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Saturday, June 01, 2013
Civil society endorses Dr Malik for Balochistan CM* Demands incoming govt to give full support to nationalist parties
LAHORE: The civil society on Friday called for the appointment of Dr Abdul Malik Baloch as chief minister of Balochistan.
Various civil society organisations, in a statement on Friday, said that “it is time to pay back for all the atrocities and unfair policies against Balochistan”. They noted that the devolution process was one step for the provinces, but the complex circumstances of Balochistan require a leadership that can keep the people and their wellbeing as the first priority in the province. They demanded that the incoming government give full support to nationalist parties and appoint a person of a high calibre like Dr Abdul Malik Baloch as the next chief minister.
“We request Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif not to be swayed by tribal chiefs who themselves are responsible for bringing so much chaos in Balochistan and keep changing parties every day. The province needs to heal and the peace process needs to be owned by the local people lead by those they trust,” the press statement read. It said that the civil society does not take sides of individuals or any specific party. “We only take side with our issues but in this case we cannot move forward with peace process, finding missing persons, having some sense of accountability, healing or development, if we keep having the same leaders who themselves are one of the major causes of the problem.” The statement further said, “Thus, the leadership of Balochistan has become an issue for us. The governance and self-serving leaders are one of the biggest problems in this complex context. Only a strong leader from the people of Balochistan can hold other factions creating problems in Balochistan accountable. Please make history and change the pattern of appointing leadership in Balochistan. We fully support Dr Malik’s appointment who is one of the candidates being considered for the position.”
The petition for Dr Malik’s appointment as Balochistan chief minister has been endorsed by 172 organisations, and individuals, including Dr Fouzia Saeed, along with 2 consortiums with 220 member organisations. Some of the organisations are Mehergarh, Institute of Social Sciences, Council of Social Sciences, Khyber Youth Organisation, Culture Development Organisation, Society for Appraisal & Women Empowerment in Rural Areas, People Youth Organization and Institute of Culture and Development. pr
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk