Shujaat seeks Jatoi, Soomro help for contact with Bugti

KARACHI: President ruling PML, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussein has requested the former care-taker Prime Minister Ghulam Mustafa Khan Jatoi and former Speaker National Assembly Elahi Bux Soomro to help the government in restoring "contacts" with Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti who reportedly has declined to receive the ruling party chief reacting to a statement made by the ISPR Chief Major General Shaukat Sultan.

Shujaat soon after his arrival here on Monday, went to Jatoi House to offer condolence on the demise of Ghulam Mujtaba Jatoi, younger brother of Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi. He remained there for an hour and requested the veteran politician to help him find a route to Dera Bugti.

Sources privy to Jatoi House, say that the former care-taker premier assured Chaudhry Shujaat that he would try to persuade Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti for the same, however, he did not look confident in this connection.

Shujaat assured the veteran politician that the government had no plans whatsoever to launch any operation in Sui or any other part of Balochistan against the nationalists. He said the government was serious to hold talks with the nationalists to find an amicable solution to the problem on long-run basis.

The two leaders agreed that gas pipelines, and other installations in Sui were the national assets, which must not be harmed. However, Jatoi called for initiating confidence building measures which could benefit the area people.

Shujaat also went to Soomro House and offered his condolence to Elahi Bux Soomro on the death of senior politician and former federal minister Rahim Bux Soomro.

The ruling party chief also requested the former speaker to exploit his old contacts with Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti to persuade him to resume talks with the government. Soomro gave the same kind of assurance and suggested that the government side should avoid making lofty statements, which would further harm the talks process.