QUETTA: PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif said on Monday that there was no logic in apologising to the people of Balochistan for the past mistakes unless the real issues, including action against the killers of Nawab Akbar Bugti and recovery of missing persons, are addressed.

“If the wounds of the people of Balochistan are to be assuaged then social and economic justice must be done,” Nawaz said while talking to newsmen soon after his arrival in Quetta after 11 years.

He said that Nawab Bugti was a pro-Pakistan politician and he had always worked for the protection of the Constitution. “It is totally wrong to kill a personality, who is the protector of the Constitution, for personal interests,” he said. He demanded that those involved in the killing of Nawab Bugti should be tried in courts.

Nawaz said that the government should restore the trust of the angry people of the province on the federation, adding, “mere lip service would not work.” He said the steps taken by the government for the solution of the problems of Balochistan are not enough and urged for more measures in this regard.

Replying to a question about the role of the PML-N in the present set-up, Nawaz dispelled the impression that his party was playing the role of a friendly opposition. The PML-N’s stand on the restoration of the judges, the NRO and corruption is very clear, he said. “We are firm on our stand on the 17th Amendment,” he added.

Nawaz recalled that Nawab Akbar Bugti, Sardar Ataulah Mengal and other Baloch nationalist leaders had supported the repealing of the 8th Amendment in the past. Earlier, when Nawaz Sharif arrived at the Quetta international airport, he was received by Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Muhammad Aslam Raisani, provincial ministers and PML-N leaders. In the evening, Nawaz Sharif held separate meetings with the chief of the Pashtoonkhawa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) Mehmood Khan Achakzai and Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) chief Talal Akbar Bugti. He also chaired the PML-N’s provincial organising committee meeting.

Online adds: Nawaz said the murder of Nawab Akbar Bugti was not only tyrannical for Balochistan but also for the whole country. He said Pervez Musharraf had no legal and moral authority to conduct a military operation in Balochistan.

He said the Baloch have a right on gas reserves, adding that, uplift projects in the province must be completed as soon as possible. “We respect the mandate of the government and the government should also honour the mandate of the people,” he said.