The Media Line
Tuesday, January 2, 2007

Anyone who uses vile language when referring to Pakistan should be executed, said the Islamabad-loyal chief minister of the Balochistan province of the country, Jam Mohammad Yousaf. He made the comment at the 100th anniversary celebration of the Pakistan Muslim League.

It is fine for people living in Balochistan to politically oppose central government, but the use of filthy language will not be tolerated, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported him as saying.

The province, the largest in Pakistan, is also the most violent, with many internal disputes between warring factions, long-running bitter arguments with Islamabad and Islamism spreading across the border from Afghanistan.

Ethnic Pashtuns and Balochis comprise most of the population and both have their grievances against the government of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. Three distinct liberation forces are operational in the province, in addition to Taliban and other forces seen as loyal to Al-Qa’ida. The regional capital, Quetta, has been the scene of numerous terror attacks and is seen as the Islamists stronghold in Pakistan.

“Those dreaming about breaking the country are living in fools’ paradise, as Pakistan is a stable and strong state having an impregnable defense,” Jam said.