QUETTA: Religious scholars on Wednesday said guns cannot solve Balochistan’s problems. They called on all stakeholders to sit and talk to end the crisis. Speaking after a seminar on restoring peace and confidence-building, Maulana Dr Ata ur Rehman, Allama Muhammad Juma Asadi, Maulana Anwar-ul-Haq Haqqani, and Qari Abdul Rehman Noorzai stressed justice, mediation, and reconciliation over force. The clerics demanded the government launch clear investigations into missing persons’ cases. "Anyone found guilty should be tried in open courts, while innocent individuals must be released immediately," they said. The scholars warned Balochistan now faces two paths: complete separation or a constitutional fight for rights. They traced the unrest to the 2006 killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti, a key political figure. They said hostile forces misuse local anger and urged treating citizens as partners, not suspects. To ease youth frustration, they demanded jobs and a stake in Gwadar, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, and mining projects. They also called for a major share of resource revenue to go to local development. The clerics blamed foreign interference for worsening tensions in the region, saying outside players try to divide Muslim countries and destabilize Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran. Quoting the Quran, they said peacemaking is a religious duty. Proposed steps include transparent elections, local resource shares, more education and skill training, control of border trade, and ending mafias. They want to strengthen the Human Rights Commission, set up a reconciliation council with ulema and leaders, improve intelligence with local help, and introduce special quotas for Balochistan in public and private jobs. The scholars assured they are ready to help restore peace in the province.