<b>Gas rig, water pipeline destroyed in rocket attacks</b>


By Our Staff Correspondent

QUETTA, Jan 14: A rig was destroyed and main pipeline supplying water to the gas purification plant was blown up in two rocket attacks at Pir Koh gas field on Saturday night.

According to sources,<b> unidentified assailants fired rockets at the gas field that landed and exploded near gas well No 10, destroying the rig installed at the well.</b>

“Armed tribesmen fired 16 rockets at the gas well,” Dera Bugti DCO Abdul Samad Lasi said, adding that the gas well was also damaged in the attack.

In another incident, armed men blew up main pipeline of water supply, suspending the supply to the gas purification plant.

<b>“Armed men planted explosive martial around the pipeline and blew it up in the Pathar Nullah area,</b>” official sources said.

Sources said that if water supply was not immediately restored, the gas purification plant might be shut down and that would affect gas supply from the gas field.

Sources said that after the attack, Frontier Constabulary personnel retaliated and fired rockets and mortar shells towards the positions of the attackers on which they escaped.

Meanwhile, miscreants fired at least four rockets at the officers’ mess of the Oil and Gas Development Corporation in an adjacent area after brief intervals.

However, none of the rockets could hit the target, sources said, adding that no causality was reported in the rocket attacks.

<b>Another operation in Marri area: 25 civilians killed, claims MPA</b>


By Our Staff Correspondent

QUETTA, Jan 14: <b>Paramilitary forces on Saturday launched another operation in the Marri area using helicopter gunships and heavy weapons while unidentified people fired rockets at a Frontier Corps camp in Kohlu, reports said.</b>

Official sources said that security forces were taking action against outlaws’ hideouts and camps in different parts of the Kohlu and Dera Bugti districts.

“FC troops have targeted outlaws’ camps at Bhambhoor top in Marri area,” sources said and added that helicopter gunships were taking part in the action.

However, nationalist leader Mir Balach Khan Marri, a member of the Balochistan Assembly, claimed that security forces had been lobbing mortars and rockets at the small township of Kahan for the last two days in which 25 people, mostly women and children, had been killed and several others injured.

<b>“Kahan town witnessed heavy shelling and mortar attacks the whole day on Saturday. My house was also targeted and has been badly damaged,”</b> he told Dawn over telephone from the troubled area.

He said the residents of Kahan and other areas had left their houses and moved to safe places.

“Entire town is empty but mortar and rocket lobbing continues from the FC Qila,” Mir Balach said and added that over 2,000 rockets and mortars had been fired by security forces.

An FC spokesman denied bombardment and use of fighters in the Marri area and said that security forces had not targeted Kahan, Sanglan and Kach towns.

“All claims regarding bombing townships is baseless and wrong,” he said and added that the FC troops were taking action only against outlaws’ camps and their hideouts.

He also denied casualties in the Kahan township.

“Paramilitary forces were taking action against camps set up in the mountains,” the spokesman said and added that ‘saboteurs had fired eight rockets at the FC base camps in Kohlu and Babar Tak area of the Harnai tehsil on Saturday morning. Four rockets landed and exploded near the FC camp in Kohlu town, he said.

<b>No military action in Balochistan, says govt</b>
<span style="font-size:large;">TYPICAL PAKISTANI LIE</span>

ISLAMABAD, Jan 14: An interior ministry spokesman has said that media reports about a military operation in Balochistan false and misleading.

The spokesman said after December 14 rocket attacks by saboteurs in Kohlu during the visit of President Musharraf and an attack on the subsequent day, injuring the inspector-general of the Frontier Corps and other senior officials, the government had confirmed the location of certain ‘fugitive’ camps and then a targeted action was undertaken by the FC.

In that punitive drive against the saboteurs, the spokesman claimed, care was taken to ensure that no innocent person was targeted.

The spokesman said the actions taken against various criminal dens where the armed gangs were hiding with caches of arms and ammunition had achieved tangible success.

He said the saboteurs at the behest of certain elements were trying to hinder government efforts to carry out development in the remote areas of Balochistan.

He reiterated that on no account would the saboteurs be allowed to succeed in their nefarious designs which were against socio-economic uplift of the people of the area.

The FC, as per its mandate and assigned role of law enforcement, would continue to take punitive action if development efforts were hindered or any national asset was threatened, the spokesman concluded. —-APP

No army operation in Balochistan, claims minister

ISLAMABAD, Jan 14: Minister for Defence Production Habibullah Warraich has said that no military operation was being carried out in Balochistan. “After assurances from President Gen Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz that no operation was going on in Balochistan, the baseless propaganda must come to an end,” the minister said in a statement on Saturday.

Mr Warraich said it was a targeted action against people disturbing the peace of the province and the government had no plans for any operation in the province even in future.

The government, he said, believed in resolving problems amicably. However, anti-social elements and their supporters could not be allowed to create law and order situation, he said, adding that their hideouts would be destroyed.

“The government cannot tolerate attacks on security forces and the killers will be chased and brought to justice,” he added.

Mr Warraich said the government could not allow any foreigner to use Pakistani soil for attacking other countries and those who were instigating locals to take up arms would be dealt with severely.

