Baloch incredibly disappointed' over PM's address snub

Islamabad, July 21 : Political parties in Balochistan have said that they were "incredibly disappointed" with Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani first address to the nation on Saturday night.

According to the Daily Times, most of them felt that Gilani had ignored mentioning the problems affecting Pakistan's largest province, clearly giving the impression that the military establishment had pressured both the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and Gilani not to touch the "sensitive" issue of Balochistan.

"The establishment has apparently decided to eliminate Balochistan as a federating unit of Pakistan and is trying to merge it with Punjab," charged Baloch leader Jalib, adding that the "Punjabi establishment" had already begun Balochistan's cultural invasion.

He said the establishment had made up its mind "to use brute force against the Baloch" until they were forced to give up their struggle for the right of ownership of their own resources. "This is no democracy, but yet another dark age of dictatorship for the Baloch people," he said.

Mir Hasil Khan Bezinjo, the secretary general of the National Party (NP), accused the PPP government of not being serious about addressing the Baloch conflict.

He said that had the PPP been sincere towards the settlement of the Baloch crisis, it would have convened the proposed all-parties conference (APC) without delay.

Usman Kakar, the provincial president of the Pashtoonkhawa Milli Awami Party, told the Daily Times that the prime minister's speech included no new announcements for the nation in general and the people of Balochistan in particular.

ANI