The Khan-e-Kalat family has always been playing a dominant role in politics

Prince Karim, a provincial leader of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), has filed his nomination papers as an independent candidate. However, his aides say he is expected to get a PPP ticket. Prince Karim is not new in the political arena. He was previously elected to the Balochistan Assembly in 2008, and remained a minister in the cabinet of chief minister Nawab Aslam Raisani for about five years. However, he was a harsh critic of the chief minister throughout his tenure in the cabinet.

Prince Umer Daud Khan, the younger brother of the exiled Khan-e-Kalat Mir Suleman Daud Ahmedzai, has filed his nomination papers as an independent candidate on PB-37 (Kalat-cum-Soorab). Earlier, Umer was affiliated with PML-Q.

Royal ladies in the assembly

Prince Karim’s wife, Rubina Irfan, was also a member of the provincial cabinet, after being elected on a reserved seat for women in 2008. She belongs to the family of Nabi Bukhsh Zerhri and Qadir Bukhsh Zehri, a prominent industrialist and political family, which was affiliated with the Pakistan Muslim League in the 1960s.

Prince Irfan’s two sisters gained fame in the recent parliamentary history of Balochistan. One of his sisters, Shama Parveen Magsi, is the wife of Governor Nawab Zulfikar Ali Magsi, while the second sister, Rehana Baloch, is married to Prince of Kalat, Yahya Jan. Parveen, who is affiliated with the PPP, was also a provincial minister in the cabinet of chief minister Raisani from 2008 to 2013.

A look at history

Prince Agha Abdul Karim Baloch, father of Irfan Karim and younger brother of Khan-e-Kalat Mir Ahmed Yar Khan, had revolted against his brother’s decision of accession of Kalat State to Pakistan at the request of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah in 1948. Abdul Karim took refuge in Afghanistan to wage an armed resistance against Pakistan. However, he ultimately surrendered to Pakistan in 1950.

The Khan-e-Kalat family has always been playing a dominant role in politics. However, it had to face a tough time during the last two decades at the hands of JUI-F and the Zehri brothers.

Current Khan-e-Kalat, Mir Agha Suliman Daud, went into self-exile in the United Kingdom after the assassination of Nawab Akbar Bugti in 2006 and decided to form a government in exile of Balochistan. Before that, he convened a grand jirga of all the notable tribal chiefs of Balochistan, Punjab and Sindh to discuss the situation particularly the killing of Akbar Bugti.

While it was unanimously decided that the Baloch would move the International Court of Justice for the restoration of the Kalat State in the light of the instrument of annexation, Mir Daud was eventually left alone in the struggle.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 22^nd, 2013.

transit of Indian goods to Afghanistan via Baluchistan Chabahar port

He referred to the economic relations between Iran and Afghanistan, and said he is in Kandahar to meet provincial officials over Baluchistan Chabahar port, which will soon be connected to the Central Asia via Afghanistan via a road and a rail link.

World trade experts believe that the corridor will cause a jump in regional trade and economy.

“Afghanistan will be connected to the Central Asian states by bringing the Chabahar (Baluchistan Iran) route to operation,” the Iranian envoy said, reminding the geopolitical importance of the rail link for Afghanistan.

Zohrehvand also called for strengthening cultural ties between the two countries.

The International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) was established in 2000 by Iran, Russia and India in order to promote transportation cooperation among the members. Later Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz, Tajikistan, Turkey, Ukraine, Belarus, Oman, Syria and Bulgaria joined the corridor.

The corridor joins Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea through Iran and then reaches to St. Petersburg and North Europe via Russia.

Managing-Director of the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways Abdulali Saheb-Mohammadi said in May 2012 that Indian companies have indicated their willingness to help Iran construct North-South Corridor.

“We have had negotiations with the Indian side so that they can be involved in building the corridor and Iran has also announced readiness to cooperate with them,” Saheb-Mohammadi said.

India is expected to sign a contract with Iran soon for transit of Indian goods to Afghanistan via Baluchistan Chabahar port, media reports said in March.

Iran and India have agreed on transit of Indian goods to Afghanistan via the southern Baluchistan port of Chabahar in a bid to ease its exports to Afghanistan, the Indian Express newspaper quoted an informer Indian source as saying on condition of anonymity.

