Bugti urges discourse rethink on Balochistan

Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti has urged the human rights organisations to build an impartial and fact-based narrative of Balochistan's history, current realities and overall situation.

He expressed these views in a meeting with a delegation from the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) at the Chief Minister's Secretariat in Quetta on Saturday.

Bugti said the ongoing narrative at the national and international level regarding Balochistan was inconsistent with facts and was in need of revision to reflect a balanced and accurate perspective.

The meeting included in-depth discussions on law and order, human rights conditions and the province's social development initiatives.

Dwelling on history, Bugti pointed out that the accession of the erstwhile Kalat State to Pakistan in 1948 was the result of mutual agreement rather than coercion, adding that certain groups had deliberately distorted historical facts to mislead those unfamiliar with the region's true past.

Referring to recent terrorist incidents, he condemned the targeted killing of innocent citizens based on their identity, describing it as part of a broader agenda driven by hostile foreign powers, particularly India.

"These terrorist acts have nothing to do with a struggle for rights but are part of an organised attempt to destabilise and divide Pakistan," he said, adding that supporters of these groups have openly expressed their intentions on various national and international platforms.

Questioning the legitimacy of such violent acts, Bugti asked, "What kind of rights movement involves killing people based on their ethnic identity?"

He pointed out that such elements had rejected dialogue and openly advocated for the division of Pakistan, an approach that was unacceptable in any civilised state or society. He reiterated that the state bears a constitutional and legal responsibility to safeguard the lives and property of its citizens, adding that the obligation would be fulfilled under all circumstances.

Addressing the issue of missing persons, he noted that the phenomenon was not confined to Balochistan alone, but also existed in other provinces and in various countries worldwide.

However, he expressed concern over the prevailing tendency in the country to level accusations against state institutions without concrete evidence.