KARACHI, Sept 9: The National Party has said the interior minister’s statement about the Balochistan situation was uncalled for and termed it a total violation of provincial autonomy.

Speaking to Dawn, Senator Mir Hasil Bizenjo, a central leader of the NP, said it was surprising that the federal interior minister’s statement came at a time when the country was faced with its worst-ever flood situation and terror attacks.

He also criticised Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik for comparing the Balochistan situation to that of Swat, saying that “the Baloch issue is purely a political issue which is linked with fundamental human rights” and it could only be solved by adopting political means.

Mr Bizenjo said it seemed that attempts were being made to push the Baloch to the wall.

He said that his party had always supported the political efforts for solving the problems of Balochistan through dialogue but it was unfortunate that “invisible forces had always sabotaged such efforts”.

He also said the rulers had never been serious about finding a lasting solution to the Balochistan issue because of their “sinister designs”. Had they been serious about dialogue, “the situation would have been different today and we had not been reached this stage,” the NP leader observed.

He said it was evident from the past experience that instead of solving the problems, an “operation would further create bitterness among the Baloch people and fuel hatred of the federation.”

He said ground realities in the Balochistan province were different from that of Swat. He noted with concern that “we are heading towards a serious crisis for which only the federal interior minister should be blamed”.

He highlighted the need for recognising the sovereign rights of Baloch people and other federal units to save the country from the current crisis.

He argued that no federation could run without a democratic dispensation recognising the fundamental rights of the people, saying that in a democratic order, it were the people and their representatives elected through free and transparent elections who could solve the problems.