The Balochistan sea port of Chabahar has already been connected to Afghanistan with a newly built road; a move which analysts say will boost trade between the two countries and allow Afghan goods to reach foreign markets without relying on Pakistan.

The new trade route will also allow Indian goods to reach Afghan and other Central Asian markets with greater ease.

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) central leadership finds itself in a fix after its Balochistan chapter president Sardar Sanaullah Zehri lodged an FIR against Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) chief over the murder of his son, brother and nephew.

Sanaullah Zehri. PHOTO: EXPRESS

Following the incident, the PML-N and BNP-M have stopped their negotiations and almost refused to sit again for seat adjustment in Balochistan.

PML-N Balochistan leadership has conveyed its message to party president Nawaz Sharif to either strike a deal of seat adjustment with BNP-M or save his party in Balochistan.

Zehri, while talking with The Express Tribune, said that when he joined the PML-N, he raised the party’s flag in the troubled province where he encountered tragic incidents, including the assassination of his young son, nephew and brother.

Sanaullah Zehri said that BNP-M, which spoke against the federation, is responsible for the killing of his beloved ones. He added that he does not understand why his party (PML-N) is keen on striking a seat adjustment deal with BNP-M.

In addition, Zehri indicated that if his party (PML-N) insists on joining hands with the killers of his family, then he would quit the party. Zehri added that Nawaz Sharif has to decide either to stand by the party or with groups who are against the country.

Seat adjustment

Prior to the attack on Zehri, PML-N and BNP-M had held only two meetings. According to details, Zehri, Lashkari Raisani, Yaqoob Nasir and Abdul Qadir Baloch represented PML-N while Dr Jahenzeb Jamaldini, Nawab Amanullah and Agha Hassan Baloch represented BNP-M.

Both parties discussed seat adjustment but could not arrive at a mutually acceptable formula.

A few days before the deadly attack, Nawaz Sharif had sent two senior party leaders, Mushahidullah Khan and Ayaz Sadiq with a mandate to strike a deal with BNP-M.

The officials said that both leaders supported seat adjustment and their next meeting was to take place shortly, but due to the attack, the dialogue process did not proceed.

Dr Jamaldini of BNP-M said that PML-N Balochistan leadership is divided and there are three hopefuls for the office of chief minister – Sanaullah Zehri, Lashkari Raisani and Changez Marri.

Zehri enmity

Sanaullah Zehri is the head of his tribe. However, Mir Amanullah Zehri announced himself as the chieftain of the Zehri tribe. Amanullah is an active member of BNP-M Central Working Committee.

Amanullah’s son Riaz Zehri was killed in 2009 by unidentified miscreants in district Khuzdar. He pointed fingers at Sanaullah Zehri for the tragic incident.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 23^rd, 2013.

Zehri also nominated Sardar Akhter Mengal, Sardar Attaullah Mengal, Mir Javed Mengal, Nawab Khair Bukhsh Marri and Nawabzada Hyrbryar Marri for supporting the accused in the attack.

QUETTA: Chief of the Balochistan chapter of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Nawab Sanaullah Zehri has blamed the Mengal and Marri families for abetting a bomb attack that killed three of his family members.On April 16, unidentified men detonated a remote-controlled bomb near a car in the convoy of Sanaullah Zehri in the Zehri Tribal Territory, killing five people – including his son Mir Sikandar Zehri, younger brother Mir Mehrullah Khan Zehri and nephew Mir Zaib Zehri.

On Sunday, Sanaullah Zehri lodged an FIR (1-2013) with Levies Station Noorgama against Amanullah Khan Zarakzai and his six sons – Ejaz Ahmed Zarakzai, Shehzad Zarakzai, Ubaidullah Zarakzai, Niaz Ahmed Zarakzai, Asadullah Zarakzai and Iyaz Zarakzai.

He also nominated Sardar Akhter Mengal, chief of his own faction of Balochistan National Party, Sardar Attaullah Mengal, Mir Javed Mengal, Nawab Khair Bukhsh Marri and Nawabzada Hyrbryar Marri for supporting the accused in the attack.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 22^nd, 2013.

chabahar-port-city-of-southern-Balochistan

Ahead of external affairs minister Salman Khurshid’s visit to Iran from May 3-5, the Union cabinet is likely to approve an assistance plan of $100 million (about Rs. 539 crore) to develop the port. “The

cabinet approval is expected soon,” said an official. Gwadar has strategic importance for China as 60% of its crude oil comes from Gulf countries that are close to the port.

