QUETTA, March 29: Some hawks in the establishment are not interested in resolving the Balochistan issue through peaceful means and they want extra-constitutional methods to be used to push the political leadership towards confrontation. These views were expressed by speakers belonging to different political parties at a function held at the Quetta Press Club on Tuesday. The function was organized by the Quetta Union of Journalists.

The speakers said that denial of political and democratic rights would force the people to resort to violence.

MMA leader and acting provincial chief of JUI-F Maulana Noor Muhammad said that talks between Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti would be meaningless because the former did not have powers to resolve the Balochistan issue.

He claimed that all power were vested with President Musharraf but he could not be trusted any more because of his backing out of his commitment made to the MMA on the issue of uniform.

The MMA leader stressed that collective struggle by MMA, ARD, Ponam and other democratic forces was the only way to rid the nation of the army rule and to restore sovereignty of parliament.

Nawabzada Lashkari Khan Raisani, acting provincial president of the PPP, accused generals of treating civilians as second class citizens.

He said that Pakistan was established to introduce Shariat and democracy but after the passage of five decades the people were still deprived of Islamic system and democratic rule due to frequent army takeovers.

Abdur Rahim Ziaratwal, parliamentary leader of the Pakhtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party in the provincial assembly, said that opportunist ruling class always dubbed democratic parties and its leadership traitors but this autocratic system could no longer be accepted.

He was of the view that issues should be settled through talks as the use of force would plunge the country into deeper crisis.

Habib Jalib Baloch, Secretary-General of the BNP-Mengal, said that economic interests of army generals, bureaucrats, capitalists and feudal lords were a big hurdle in restoring supremacy of parliament and grant of maximum autonomy to provinces.

PML-N leader Khuda-i-Noor, referring to Shujjat-Bugti negotiations, said that political decisions should not be concealed from the people. He said that President Pervez Musharraf and Shiekh Rashid’s statements reflected government’s honesty to resolve the Dera Bugti issue.

Dr Hakim Lehri, Chief of the Balochistan National Congress, regretted that differences among political parties were the main cause of frequent army’s takeovers and toppling of elected governments.

Former Senator Mir Tahir Bizenjo, General Secretary of the National Party, rejected government charges that unrest in Balochistan was due to three Sardars. He said that the resistance movement launched by Balochs was the result of excesses committed by Centre.

Jamaluddin Rashtiya of the ANP said that his party favoured talks to settle political issues.

Zahid Hussain Baloch of the Jammat-i-Islami used harsh language against the army and its leadership and maintained that military generals had always used force to suppress the voice of the people instead of fighting against the enemy of the country.