Balochistan Chief Minister Abdul Malik Baloch, accompanied by National Party’s senior vice president Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo in a press conference at the Balochistan House in Islamabad, on Saturday said that the federal government was not involved in the appointment Dr Arsalan Iftikhar.
Baloch added that through the appointment, he wanted the Iftikhar family to keep its long connection with Balochistan intact. “I’ve known Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry for a very long time.”
“I wanted that relation of the family to remain with Balochistan,” the chief minister said explaining his reasons behind the appointment of the former chief justice of Pakistan’s son.
Bizenjo agreed that the appointment did not have popular support and said that they had no regrets taking it back. But he added that “undemocratic forces” were deliberately making it a point to raise the issue even after it had ended.
The party vice president also said that he was thankful to journalists and particularly the people on social media for voicing their concern.
Balochistan crisis
Bizenjo while explaining the continuous attacks on Shia pilgrims said that both the provincial and federal governments had allowed subsidised aerial transport from Quetta to Mashad for the safety of the pilgrims.
Regarding the Taftan attack, he said that most of the pilgrims had not informed the authorities about their travel and they came under attack on the last checkpoint on the Iranian border which had not been attacked before.
Bizenjo further said that the government of Balochistan accepted the Protection of Pakistan Bill and it was the need of the house which was developed by consensus.
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