Rabbani condemns police action against Baloch protesters

ISLAMABAD: Former Senate chairman Mian Raza Rabbani, while condemning the high handed and ruthless manner in which the Islamabad police has dealt with the long marchers from Balochistan, demanded that the committee of the whole of the Senate should invite the state and all stakeholders for a dialogue to resolve these issues within the constitutional framework.

“The treatment matted out to women was not in accordance with Pakistani tradition and culture and, here was no justification in arresting Balochi students studying in Islamabad,” he said in a, statement on Sunday.

Rabbani said that this is a time when the state must extend a healing hand towards Balochistan by ensuring fundamental rights, giving them control over their resources as provided in the Constitution 1973, withdrawal of check posts and their share of the NFC Award.

The former Senate chairman said the government must realise that these are not militants or terrorists but citizens who are protesting to be treated in accordance with the law and the Constitution.

“It is there constitutional right to protest within the law. At no stage did they turn violent,” he said. Rabbani said the people of Balochistan have been and continue to be denied their economic and political rights, in order to bring stability to the province, these rights have to be guaranteed immediately. He said such an attitude of the state will further sharpen the internal political fault lines and sow the seeds of distrust in the younger generation.