KARACHI, Aug 31: Balochistan National Party President Sardar Akhtar Jan Mengal warned on Tuesday that the people of Balochistan could go to 'any extreme' if the government continued with the policy of denying their rights and 'pushing them to the wall'.

The BNP leader was addressing a news conference at the Karachi Press Club. He refuted a claim made by the Balochistan Chief Minister, Jam Mohammad Yusuf, that RAW had set up training camps in the province and was fomenting trouble through funding and equipment.

"Such allegations are made by both India and Pakistan against each other's secret agencies because they are the best scapegoats. The chief minister has said this to cover up his incompetence," said Mr Mengal emphasising that the Baloch people were exercising their democratic right of protest.

"If we are pushed to the wall then we will go to any extreme to protect our national identity, language and culture," he said. When Mr Akhtar Mengal was specifically asked whether he supported or opposed the frequent rocket attacks in some parts of the province, he said that one should first understand why had the people been forced to take such extreme measures.

The government, he alleged, had forced them to take such steps by denying them their rights and killing their people. He told a questioner that "Pakistan's military is very big and strong but we also have the support of our people". He accused Punjab of usurping rights of smaller provinces.

Referring to the government's offer to resolve contentious issues through dialogue, Mr Akhtar Mengal said that on the one hand the government was offering dialogue, "but on the other secret agencies and the government of Balochistan were sabotaging such efforts by killing our people".

He also announced the decisions taken by the BNP central committee here on Monday in which Gwadar port and other mega projects were rejected and the so-called military operation was condemned.

Opposing the Gwadar deep seaport project, he said that it would turn the Baloch people into a minority. He refuted the government's claim of providing more jobs to the Baloch people and pointed out that even today the federal government had not filled 16,000 jobs, allocated to the people of Balochistan.

He also opposed construction of cantonments in the province and claimed they were being planned to subjugate the local people. If peace could be achieved by building cantonments then Karachi should have been the most peaceful city, he argued and said that Balochistan had no representation in the military.

He also blamed some politicians for being the Trojan Horse for the usurpers and for being responsible for the growing military interventions and rule.

Akhtar Mengal said that unless the military stopped intervening in politics, there could be no peace and development in the country. Akhtar Mengal, who was accompanied by Senator Sanaullah, criticised the unjust distribution of NFC, GDS, gas royalty and other resources.