Achakzai-led Tehreek calls for APC on Balochistan

ISLAMABAD: The Tehreek Tahafuz Aiyeen-e-Pakistan Wednesday called for convening an All Party Conference (APC) on the problems of Balochistan and instability in the country, asking the government to shed its ego as what was happening in the province needs a serious huddle at this time.

On its part, the Tehreek Wednesday formed a committee to contact various political parties for the proposed APC to correct the past mistakes and the way forward.

Talking to media persons here after presiding over a meeting of the opposition parties grouped under the Tehreek, its Chairman Mehmood Khan Achakzai said, “Our committee will meet the people to call the APC and in a few days people of Pakistan will hear good news.”

“We have become indifferent. What is going on in Balochistan? All the parties with us demand that the Constitution should prevail. Our committee will meet the people for APC,” he said.

Achakzai, who is also the head of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, said they will take a decision in this regard after consulting all the parties so all should agree on it and there should be no one missing from the moot.

However, he contended, “If the government calls an APC, we will not start an anti-government movement. We will first try to resolve the issue through dialogue. Otherwise, this government brought by force will be dismissed at all costs.”

Speaking on the occasion, PTI senior leader Asad Qaiser said, “Our alliance has expressed concern over the situation in Balochistan and have decided that we will meet the speaker and will request that there should be a thorough discussion on Balochistan and the government should come to parliament and tell what policy it has on the province.” He said that for the last two days, he has been talking on the floor of the assembly that there should be a discussion on Balochistan, but the government has not shown any seriousness.

He said that because of this, former Balochistan chief minister Akhtar Mengal resigned due to frustration with the situation. “If they lose their respect in their region because of parliament, then this parliament has no status,” he remarked. He said while the government is showing ‘slackness’ in this regard, our enemies are taking advantage of the situation in Balochistan.

“In this regard we have formed a committee whose chairman is Mahmood Khan Achakzai. We have decided to go out across the country, we will have rallies, we will address bar associations and have instructed the committee to decide the day on which we will protest across the country,” he said. He said on Balochistan, there should be an all-party conference in which all political parties and stakeholders should be present and an overall decision should be taken on how to resolve the concerns of angry Baloch and the situation there.

PTI leader Latif Khosa said the government should stop shouting that they are going to extend someone’s term by amending the Constitution because they do not have two-third majority in both the National Assembly and Senate.

PTI spokesman Raoof Hassan said the PTI meeting will be held on September 8 in any situation. “If the administration puts obstacles in its way, we will not think about it at all and the meeting will still be held,” he made it clear. He said a meeting will be held on September 12 in Karak and on September 22 in Lahore, while a committee headed by Sahibzada Hamid Raza has been formed to set up the organizational structure of the Tehreek.