Balochistan Govt Disowns Malik's Announcements

A spokesman of the Balochistan government on Wednesday disowned all the decisions announced by Interior Minister Rehman Malik. "The views expressed in the news conference were Rehman Malik's personal and the Balochistan government has nothing to do with those decisions/views," the official statement issued by the Balochistan government stated.

 The statement said that the Balochistan chief minister and high-ranking officials had participated in a meeting to discuss the law and order situation, in which the interior minister was also present. "The meeting deliberated in detail the role of the FC and it was agreed that the FC had exceeded its powers and duties. It was agreed to order the FC to remain within the legal framework in future," the statement said. "The meeting had decided that if the Balochistan government agreed, the Frontier Corps could be assigned the duties of policing in Balochistan," the spokesman said. "The interior minister did not announce the decisions taken at the meeting. Instead he publicised his personal views in his news conference, which can create misunderstandings. Thus it was necessary to explain and clarify the situation in the present circumstances," the statement said. mohammad zafar