Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti on Saturday said that hostile forces want to push the region into civil war, but their designs will be defeated through unity.

Addressing the National Stability Conference in the provincial capital, Bugti said the nation was celebrating a great victory in the recent clashes, where Pakistan crushed India’s arrogance.

Warning of an orchestrated effort to drag Balochistan into a futile conflict, the chief minister said enemy elements were working to create an atmosphere of civil war in the province, but all such conspiracies would be thwarted.

He alleged that there was a well-planned scheme to alienate the people of Balochistan from the country by luring its youth into activities aimed at weakening the province.

Bugti stressed that terrorism has nothing to do with religion, and there should be no negotiations with anyone who takes up arms against the state.

However, he reiterated his support for dialogue at all levels to promote peace.

Acknowledging that uneven development was a serious challenge, he said it was not confined to Balochistan but affected other parts of the country as well.

He emphasised that a misguided two percent of the population could not represent the entire province.

He recalled that at the time of Pakistan’s creation, tribal elders had chosen to accede to the country, and that his own identity was first and foremost Pakistani, followed by Baloch.

He lauded Balochistan’s religious harmony and interfaith unity as an example for other provinces, praising the role of religious scholars in maintaining peace.

Bugti said those who talk about breaking up Pakistan have already seen their fate in the battle of truth.

He called for the positive use of social media for social reform and reminded that, according to Baloch traditions, no harm is ever inflicted on a traveller, with only extremists involved in acts of terrorism.