He said the government has taken strong exception to the foreign aid being provided to saboteurs in the form of arms and ammunition and efforts were being made to block all routes through which arms were smuggled into Balochistan.

“Pakistan is a peaceful country. People living here are also peaceful and those who try to give bad name to Pakistan can never be forgiven,” the minister said.

He said Pakistan would be purged of all unlawful activities and would be made the cradle of peace from Balochistan to Waziristan so that every Pakistani could lead a secure life.—APP

www.dawn.com/2006/01/15/index.htm


HRCP sees custodial killings in Bugti area


By Our Correspondent

QUETTA, Jan 14: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Balochistan chapter, has said its visiting team, led by Asma Jahangir, has witnessed serious violation of human rights by security forces in Dera Bugti (where security forces are fighting tribal insurgents).

The commission says that information its team has collected reveals that 53 civilians have been killed and 132 injured during an outbreak of hostilities in the remote area from last week of December till January 8.

Speaking at a news conference at the press club here on Saturday, the vice-chairman of the HRCP, Balochistan chapter, Malik Zahoor Shahwani, said: “No law permits custodial killing and no law-enforcement agency is above the law and entitled to award death sentence to citizens who are in their custody.”

He said that the government should ‘act according to constitutional requirements and uphold rule of law’ to ensure protection of fundamental rights of the people.

If those arrested in Dera Bugti were involved in illegal activities, Mr Shahwani added, they should be presented before courts for trial.

He said that a war like situation existed in Dera Bugti where ‘government offices are empty, the district coordination officer has shifted his office to Sui, schools are not functioning and vehicles not plying and the bazaar has been closed.’

“It is the responsibility of the government to initiate dialogue process to peacefully resolve the issue to restore normalcy in the area,” he said.

The HRCP official also asked the government to establish camps for provision of food to those residents of Dera Bugti who have migrated to safe areas.

He said that a majority of residents of Dera Bugti town had migrated as only two persons out of 250 members of the local Hindu community were still living in the town.

He claimed to have seen regular troops taking positions on both sides of mountains along the 35-km route between Sui and Dera Bugti town.

Rabbani asks govt to halt operation in Balochistan


By Our Reporter

ISLAMABAD Jan 14: Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Mian Raza Rabbani has asked the government to halt military operation in Balochistan immediately. In a statement issued here on Saturday, Senator Rabbani said the regime was pitting provinces against one another which would have disastrous consequences for the federation.

“History teaches us that political issues can be resolved only through a political dialogue and not by force. The rulers must heed this lesson of history before they are taught it the hard way.

“The party calls for an immediate end to the ongoing military operation in the province and demands that political forces should be taken into confidence to address the political issues,” the PPP deputy secretary-general said and called upon the government to stop playing with fire.

As stated by the PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto, “violence in Balochistan is a direct consequence of the imposition of military rule in the country. Every military rule in the country has spawned secessionist tendencies and Musharraf regime is no exception,” Mr Rabbani said.

Ayub dictatorship led to alienation of East Pakistan and creation of Bangladesh. Gen Yahya Khan’s dictatorship resulted in the Baloch uprising, which the subsequent PPP government had to deal with. After the hanging of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Sindh was ready to secede, but the PPP came to the rescue of the federation.

“General Musharraf’s military dictatorship has resulted in military operation in Waziristan, rocket and missile attacks on civilians in Bajaur allegedly by foreign forces, mass discontent and uprising in Sindh and NWFP over the KBD and now an insurgency in Balochistan,” the PPP leader said.

Continuing the use of force, he said, would only further alienate the people of Balochistan and pit federating units against one another.

“As a result of the ill conceived policies of the regime that are designed only to perpetuate itself in power the country is faced with grave political crisis that has threatened the integrity of the federation.

“It is most worrying that the Musharraf regime has not taken any note of the grave incident of the killing of over two dozen people in Bajaur,” Mr Rabbani said.

Balochistan’s development a top priority, says Aziz


By Our Reporter

ISLAMABAD, Jan 14: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has said that uplift of Balochistan is a major priority of his government. Mr Aziz was talking to Balochistan Governor Owais Ahmad Ghani, who called on him at Prime Minister’s House on Saturday. The prime minister said that all ongoing projects should be completed within the specified time.

He told the governor to make sure that the benefits of development reach the common man. The prime minister assured Mr Ghani that the federal government would provide more resources to the province soon.

Mr Aziz said: “We want development in Balochistan in a peaceful and secure atmosphere. Some elements are trying to create unrest in the province, but Pakistan’s security is dear to us.”

He said the country would be protected at all costs.

The governor briefed the prime minister about the law and order situation in the province and work progress on mega development projects.

The governor praised the prime minister for allocating Rs2.5 billion for the development of the province.

ANP seeks end to use of force in Balochistan: Need for dialogue stressed


By Our Correspondent

PESHAWAR, Jan 14: The Awami National Party has urged the federal government to stop use of force against civilian population in Balochistan and start dialogue to avert bloodshed. In a statement issued to the press on Saturday, ANP president Asfandyar Wali Khan expressed concern over fresh military action in the province.

He said some Baloch leaders had informed him on telephone that the military had last night carried out shelling from aeroplanes over the Kahan area inhabited by the Mari tribe. Before this, he said, the government had targeted the Bugti tribe.

