QUETTA: The main objective of the National Party (NP) is to promote democracy, uphold the rule of law and protect the rights of oppressed people, NP’s president Dr Abdul Malik Baloch has said.

Speaking to his party’s workers in Kosh Kalat area of Kech district on Wednesday, he said the party believed in ideological politics and was fortunate to have leaders and workers who believed in the same.

When the NP was elected to power, it provided maximum relief to the deprived people, upheld the supremacy of the masses and launched record development projects, he said.

The former chief minister of Balochistan alleged that in the last general elections the true leadership of the province was kept away from parliament “under a well-planned conspiracy”.

However, the party’s leadership and workers, despite facing difficulties, displayed maturity and courage during election campaigns.

“Politics is the only solution to save the Baloch nation from further destruction,” he said, adding that planting dummy leadership in Balochistan would not solve the problems its people were facing.

He said that though NP was not allowed to be part of parliament, the party was still fighting for the rights of the poor people and upholding democracy and democratic institutions. The Mayor of the Turbat Municipal Corporation, Qazi Ghulam Rasool Baloch, on the occasion said the NP workers should remain united even while facing challenges. “The NP, after the general elections in 2013, carried out record development in Balochistan.”

Published in Dawn, January 10th, 2019