Quetta: Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti stated that Balochistan is the heart of Pakistan, and without it, the country’s existence is impossible. Unfortunately, very few people highlight the province’s true reality, and often their voices are ignored.
Speaking as the chief guest at the National Stability Pakistan Conference held on the occasion of “Fateh-e-Mairaka-e-Haq” and Independence Day celebrations in Quetta, he said that the role of Balochistan’s people in the creation of Pakistan will be written in golden letters in history. The tribal elders of the province, under the leadership of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, convened a jirga and took the historic decision to join Pakistan.
He noted that in recent years, some elements have attempted to spread anti-Pakistan agendas in Balochistan under the guise of so-called nationalism, aiming to drag the Baloch nation into a futile war that only results in bloodshed, terrorism, and loss of innocent lives — a war that benefits no one.
The Chief Minister remarked that those forces who spoke of breaking Pakistan under the influence of foreign dollars and directions faced defeat in the ‘Mairaka-e-Haq’ (Battle of Truth), where Pakistan’s armed forces defeated an enemy seven times their size.
He acknowledged that while Balochistan faces problems, backwardness does not justify taking up arms and rebellion against the state. Article 5 of the Constitution of Pakistan mandates unconditional loyalty to the state from every citizen. Those who shed the blood of innocent civilians do not deserve to be called Baloch; their true identity is that of terrorists.
Mir Sarfraz Bugti emphasized that every conspiracy to divide Pakistan on sectarian grounds has failed. In Balochistan, people of all sects and religions live in exemplary religious harmony, and minority communities have always played a role in safeguarding national integrity. Senator Dhanesh Kumar’s vocal support for Pakistan in the Senate is an example of this unity.
He said that since August 14, 1947, the greatest identity for all of us has been to be Pakistani, followed by our linguistic or tribal identities. Enemies have repeatedly tried to divide us on ethnic and linguistic lines. Unfortunately, the killing of innocent people is now being falsely portrayed as tribal or rights-related conflicts, contrary to Baloch traditions.
The Chief Minister described social media as the biggest source of mischief today, being used to spread lies and incitement. Our society was unprepared for this. Forwarding unverified content is a dangerous trend causing social confusion and unrest. He appealed to religious scholars, spiritual leaders, and social activists to play their role in ending this mischief.
As an example, he cited the recently concluded month-long Pakistan Football Tournament in Balochistan, which attracted 30,000 spectators and teams from across the country. However, instead of celebrating this success, a small controversial clip was viral on social media, overshadowing the event’s true purpose.
The Chief Minister said the government has held jirgas and open courts across the province to bring youth closer to the state and inform them about ground realities. Peace is returning to Balochistan. While everyone has the right to protest, the days of roads being blocked for weeks have ended. Negotiation doors remain open for those militants willing to lay down arms and return, but the state will respond firmly to the blood of innocent civilians by standing with the oppressed.
He expressed solidarity with a helpless woman from Musa Khel whose husband and son were gunned down before her eyes, leaving her with only a single sheet to cover the bodies. Downplaying such crimes is an extreme injustice.
Mir Sarfraz Bugti affirmed that Pakistan, as a nuclear power with a strong military, will endure forever. A few hundred armed men cannot impose their ideology on 250 million people.
He thanked the organizers of the conference, especially Chairman of the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Pakistan, Maulana Syed Abdul Khabeer Azad, saying the program sends a message of patriotism and unity. The Balochistan government will fully support every such event, whether held in Quetta or remote areas of the province, because this homeland is the dream of our forefathers and part of our faith and the sun of peace will surely rise here.
