Durrani urges Opposition to stop exploiting Balochistan issue
Staff Report

ISLAMABAD—Minister for Information and Broadcasting Muhammad Ali Durrani Sunday said the opposition should rise above petty politics and stop politicizing the Kohlu incident for personal gains.
Briefing the newsmen on Balochistan situation here Sunday, he said the opposition should see the ground realities as they know very well the people of Pakistan will never accept politics which is against the national interests.
He said the government tried its best to resolve the matter with Akbar Bugti through dialogue. But unfortunately Akbar Bugti, who was in mainstream of politics some times back, later chose the path of militancy, he added.
Akbar Bugti even ousted its own tribesmen from their lands and forced them to take shelter in other provinces.The government went out of the way to have some dialogue with Akbar Bugti, but he took shelter under those people against whom he had taken action in the 1970s, Durrani said.
Some elements in the Balochistan province and some political parties are involved in point securing, he said and added, through their petty politics they are trying to exploit the Kohlu incident, which is unfortunate and against the national interests.
He said the opposition knows the ground realities in Balochistan very well. They had taken action when they were in power but they are bent upon to politicize this issue for their personal political gains.
Durrani said the people of Pakistan reject the politics which is against the national interests. The security and national integrity is above all and the government will never compromise over it, he added.
The Information Minister said flow of narcotics, armaments and money to Pakistan from Afghanistan is a hard fact known to all. The government knows against whom it is being used, he added.
Bridges, pylons, railway tracks and gas pipelines were blown up and innocent people were killed, he said and added, the writ of the government was challenged.
There is no anti- Pakistan struggle in Balochistan but a few elements were using weapons to stop the process of development in Balochistan. They haveno backing of people of Balochistan as they never won significant seats in the elections, he added.
The government, he said, is determined to continue the development process by building dams, roads, port, canals and other mega projects to bring about\socio-economic development for the people of this province. The government also wants to give a sense of respect and participation to Baloch youth, he added.
He said those elements in Balochistan and political parties who are exploiting the situation cannot win the hearts of the people of Pakistan asthey strongly believe in national integration. All those political parties will be isolated as they have no noble cause to promote. The extremists inBalochistan will face defeat, he added.
He questioned as who took action in Balochistan in the 1970s and the kind of actions taken by Benazir and Nawaz governments in their tenures are known toeverybody. Akbar Bugti stopped coming to Islamabad in Nawaz Sharif’s government, he said.
He said citizens of Pakistan are responsible and custodian of national interests and will rejects negative forces in the country. The minister saidthe government wants to share facts with the people of Pakistan and it strongly believes in openness. But national security cannot be compromised,he added.
Durrani said the opposition is playing politics for the sake of politics. On minor issues it starts giving calls for strikes and long marches as it doesnot want to wait for general elections, he added.
The opposition moved a no-confidence motion against the government which was responded effectively, he said. But blowing the petty issues out ofproportion cannot be justified, he added. He said the opposition should have played its role to bring back Akbar Bugti to mainstream politics, but it didnot do so.
The information minister said it is not only the responsibility of the government but also of every Pakistani to build this country and ensure itsnational cohesion. All those elements and political parties which are involved in negative politics will ultimately have to come back as theycannot face the people, he added.
He said armed forces of Pakistan have ensured security of Pakistan and they had offered sacrifices in every hour of need. The nation has witnessed themworking in the earthquake-hit areas where they worked relentlessly. He said their sacrifices cannotbe ignored which they offered for the security of the country. It is our duty to remember them, he added.
To a question, he said the people of Pakistan and all the four provinces are integrated with each other culturally, socially, economically andlinguistically and their interests are linked with each other. Any attempt to sow the seed of discord among them cannot succeed, he concluded.