Balochistan National Party president Akhtar Mengal said that he had not appealed the disgruntled Balochs to throw away their weapons and come down from the mountains.

“I am not sure of the security of my own party activists, then how I can guarantee the security of disgruntled Balochs,” he said this while talking to media at his residence here on Tuesday.Referring to a news item, the BNP chief said it was wrong that he had appealed the disgruntled Balochs to shun their weapons. “I don’t consider the situation conducive for my own party workers then how I can guarantee the security of disgruntled Balochs,” he added.

He regretted that no step had been taken on the part of the government to disarm the death squads. “Those people, who think that the participation of the BNP reflects the issue of Balochistan has been resolved, are wrong,” he remarked. He said that the decision of taking part in the election was made because some people accused Balochs of being undemocratic and were striving hard to portray Balochs as terrorists.

“We want to show Baloch people are peace-loving and democratic nation,” he added. He said that he could not compel anybody to come down from mountains and hoped nobody should compel them to climb up mountains. Mengal rejected the BNP had made a deal.Referring to a political alliance, he said that no time had left for any alliance; however talks with different political parties on seat-to-seat adjustment were underway.

The BNP leader said that handing over Gwadar Port and Pak-Iran Gas Pipeline project were made during Governor’s Rule which were against the wish of Baloch nation. “According to our information, gas pipeline will start from Iran and would reach to Punjab and Sindh by covering 80 percent area of Balochistan and federal government would get its royalty.”

Mengal said he had demanded the Election Commission of Pakistan that special observers should be brought to Balochistan to monitor the process of elections.Terming the cancellation of European Union observers in Balochistan as regrettable, he said that they did not know why the EU decided not to send its representatives in Balochistan.