QUETTA: Jamaat-i-Islami has demanded of the government to solve the Balochistan problem by halting military operation because this will pave the way for negotiations.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Liaquat Baloch, the secretary general of the Jamaat-i-Islami, said a framework should be formulated before convening an all-party conference on Balochistan issue in Quetta.
He called for establishing meaningful contacts with peoples’ representatives and militants — both hiding in the mountains and those abroad — for making the process meaningful.
The political leadership at a recently-held all-party conference in Islamabad agreed on resolving the Fata, Balochistan and Karachi crises through dialogue and not through use of force because this often complicated matters, he said.
Mr Baloch held Washington responsible for the increase in terrorism and extremism in the country and said withdrawal of the US troops from Afghanistan was a prerequisite for restoring peace in the region.
He condemned the-then military ruler of getting the Pakistan Army embroiled in the war of terror at the behest of Washington, adding that this resulted in the death of 47,000 Pakistanis.
The JI leader said the US invaded Afghanistan following the 9/11 incident and entrapped the Pakistan Army in the swamp by demanding operation in Fata. The US should quit Afghanistan and let Afghans decide their fate, he said.
The JI secretary general said the release of Afghan Taliban by the government was a positive step for establishing cordial relations with Afghanistan.