Turning down Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif’s demand to withdraw Frontier Constabulary (FC) from Balochistan, Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira said on Friday that the opposition leader’s demand was intended for political point scoring and could not bring a lasting solution to the crisis. Speaking on a point of order in National Assembly in response to an assertion by PML-N lawmaker Tehmina Daultana, Kaira said that it was not suitable for the twice-elected prime minister to issue such irrelevant statements. Daultana had objected to Kaira’s comments on Nawaz’s statement regarding troop pullout. Kaira said the PML-N chief had demanded FC’s withdrawal without offering any alternative solution to maintain law and order in the province. “Withdrawing FC from Balochistan will be no solution to the situation unless an alternate system to maintain law and order is put in place. Nawaz Sharif should have considered the ground realities prior to issuing the statement,” Kaira said. He said that the police was covering only five percent area of the province, while the remaining 95 percent was either guarded by FC or the tribal forces. He said the Balochistan issue was a sensitive one, and that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) government was trying hard to improve the situation. “We offered apology to the Baloch people for the follies we had never committed. We apologized for others’ sins to normalise the situation,” he added. “We are aware that law and order situation in the province is not ideal. But, the resolution of this problem is the responsibility of all political parties. It is the responsibility of all stakeholders,” Kaira added.