Chabahar  port city of southern Balochistan in Iran will not only help New Delhi counter Beijing’s presence but also boost India’s trade and investment ties with landlocked Afghanistan and central Asia by providing it with a transit route to the region (Pakistan does not allow Indian goods to pass through its territory). India, Iran and Afghanistan have already signed an agreement to give Indian goods heading for central Asia and Afghanistan preferential treatment and tariff reductions at Chabahar.

Moreover, the development of the port will also help Afghanistan reduce its dependence on Pakistan’s Karachi port for access to the Indian Ocean. At present, Afghanistan uses Karachi for its trade and to receive energy supplies.

Chabahar has been on the agenda in discussions between India and Iran since 2003.

But a host of problems — including the chill in India-Iran ties after Delhi voted against Tehran at the International Atomic Energy Agency, and US’s concerns regarding Iran’s nuclear programme — have prevented the project from taking off so far.

زلزله در استان سیستان و بلوچستان ایران

The US Geological Survey said on Tuesday that the epicentre of the quake was 86km southeast of Khash, Iran.  An Iranian government official said on Tuesday he expected hundreds of deaths from the earthquake.

“It was the biggest earthquake in Iran in 40 years and we are expecting hundreds of dead,” the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters.

Balochistan home secretary told Al Jazeera’s Osama Bin Javaid that at least five people were killed in Panjgur in the Pakistani state of Balochistan. In a village called Mashkel, dozens of mud houses have also collapsed.

Another Al Jazeera correspondent in Pakistan also quoted “eye witnesses” as saying that thousands of homes were “fully destroyed” in areas near Iran’s border with Pakistan.

Al Jazeera’s Saira Jaffer, reporting from Islamabad, said tremors were also felt across Karachi and Balochistan.

Many buildings in Karachi were reportedly evacuated.

In the Indian capital New Delhi, tall buildings shook sending people running into the streets, witnesses told Reuters. Across the Gulf, people also evacuated shaking buildings in Qatar and Dubai, residents said. Dubai has the world’s tallest tower, the 828-metre Burj Khalifa.

Last week, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake also hit Iran killing at least 37 people and injuring 850 more in the country’s southwest.

In December 2003, a big earthquake struck the southern city of Bam. It killed 31,000 people – about a quarter of the population – and destroyed the city’s ancient mud-built citadel.

Gen Musharraf has faced numerous obstacles in his his bid to stand in next month’s vote

Pakistan’s top court has adjourned a treason case against former President Pervez Musharraf until 15 April. The court is deciding whether he should put on trial for imposing emergency rule and arresting judges in 2007.It rejected pleas advanced by his lawyers that the proceedings should be delayed until after elections in May to allow him time to campaign. The BBC’s M Ilyas Khan in Islamabad says that the ruling nevertheless gives the president crucial breathing space.

Our correspondent say that Mr Musharraf is likely to be relieved that the court so far has not ordered him to appear in person next week to answer the allegations. The Supreme Court has been petitioned by lawyers who allege the former leader committed treason by suspending the constitution and sacking the entire higher judiciary in November 2007.

“The cases are very simple in nature and the matter that needs to be looked at is straightforward enough,” Judge Jawad Khawaja said in his ruling on Tuesday. ”We therefore consider it will be sufficient to meet the ends of justice if the cases are adjourned to April 15.”

Last week Mr Musharraf was approved to run in the 11 May parliamentary elections, but he was also been barred from leaving the country. He returned to the Pakistan last month from self-imposed exile in Dubai and London – correspondents say his path has been rocky since he came back.

His election nomination papers were rejected in three other locations before he was chosen as a candidate in the remote northern district of Chitral. He faces several outstanding court cases against him relating to his time in office.

He is accused of failing to provide adequate security for former PM Benazir Bhutto ahead of her assassination in 2007 and he is wanted in connection with the murder of a Baloch tribal leader, Nawab Akbar Bugti. He is on bail for both these cases for at least another week, but faces the prospect of being arrested once that time period has elapsed.

The former president has described the cases against him as “baseless” and politically motivated. Mr Musharraf led a military government from 1999 until 2008.

