BLA’s imprint evident in APC declaration on Balochistan: Irfan Siddiqui

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) Parliamentary Leader in the Senate and Chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Senator Irfan Siddiqui, has raised serious concerns over the language and tone of the APC declaration on Balochistan, issued by the opposition alliance.

He regretted that “the imprint of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) is shamefully evident in the APC declaration text.” He urged the opposition alliance to reflect on its responsibilities toward national unity and acknowledge the collective triumphs of the state and its people.

He strongly criticised the opposition alliance for what he termed a ‘disturbing silence’ on Pakistan’s recent strategic and diplomatic victory over India.

In a statement posted on social media platform X on Saturday, he questioned whether the opposition alliance considers the victory of 250 million Pakistanis — recognised by the international community — as its own. “Their failure to acknowledge this national achievement raises serious questions,” he remarked. Commenting on the recently issued five-page, 32-point communiqué of the All Parties Conference (APC) under the banner of Tehreek Tahaffuz-e-Aain Pakistan, Senator Siddiqui said it addressed nearly every real and imagined issue but conspicuously omitted even a single mention of Pakistan’s decisive stance and success following the recent confrontation with India. “The silence over such a monumental national victory, especially in the opposition’s first formal sitting since the conflict, is not just regrettable — it is telling,” he said.

The senior PMLN leader further stated that criticism of the military by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and its allies is well known, but questioned whether the opposition could not rise above partisan politics to recognise the sacrifices of Pakistan’s armed forces, martyrs, and veterans. He welcomed the mention of Baloch students’ rights in the APC declaration but pointedly asked, “Do you have no connection to the blood of innocent Punjabis who have been systematically targeted and killed by Indian-sponsored terrorists over the years?”