Coordinated protest: Baloch groups plan joint struggle

Nationalists call for a broad coalition to counter bids to divide in the name of ethnicity and sectarianism.

QUETTA: Balochistan’s nationalist, political and religious parties have decided to wage a joint struggle against alleged bids by the ‘establishment’ to usurp the province’s resources, kidnappings for ransom, targeted killings, arrests of political workers and non-recovery of missing persons.

Towards this end, an all-parties conference held under the auspices of Balochistan National Party (BNP) here on Saturday announced forming a political parties’ coordination committee.

Held at the MPA Hostel, the conference was attended by leaders of BNP, National Party, Jamaat-i-Islami, Awami National Party, Balochistan Bar Association, Jamaat Ehle Sunnat, BSO, Tehreek-e-Insaf, and Markazi Anjuman Tajiran Balochistan.

BNP’s acting president Dr Jahanzeb Jamaldini said all the political parties who have identical views on issues confronting the province should join the struggle and resolve their petty differences through dialogue.

He said the “state tried to pit us against each other in the name of ethnicity and sectarianism” but the move failed. “Now we must devise a strategy on how to thwart efforts meant to eliminate us,” he added.

He said BNP condemns all acts which not only are inhuman and immoral but also militate against “our customs”. “We condemn targeted killings in all manifestations, kidnappings for ransom and arrests of political workers,” he said.

He added that during strikes and demonstrations, “we should avoid damaging property because such as act hurts our own people”. He said: “We should devise such an action plan which is both workable and effective”.

Pushtunkhwa Milli Awami Party’s Abdul Rauf Khan said that incidents of kidnappings for ransom, targeted killings and arrests of political workers in Balochistan have registered an alarming rise.

He said previously the country’s institutions forced the late Nawab Akbar Bugti to take to the mountains. Now political workers are being killed in targeted shootings.

He said his party courageously took part in shutter-down strikes and other forms of protest to press for the demands of the Baloch people.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 2^nd, 2011.