The government’s efforts to resolve the crisis through use of force would never meet with success, he said, adding that there was a dire need to hold dialogue with Baloch tribes to hammer out a political and durable solution to the lingering crisis.

Mr Khan said that use of force for the solution of political problems had never been of any utility in the past and the result would be no different this time around also.

He said military involvement in the resolution of political problems had always multiplied the problems. Air strikes and planting of landmines against civilians could cause irreparable losses to the people as well as the government, he added.

The ANP chief said the area was under army’s siege and relief agencies, including International Committee of the Red Cross, had no access to the injured people. Not only this, the activists of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan were not being allowed to take an eyewitness account of the matter.

Many families had been rendered homeless whereas the wounded needed medical assistance which was not forthcoming, he deplored.

The ANP, he said, had always opposed the element of violence in politics and stressed political dialogue to solve problems and avoid bloodshed.

He said the military’s involvement in East Pakistan had created a disdain among the people against the federal government and the army.

Mr Khan recalled that the world community ultimately took the path of negotiations for the solution of the Afghanistan conflict after 25 years of warfare in that country had already killed thousands of people.

He appealed to the democratic forces in the country to stand up against the military operation in Balochistan.

Call for unity against crackdown, KBD


By Our Correspondent

QUETTA, Jan 14: The Pukhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PMAP) has urged political parties to take a united stand against the military operation in Kohlu and Dera Bugti, and the controversial Kalabagh dam Speaking at a public meeting in Pishin Bazaar on Saturday, party speakers announced that Pukhtuns would fully support the Baloch in their struggle against usurpers to get the smaller nationalities rid of the influence of Punjab.

Party’s deputy chairman Abdur Rahim Mandokhel presided over the meeting. Senators Nawab Ayaz Khan Jogezai and Raza Muhammad Raza also spoke on the occasion.

Mr Rahim Mandokhel denounced the killing of civilians by security forces in Kohlu and Dera Bugti areas. Resisting forces were fighting against oppressors to protect the resources and rights of the Baloch people.

He said Pukhtuns would not leave the Baloch alone at this critical juncture when they were facing state assaults on innocent people.

The PMAP leader said custodial killings, shelling and air strikes on the civilians was a grave human rights violation. He demanded that the military should end operation in Kohlu and Dera Bugti, and resolve the issue politically instead of violence.

He said it was the tragedy of the nation that autocratic rulers did not realize the gravity of situation in the country. Instead of talks, they were using force in Balochistan to resolve issues, he added.

The rulers, he said, wanted to build the controversial Kalabagh dam in violation of the aspirations of Pukhtuns, Sindhis and Balochs.

He said the Kalabagh dam was the issue of life and death for Pukhtuns. On the one hand Punjab wanted to destroy the fertile lands of Pukhtuns by constructing the dam while on the other hand was trying to own the Pukhtun River.

He said Pukhtuns would under no circumstances allow the military dictator to go ahead with anti-Pukhtun dam.

Mr Mandokhel criticized the introduction of police system in Balochistan and said the abolition of levies was a conspiracy to disturb the peaceful life of Pukhtun and Baloch tribes.

He stressed political groups to join hands to save the levies system.

He urged the government to implement the Balochistan assembly resolution against the elimination of Piralizai refugee camp and stated that the Afghan refugees had repatriated to Afghanistan and criminals were using the camp as their den.

Govt’s writ to be enforced in Dera Bugti, says official

DERA BUGTI, Jan 14: Bhambhor Rifles Commandant Col Furqan has said that writ of the government will be enforced in Dera Bugti and other ‘free zones’ in Balochistan ‘at any cost’. Talking to journalists here on Friday, he said that Dera Bugti was a haven for all kind of criminals who roamed freely ‘within its boundaries’ and the ‘private army’ of Nawab Akbar Bugti was challenging the writ of law and government.

He said that 25 camps of saboteurs existed in the region but a majority had been dismantled.

He said that an offer had been made to Nawab Bugti to hand over his heavy weapons to the army and disband his private army but it had been rejected by the headstrong nawab.

He said that the ‘private army’ of Mr Bugti possessed more sophisticated arms than those of the Pakistan army.

He justified the siege to Dera Bugti, saying it was aimed at preventing infiltration of defeated elements from Kohlu into the area. He said that saboteurs had been restoring to indiscriminate rocket firing, most of which had landed in residential areas of innocent Baloch people.

Defending the establishment of Frontier Constabulary posts, he said that they had been established in the region since 1977 and not during the Musharraf tenure as was being wrongly propagated.

He blamed the tribal chiefs for being an impediment to development of their regions and Balochistan but said that the government was committed to developing the province.

He denied that there had been any restriction on the movement of items of daily use or people of the beleaguered region. He claimed that those present in the region were members of the private army as common people had migrated to safe places.

He said that Nawab Bugti had kept the members of his tribe hostages. “Anybody who dared to lodge a complaint to police was ‘fined’ Rs50, 000 and detained in a ‘private jail,’ he said.

