QUETTA, Feb 8: The Balochistan National Party (Mengal) has said a meeting of like-minded political parties will be held after Ashura to work out a plan of action in view of the alarming situation in Dera Bugti and Kohlu and intensification of hostilities in the areas.
Speaking at a press conference here on Wednesday, Habib Jalib Baloch, secretary-general of the BNP-M, strongly condemned the destruction of houses, including the fort of Nawab Akbar Bugti in bombing by security forces. He vowed that the Baloch would continue resisting the assault.
He said that since January 17 hundreds of people had been killed due to heavy shelling by aircraft, helicopters and artillery in Dera Bugti and Kohlu areas, and added that gross abuses of human rights had been witnessed in troubled areas by paramilitary forces.
He said: “The Four Party Baloch Alliance have held peaceful protest rallies and public meetings hoping that the unwise rulers would change their militaristic mentality to resolve the Balochistan issue politically but that spirit did not work forcing the Baloch to respond in a way that had been chosen by the oppressors.”
Mr Jalib said a large number of shops and houses in Dera Bugti town fell into ruins after the barbaric shelling on Monday night due to which natives evacuated their homeland, and added that aged nationalist leader Nawab Bugti also left the town in view of army aggression.
He criticized President Musharraf, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and other government functionaries’ assertion that the Baloch political movement was confined to a few personalities and stated that the Baloch masses were behind the national struggle against the usurpers.
Answering a query, he said that the BNP believed in political struggle to get national rights for the Baloch but the rulers were least interested to tackle the issues through peaceful means and stated that the government would have to pay a big price for the genocide of Baloch in Sui, Dera Bugti and Kohlu.
He condemned the custodial killing of Hasan Gichki in Karachi by an intelligence agency. He claimed that the medical report stated that Gichki died due to being tortured in custody.
PROTEST: Activists of the Balochistan National Party (M), Jamhoori Watan Party and Baloch Students Organization on Wednesday marched through the streets of Khuzdar to protest against what they said were mortar attacks on civilian targets in Dera Bugti and Kohlu districts.
The activists assembled on the Faisal Road and marched through the town before stopping outside the Khuzdar Press Club where they held a demonstration.
They raised slogans against the government and intelligence agencies and called for immediate end to atrocities in the two districts.
Speakers condemned the shelling of residential buildings, including the fort of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, by security forces.
They said that repressive methods adopted by the paramilitary forces would not be able to subjugate the Baloch people, adding that past attempts to use the state apparatus to suppress the Baloch national struggle had met with failure.
They said the Baloch people wanted their political rights and control over their resources and would continue their struggle till the government accepted their rights.