Raisani opposes merger of Mastung with Quetta, Kachhi with Sibi

QUETTA: Senior Baloch politician and former senator Nawabzada Haji Lashkari Raisani on Sunday criticised the government’s decision to merge Mastung with Quetta and to incorporate Kachhi district into Sibi, saying the move was aimed at erasing the historical identity of the two areas.

Speaking at a press conference at Sarawan House in Quetta, Raisani said political workers and local residents would join hands to resist the decision through national unity and through constitutional, legal and democratic means. He said Mastung had historically been the headquarters of Sarawan, while Kachhi also had its own separate historical identity.

Raisani said the provincial government was creating new divisions and districts in a way that appeared intended to weaken the historical status of different regions. He was accompanied at the press conference by Nawabzada Mir Rais Raisani, Haji Muhammad Anwar Shahwani, Haji Aziz Sarpara, Haji Ishaq Lahri and other political figures.

He also expressed sorrow over the recent bomb blast at Chaman Phatak in Quetta and said the worsening law and order situation in Balochistan was the result of flawed policies and their local facilitators. Referring to the security situation, he remarked: "Earlier, roads were unsafe. Now, even our people are not safe in cities."