Independence Day: Dr Malik offers olive branch to insurgents

Balochistan CM expresses concerns over the volatile security situation in the province.

QUETTA:

In a move towards reconciliation, the Balochistan chief minister invited Baloch insurgent groups and religious parties to the negotiating table.

Addressing the Independence Day flag-hoisting ceremony at the Balochistan Assembly lawn on Wednesday, Dr Abdul Malik Baloch resolved, “We are politicians and we want to deal with issues through dialogue and political means. We invite religious parties and Baloch militant groups to talks and start the process of reconciliation.”

The chief minister expressed his concerns over the security challenges the province faces. “It is extremely unfortunate that we are celebrating Independence Day in such an atmosphere where sorrow, grief and terrorism prevail.”

“Terrorists want to hold the people and the security agencies hostage but on this day, we want to assure the people that the government would never allow this to happen,” he iterated.

Referring to the missing persons’ issue, the chief minister said that although the incidents and the recovery of decomposed dead bodies had not stopped, they had been considerably reduced. “We have started the rehabilitation of displaced families belonging to the Bugti tribe and want people’s cooperation,” he said.



Jinnah’s residency attackers failed

“If militants think they succeeded after attacking Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s residency in Ziarat, I want to tell them that our allegiance to Pakistan lies in people’s hearts, not buildings,” said Balochistan High Court Chief Justice Qazi Faez Essa.

While addressing the flag-hoisting ceremony at the Balochistan High Court on Wednesday, he said that Pakistan achieved its independence via courage, vision and reflection instead of guns and the Pakistan movement was a democratic one.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 15^th, 2013.