All Parties Conference (APC) convened by Defence of Pakistan Council (DPC) failed as all major political parties of Pakistan and Balochistan’s local and nationalist parties boycotted it.
Only political parties that are part of DPC attended the meeting held on Monday. Elaborate arrangements were made for the high profile conference and all the major parties of the country, Balochistan nationalist and regional parties and prominent tribal elders and Baloch sardars were invited but none turned up.
The conference was convened to express solidarity with people of Balochistan and to discuss the current situation in the province. The organisers including DPC Chairman Maulana Samiul Haq had expected a positive response that would have given a boost to the standing of DPC after it managed sizeable crowds at public meetings in Peshawar, Lahore, Multan, Rawalpindi and Karachi. The Quetta Conference was in line with its slogan to defend the country but the negative response in Quetta would leave enough food for thought for DPC leaders to rethink their standing in national politics.
Addressing the conference, Chairman DPC Maulana Samiul Haq came said rulers have failed to give their due rights to Baloch people. He said there was no difference between policies of Pervez Musharraf and Asif Ali Zardari as far as Balochistan was concerned. Samiul Haq said the problems of people of Balochistan could not be resolved by announcing packages, appointment of committees or tendering apologies but provincial autonomy will be needed. He said that the conference also aimed at telling the US, India and Israel to stay away from Balochistan. He said the resolution in the US Congress on Balochistan was an attack on the sovereignty and integrity of Pakistan. He said that after its defeat in Afghanistan, Washington was hatching a conspiracy to break Pakistan. He said the DPC would not only help the Baloch people in healing their wounds but also identify those who were behind their woes.
