‘military operation in Balochistan’ and the issue of reinstatement of the deposed judges has led to disappointment and despondency among people.

He added that the rulers seemed to be following the directives of the so-called ‘establishment’.

Speaking at a press conference at the MPA hostel on Sunday after a meeting of the party’s executive committee, he said the government, instead of forming reconciliation committee on the Balochistan issue, should implement recommendations of a report prepared by Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed some time ago.

Dr Baloch was of the view that there was no need for setting up new committees on the issue as denial of the rights of the Baloch people and exploitation of their resources were not new. The government should take concrete steps vis-a-vis the rights of the Baloch instead of prolonging the matter by forming committees.

He claimed that the military operation was still going on and the personnel of intelligence agencies were arresting political workers. He said the PPP-led government was pursuing the policies of the previous government.

He said the people had given a verdict in the Feb 18 elections against the policies of the establishment and in favour of halting a military operation in Balochistan and reinstatement of all deposed judges, but unfortunately the PPP government had failed to come up to the expectations of the people.

“We believe in a political struggle to achieve rights of the Balochistan people and in this struggle the party members have rendered great sacrifices to protect the resources of the province,” he said.

In reply to a question he said “although we respect the forces engaged in an armed struggle to protect the motherland, the National Party neither has any contact with the resistance movement nor does it follow such a path.”

He said the executive meeting of the party had decided to hold four workshops in three months to develop political consciousness among activists of the Baloch Student Organisation and within the party cadres to fight against injustices.