Balochistan issue should be resolved before elections: Nawaz Sharif

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif has blamed successive governments for the ongoing separatist insurgency in Balochistan, saying that the Baloch people have been compelled to rebel against the state.

Addressing to a gathering in Naseerabad, the former two-time prime minister said, “An East Pakistan-like situation has been created and the Baloch people have been driven to take up arms.”

Blaming incumbent government equally responsible for the deteriorated situation, Sharif said that the Baloch people had been further alienated by the incompetent policies of the government.

He urged all the political forces to come tighter and play their role in restoring peace in restive province.

Offering his endorsement to six-point charter of Sardar Akhtar Mengal, the chief of Balochistan National Party, Nawaz Sharif said that the issue was critical and warranted immediate and serious attention by the federal and provincial governments.

He noted, “The only solution to the Balochistan crisis lay in holding transparent elections which are not possible without a neutral caretaker government. My party would boycott the election if they were not conducted by an impartial interim set-up.”

Speaking to the flood victims, the former premier said that he sympathized with them making an appeal to the government to pay immediate attention to their plight.

He stated, “Many areas of Sindh and Balochistan have been badly hit by the recent torrential rains. People need immediate attention otherwise their condition will deteriorate further. The government should pay Rs100,000 to each affected family.”

He, however, said that they wouldn’t leave the affected people at the mercy of an indifferent government, adding that the Punjab government had always stood by the abandoned.

He pledged that his party would fulfill its commitment to easing the suffering of flood victims, saying that relief goods had been sent to Dera Murad Jamali.

Sharif condemned the local government system, saying separate systems for Karachi and the rest of the province were fuelling resentment among the people of the province.

Offering an unconditional support for nationalists opposing the ordinance, he said the government was only trying to pacify its coalition partner (MQM).

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Posted by Faisal Farooq on Oct 1 2012. Filed under Pakistan, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.