RAWALPINDI: The Governor of Baluchis­tan, Mir Ghaus Bakhsh Bizenjo, today [Jan 31] again described as “utterly baseless and mischievous” the reports that Army units will be sent to Lasbela as requested by him, and said that the high-level meeting held in Lahore never took any such decision nor had he made such a suggestion to the Central Government. He said if any method other than [the one] decided at the high-level meeting in Lahore is employed “I shall be compelled to consider it as an act of unwarranted interference and I shall be forced to resist it in order to safeguard the constitutional rights of the province of Baluchistan.” …

“… I have not asked for the ‘Army units’ to be sent to Lasbela to restore law and order. The law and order situation in Lasbela district is totally under control. The only operation going on at present is that the provincial forces are chasing the miscreants in the hills and this operation is almost coming to a close.

“I may also add that the statement of Jam Sahib of Lasbela appearing in today’s newspapers, making the fantastic claim that over 400 people have been killed in Lasbela, is a figment of his own wild imagination.” — News agencies

Published in Dawn, February 1st, 2023