Bugti says he didn’t link BNP to death squads

ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti Wednesday said he neither named the Balochistan National Party (BNP) nor Sardar Akhtar Mengal while mentioning death squads in Balochistan.

Clarifying his position in the Senate in response to a point raised by the BNP-M Senator Muhammad Qasim, the minister questioned why they did not use the forums available to them when they were part of various governments, including PTI, Bizenjo government in Balochistan and PDM coalition regime, on missing persons and death squads.

He said they had learnt from newspapers that the BNP-M was staging a sit-in here against the missing persons and death squads.

He added that the death squad included BLA, which had martyred 5,000 innocent civilians. Punjabis, teachers, professors and doctors have been martyred in Balochistan, including Professor Nazima Talib, who had taught for 30 years in the province.

The minister continued that the BLA had claimed responsibility for the killings and referred to daily Jang’s issue of January 2010 in which a list of those killed by the outfit was published.

The other death squads are BLA led by Harbiyar Marri, UBA led by his younger brother Zamran Marri, BRA led by Brahamdagh Bugti, BLF led by Dr Allah Nazar, BRA Achu Group led by Bashir Zeb and Lashkar-e-Balochistan led by Javed Mengal.

“Nowhere in this did I name BNP Mengal and Sardar Akhtar Mengal; we did not associate them with these organisations. If they themselves want to associate themselves with them, it is upto them,” he maintained.

Referring to the minister’s speech a few days back in the House, Senator Qasim had said that the minister had criticized BNP-M directly for the unrest in the province and kidnapping of people, whereas his party believed in the Constitution of Pakistan, and had been represented in all forums, from grass-root level to parliament.