LAHORE, Sept 30: The All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) has said Sardar Akhtar Mengal should not compare himself with Shaikh Mujibur Rehman as the former is leader of just one per cent of even his own tribesmen while the latter had the full mandate of the then East Pakistan population.

APML information secretary Aasia Ishaque said in a statement issued here on Sunday that Mr Mengal spent many years in London enjoying all luxuries and now returned home professing “fake sympathy” for the Balochs.

She said people of Balochistan were true Pakistanis and how anybody having love for the country would hurt them. She added that the government was trying to give all facilities to people of Balochistan.

In an obvious reference to Talal Akbar Bugti and Mr Mengal, Ms Aasia said the so-called tribal leaders trying to champion the rights of Balochs did not have the mandate of even their own tribes.

These leaders have been demanding trial of APML leader and former president of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf for murder of Nawab Akbar Bugti.

She challenged Mr Mengal to come on media and tell the people what significant work was done in Balochistan during his tenure as chief minister of the troubled province.

She said the two so-called Sardars (tribal leaders) had been discouraging the development and other initiatives the successive governments had been taking in Balochistan.

“These tribal leaders always wanted to keep Balochs backward and then blamed the rulers for this,” Ms Aasia said.

Indirectly referring to the meetings Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan held recently with Mr Mengal, Ms Aasia said the nation was well-aware of the “real political career” of those who were now meeting with the Baloch leader just to put a media show.

She alleged that Mr Mengal returned to the country just to contest and win the next election so that he could again become chief minister of Balochistan and get a major share in the huge budget of the province.