BLA responsible for Balochistan unrest, Malik tells Senate

Interior Minister Rehman Malik told the Senate on Thursday that the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) was responsible for deteriorating law and order in Balochistan and it was receiving support from Afghanistan, America and other international players. Summing up the debate on Balochistan in the Upper House, Malik said certain international agencies and organizations had a hand in the Balochistan insurgency. He said he had wanted an in-camera sitting of the Senate since one-and-a-half years in which ISI and other agencies should brief the House regarding international hand and support in Balochistan unrest.
He said after the 18th amendment, law and order was the responsibility of the provinces and “we offered the FC services on the request of the Balochistan government, but it has a presence in five percent of the province”. He said the Balochistan insurgency and independence movements were started by Nauriz Khan, Sher Muhammad Bijarani and Khair Buksh Marri. He said presently, Harbiyar Marri from the UK and our other enemies were supporting the BLA. Malik said the Taliban also existed in Balochistan and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi also had links with the BLA, adding that a mindset wanted to destabilize Pakistan and wanted Balochistan to secede. He said more than 70 percent of the civil servants transferred to Balochistan were not joining service. He said on threats of BLA, several developmental projects had been stalled. The minister also quoted some incidents in which FC and army personnel and civilians had been killed by the BLA. He said public and parliamentarians from the area still loved Pakistan, adding that ordinary people were also victims of the BLA. Malik said the present government converted B areas into Balochistan to A areas. He said even in Quetta, half areas were still category B and the BLA targeted people in these areas. During his speech, Malik’s party colleague from Balochistan Sardar Fateh Muhammad Hasni tried to intervene, but Malik said, “I am not against Sardars”. He said, “I want to meet Barhmadagh Bugti in Cetral Asia but India stopped him, I then offered him to meet in Iran but he again denied.” Malik said that in a recent visit to Afghanistan, he had complained to Prime Minister Karzai that extremists in FATA and insurgents in Balochistan were getting support from Afghanistan, Karzai said Pakistan should first arrange a meeting with the Haqani network and only then he would talk to US authorities to stop insurgents supporting unrest in Pakistan. Participating in the debate on Balochistan earlier, Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo of the Balochistan National Party said in Balochistan, Levies and police had collapsed.