QUETTA, Sept 22: Jamhoori Watan Party leader Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti has forwarded a 15-point charter of demands to Tariq Aziz, secretary-general of the National Security Council and president's personal aide, to resolve Balochistan issue.

In a telephonic press conference from Dera Bugti on Wednesday, the JWP leader said that although full-fledged negotiations were not under way between the federal government and the Baloch leadership, exchange of views with Mr Aziz had helped to break the deadlock.

He said the Baloch people were waiting for the outcome of the contacts established by the federal government.

The 15-point demand forwarded to Mr Aziz, which was made public on Wednesday, includes: Provincial autonomy to the satisfaction of the people; Baloch people should be the owner of their natural resources and wealth besides running their own affairs; the Balochistan government should have powers to execute administrative, financial and planning matters related to mega projects including Gwadar and coastal-belt schemes; the provincial government should control the revenue of the mega projects; employment in the projects should be the right of the local population; the planned cantonments should be abandoned and land acquired by force be returned to owners; rectify the revenue record; Senate should represent the four federating units and inclusion of Islamabad and Fata in the Upper House by revoking the amendments made during Ziaul Haq's period should; the levies force of 1,000 men recruited by the ISI and the MI in the Marri area to suppress tribesmen should be disbanded; all armed forces from interior Balochistan should be withdrawn; the provincial government should control all civil armed forces; the provincial assembly should have the authority to frame laws for Balochistan; in the federating units the federal law should not override the provincial laws; problems of gas companies should be resettled; and all prisoners kept under various pretexts (political reasons) should be released.