Baloch Tribal Leaders Demand Restoration of Seized Lands

Quetta:Dr. Azam Bajkani Balidi, leader of the Gajanani, Nandwani, and Kanrani tribes, has urged the government to return their lands seized due to deteriorating conditions in Dera Bugti and Sohbatpur in 2005. Speaking at a press conference at Quetta Press Club, alongside Muhammad Ramadan Gajanani and Mir Hassan Gajanani, Dr. Azam highlighted their ancestral ties to the Balidi tribes in Sibi District, Balochistan.

Dr. Azam Bajkani Balidi stated that their communities had attempted to resettle on their properties in 2018 but were prevented by the government from crossing the Pat Feeder due to security plans. Consequently, lands belonging to their forefathers were occupied by the Bugti tribe under the support of the Balochistan government, displacing members of the Balidi tribes of Gajanani, Nandwani, and Kanrani.

He further lamented that their lands, purchased in 1834 from the Khan of Kalat, are supported by legitimate documents and maps that can be presented when required. However, due to adverse conditions in Dera Bugti and Sohbatpur in 2005, they were forced to relocate. Upon their return in 2018, their attempts to resettle were thwarted, and entry to their ancestral lands was denied under the security plan, which facilitated the settlement of Bugti tribes’ branches, including Bakhlanani, Jiwani, Sardarani, and Jachani.

Dr. Azam expressed hope that Chief Minister Mir Sirfraz Bugti would ensure justice and reclaim their ancestral lands from the land mafia that has fraudulently occupied their lands.