Daily Times

Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti on Friday said that peaceful protest was the constitutional right of every citizen but violence could not be allowed under the guise of protest and the writ of the state should be upheld in all cases for keeping peace at border area of province.

He expressed these views while chairing a high-level meeting on the situation in the Pak-Afghan border area of Chaman.

Speaker Balochistan Assembly Abdul Khaliq Achakzai, Home Minister Balochistan Mir Ziaullah Longove (on video call), Engineer Zamrak Achakzai, Maulana Abdul Wasay, Chief Secretary Balochistan Shakeel Qadir Khan (on video link) Additional Chief Secretary Interior Zahid Salim, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Imran Zarkun, IG Police Abdul Khaliq Sheikh, Deputy Commissioner Chaman Raja Athar Abbas (on video link) and Balochistan Government spokesman Shahid Rind participated in the meeting.

The participants of the meeting were briefed by the Home Department on the overall situation in the Pak-Afghan border area of Chaman.

Addressing the meeting, Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti said that the local traders in Chaman were willing to resolve the difficulties and problems being faced by the professionals through negotiation. Realizing the difficulties and problems being faced by the local people of the border area, he said that however, attacks on security forces and property were unacceptable and there was no immunity from law, so it was important to avoid taking the law into hands.

The CM said that despite of the provocation by the protestors in Chaman, the government was acting with patience and restraint saying that we were recognized very well that the majority of local people of Chaman were peace loving.

It is necessary that the local people should discourage the few elements who are interfering with the establishment of peace in view of the public interest, he said.

He said that along with this, the political parties and stakeholders should also convince the local people not to be a part of any illegal activities in order to establish peace in the border area.

The Balochistan Chief Minister said that no conspiracy to worsen the situation under the guise of protests would be succeeded. The local people have to separate from the ranks of miscreants and play a role in establishing peace, he said and added that every possible effort would be made to address the problems by removing the concerns of the local people.