ISLAMABAD: A senior minister of the Balochistan government on Friday called for dialogue with armed groups, saying negotiations remain the only viable path to resolving the province’s long-running conflict.
In an interview with Independent Urdu, Senior Provincial Minister and senior Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Mir Sadiq Umrani said Balochistan’s political and economic grievances must be addressed through talks rather than force.
“The solution to Balochistan’s problems lies in negotiations,” Umrani said. “Both the provincial government and armed groups should avoid the use of force and adopt the path of dialogue. Only negotiations can lead to lasting peace, create stability and help end unemployment.”
Umrani said Baloch nationalist parties have long demanded greater control over the province’s natural resources, a position he said his party also supports.
“We want Balochistan’s natural resources to be extracted and their benefits spent on the people of this province,” he said. “Unfortunately, the people of Balochistan have little access to the wealth generated from their own resources.”
Despite serving in the provincial cabinet, Umrani acknowledged that the law-and-order situation remains unsatisfactory.
“We are members of the cabinet, and we cannot publicly oppose the chief minister’s policies,” he said. “But security cannot be judged by official statements. It should be measured by whether ordinary people feel free to move around, conduct business and live without fear. Personally, I do not consider the security situation satisfactory.”
Umrani said he has received threats but declined to identify those responsible.
“I have already stated on the assembly floor that neither elected representatives nor ordinary citizens are fully secure, and I stand by those remarks,” he said.
He rejected suggestions of differences between the provincial government and Pakistan’s security institutions, saying both were working toward the same objective.
“The government and security agencies are on the same page regarding the restoration of peace,” he said. “The public wants immediate improvements in security, while the security institutions are pursuing their objectives through their own operational framework.”
Umrani also expressed confidence in Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti, describing him as a personal friend and saying the ruling party’s central leadership continues to support him.
He added, however, that the chief minister’s legacy would ultimately depend on his performance.
“If he delivers good governance, the people will remember him,” Umrani said. “If he fails, neither history nor the public will forgive him.”
