Bugti urges discourse rethink on Balochistan
He expressed these views in a meeting with a delegation from the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) at the Chief Minister's Secretariat in Quetta on Saturday.
Bugti said the ongoing narrative at the national and international level regarding Balochistan was inconsistent with facts and was in need of revision to reflect a balanced and accurate perspective.
The meeting included in-depth discussions on law and order, human rights conditions and the province's social development initiatives.
Dwelling on history, Bugti pointed out that the accession of the erstwhile Kalat State to Pakistan in 1948 was the result of mutual agreement rather than coercion, adding that certain groups had deliberately distorted historical facts to mislead those unfamiliar with the region's true past.
Referring to recent terrorist incidents, he condemned the targeted killing of innocent citizens based on their identity, describing it as part of a broader agenda driven by hostile foreign powers, particularly India.
"These terrorist acts have nothing to do with a struggle for rights but are part of an organised attempt to destabilise and divide Pakistan," he said, adding that supporters of these groups have openly expressed their intentions on various national and international platforms.
Questioning the legitimacy of such violent acts, Bugti asked, "What kind of rights movement involves killing people based on their ethnic identity?"
He pointed out that such elements had rejected dialogue and openly advocated for the division of Pakistan, an approach that was unacceptable in any civilised state or society. He reiterated that the state bears a constitutional and legal responsibility to safeguard the lives and property of its citizens, adding that the obligation would be fulfilled under all circumstances.
Addressing the issue of missing persons, he noted that the phenomenon was not confined to Balochistan alone, but also existed in other provinces and in various countries worldwide.
However, he expressed concern over the prevailing tendency in the country to level accusations against state institutions without concrete evidence.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
16 minutes ago
- Express Tribune
N Korea offers Russia full support on Ukraine
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un offered Moscow his full support for its war in Ukraine during talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Pyongyang state media said Sunday. Lavrov's visit to North Korea was the latest in a series of high-profile trips by top Moscow officials as both countries deepen military and political ties amid Russia's offensive against Kyiv. Pyongyang sent thousands of troops to Russia's Kursk region to oust Ukrainian forces and has also provided the Russian army with artillery shells and missiles. Moscow said Lavrov's talks with Kim were held in a "warm comradely atmosphere." Lavrov expressed "sincere gratitude to Pyongyang" for its role in Kursk and support of Russia's operation, the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement. Moscow also said the two sides "agreed" that the West was to blame for "the growing tension" on the Korean peninsula. The ministry earlier posted a video on Telegram of the two men shaking hands and greeting each other with a hug. It said the talks were held in Wonsan, a city on North Korea's east coast where a massive resort was opened earlier this month — one of leader Kim's pet projects. Kim told Lavrov that Pyongyang was "ready to unconditionally support and encourage all the measures taken by the Russian leadership as regards the tackling of the root cause of the Ukrainian crisis", KCNA said. The North Korean leader also expressed a "firm belief that the Russian army and people would surely win victory in accomplishing the sacred cause of defending the dignity and basic interests of the country". He lauded Putin's "outstanding leadership", the report said.
Express Tribune
17 minutes ago
- Express Tribune
US officials defend immigration raid tactics
US President Donald Trump's top immigration officials on Sunday defended the use of aggressive snatch and detain tactics by masked and armed federal agents, days after a federal judge ruled that arrests were being made "based upon race alone." Trump's border czar Tom Homan and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem made the administration's case on the Sunday talk shows, just a day after a farm worker died in California after being injured in a raid on a legal cannabis farm. On Friday, District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong ordered a halt to "roving patrols" targeting suspected undocumented migrants in Los Angeles, saying a person's race, language or workplace was not sufficient justification. "Physical description cannot be the sole reason to detain and question somebody," Homan said on CNN's "State of the Union," adding: "It's a myriad of factors." But he acknowledged that appearance was one of those factors, and said there were sometimes "collateral arrests" of innocent people in targeted raids. He said the administration would comply with the judge's decision but fight it on appeal. Noem called the judge's ruling "ridiculous" and slammed what she called the "political" nature of the decision. "We always built our operations, our investigations on case work, on knowing individuals that we needed to target because they were criminals," Noem said on "Fox News Sunday." Trump, who campaigned on a pledge to deport millions of undocumented migrants, has taken a number of actions aimed at speeding up deportations and reducing border crossings. On Thursday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents raided a cannabis farm in Ventura County outside Los Angeles. About 200 migrants were detained and clashes erupted with protesters.
Express Tribune
33 minutes ago
- Express Tribune
New Gaza-bound aid boat leaves Italy
A Gaza-bound boat carrying pro-Palestinian activists and humanitarian aid left Sicily on Sunday, over a month after Israel detained and deported people aboard a previous vessel. The Handala, operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, left the port of Syracuse shortly after 12:00 pm (1000 GMT), an AFP journalist saw, carrying about fifteen activists. Several dozen people, some holding Palestinian flags and others wearing keffiyeh scarves, gathered at the port to cheer the boat's departure with cries of "Free Palestine". The former Norwegian trawler — loaded with medical supplies, food, children's equipment and medicine — will sail for about a week in the Mediterranean, covering roughly 1,800 kilometres (1,120 miles), in the hope of reaching Gaza's coast. In early March, Israel imposed a total aid blockade on Gaza amid an impasse in truce negotiations, only partially easing restrictions in late May. The boat will make a stop at Gallipoli, in southeastern Italy, where two members of the hard-left France Unbowed party (LFI) are expected to join. The initiative comes six weeks after the departure of the Madleen, another ship that left Italy for Gaza transporting aid and activists, including Greta Thunberg. Israel authorities intercepted the Madleen about 185 kilometres west of Gaza's coast. "This is a mission for the children in Gaza, to break the humanitarian blockade and to break the summer silence on the genocide," said Gabrielle Cathala, one of the two France Unbowed party members set to board the boat on July 18. "I hope we will reach Gaza but if not, it will be yet another violation of international law" by Israel, she added. Gaza's health ministry says that at least 57,882 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed in Israel's military attacks. The UN considers the figures reliable.