Footprints of India in Balochistan & Karachi

Under the garb of remedying political and economic grievances of East Pakistan, he formulated six points formula and fanned Bengali nationalism. Unearthing of Agartala conspiracy case in 1968 turned the secessionist into a hero in the eyes of Bengalis. Indian media was instrumental in lionizing Mujib.
Breakup of One-Unit Scheme, one-man-one-vote and change of separate electorate to joint electorate by Gen Yahya Khan so as to appease the agitating Bengalis gave the Awami League (AL) electoral victory in a platter. Year-long election campaign allowed Mujib to use high-handed tactics to not only intimidate the people of East Pakistan but also inflame Bengali nationalism. Indian media and secular Bengali intellectuals presented West Pakistan as a villain and publicized Mujib’s six point program as a panacea for all the problems of East Pakistan, which in actuality amounted to secession. All criminal and illegal acts of AL thugs were ignored under the policy of appeasement.
After sweeping the elections through massive rigging, Mujib and his henchmen became more arrogant and uncompromising. They stubbornly maintained that new constitution will be framed strictly in accordance with six points and refused to accommodate viewpoint of second largest party PPP. The situation became uncontrollable in Dacca on 1 March after Yahya unwisely postponed inaugural session scheduled in Dacca on 3 March on the insistence of Bhutto and hawkish Generals. It sparked horrible conflagration and let loose genie of Bengali nationalism.
On the afternoon of 3 March, Mujib demanded immediate return of troops to barracks and to hand over security of Dacca to him, or else his men would resist them. He also demanded cessation of flow of reinforcement from West Pakistan and disarming of non-Bengalis. Eastern Command Commander Lt Gen Sahibzada Yaqub capitulated to his wrongful demands, which was a blunder. Gen Gul Hassan said that to allow Mujib to restore calm was ‘somewhat like leaving a virgin in the care of a habitual rapist’.
A state within state was created and Bengalis took orders from Mujib only. Everywhere the chanting of ‘Joi Bangla’ could be heard. New Bangladesh flag was hoisted. Mujib’s hostile tantrums amounted to virtual independence. In order to provoke Gen Yahya to use force and thus give an excuse to start a popular civil war aided by India, a planned massacre of non-Bengalis including Biharis and pro-government Bengalis and rape of West Pakistani girls was unleashed. Their properties were torched and valuables looted. The madness continued till 25 March filling the roads and streets of Dacca and other major towns with blood. Stench of the dead bodies littered on the roads unattended became unbearable and it became difficult to breathe. Over 100,000 people, mostly Biharis were hacked to death. Stories of ‘torture to death’ are too horrifying and blood curdling to narrate and have been narrated in hundreds of books.
Non-Bengali and loyal elements butchery continued with unabated venom. None came to the rescue of the hounded. They were baffled and found themselves at the mercy of hounding wolves. They had no weapons to fend for themselves and no place to hide and as such got slaughtered like sheep. Even our media was blanked on the ill-conceived ground that broadcasting of atrocities would evoke a severe backlash against Bengalis in West Pakistan. The biased western media team located in Dacca turned a blind eye to the carnage of non-Bengalis. It also turned a blind eye to India’s meddling and induction of 90,000 Indian soldiers in West Bengal in March 1971.
The troops confined to barracks kept hearing the savageries committed on men in uniform and their families with impotent rage. Attacks on Army pickets were stepped up and the Army jeered at. Soldiers were spat upon and called Yahya dogs.
Sizeable number of men in Khaki and their families particularly those serving in East Pakistan Rifles (EPR) and East Pakistan Civil Armed Forces were hacked to death. By such acts, the Army was being deliberately provoked to lose patience and to take punitive action. This would have given Mujib and his henchmen a weapon to whip up anti-Army emotions thereby dubbing the Army as an occupation Army. It would have paved the way for civil war thereby fulfilling the requirement of India.
Yahya’s regime was subjected to extreme criticism for its procrastinating attitude and its passivity to confront Bengali defiance against the state. All those who mattered in West Pakistan and pro-Pakistan Bengalis exerted extreme pressure on President Yahya to take punitive action against the dissidents. Even Bhutto prodded him to use full force regardless of casualties before it was too late.
During the ten-day negotiations in Dacca in March 1971, Yahya team trying to find a way out of impasse remained totally defensive and apologetic and had no card to play. They kept giving in and got nothing in return. No political leader including Bhutto could soften up Mujib. The Mujib led team on the other hand maintained a highly belligerent and uncompromising posture. It was amply clear that AL simply didn’t want a constitutional agreement conducive to the retention of national identity. His mentors had briefed him not to agree on any point or concession offered at any cost.
Matiur Rahman in his book ‘Bangladesh Today’ writes, ‘It was indeed most mind boggling to note that while Yahya Khan and his team persistently offered power to Mujib, the latter constantly hedged, refused to agree to any settlement, shifted his position from six points and refused to accept any formula within the framework of a united Pakistan’. Mujib had made up his mind to part ways and that too through violent means.
It was on the evening of 24 March 1971 when Yahya got convinced that Mujib didn’t want anything short of confederation that he gave green signal to Gen Tikka Khan to save the federation. Orders to unit commanders were passed verbally on the morning of 25th March. The toughest challenge was in Dacca where the outcome of crackdown would have decided the fate of East Pakistan. The city and its suburbs housed heaviest concentration of armed rebels followed by Chittagong. As per foreign press reports, there were 200,000 weapons with the militants in East Pakistan.
Despite extremely heavy odds, the troops numbering 12000 went into action and by early morning of 26th, Dacca was cleared of miscreants and in next few days all other critical towns were also taken over since the rebels had fled. Reinforcement from West Pakistan were rushed in only when it was found that EBR, EPR and Police had also rebelled and rebellion had got transformed into a well-planned civil war supported by India.
When the prejudiced foreign journalists were ousted from Dacca by Gen Tikka, the jilted journalists got settled in Calcutta and played into the hands of Indian media. Indo-western-AL media cooked up fabricated stories of all kinds of atrocities and quoted highly bloated figures of those killed in Army action on 25th March and subsequently. All this was done to smoke-screen the large-scale atrocities committed by AL urchins and anti-social elements. The next round of killings and rapes was undertaken by Mukti Bahini after 23 November 1971, later joined by Indian forces. Raping of Bengali girls and women at a mass scale was undertaken by Indian Army and BSF soldiers in the refugee camps in India during their confinement period of over nine months.
It is ironic that today the AL led government at the behest of India is demanding apology from Pakistan for the so-called war crimes, and is convicting aged Jamaat-e-Islami members through Kangaroo courts, who had played their honorable part to save their motherland, but is completely ignoring the barbarities of its own members against Biharis and West Pakistanis and their collaboration with hostile India.
Can we notice the footprints of India in Balochistan and in Karachi where quite a few similarities with former East Pakistan crisis can be discerned? Are we alive to the two brewing lavas which are primed to burst? The only thing which probably has frustrated the designs of our adversaries is that the Army kept itself aloof. Hence the story of ‘genocide’ couldn’t be played. ‘Missing persons’ story played up in Balochistan didn’t prove so tantalizing to evoke an international outcry, particularly when ground checks negated the stance of propagandists.
(The writer is a retired Brig, a defence analyst and a columnist)
asifharoonraja@gmail.com

