HYDERABAD, Sept 3: Leaders of political and nationalist parties on Sunday condemned the killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti in an army action and the government’s failure to learn any lesson from the past mistakes which led to dismemberment of the country.

They said that the military regime was bent upon gagging voices of dissent and resolving contentious issues by force.

They said that the people of Sindh stood by the Baloch in their hour of grief.

They were speaking at a seminar on “Killing of Nawab Bugti: murder of national integration and human rights” at the Hyderabad press club.

The seminar was organised by the Sindh Democratic Forum.

Late Nawab Bugti’s son, Talal Bugti, in a telephonic speech from Quetta lauded the civil society of Sindh, political and nationalist parties and workers for raising their voice over the killing of his father.

“Although it’s not possible for me to deliver a speech but I am really indebted to you. Sindh and Balochistan are inseparable and their destiny and goal are common”, he said.

He said that the way people of Sindh had reacted to the killing of Nawab Bugti, would prove to be a milestone in the history and change the country’s destiny.

“It’s time that we should unite against those who have occupied our resources, land and snatched our leadership otherwise we do not know how many such tragedies we will have to face”, he said.

“Let us accelerate pace of our struggle as lethargy on our part will count us among the murderers of our martyr”, he said.

PPP leader Nisar Khuhro said that Nawab Bugti was not an ordinary man as he had been chief minister and governor of Balochistan.

He said that politicians must admit that a weak civil society could not match the might of the establishment.

He said that the rulers had proved that they did not have any respect for law and that they could bomb anyone.

“The federal parliamentary structure has been destroyed and the Constitution has been badly mutilated by ruling elite”, said Mr Khuhro.

“What sort of message do these people want to convey to people of smaller provinces? Bugti has become a symbol and every Pakistan feels insecure”, he said.

He said that the killing of Bugti and subsequent denials and explanations by the government had raised many questions.

Showing disagreement over calls for new constitution, opposition leader in the Sindh Assembly said amendments to the Constitution could be considered as far as demands of the smaller provinces were concerned but drafting a new document did not sound convincing for no such environment existed today.

“It requires a national leadership to have a new constitution. The federation must continue with federating units getting their rights”, he said.

He said that the PPP legislators had submitted resignations to their leader and the MMA and PML-N parliamentarians should also hand over their resignations.

ARD Sindh president Zain Ansari differed with speakers who suggested that Punjab was going the other way.

He said that Tehmina Daultana, PML-N Punjab president Zulfikar Khosa and MNA Khawaja Asif had condemned the killing of Bugti unequivocally.

He said that there was strike in Punjab as well on the call of joint opposition and Nawaz Sharif was punished because he loved the people of smaller provinces.

He said that generals and bandits had no surname and recalled maltreatment of PML-N MPA Rana Sanaullah by a major.

Saleem Zia paid tributes to Bugti who, he said, preferred to sacrifice his life but did not bow before a dictator.

He said that the deceased Nawab championed the cause of Pakistan and Baloch people in his life.

“By killing Bugti, the military regime has given a message to us that we will also be dealt with in same fashion if we tried to create hurdles in its way”, he said.

He attributed polarisation and sectarian, political and ethnic feuds to military governments, pleading that such conditions suited them as they believed in policy of divide and rule.

“Generals and not any province is responsible for the killing of Bugti”, he claimed.

He said that people should identity their common enemy instead of indulging in internecine fighting.

He said that civilians and armed forces had been pitted against each other in Waziristan.

He demanded that the concurrent list should be abolished so that legitimate rights being demanded by federating units could be ensured to them.

STPP chairman Dr Qadir Magsi said it appeared that the rulers had not learnt lesson from the past and army had crossed all political and moral limits to enslave people in order to safeguard interests of Punjab.

He said that a new culture was developing in the country and referred to an all-party conference where he said members of Punjab’s civil society criticised the government for Bugti’s killing.

He said that except for pro-establishment parties all other parties had condemned it and strike was observed in cities of Punjab.

“Army has become a big commercial entity in the country now. Until now it was protecting interests of Punjab. All retired servicemen have been employed in Fauji foundation, bakeries and other business”, he said.

