Government launches media offensive after Bugti's death

05 Sept 2006

Karachi: The government, faced by mounting pressure from the opposition groups over the killing of Akbar Khan Bugti, has launched a counter media offensive, issuing a charge sheet of "anti-people activities" of the slain tribal chief and two others dissident Baloch leaders.

A press note issued by the government blamed not only Akbar Bugti, but also two other powerful tribal chieftains Khair Bux Marri and Attaullah Mengal for terrorist activities and blocking development.

The strongly worded chargesheet underlines the fact that despite vehement opposition to its military action in which Bugti was killed, the government appears in no mood to soften its stand on the dissident tribal chiefs.

"Balochistan is characterised with complex socio-political culture having strong feudal background and oppressive domination by few tribal chieftains," the government statement said.

'Terrorist outlook'

"Akbar Bugti, Khair Bakhsh Marri and Attaullah Mengal are the most prominent of these having terrorist outlook," it said. "These so-called Nawabs and Sardars have always opposed the development and spread of liberal values in Balochistan."

The statement came in the wake of a strong backlash from both the print and electronic media which have overwhelmingly slammed the government for the mishandling of the Balochistan issue. Official sources said that now the government plans to counter that by revealing the facts about the atrocities of these tribal chieftains on their own people.

The government also plans to run news reports and documentaries on television channels giving details of the terrorist and anti-people stance of these sardars, said one official on the condition of anonymity.

In the first instalment, the government issued a lengthy charge sheet in which the three dissidents chieftains have been accused of scores of crimes ranging from murders and abductions to the imprisonment of their opponents in the private run jails. They have also been accused of sponsoring terrorism.

Mafia

Regarding Bugti, the government said that he organized his own mafia of terrorists to coerce the local civilians and charged him for at least 60 murders since 1992.

Bugti and his associates were also responsible for the deaths of 339 people including 110 security personnel since January 2004 in terrorist attacks, the statement said. More than 850 people were injured, it added.

Since March 2005, gas pipelines were hit at least on 46 occasions.

Similar allegation were levelled against Marri and Mengal, who were also accused of blocking petroleum and natural gas exploration work.