Echoes of reconciliation and dialogue died down on July 19 when a largescale operation commenced in Uch, Sui and other areas after clashes between the Baloch outlaws and security forces.
The operation continues till date. During the operation both the security forces and outlaws suffered heavy loss, however, the government is not willing to accept it.
In a press conference in Quetta, Inspector-General, Frontier Corps, Maj-Gen Saleem Nawaz rejected reports of any military operation in any part of Balochistan including Dera Bugti. He said anyone attacking the forces or trying to take the government hostage would be dealt with severely.
The inspector-general said the Frontier Corps was responsible for the defence of the borders as well as for the security of local and foreign engineers and staff working on various projects in the province. He said countering those elements involved in bomb blasts and other unlawful activities was part of the duties of the Frontier Corps. He said the government was working on a three-pronged strategy, i.e. development, dialogue and countering outlaws who were damaging government installations.
Maj-Gen Saleem Nawaz said the people who lost their track should take advantage of the chief minister’s announced process of reconciliation and become part of the process of development. He said blowing up railway tracks and barber shops was no service to the people of Balochistan.
Replying to a question about jamming of mobile phones in Chaman and Nokundi areas, the inspector-general of Frontier Corps said mobile phones were jammed in these areas so that the outlaws could not contact their leaders as terrorist elements inside Afghanistan could easily use a Pakistani mobile phone for achieving their ends. He said this was the reason why mobile phone companies were directed to install such a system in their mobile towers calls could not be accessed beyond Pakistan’s border.
He said by blowing up barber shops and railway tracks, the outlaws just wanted to create terror in the hearts of innocent children and women. The terrorists just want people to lose their trust on the newly-elected government. He said Frontier Corps Balochistan had always made efforts to foil the designs of terrorist elements.
He said the nation had pinned great hopes with the process of reconciliation initiated by the chief minister of Balochistan and his cabinet.
The inspector-general, Frontier Corps, expressed his hope that the process would bear fruits and that if anyone tried to sabotage the process, he would be dealt with sternly. He said the army was a responsible institution and it functioned within the limits defined by law.
He said as long as the federal or provincial government did not call the army, no action was taken. He said, “I want to make it clear that the army is not being deployed in any area of the province except for Champalang and Sui.
He said in Champalang area, the Frontier Corps and army were jointly deployed. There are huge reserves of coal in Champalang area, and work there has been stopped for the past 31 years due to a rift between Loni and Marri tribes. He said with the effort of the army work on the project had started and now some 20,000-25,000 people were working in the area. He also mentioned that the Frontier Corps was also providing security to some fourteen other development projects.
On the other hand when President Pervez Musharraf reached Quetta neither the provincial ministers nor the Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Raeesani reached the airport to receive him. The president was received by Governor Balochistan Nawab Zulfiqar Magsi, Commander Southern Command Lt-Gen Khalid Shamim, IG FC Maj-Gen Saleem Nawaz, Chief Secretary Nasir Mehmood Khosa and IG Police Saud Gohar.
The governor invited the president to a reception where the president, in his address, expressed grave concern over the overall economic situation of the country and stressed the need for immediate measures to address the situation.
The president said the decline in economic condition in the past six months was a matter of concern. He said political stability was imperative to put things on the right course. He also mentioned that Rs8 billion were given for provision of clean drinking water for the people of Quetta but things did not turn out better.
Ministers belonging to the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid and those from BNP-Awami participated in the meetings with the president.