QUETTA, June 14: The Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP), senior vice-president Khuda-i-Noor has demanded that thousands of militiamen, who have cordoned off Dera Bugti township, should be withdrawn, and water, electricity and telephone service be restored immediately.

Speaking at a news conference here on Friday party’s Secretary-General Mir Abdul Jabbar and former Chief Minister Mir Humayun Khan Marri, said that the government has handed over the township to the Frontier Corps and have established over a dozen check posts in and around Dera Bugti.

“Movement of the people have been restricted creating a curfew-like situation in Dera Bugti,” Mr Noor said adding that this situation could call for a district Martial law.

He said that in the name of operation against rocket attackers the militiamen have established their pickets on the rooftop of the Government Degree Collage Dera Bugti and school buildings; civil hospital and two other schools were also taken over by the forces and set up their camps.

He said that over 400 militiamen were deployed in the under-construction Salal Shaheed Floor Mills and a small canon was erected atop a small hill.

The senior vice-president JWP said that as a first step the local Frontier Corps has suspended countrywide telephone contact and local telephone service was also cut off.

He said that all these steps were taken by the government to pressure the JWP Chief Nawab Bugti, who has refused to meet President General Pervez Musharraf, on his invitation.

Mr Noor said that after publishing Nawab Bugti’s statement of refusal in the newspapers, the forces starting arriving in Dera Bugti. He said that JWP never supported rocket attacks on gas fields in Sui, Loti and Pir Koh area.

He said that rockets were exploding in Sui and other gas fields which were over 50 miles away from Dera Bugti where heavy contingent of FC have been deployed.

He said that he had tried to contact Governor Balochistan and Corps Commander Quetta to inform him of the situation in Dera Bugti, but have not succeeded.

The senior vice-president of JWP demanded that government should withdraw all forces from Dera Bugti and resolve the issue through negotiations.