Gas pipeline blown up in Balochistan

As a result, electricity supply in many areas in Lahore and Punjab has been suspended.
Officials said repair work has been initiated and complete restoration could take around two days.
Just two days ago, a gas pipeline explosion in Quetta, reduced 150 MW of power generation due to which Habibullah Coastal Power and Sheikh Munda Power Houses remain closed. A WAPDA spokesman said the national grid was not receiving power supply of 150MW from Habibullah Coastal Power and Shaikh Munda Power House.
The overall electricity shortage in the country has exceeded 5,000 MW.

Speaking to media he said that the situation in the volatile province had not improved in the caretaker setup, adding that the establishment was not ready to pay heed to Baloch voice. Mengal said that issues could not be resolved through use of forces instead use of force complicated them.

He said that the election process would be doubtful if law and order situation was not improved in Balochiistan.

According to the BHRO press release parading of the children on national TV was against their basis Human Rights. “The Baloch children were humiliated and psychologically tormented by the media parade. Such actions by state forces and media are a clear violation of the ‘UN Convention on the Rights of the Child’.”

The BHRO further said Pakistani forces have abducted six more Baloch from Aziyan bazar in Mand town of Balochistan. The victims were names as Javed, Imran, Haneef, Delawar, Mullah Kamalan and Muslim on 19 March, 2013. However, Javed, Imran and Haneef were released later on but the rest are still being illegally held.