Schools in the region had been converted into fugitive camps, he added. “There are 650 ghost schools in the region, salaries for which are being collected with impunity,” he added.—Online

KARACHI: PPP calls for halt to army operation


By Our Reporter

KARACHI, Jan 14: Deploring the military operation and killing of innocent people in Balochistan, the Pakistan People’s Party on Saturday demanded an immediate halt to such activities which, it said, “had pushed the country into an intensive care unit” and were akin to the policies which the rulers had pursued in the case of the former East Pakistan.

Secretary-General of the PPP Sindh, Nafees Siddiqui made this statement while addressing a news conference at the Karachi Press Club. Waqar Mehdi, Rashid Rabbani, Rafiq Engineer (MPA) and Raheel Iqbal were also present.

Mr Siddiqui said the rulers had not yet decided about the kind of a political dispensation and constitution to be enforced in the country. Their whole focus was on extending the ‘one-man rule’ which was not in the interest of people, he said.

He rejected the regime’s claim about prosperity and progress, and observed that due to the government’s wrong policies, the country was among the three most illiterate countries.

Mr Siddiqui equated the Balochistan situation with the one that had prevailed before fall of East Pakistan due to denial of rights to people of that wing.

He strongly deplored the killings on Eid day in Balochistan, saying that they had been carried out in a ‘custodial killings’ manner as people had been dragged out of their homes and eliminated.

Contesting the government’s claim of having acted against terrorists in Dera Bugti, and asked why there were more children and women among the dead. He said that two brigades of army, paramilitary troops and levies were involved in the operation in which helicopter gunships were also being used.

He pointed out that East Pakistan had been forced to the point of alienation by Ayub Khan, and alleged that Gen Musharraf was pushing Balochistan and other provinces in the same direction.

On Kalabagh dam issue, he said it was not an issue between Sindh and Punjab, but a problem that concerned the whole of Pakistan.

He said that those who were claiming that the PPP’s Sindh and Punjab chapters had different positions on the KBD were misleading people. Those who were advancing such argument were similar to those who supported the government in its policy of denying the East Pakistanis their due rights.

Mr Siddiqui said that a rally against Balochistan operation and KBD project would be held in Hyderabad on Jan 18. It would be followed by a similar rally in Hala where top brass of the Anti-Greater Thar Canal and Anti-Kalabagh Dam Action Committee would assemble.

He declared that Gen Musharraf would not be allowed to impose KBD, and suggested that the issue be left up to the next elected government. He also did not agree with a questioner that the opposition should go to the Supreme Court in this regard.

Asked why he was silent on bombings in some areas of the NWFP, Mr Siddiqui said the PPP was against bombing anywhere in the country. But since the focus was on Balochistan and KBD, it was not mentioned.


ARD postpones Balochistan rally

BY OUR STAFF REPORTER
LAHORE -The Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) has postponed its Balochistan rally yet again allegedly under Government’s pressure.
The alliance had announced to hold it on January 16 (tomorrow) at Lahore to express solidarity with the Baloch people in the backdrop of alleged military operation in Balochistan.
While talking to The Nation from Peshawar, ARD Secretary General, Iqbal Zafar Jhagra said that the rally has been postponed owing to sudden departure of ARD Chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim to India. He said that a new date for the event would be announced later after Makhdoom’s return to the country.
It may be noted that this is for the second time that ARD has postponed its rally. Earlier, it had announced to hold it on January 8, but the same had to be postponed following imposition of section 144 in the City. The leadership then fixed January 16 as the new date for the event, but this time again it had to postpone it under the pretext of Makhdoom’s absence from the country.
Some insiders claimed that besides pressure from the Government’s side, internal differences among the alliance’s leadership also led to postponement of the rally.
The Government was determined not to allow the alliance to hold the rally, but District Nazim Lahore, Mian Amer Mahmood, had shown some flexibility that ARD may be allowed to stage it at some public place instead of the busy route.

‘People of Balochistan ultimate beneficiaries of Gwadar port’

QUETTA (APP)-Balochistan Minister for Gwadar Development Authority (GDA), Syed Sher Jan Baloch has said the ultimate beneficiaries of Gwadar port will be people of Balochistan which is amply clear alone from the fact that the federal government is establishing Gwadar Institute of Technology at a cost of Rs. 198.18 millions to impart marine education to local youths.
Talking to this news agency here Saturday, the Minister said the project is a joint venture of Pakistan and Chinese governments. “China will provide Rs. 32 million as an aid for the project while rest of the expenditures will be met by the Pakistan government”, he said. He said the institute of technology will have the capacity to enroll maximum 80 students in an academic year who will be taught specific subjects including preservation and processing of sea food. “Balochistan Education Department will implement the scheme and it has sent a summary to Planning and Development department for provision of funds after completing the initial survey”, he said He said the teaching staff will be appointed and the students will be given admissions on purely merit basis and no political influence will be accepted in this regard. He said the federal government will provide funds to run the institute besides bearing its construction cost.

www.nation.com.pk/daily/jan-2006/15/bnews10.php


VIEW: Balochistan — the way forward —Dr Hasan-Askari Rizvi

A dialogue should be initiated with the political leaders in Balochistan on contentious issues like mega development projects, construction of army cantonments and greater provincial autonomy. However, dialogue may not be possible until the military confrontation in the province is defused. Moreover, the provincial government and army/intelligence personnel are not suitable for conducting such a dialogue

The federal government can temporarily rely on the state’s coercive apparatus for asserting its authority in the troubled areas of Balochistan. However, this method is not expected to produce an enduring solution to the problem. Rather, the longer the present armed conflict continues the more difficult it will for the two sides — the federal government and the dissident elements — to reach a negotiated settlement.

