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Balochistan troop numbers cut


By M Ilyas Khan
BBC News, Karachi

Tribesman say they are fighting for greater economic rights
Pakistan's new government says it has pulled thousands of security personnel out of troubled Balochistan province as part of efforts to bring peace there.

About 7,000 troops have left the cities of Quetta and Gwadar, a senator from the governing Pakistan People's Party said.

The thinly-populated but resource-rich province has been the scene of a revolt by nationalist rebels since 2001.

The rebels want autonomy and greater control over Balochistan's resources.


Dialogue

Military operations against the rebels led to considerable population displacement in 2006.

In his inaugural speech to the newly-elected parliament last month, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said his government would talk to all segments of the Baloch population, including the rebels, to find a peaceful solution to the problems of the province.

Later a committee was formed to clear the ground for an all-parties conference on Balochistan.

The head of the committee, Senator Babar Awan, told Geo TV on Tuesday that the government had pulled out 7,000 paramilitary troops from the Baloch capital, Quetta, and the port city of Gwadar.

Akhtar Mengal, who heads the largest political party of the province, was released last week as a goodwill gesture.

The government has also set up a committee to look into cases of missing persons in the province.
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