Free elections, recovery of missing persons only solution to Balochistan problem: Nawaz

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz President Nawaz Sharif on Monday called for the recovery of all missing Baloch persons and a free, fair and transparent election, saying the two moves could prove the only ray of hope for the resolution of the Balochistan problem.
Addressing a joint press conference after meeting Jamhoori Wattan Party leader Talal Bugti, Nawaz said the tradition of installing fake leaderships should come to an end and the murderers of Nawab Akbar Bugti should be brought to justice.
He warned that political negotiations, not force, were the solution to the Balochistan’s problems. Nawaz said the present rulers were also responsible to a great extent for the deterioration of the situation in the province, as they had done nothing except extending apologies and announcing a package. He pointed out that not only Balochs, but Punjabis and Hazaras were also being killed and no one was safe as there is no writ of the state. The PML-N chief said Akbar Bugti was killed by Pervez Musharraf through the army and his family members were not even allowed to attend his burial.
He said he felt similar pain when his father died, as he, Shahbaz Sharif and their family was not allowed to attend the funeral. Nawaz said Musharraf also tried to award him a death penalty but could not succeed. He said there were forces in Balochistan who despite getting repeated wounds still believed in the federation and as such there was a need to run the country in line with the constitution and democratic norms. He said the wounds of Balochistan could only be healed if all political forces sat together. Nawaz said time had come to resolve the Balochistan issue and the next election was a ray of hope in which people must elect representative of their choice.
He said he had met BNP chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal and his demands were justified. Addressing attendants, Nawabzada Talal Bugti said the mistakes of 1971 were being repeated in Balochistan and people who had no support were being imposed on the people. He said the Sardari system was an established democratic system which gave power and support to the people. He held the FC responsible for kidnappings for ransom and killing people. Bugti also presented a Baloch who was kidnapped and later released, adding that he feared that most of the missing persons had been killed. He said if the country was to be saved, the role of agencies would have to be eliminated and the army, FC and other security agencies be withdrawn from the province.