The root causes of the Balochistan problem are political and economic and pre-date the Musharraf regime. Federal governments often neglected the province and failed to address its problems. When General Pervez Musharraf assumed power in October 1999, he promised to, among other things, work towards “strengthening the federation, removing inter-provincial disharmony and restoring national cohesion”.

Six years later, the promise remains unfulfilled. The federal government is using regular troops and paramilitary forces in parts of Balochistan and South and North Waziristan, adjacent to the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, supposedly for “strengthening the federation”. On top of these developments President Pervez Musharraf’s advocacy of the Kalabagh Dam has caused resentment in Sindh and the NWFP. Balochistan also opposes the dam. These developments have seriously strained centre-province relations and undermined inter-provincial interaction.

The situation in Balochistan did not deteriorate in a day. The first sign of trouble was visible when the federal government unilaterally decided to launch mega development projects and build new army cantonments in the province without taking into account local and provincial sensitivities. Local objections to the federal projects were ignored or dealt with, with a military mindset.

The federal government was so convinced of the righteousness of its development agenda that it brushed aside the objections raised by several political leaders as excuses for protecting vested interests. It applied the military ethos of unity of command and centralisation to directly manage development in Balochistan. The federal government co-opted a section of the political elite in the province that supported the federal agenda. At the same time, it excluded those who questioned the government policies.

The narrow and selective ‘consensus’ was designed to prove that federal policies enjoyed support in the province and that only isolated and self-centred political activists and tribal leaders were opposed to the development work.

The co-opted elite in Balochistan (the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML) and the provincial government) failed to neutralise opposition to the development work for two major reasons. First, the provincial government had little, if any, role in the planning and management of the new development projects. They felt awkward defending the policies handed down by Islamabad, which did not address local concerns and anxieties. The provincial government could not assuage these anxieties because it did not have control over the projects.

Second, the financial problems of the provincial government convinced many in the ruling PML that the province must have financial and administrative autonomy to generate more resources and pursue a more participatory approach for addressing poverty and underdevelopment. They quietly agreed with the issues raised by the opposition but disagreed with their strategies. This state of mind weakened the role of the co-opted leaders.

The policy of excluding the dissenting leaders caused strains in provincial politics. They raised these issues in the provincial assembly and the parliament as well as the media. But, the federal government remained inflexible about accommodating local concerns over the mega development projects, although it offered economic assistance to the provincial government to sustain itself and pursue some development work.

It ignored the demands for protecting Baloch interests in the development projects and granting autonomy to the province so that it should have greater control of its natural resources.

Having lost faith in the ability of the existing political arrangements, the dissenting hardliners drifted towards violence, targeting the symbols of state authority. The security situation deteriorated gradually with bomb blasts and rocket firing incidents and periodic damage to the telephone network, electricity transmission lines and gas pipelines.

At times, bombs were placed at crowded spots in cities, causing loss of life and property. Such incidents began in 2003 and their frequency increased in late 2004 and the first six months of 2005.

The January 2005 trouble in the Sui area was the first major conflict between the tribal elements and the law enforcement authorities. The parliamentary committee on Balochistan became active and Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Mushahid Hussain approached Nawab Akbar Bugti to defuse the situation. This engendered the hope that a durable solution would be evolved through political means.

The sub-committee headed by Mushahid Hussain suggested various options. However, the federal government has not so far implemented its recommendations. This has created the impression that the federal government is not serious about political accommodation.

The latest phase of violence has taken a serious turn because the military operation has been extended beyond the Kohlu area where incidents in mid-December 2005 triggered the on-going military action. Though official circles are emphasising that military action is limited to the dissidents’ camps and the tribesmen attacking government installations or the troops, non-official and independent sources talk of its brutal impact on the ordinary people who have been forced to migrate to other areas. Some information on military operations provided by the army’s spokesman is not corroborated by independent news sources.

The Balochistan situation cannot be treated as a law and order problem or as trouble ignited by three or four tribal chiefs. Balochistan’s grievances are deep-rooted and require participatory political handling. A large number of people supporting the demands, often described as Baloch nationalists, are not the followers of the tribal chiefs. They are genuinely concerned about the political and economic future of the province and its people. The federal government’s administrative approach has compelled them to work with the tribal chiefs against the centre.

The possibility of extremists’ involvement in the trouble in Balochistan cannot be ruled out but everybody supporting the movement cannot be labelled an extremist or miscreant. Most political activists and tribal chiefs are inclined towards a negotiated settlement.

A genuinely political approach is needed. If this does not happen the conflict in Balochistan may draw in powerful states and trans-national players. This will accentuate Pakistan’s already troubled internal security.

A dialogue should be initiated with the political leaders in Balochistan on contentious issues like mega development projects, construction of army cantonments and greater provincial autonomy. However, dialogue may not be possible until the military confrontation in the province is defused. Moreover, the provincial government and army/intelligence personnel are not suitable for conducting such a dialogue.

