Nawab Khair Bakhsk Marri "Government terms exploitation as development" QUETTA: Veteran Baloch nationalist leader Nawab Khair Bukhsh Marri has termed the development activities in Balochistan as exploitation of local people and said that the government and its ministers were making false claims in this regard. “It is a biggest lie to believe these claims that development is being made for the welfare of the local people and Balochistan,” Nawab Marri said while talking to a group of newsmen here at his residence on Wednesday evening. He further said that it was strange that all powers lied with Islamabad and development activities were being carried out in Balochistan for its people. He said that it was regrettable that the educated people of Balochistan were so “simple” that they did not differentiate between development and exploitation. He asked whether the projects like Gwader deep sea port, coastal highway, building of dams etc. were planned by Balochistan or Islamabad and the people of the province had no say in this regard. Replying a question about accusation against him for being anti-development, the nationalist leader said that conquerors took steps for their own needs on the land could not be declared progress or development as historians never termed it as prosperity of the oppressed nations. He said that if the local people of the land had not given control over their resources who could plan the development activities according to their own needs. He pointed out that when British had come Sub-continent what infra-structure they laid like road and railway was for their own interest in the region, adding whether it could be declared progress. He said that railway track was laid down up to Afghan border Chaman was in fact to serve the British interests instead of for the prosperity of the local people. Responding a question about recent general elections, Nawab Marri said that it would not bring any change for the oppressed nations and declared unless a change was brought about in the thinking and practice of oppressed class, their condition would remain as it was. He further said that army wanted to have a share in the politics of the country through constitutional role adding that would a new “order” of Punjab. He said that Punjab-dominant establishment seemed sacred of Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif who knew better the art of loot and plunder. He said that they (establishment) thought that if they two politicians would come into power, they would have more and more share whereas the master United States was granting less share to Pakistan. Therefore, he contended, unknown faces having small stomachs were being brought to power. When asked about the proposed gas pipeline from Central Asian countries to Balochistan coast, Nawab Marri said that the rulers belonging to Punjab were in fact playing the managerial role for United States. He said that these managers wanted to bolster its weak economy besides serving to the interests of US of maintaining its domination over the region. Nawab Marri denied that he was against the parliament and said that he did not consider the parliament of Islamabad a genuine one rather it was the obedient and a court of Punjabi rulers. He said that a fake and dishonest system was established in the country for serving the interests of a particular province on the cost of rest of the nations. To a question regarding Sardars and Nawabs, he said that it might be a minor issue of class conflict in Baloch society, but the major issue was Punjab domination. He said that actually the lackeys of Punjabi rulers in Balochistan were engaged in confusing the people making Sardars or Nawabs a issue to weaken the Baloch national question. When asked his view about international Baloch conference held two months back in Katmandu, he said that such conferences had been held in African and European countries over Baloch national question and said that these conferences could be means of introduction to the issue. November 04, 2002