World | Pakistan
Attacks on settlers rise in Balochistan
Settlers in Pakistan's troubled Balochistan region were leaving because of threats to their lives, the governor of the southwestern province said on Wednesday .
- By Shahid Hussain, Correspondent
- Published: 23:08 April 29, 2009
Islamabad: Settlers in Pakistan's troubled Balochistan region were leaving because of threats to their lives, the governor of the southwestern province said on Wednesday .
Speaking to reporters in Quetta, capital of Balochistan, Governor Nawab Zulfikar Ali Magsi said many doctors and professors had already moved out of the province.
The other from outside the province who had been working in the region for long were preparing to exit, Magsi said.
Attacks on settlers have been frequently reported from the province and the local authorities have blamed these on militants from the restive ethnic Baloch community.
Magsi, who is also a tribal chief, said attacks on innocent people were against Baloch tradition.
He said the departure of professionally qualified people from the backward province was not in the interest of its people and undermined development efforts in the region.
The government recently blamed India and Afghanistan for fomenting insurgency in Balochistan by backing outlawed militant group calling itself Balochistan Liberation Army.
The province witnessed a wave of violence after the recent mysterious murder of three Baloch nationalist figures, whose bodies were found near the town of Turbat.
Magsi said the government would set up a new inquiry tribunal to probe the killings as Baloch nationalist parties did not have confidence in the one already announced.
The governor emphasized that time was of essence for solution of problems underlying Balochistan unrest and cautioned that delay could worsen the situation.
He said he was ready to give his suggestions to the federal government on how to resolve the issues agitating the minds of the Baloch community.
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