QUETTA: Newly elected Chief Minister of Balochistan, Dr Abdul Malik Baloch has urged upon civil and military leadership to put their heads together for negotiated settlement of issues relating to Balochistan.

Dr Baloch made this demand during his maiden and policy speech to Balochistan Assembly on Sunday soon after being declared as the Chief Executive of country's sparsely populated province.

“Civil and Military leadership must come forward to politically sort out Balochistan issue,” he said, adding that provincial government alone could not solve the issue without the support and cooperation of Islamabad.

Dr Baloch later took oath of his office by Governor Nawab Zulfiqar Magsi during an official ceremony held at the Governor House in Quetta.

The newly elected CM termed issue of missing persons, recovery of mutilated dead bodies, growing sectarianism and continued targeted killings as major problems in the province, plagued by terrorism.

He made an appeal to all armed groups in Balochistan to come on the negotiating table for the sake of peace in the province. Baloch said development was not possible without restoration of peace in the province.

Regarding corruption, he announced that he would not take a single penny from his secret fund to ensure transparency in Balochistan. “Enough is enough,” he said, adding that corruption starts from secret funds of Chief Minister.

He said nobody would be allowed to plunder the national wealth. “We should not defame Balochistan in Islamabad,” he appealed to all legislatures in the house.

NO END TO BULLET-RIDDLED BODIES

Five bullet-riddled bodies were recovered in different parts of Balochistan on Sunday, June 9.

According to levies sources, three bodies were found in Johan area of Kalat. They said that the dead bodies were almost one month old. The victims belonged to Bibi Nani area of Bolan district and they were kidnapped a month ago by armed gunmen.

Meanwhile, police also recovered two bullet riddled bodies in Khuzdar town of Balochistan. A police official who requested not to be named told Dawn.com that the two bodies were found in Irrigation colony area of Khuzdar. The dead bodies were shifted to civil hospital Khuzdar for postmortem.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

The bodies are found at a time when the newly elected Chief Minister Dr Malik Baloch has promised an end to mutilated bodies.

Dr Baloch has repeatedly stated that recovery of missing persons was his priority. He said Balochistan was defamed in the past in terms of increasing cases of corruption.