QUETTA: The one-document regime at the Chaman border must end, the old border-crossing system must be restored to allow people from both sides to cross, the immediate recovery of all missing persons must be restored, charges against political leaders must be dropped, raids on religious seminaries must stop, and the leaders of all political parties have voiced their concern over the forced disappearances of people.
They also demanded that the province’s land grants to non-residents be revoked. During a joint news conference on Monday, these demands were made.
The press conference was attended by Maulana Hidayatur Rehman Baloch, the provincial emir of Jamaat-i-Islami; Rasheed Khan Nasar of the Awami National Party; Yusuf Khan Kakar of the Pashtoonkhwa National Awami Party; Ali Ahmad Langove of the National Party; Majlis Wahdat-i-Maslimeen’s Allama Walayat Hussain Jaffri; and JI’s Zahid Akhtar and Wali Khan Shakir.
Two weeks ago, Maulana Rehman submitted a 17-point proclamation that was approved during a multi-party convention in Quetta. It claimed that the fundamental problem facing Balochistan is the denial of the people’s right to resource ownership, which results from both historical and contemporary acts of undemocratic and unconstitutional power, as well as the unlawful exploitation and occupation of the country’s resources and coastline.
Demand that the 26th Amendment be repealed and that provincial issues be addressed.
The declaration urged the de-election of legislators who were not elected and demanded that the triumph of “actual elected public representatives” be announced. It denounced extrajudicial executions, forced disappearances, and kidnappings of young people and political workers, characterizing them as infringements on fundamental human rights and freedom of speech.
The declaration called for the removal of the 26th Amendment to the Constitution, which permits 90 days of extrajudicial imprisonment, and requested the immediate release of all missing persons. Additionally, it denounced the closing of all Balochistani borders, including Chaman, Taftan, Gwadar, Panjgur, and Mand, and the burning of camps for missing persons, which has resulted in the unemployment of more than three million people.
In order to facilitate border trade, it demanded that all borders be reopened immediately and that future decisions be made after consulting elected officials and political parties.
The proclamation also called for a prohibition on the cultivation of drugs and called for steps to curb drug trafficking, which has caused millions of young people to become victims of this problem. It called for the government to immediately stop military operations in Balochistan and stop the expanding drug trafficking in Quetta, Gwadar, and other places.
The continued raids on religious seminaries under the pretense of counterterrorism, which instill fear in people and students, as well as the cases brought against political activists and leaders, such as Sardar Akhtar Mengal and Dawood Shah Kakar, were also condemned.
The proclamation also called for the control of the illegal trawler mafia, which is undermining the livelihoods of local fishermen in coastal areas including Gwadar, Pasni, Jiwani, Ormara, and Gadani.