He said that now army was negotiating with people in Waziristan without carrying it’s much talked about enforcement of its writ.

He said that the people of Sindh should not get disappointed that they could not fight the army if they did not have support of any other country.

He said that 40 million unarmed Sindhis had the potential to resist any force.

“The killing of Bugti has given us and national movements a great inspiration and it will give us impetus to attain more strength to resist attempts at usurpation of our river and land”, Magsi said.

Mr Magsi proposed registration of a murder case against the president and the prime minister so that they could be brought to justice whenever there was democracy.

Former speaker of the Sindh Assembly, Hussain Haroon, expressed his dismay over the way Bugti was buried.

He criticised the government for labelling Bugti a terrorist while he was raising his voice on issues of Sui gas, Dr Shazia Memon and Gwadar.

He condemned the government’s decision of burying Bugti in a padlocked wooden box in the absence of his family members.

He said that such attitude indicated that if people demanded their democratic rights they would be dubbed terrorists.

He said that Dera Bugti DCO Abdul Samad Lasi had shown a pair of deceased’s spectacles as if he had conquered a country.

He said that Sindh also was not getting its due share in the NFC and since 1977 expansion continued to take place in Punjab.

He said that there was poverty everywhere in interior of Sindh.

He said that it was the need of the hour that people of Sindh should think about themselves and become self-sufficient in all respects, regardless of hurdles they faced.

Terming Bugti’s killing tyranny; Ayub Shar said that people of three provinces found themselves at a point of no return.

He said that injustices being committed would endanger the future of the country.

He said that if Sindhis did not fight like the Baloch they would be destined to doom.

Prof Mushtaq Mirani appreciated the voice being raised from Punjab by Asma Jehangir and Nawaz Sharif and added that the rulers had given a message that they could even humiliate bodies.

“The way the burial of Bugti took place reflects the mindset of our rulers”, he said.

He said that there was great responsibility on the shoulders of federal political parties now.

SDF convener Abrar Kazi, Sindh National Council’s Dr Dodo Mahiri, Sindh Hari Committee president Azhar Jatoi, former law minister Muzaffar Sadiq Bhatti and JUI-F’s Taj Mohammad Nahiyoo also spoke on the occasion.

RESOLUTIONS: Several resolutions were adopted at the seminar condemning the killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti which has raised fundamental questions about future of basic human rights, rule of law, democracy and national integration in Pakistan.

It also condemned military government’s shameful act of mysterious burial of deceased in violation of human and religious rights and paid tribute to late Bugti for his struggle for the rights of Baloch people nation and other oppressed nations

Another resolution assured Baloch people that Sindhis are with them and will extend full political and moral support to them in getting their legitimate rights as per 1940 Resolution.

The resolution reminded the military government that when three federating units were demanding their legitimate national, democratic rights, provincial autonomy and sovereignty in democratic and non-violent ways, the regime in return used state violence and terrorism to suppress their national inspirations.

It added that it is double standards on part of military government that it provided political and moral support to national movement of Kashmiris on principle of their natural rights which was a glaring discrimination and contradiction and could not be justified or condoned.

The resolution noted that the military government chose to violently eliminate Nawab Akbar Bugti instead of implementing recommendations made by two parliamentary committees which indicated that army generals had not learnt any lesson from the debacle of East Pakistan.

It said a series of autocratic steps were taken by the present military government, similar to murderous military regimes of dark days of South America like disappearance of political workers in Sindh and Balochistan; driving legitimate political leaders of popular parties in exile; denying Sindhi people right to rule in Sindh by thrusting collaborators and terrorists to rule, and now target killing of political leaders.

It demanded an end to military operation in Balochistan, release of all political leaders and workers, restoration of democracy by holding fair and free elections under a neutral caretaker regime, initiation of negotiations with smaller federating units for giving them their national rights as assured in 1940 resolution and that army should be permanently barred from involvement in politics or in any kind of governmental affair and it should be confined to defence alone.

It appealed to political leaders, intellectuals, civil society, other HR activists of Punjab and world at large to mobilize available means and channels to help democracy and peace loving people of Pakistan, specially those of smaller provinces in attaining their national rights in a federal and democratic Pakistan as envisaged in the 1940 Resolution.