Harness hidden forces or lose Balochistan, says Akhtar Mengal
Nawaz Sharif calls for reflection to avoid 'another East Pakistan'.
ISLAMABAD:
Former chief minister Balochistan Akhtar Mengal on Friday openly blamed the agencies and military for the plight of his people and recommended peaceful separation of the province if the Baloch people were not going to be considered citizens of Pakistan.
Mengal was briefing the media after his meeting with Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif in Islamabad.
“If the Balochistan situation is to be resolved, then that force which, in the last 65 years has governed this country, acted as masters instead of servants of this country, invisibly and visibly ran the country, considered themselves above the country’s constitution, law, people and the people’s representatives … should be harnessed,” he said.
He said that they had tried but failed and were now hopeless.
Mengal asked for his six recommendations to be implemented and said if this was not done, Balochistan would have to part ways.
Thanking the Supreme Court for taking a suo motu in this case, he said that none of the six points were contradictory to the constitution.
Answering a question posed during today’s hearing on the Balochistan case, he said: “Those people cannot be trusted, the whole world knows their reality,” adding that they even denied having “derailed democracy in the darkness of the night”.
Mengal regrettably said that Balochistan’s people were never considered citizens of Pakistan because if they had been, the atrocities committed against them would not have transpired.
In the same spirit, he posed a question to the civil society of the country.
“We want to know if Baloch people will be accepted as citizens of this country or not and if not, then it is better to part ways peacefully than to continue this bloodshed,” he said.
On boycotting local elections, Mengal simply said: “No country in the world holds elections during war and Balochistan has been in a state of war for 12 years.”
Another East Pakistan?
Nawaz Sharif requested the entire nation to learn from history so that another episode of East Pakistan was not repeated.
“People need to put their heads together and think what has alienated the people of Balochistan; the reasons, atrocities and the situation that made them think of this [separation],” he said.
Sharif said that even then, six points had been presented, the disregard of which had resulted in Bangladesh.
Former chief minister Balochistan Akhtar Mengal on Friday openly blamed the agencies and military for the plight of his people and recommended peaceful separation of the province if the Baloch people were not going to be considered citizens of Pakistan.
Mengal was briefing the media after his meeting with Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif in Islamabad.
“If the Balochistan situation is to be resolved, then that force which, in the last 65 years has governed this country, acted as masters instead of servants of this country, invisibly and visibly ran the country, considered themselves above the country’s constitution, law, people and the people’s representatives … should be harnessed,” he said.
He said that they had tried but failed and were now hopeless.
Mengal asked for his six recommendations to be implemented and said if this was not done, Balochistan would have to part ways.
Thanking the Supreme Court for taking a suo motu in this case, he said that none of the six points were contradictory to the constitution.
Answering a question posed during today’s hearing on the Balochistan case, he said: “Those people cannot be trusted, the whole world knows their reality,” adding that they even denied having “derailed democracy in the darkness of the night”.
Mengal regrettably said that Balochistan’s people were never considered citizens of Pakistan because if they had been, the atrocities committed against them would not have transpired.
In the same spirit, he posed a question to the civil society of the country.
“We want to know if Baloch people will be accepted as citizens of this country or not and if not, then it is better to part ways peacefully than to continue this bloodshed,” he said.
On boycotting local elections, Mengal simply said: “No country in the world holds elections during war and Balochistan has been in a state of war for 12 years.”
Another East Pakistan?
Nawaz Sharif requested the entire nation to learn from history so that another episode of East Pakistan was not repeated.
“People need to put their heads together and think what has alienated the people of Balochistan; the reasons, atrocities and the situation that made them think of this [separation],” he said.
Sharif said that even then, six points had been presented, the disregard of which had resulted in Bangladesh.