HYDERABAD, April 10 The government was following in the footsteps of Pervez Musharraf by carrying on his policy of murders, said Awami Tehrik chief Rasool Bux Palijo as he led a large number of activists who held a demonstration outside the press club on Friday, condemning murder of Baloch leaders in Turbat.

He said that on the one hand, the government had made the perpetrators of May 12, April 9, and Oct 18 tragedies its coalition partners and imposed them on Sindh while on the other, Baloch leaders who were struggling for their rights, were being killed.

He said that it was unanimous demand of Sindhis that the military operation in Balochistan should be halted and murderers of Nawab Akbar Bugti, Mir Balach Mari, Ghulam Mohammad Baloch, Lala Munir Ahmed, Sher Mohammad Baloch and other Baloch people should be booked and awarded punishment.

Palijo said that the government had signed an agreement with the people who were flogging innocent women but the Baloch, Sindhis and other people, who believed in democracy, were being punished for demanding their constitutional rights.

Meanwhile, a large number of activists of political and social organisations held a demonstration outside the press club on Friday in protest against assassination of three Baloch leaders in Turbat, Balochistan.

Awami Tehrik leaders Noor Ahmed Katiar and Roshan Birhamani, Sindhiani Tehrik`s Ms Nazeer Qureshi and leaders of other organisations condemned the Baloch leaders` gruesome murders and termed it `genocide`.

They said that Baloch people had been deprived of their legal and constitutional rights as well as fundamental human rights.

They said that President Asif Ali Zardari had saved Pakistan by raising slogan of “Pakistan Khapey” and called upon him and the prime minister to save the federation by stopping excesses against Baloch people and giving them all legal and constitutional rights.

They appealed to the Chief Justice of Pakistan to award deterrent punishment to the assassins of Baloch leaders and save the federation.

Our Larkana correspondent adds Condemning the killing of three Baloch nationalist leaders, the chief of Sindh National Front (SNF) Mumtaz Ali Bhutto said that the government had lost writ in major parts of the country.

Speaking to district bar association, Larkana here on Friday he said that General Musharraf pushed the country towards a failed state by legalising politics of corruption and making criminals, ministers.

He said that general Zia had corrupted institutions to perpetuate his rule which still continued.

He said corruption was rampant and alleged that 50 per cent development funds were being siphoned off by bureaucrats, ministers and contractors.

He said Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) was comfortably ruling over Karachi, Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas, as if it was Jinnahpur where no government order could be found.

People of interior Sindh were suffering, forcing mothers to trade their children for wheat flour, he said.