Credible civilian political channels should be employed for the dialogue. If and when the agreement is reached the federal government should implement it without delay and be prepared to work with a more autonomous provincial set-up.

Dr Hasan-Askari Rizvi is a political and defence analyst

www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp\15\story_15-1-2006_pg3_2


20 killed by security forces in Kohlu

Staff Report

QUETTA: A tribal leader claimed that at least 20 people were killed as security forces continued attacks on villages in Kohlu on Saturday. The situation in Dera Bugti and Sui remained tense, but no official confirmation of civilian casualties was made.

Mir Balach Mari, a member of the provincial assembly, said that security forces continued their attacks in the Kahan, Daman, and Shmail, Sordu and Renkh villages, where at least 20 people were killed. He said that forces present on the ground also attacked villages with mortars that created havoc among the local population. He said that many people were forced to leave their homes since military operations began on December 17.

Meanwhile, former Balochistan chief minister Mir Humayun Mari said that security forces had begun indiscriminate shelling in Kohlu.

Although the situation in Dera Bugti and Sui remained tense, no clashes were reported in the area. Locals said that the
Sui-Dera Bugti Road
was closed for all kinds of traffic to avoid an influx of those who were trying to take refuge in Sui.

Dera Bugti District Coordination Officer Abdul Samad Lasi, however, denied that the road was closed for traffic.

Rig machine of Pirkoh gas field damaged in rocket attack

By Muhammad Ejaz Khan

QUETTA: A rig machine of the Pirkoh gas field was damaged on Saturday night when suspected saboteurs attacked one of the gas wells with rockets, while a water supply pipeline in the Pathar Nullah area was blown up in Dera Bugti on Saturday.

Confirming the incident, officials told The News from Dear Bugti that suspected miscreants fired at least 16 rockets from an unknown place targeting the gas well No10 of the Pirkoh gas field. One of the rockets ripped through the rig machine, the officials added. However, the gas supply from the plant remained undisturbed.

Soon after the incident, the district coordination officer of Dera Bugti said, personnel of law-enforcement agencies rushed to the site and started a probe into the incident.

"The rig machine was partially damaged in the attack," the DCO said, adding that the attackers managed to flee the scene.

In another incident, officials said suspected saboteurs attacked a camp of the Pirkoh gas field’s employees and fired over five rockets. However, no fatalities were reported. The law-enforcement agencies are investigating the attack, sources said.

Meanwhile, officials said the water supply pipeline in the Pirkoh area of the Dera Bugti district was blown up by unknown saboteurs.

Sources said suspected saboteurs planted a powerful bomb near the pipeline, which went off with a big bang, damaging the pipeline. Officials said that supply of water to the Pirkoh gas field and its suburbs was suspended.

Immediate end to ‘military operation’

in Balochistan demanded

By our correspondent

KARACHI: Expressing grave concern over the ongoing military operation in Balochistan, the Pakistan People’s Party has demanded that the action be stopped immediately, forces withdrawn, and political dialogue be initiated with the leadership of the province to resolve the crisis.

Secretary General of the PPP, Sindh, Nafees Siddiqi, asked the government and Gen Pervez Musharraf not to push the Baloch to the wall and urged all the political forces to play their due role to end this crisis otherwise the country and its unity would be irreparably jeopardised.

Addressing a press conference at the Karachi Press Club on Saturday, Siddiqi said that the deteriorating situation in Balochistan demanded that the armed forces be withdrawn and the issue be resolved through dialogue.

He said that the purpose of this operation was to divert the attention of the people from the tardy relief operations in the earthquake-stricken Azad Kashmir and the NWFP, as there were reports of massive irregularities in the distribution of relief funds. He said government first raised the issue of Kalabagh Dam and later they launched the operation in Balochistan just to divert the attention of the nation from the corruption plaguing the relief disbursement in the earthquake-stricken areas

Nafees said that the government and its coalition parties were responsible for the killing of the innocent people as they were indirectly supporting the operation. Terming the killing of Baloch people as ‘custodial killing’ and an act to pushing the Baloch people to the wall, the PPP leader said that despite the government’s claim that the operation was against miscreants, not a single miscreant was arrested or produced before the public.

He said that majority of those killed during the operation on Eid day were women and children and added that he had talked to the Baloch leaders on phone who told him that two brigades of the army, levies, Frontier Constabulary, and other paramilitary forces and gunship helicopters were being used against the local population.

He said that in the given circumstances the people of Balochistan had no other option but to react sharply to the operation. While comparing the current volatile situation of Balochistan with the one in the erstwhile East Pakistan in 1971, the PPP leader appealed to the intellectuals and other sections of the civil society to forcefully play their role and exhorted the government that the path that it had chosen would lead to disaster like in former East Pakistan where the intellectuals had failed to play their due role.

Condemning the rulers for creating the issue of controversial Kalabagh Dam, he alleged that the rulers were trying to pit the three smaller provinces against the Punjab. He said that Kalabagh Dam was not an issue of one province but it was a national issue and the PPP and ARD were of the view that consensus should be evolved on this project.

The Sindh PPP leader announced that an ARD protest rally would be taken out in Lahore on January 16 against the operation in Balochistan and construction of the Kalabagh Dam.

