QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said on Saturday there would be ‘no dialogue in any case’ with those who took up arms against the state.
He made the remarks while speaking via video link to the country’s media anchors, senior journalists and other representatives at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat, according to a statement issued by his office.
CM Bugti said the war against terrorism would continue in Balochistan until the ‘last terrorist’ was eliminated, adding that it was not possible to control the entire province while sitting in Quetta.He affirmed that the civil and military leadership were united against terrorism and there was ‘no ambiguity or confusion’ on the matter.
The chief minister noted that security forces were performing their duties in difficult circumstancesin Balochistan, adding that state institutions were working in complete coordination in the fight against terrorism.
Before the talk with journalists, CM Bugti was also provided multiple briefings covering the provincial government’s strategy for social and economic development, governance and service delivery, effective use of development funds, and measures to ensure that development projects benefited the people.
During the interaction with journalists, the chief minister also expressed his views on the creation of new administrative units, saying, ‘If new provinces are to be created in Balochistan, they should be on administrative rather than linguis-tic grounds.
Speaking to media persons, CM Bugti said he had no knowledge of any ‘two-and-a-half-year government agreement’ for Balochistan, according to the statement.
The decision to change the government had to be taken by the political leadership, he said, adding that his cabinet would continue to serve the people as long as they were in office.
Referring to the return of foreign nationals, CM Bugti said that 1.1 million Afghan refugees, along with other foreigners, had been sent back to their homeland from Balochistan.
On the issue of missing persons, he said the matter was sometimes presented on national media and other forums without proper context, which did not reflect the true picture of the situation.
‘Terrorism was not an issue of one province but of the entire country and required joint efforts at the national level for its elimination’, CM Bugti was quoted as saying.