“On the other hand the Iranian forces offensive and targeting of Baloch people continues. Zameer S/O of Jumma a resident of Hab town of Balochistan was killed and dumped in Mand area by Iranian forces,” BHRO said.

The Baloch Human Rights Organisation has urged the International Human Rights Organisations and Organisations working for the protection of Children’s right to take notice of the arrest of Baloch children who have been implicated in false cases.

He said on 27 March 1948 Pakistan not only occupied the Baloch state but also pushed the Baloch nation in the darkness of slavery. Hence, the Baloch are resisting on all fronts to get rid of the slavery and regain their freedom.

Mr Marri said the Baloch identity, culture, language and other occurrences of daily life have been under the influence of occupying states since the occupation of Balochistan. However, he said, it was a positive sign that brave Baloch youth have never let the evil designs of the occupying states to succeed.

“The state and its collaborators have used different mediums including intimidation, incentives and torture against freedom loving Baloch activists but none could deter the courageous Baloch youth from the struggle for freedom. Today in all four corners of Balochistan the pro-independence Baloch are challenging the hegemony of enemies over Balochistan. The consistent struggle Baloch people is an illustration of their determination and ideological maturity,” said Hyrbyair Marri.

The Baloch leader further said that Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) with the help of Iran committed gross atrocities in Balochistan in 70s. Similarly, in the past five years the barbarism atrocities in Balochistan committed by PPP have exceeded the Human Rights Violation record in the history world.

Commenting on IPI (Iran-Pakistan-India) gas pipeline Mr Marri said Asif Ali Zardari in the final days of his government has proved his loyalty to the state machinery by signing the IPI agreement between Pakistan and Iran. He said, “Whether the agreements are with Iran, China or any anyone else [foreign state]; It is a known fact that occupying states agreement against the wishes of an occupied nation have no value and guarantee.

QUETTA: Nawab Ghous Bakhsh Barozai took oath as Balochistan’s caretaker chief minister on Saturday in a ceremony held at the Governor House.

Governor Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Magsi administered the oath. Former provincial chief minister Nawab Mohammad Aslam Raisani, ex-speaker Matiullah Agha, delegations of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, JUI, Balochistan National Party, FC Inspector General Major General Ubaidullah Khan Khattak, inspector general of police, former members of the National Assembly and the provincial legislatures, tribal leaders and other civil and military officials participated in the ceremony.

Nawab Ghous Bakhsh Barozai was nominated interim chief minister by former chief minister Nawab Muhammad Aslam Raisani and leader of opposition Nawabzada Tariq Magsi on Thursday.

After taking oath, Barozai said that conducting free and fair elections in Balochistan were his first priority.

“All decisions will be based on merit,” said Barozai. “There is no writ of government in the province and its restoration is also among my priorities. I will announce my cabinet soon, around 10 to 20 ministers can be inducted in my cabinet,” he said.

Barozai denied that the Balochistan government’s decision was dictated by the establishment or the Pakistan Army. “I was selected by the assembly and political parties as caretaker CM and I am thankful,” he said.

He added that security problems in Lahore and Karachi were greater than in Balochistan, but since his province has a “tribal culture, that’s why incidents are shown more and highly inflated here.” Responding to a question on negotiations with nationalists seeking liberation, he replied, “There is a roadmap in my mind for the restoration of peace in Balochistan and I am ready to talk with anyone to achieve peace in the province.”

Balochistan Governor Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Magsi has said that the caretaker setup has been formed and therefore the responsibility now falls on them to maintain law and order while conducting fair elections.

“Whether I remain governor or not, I stick to the standpoint that whatever mutilated corpses are being received must end.” He said this while talking to the media after the oath-taking ceremony. Governor Magsi added that he would offer his opinion if anyone sought advice from him.

He said that whether the previous government was good or bad, it would be decided by people in the election and the decision should be left to the people whom they would select in the election.

Chief of Sarawan and former chief minister of Balochistan Nawab Mohammad Aslam Raisani has said that they are satisfied with their five-year tenure serving the people of Balochistan.

“Five months earlier my membership in the PPP was cancelled now I am free to do whatever I want,” said Raisani. “My stand on the point of Reko Diq is the same as it was before, I was out of the country when Gwadar was handed over to China from the Singapore Port Authority.”