He said that on January 18, a big rally would also be staged in Hyderabad against the KBD and Balochistan operation and a meeting of the Anti-Greater Thal Canal and Kalabagh Dam Action Committee and a public meeting would be held at Hala on January 20.

Nafees Siddiqi also condemned the operation in Waziristan and said that this operation be stopped also. The city party leaders Rashid Rabbani, Rafique Engineer MPA, Waqar Mehdi, and others were also present on the occasion.

GHINWA BHUTTO: The Chiarperson, Pakistan People’s Party, Shaheed Bhutto Group (PPP-SB), Ghinwa Bhutto, said that only political dialogue between the government and the Baloch political forces could help resolve the deepening crisis in the province. She vehemently condemned cordoning off of the residence of the Chief of Jamhoori Watan Party, Nawab Akber Bugti, by the security forces.

In a statement issued to the Press, she demanded that the army operation in Balochistan be halted with immediate effect and expressed grave concern over the army operation in Kohlu and Dera Bugti. She said, "We must learn lessons from the past and must not repeat the same mistakes, to avoid any eventuality and must adopt a strategy to reach an agreement, which could help bring peace to the volatile province of Balochistan.

She said peaceful means should be resorted to to avert any chaotic situation in the area and also called for refraining from any steps that would put country’s integrity and security at stake. She said that it was the prime responsibility of the government to remove reservations of Baloch leaders. She also demanded to constitute National Commission comprising of political leaders and parliamentarians to find a solution of the burning issue of Balochistan.

JWP holds demo against Balochistan operation

By our correspondent

KARACHI: Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) staged a protest demonstration outside Karachi Press Club on Saturday against the military operation in Balochistan and demanded an end to continuous attacks on innocent people.

The protestors shouted slogans against the military operation and President Pervez Musharaf and demanded his resignation from the post.

Carrying placards inscribed with ‘Down with President Pervez Musharaf’ the protestorts demanded that UN should take notice of the situation and stop genocide in Balochistan.

They also vowed that the inhabitants of Sui would not vacate their ancestral land neither would they allow others to take control of the natural resources of Balochistan.

Addressing the protestors, Rauf said that military and paramilitary forces had invaded the residential areas, killing hundreds of innocent people mostly women and children and opened indiscriminate fire in Sui, Dera Bugti, Kohlu and other areas of Balochistan.

He further said that the military operation was meant to throw people out of their ancestral place in order to take control of the mineral resources of Balochistan. He warned that the Baloch people would not tolerate any such move and vowed to safeguard their rights.

The speakers urged local and international human rights organization to help sort out the problem of Baloch people who were being targeted by the military, forcing them to vacate their ancestral land in order to grab the resources of the province, they said.

jang.com.pk/thenews/


Balochistan restive, India concerned about gas pipeline

Press Trust of India

New Delhi, January 15, 2006

With unrest prevailing in Balochistan, concerns are growing in India over the proposed $4.16 billion Iran-India gas pipeline which has to pass through the region of Pakistan.

India's worries stem from the fact that it would have huge stakes in the nearly 3000 km long pipeline project, about 800 km of which has to pass through Balochistan.

"We are concerned about the future of the pipeline in view of the growing instability in Balochistan," official sources said.

"India will have immense strategic stakes in the pipeline once completed. Naturally, instability in the region (Balochistan) will not be in the interest of the project," the sources said.

New Delhi apprehends that the pipeline could be caught in the crossfire if violence continues to increase in Balochistan, they said, citing the past incidents when pipelines of water and gas have been targeted in the region.

These concerns are believed to have been one of the provocations for External Affairs Ministry to issue a statement recently on situation in Balochistan.

The pipeline project is of considerable significance to energy-hungry India, as supply of gas from Iran by it will help it meet its growing energy requirements, the sources said.


www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1599015,001301700000.htm


Brouhaha in Balochistan

Meenakshi Iyer (HindustanTimes.com)

New Delhi, January 14, 2006 | 17:07 IST


Pakistan seems to be having a tough time battling the brouhaha over Balochistan.

As if its neighbour's 'friendly' concern over the restive province was not enough to irk the nuclear nation, the trouble has come knocking from inner circles.

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), a key party allied to Musharraf, threatened to quit the ruling coalition if a military crackdown in troubled Balochistan province was not halted.

An editorial in Pakistan's Daily Times says, "While an exaggerated sense of external threat will not do Pakistan any good, what is happening internally is quite heart-breaking".

The able General managed to convince MQM's Altaf Hussain that the military action in Balochistan was not an "operation". At the same time almost, it named India as the fomenter of trouble in the restive province.

In an interview to a private channel in India, Musharraf said: "There are a lot of indications, lot of financial support, support in kind being given to those who are anti-government, anti-me..."

Now the catch that the editorial points out is, "Was the Indian interference gambit used to get the MQM to relent?" It says that there seems to be more to the situation than meets the eye.

The MQM's withdrawal may result in the dissolution of the PML-led provincial government in Sindh, where the MQM's 42 legislators form the largest block in the 167-seat local assembly.

As regards the question of Indian interference, as said in reports here earlier, it has been brewing since the installation of the new political order in Afghanistan and the restoration of Indian consulates there.

