Pakistan Muslim League (Like-minded Group) Balochistan President and MNA, Israr Tareen, has said foreign hand is involved in recent incidents of target killings in the province. Talking to Business Recorder at the residence of former foreign minister, Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, he said the people of Balochistan were peace loving and wanted peace and security.
Regarding the incidents of the target killings of the people from Punjab, he said the people of Balochistan had good relations with the people settled there from Punjab, and had no confrontation with them. Talking about the strength of PML (Like-minded Group), he claimed over 10 sitting MNAs and quite a good number of MPAs of the four provincial assemblies had announced full support to the party leadership in its endeavour to run it in accordance with the party constitution as well as democratic norms.
In the Balochistan Assembly 19 MPAs, who are part of the coalition government, belong to the PML. He maintained his party had strong roots in Balochistan because the party candidates defeated candidates of secular and religious parties besides local parties. He vowed to organise the party in Balochistan at grass roots level by bringing forward die-hard party activists.
Answering a question, he said, "Provincial autonomy is every province's right and all the provinces including Balochistan should be given the power to exercise their rights." He urged the federal government to create employment opportunities and ensure infrastructure development in Balochistan.
"The Balochi people are loyal citizens of Pakistan like the rest of us and they must be given their due rights," he said. To another query, he said he would use all his energies to unite all the Muslim leaguers at the platform of his party and make it the most organised political force in Balochistan.