KARACHI, March 28: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief, Altaf Hussain, has warned that use of force in Balochistan and elsewhere could split the country into many independent units and vehemently opposed the alleged conspiracy to separate Karachi from rest of Sindh.

Addressing party activists, who had gathered in London in connection with 21st founding day of the party, Mr Hussain stressed that Pakistan’s salvation lay in complete provincial autonomy and resolution of contentious issues among provinces through dialogue.

Altaf Hussain said that the Muttahida was the first political party to raise voice against the use of force in dealing with the present crisis and resolving the issue through dialogue. He reiterated his party’s stand on the issue and said that the Muttahida was with the people of Balochistan who were demanding equal rights.

While demanding peaceful resolution of the crisis, Mr Hussain said that federating units should be given complete provincial autonomy including the right to maintain their own paramilitary force.

Recognizing that Pakistan is passing through the most critical phase of its history, Mr Hussain said that all the federating units must be treated as equals and the federation should retain foreign affairs, defence and currency while other subjects must be left to the federating units who should be free to run their affairs.

Addressing military generals and civil and military bureaucrats, he emphasized the need for learning lessons from the East Pakistan debacle and called for desisting from the use of forces in any part of the country. If force was used, he feared that not one but many independent states would come into existence.

Mr Hussain dealt at length with the Balochistan situation and the evolving political developments in the country. He said that as a concerned Pakistani he had talked to Gen Pervez Musharraf and had stressed the need for a negotiated settlement of the crisis.

With reference to Shujaat-Bugti talks and claims of its success on media, Mr Hussain expressed doubts about such claims. He claimed that at this critical juncture, the establishment had been divided in two schools of thought. One stood for peaceful resolution of the conflict through dialogue while the other favoured pacification through use of brute force. The first group he claimed was less powerful than the one that favoured use of force, he claimed.

Altaf Hussain also declared that Gwadar had become controversial and warned that if the rulers adopted confrontationist policy in this regard it would not be in the interest of the country. He warned that use of force against the countrymen was not in the national interest, whether they were Muslims or not.

He said that China was a nuclear power since long but during the past 58 years it had not resolved the Taiwan question. It considered Taiwan its integral part while Taiwan claimed otherwise. He asked why after so many years Chinese parliament felt it necessary to adopt a resolution claiming sovereignty over Taiwan and why the US and the European Union criticized the resolution?

With regard to the Gwadar port being built by China, he raised questions about the attitude of Iran, India and the US. “Would they tolerate China’s control over this project?” he asked.

Mr Hussain said that the US tilt was towards India despite Pakistan’s frontline role in war on international terrorism. He said that even those who had considered the US as Pakistan’s most dependable friend, were criticizing that country for supplying weapons to India.

Referring to a report by an American institution in which it was stated that in future central government’s authority would be confined to northern Punjab and Karachi, Mr Hussain warned against any conspiracy of separating Karachi from rest of Sindh. He stressed the need for treating everyone as equal and criticized the policy of not giving due share to the provinces in the revenue generated from the natural resources extracted from their territory.

He said that people of Sindh, Balochistan, the NWFP, Punjab and Seraiki belt should have freedom to manage their affairs within the ambit of Pakistan otherwise the provinces would be compelled to chart their own course.