QUETTA: Minister for Ports and Shipping Hasil Bizenjo has said that Pakistan is passing through a very critical juncture and all state institutions, including parliament and judiciary, will have to be careful while taking measures to steer the country out of crisis.

Speaking at the Quetta Press Club on Monday, he said controversial verdict in the Panama Papers case might push the country into crisis while Pakistan was already facing serious challenges, both internally and externally.

He said the federal government always gave due respect to the judiciary and that was why members of theSharif family appeared before the JIT constituted by the Supreme Court.

`If a war breaks out between Saudi Arabia and Iran, Balochistan may become its centre like the Federally Administered Tribal Areas remained during the Afghan war. After the return of normality in the Middle East, militants may start reaching Afghanistan and Pakistan, so both countries should hold fruitful negotiations, otherwise they are bound to suffer,` he said.

Mr Bizenjo said: `When we visited Afghanistan, President Ashraf Ghani, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah and other officials warmly welcomed us. Their attitude showed that they still wanted to have better and brotherly ties with Pakistan.He said the National Party had not entered into a political alliance with the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party.

`We only back each other at the government level,` he said.

The minister said af ter the by-election in NA-260, the National Party would join hands with the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl in the next general elections.

He recalled that when Dr Abdul Malik Baloch was Balochistan`s chief minister, talks with the disgruntled Baloch leaders were going on smoothly, so much so Brahmdagh Bugti had agreed to come back, but due to missteps negotiations did not succeed.

He appealed to the Baloch leaders to come back and take part in the prosperity, development and politics of the country.