The Pakistan intelligence is of the opinion that India's RAW is involved in the entire issue.

Clearing the myth, the Daily Times explains, GEO TV's Kamran Khan had announced last November that the Karachi bombing was traced to ...the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), which was connected through the Indian consulates in Afghanistan to RAW. He had called on former Balochistan police IG to confirm this... But the IG did not do that, saying instead that in past the BLA had been funded by Baloch sardars in exile".

Also, Interior Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao insisted that he had no proof of RAW being involved in the bombing in Karachi in 2005, when he was asked by Khan.

The editorial concludes by saying that "no one outside Pakistan is going to believe Islamabad's story" and it is high time that "Islamabad should pause and meditate a bit more on the wisdom of the divisive policies it is pursuing".

Meanwhile, Pakistan's powerful tribal chieftain Nawab Akbar Bugti also denied claims by President Musharraf that his group was being supported by New Delhi.

"President Musharraf is using his favourite weapon - lies," Bugti said in a satellite-phone interview from his headquarters at Dera Bugti town in the volatile province.

Balochistan tribesmen have waged a revolt against the central government in the province during the past year and a half, targeting government installations, railway tracks and gas facilities with bombs and rockets.

They are demanding a bigger share of the region's natural resources and jobs in state projects as well as more political rights, and they also oppose the setting up of military garrisons.


www.hindustantimes.com/news/7598_1598506,000500020009.htm


Military operation in Balochistan disastrous, says Rabbani

By our correspondent

ISLAMABAD: Leader of the opposition in the Senate Mian Raza Rabbani Saturday warned against continuing military operation in Balochistan and said that by continuing with the military operation and sealing off the province to outside investigators the regime is pitting provinces against one another which will have disastrous consequences for the federation.

"History teaches us that political issues can be resolved only through a political dialogue and not by resort to force. The rulers must heed this lesson of history before they are taught it the hard way," he said in a statement.

He said the Party calls for an immediate end to the on going military operation in the province and demands that political forces taken into confidence to address the political issues.

"As stated by the Chairperson PPP Benazir Bhutto violence in Balochistan is a direct consequence of the imposition of military rule in the country. Every military rule in the country has spawned secessionist tendencies and Musharraf regime is no exception," he added.

Rabbani said "Ayub dictatorship led to the alienation of East Pakistan and the creation of Bangladesh. General Yahya Khan’s dictatorship resulted in the Baloch uprising, which the subsequent PPP government had to deal with. After the murder of Bhutto, Sindh was ready to secede but PPP came to the rescue of the Federation."

He added, "General Musharraf’s military dictatorship has resulted military operation in Waziristan, rocket and missile attacks on civilians in Bajaur allegedly by foreign forces, mass discontent and uprising in Sindh and NWFP over the KBD and now an insurgency in Balochistan."

He said continuing the use of force will only further alienate the people of Balochistan and pit federating units against one another. "As a result of the ill conceived policies of the regime that are designed only to perpetuate itself in power the country is faced with grave political crisis that has threatened the integrity of the federation. "If freedom, democracy, constitutional rule, provincial autonomy and peoples rights were not restored, Pakistan’s sovereignty could be endangered and the internal strife could spread further," he added.

jang.com.pk/thenews/


EDITORIAL: Sui Gas Blasts!
By the Editor

DESPITE some reconciliatory overtures by the Government, there seems to be no let-up in provocative acts in Kohlu and Dera Bugti where miscreants continue to target gas installations and pipelines.

Their strategy is quite evident. They want to disrupt supplies of gas to the rest of the country to put maximum pressure on the Government.

The latest acts of sabotage in the area clearly show that the troublemakers are in no mood to allow the tension to recede. They want to keep the pot-boiling.

On its part, the Government has repeatedly given assurance that no operation is underway in Balochistan and selective action is being taken against those who are indulging in anti-State activities.

It has also made it clear that the miscreants asked for it after they carried out a daredevil rocket attack on the President and injured the chief of the Rangers. Under these circumstances, it is lamentable that some politicians and political parties, in their bid of point scoring, are engaged in unrelenting criticism of the Government on this account.

By doing so they are clearly siding with the criminals and enemies of Pakistan. Criticism of the Government or Opposition to its policies is quite different to engaging in acts that amount to encouraging those who are harming interests of Pakistan.

Balochistan remained neglected for decades but for the first time mega projects of far-reaching import are under implementation. These are bound to have tremendous beneficial impact on socio-economic life of the people of the province.

The completion of these projects would also change the pattern of regional trade and make Gwadar and other transit areas as hub of commercial activities. It is because of this that some regional countries are also trying to derail the process of development in the province by creating instability there.

Some elements are playing into their hands and advancing their objectives for the sake of petty personal considerations and monetary benefit. It is quite obvious that no government worth the name could allow blackmailing. It is duty of the Government to establish its writ in each and every corner of the country.

Statements being made by a number of Baloch Sardars and tribal leaders also show that people of Balochistan want progress and development of the province. They also want to the Government to liberate ordinary Baloch people from the virtual slavery.

Any way, this task should not be left unaccomplished. Multidimensional approach should be adopted to achieve this


pakistantimes.net/editorial150106.htm