ANP chief urges all parties to protect Balochistan’s natural resources from plunder

QUETTA: Awami National Party (ANP) central president and Senator Aimal Wali Khan has called for uniting all government and opposition parties in Balochistan on a single platform to address the province’s burning issues, protect its natural resources from plunder, and ensure the release of political leaders.

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday after the ANP-hosted All Parties Conference (APC) and National Jirga in Quetta, Aimal Wali Khan demanded an immediate end to ongoing military operations, restoration of border trade from Gwadar to Bajaur, and the merger of the Levies into the police force to be withdrawn. He said the APC participants also agreed to submit a joint resolution in the Balochistan Assembly opposing the Mines and Minerals Act.

The APC formed a multi-party committee to devise a future plan of action and pledged to present a united front in court during hearings against the controversial law. Parties declared the act a conspiracy against the 18th Constitutional Amendment and vowed to fight it both legally and politically.

Aimal Wali Khan held wrong foreign and domestic policies over the past 78 years responsible for terrorism, extremism, and instability in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He called for an international truth commission to investigate human rights violations, condemn the role of state-backed armed groups and “death squads” targeting political workers, and demanded their disbandment.

He further rejected the February 8, 2024, elections as “auctioned and undemocratic,” stating that governments formed under Form 47 lack public mandate. He urged fresh, free, and impartial polls under an autonomous election commission.

The ANP chief also demanded the cancellation of fake land allotments in Pashtun and Baloch areas, restoration of all border trade routes including those along the Durand Line, the release of political workers such as Ali Wazir, Mama Ghafar Qambarani, and Mahrang, repeal of the PECA Act, and withdrawal of travel bans on BNP-M chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal.

Rejecting the imposition of agricultural taxes, Aimal Wali Khan called for duties instead on imported fruits from Iran and other countries. He opposed handing over the Agriculture University building to state institutions and demanded its activation for educational purposes.

He warned that the parties involved in the APC would continue to put collective pressure on the state to secure their rights, declaring, “We have decided to challenge the state, and we will ensure implementation of our decisions step by step.”