Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister Imran Khan has said Balochistan province is currently under an “illegitimate government”, adding that the mistakes of 1971 that had divided Pakistan should not be repeated.
“How can an illegitimate government imposed on Balochistan possibly resolve any issues? As a Pakistani and a former prime minister, I am deeply concerned about the ongoing situation in Balochistan marked by a sharp rise in terrorism.”
“The firing of live ammunition on peaceful protesters, state violence, and unlawful arrests are equally deeply troubling,” Khan said on X on Wednesday. He has been incarcerated since August 2023.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder-leader said the situation in Balochistan cannot improve unless the genuine public representatives are brought into the mainstream, their voices are sincerely heard, and the fate of the region is decided in accordance with the will of the people.
“Sheer force can never resolve this issue as it will rather deepen crisis and fuel further instability,” he warned.
Khan, 72, further said the “puppet government imposed through fraudulent elections in 2024, has failed on all fronts, with its foreign policy being complete disaster”.
“We can address terrorism by engaging in dialogue with Afghanistan. We share a 2,200-kilometre border with Afghanistan, and peaceful negotiations are the only way forward. During our (PTI) tenure, despite strained relations with the Afghan government at the time, we engaged in direct talks with them.
“The policies we implemented over three years successfully eliminated terrorism. However, after our tenure, the adoption of Biden’s policy led to numerous issues, and today, the public is bearing the consequences in the form of increased terrorism,” he said.
Khan said the lack of seriousness is evident from the fact that the Shehbaz Sharif government has not yet undertaken any serious diplomatic initiatives with Afghanistan, nor has its foreign minister paid a single visit there.
Khan further said the “military-backed government’s primary goal is to keep him in jail at all costs, as his cases have no legal standing and will be overruled whenever they are heard on merits”. “This is a fixed match being played under a well-orchestrated plan,” he said.
The former cricketer-turned-politician said instead of focusing on their constitutional responsibilities, the institutions are hyper-fixated on cracking down on the PTI and controlling the media, prisons, and courts.
“Adiala Jail is also being run by a Colonel. What authority does a Colonel have to control a jail,” Khan questioned.
Meanwhile, insurgents on Friday shot dead six people and abducted three after stopping a bus in Balochistan, and offloading passengers from Pakistan’s Punjab.
In another terror attack in the province, three people were killed and 17 injured after a bomb exploded near a police vehicle, officials said.
The two attacks come a fortnight after the banned separatist outfit Balochistan Liberation Army laid siege to a train in the Bolan district and killed 26 hostages, including 18 security personnel.
