QUETTA, Jan 27: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement on Thursday said that resolution of political issues through military means would not only be an unwelcome step but would harm relations between the Baloch people and the federation.

Speaking at a Press conference on the eve of a roundtable conference convened by the Muttahidda on Friday to discuss the Balochistan issue, Muttahida Qaumi Movement's parliamentary leader in the National Assembly Dr Farooq Sattar and other leaders said the conference was aimed at expressing solidarity with the Balochistan people and to convey a message to the government that the MQM would, under no circumstances, endorse extra-constitutional methods and the use of force to suppress political views in Balochistan.

Mr Farooq said that oppressed people of Karachi and Balochs had witnessed tyranny, oppression and state violence in the past which was unleashed to undermine political struggle of Balochs and Karachites but the authorities failed to suppress political movements.

In reply to a question about the Muttahidda reaction if the government launched a military operation in Sui, the Muttahidda leaders said the party's policy was very clear on this matter.

He said Muttahidda chief Altaf Hussain had told the government that if a military operation was launched in Balochistan, the party would quit government. Dr Farooq Sattar said that at a recent allied parties' meeting presided over by President Gen Pervez Musharraf, it was decided that no military operation would be launched in Balochistan but security forces would be deployed in Sui only to protect gas installations.

He said that Baloch nationalist parties had opposed the establishment of cantonments in the province and the government should not go ahead with plan until a consensus was reached between the government and the Baloch leadership over the controversial issue.

The Muttahidda parliamentary leader said that all political parties had been invited for Friday's round table conference, adding that the response from these parties was positive.

Other Muttahida leaders who attended the press conference were: MNA Nasir Qamar, MPA Anwar Alam, Mr Aseeb and Mr Waqas, Incharge of the Balochistan chapter of the Muttahidda.