Lawmakers prepare for talks with ‘angry Baloch brothers’

After Quetta, the committee will visit Karachi and meet security officials.

ISLAMABAD: After the prime minister’s renewed offer to hold talks with disgruntled Baloch leaders, a special parliamentary committee formed to address the violence in Karachi and Balochistan has planned a visit to Quetta next week.

During his two-day visit this week, Gilani had offered to speak to Baloch nationalists and address their reservations.

“No more violence, it’s time to hold talks with our angry (Baloch) brothers,” said the head of the committee Religious Affairs Minister Syed Khursheed Shah. “We will speak to all stakeholders and prepare recommendations for a permanent solution to the issue,” the minister said.

Angry nationalists have their base in Pakistan, but they are living abroad due to some concerns, he added, while briefing journalists after the closed-door meeting at the parliament house. If necessary, a delegation of lawmakers may visit the United Arab Emirates to meet veteran Baloch politician Akhtar Mengal, said Shah.

Mengal, a one-time chief minister of Balochistan, is currently living in the UAE due to some security concerns.

The religious affairs minister, however, remained tight-lipped over talks with Baloch leaders who challenge the writ of the government in the province.

The process will be initiated with talks with the Marri, Mengal and Bugti tribe, Shah said. After Quetta, the committee will visit Karachi where law enforcement officers will give a briefing on the Karachi violence. The committee will then submit its recommendations to the parliament.

APC recommendations

Shah said the government has asked for names across the political spectrum to constitute a committee to implement recommendations made by the All Parties Conference.

The new committee will monitor progress on all committees and give recommendations on “how to combat the war on terror and related problems.”

Published in The Express Tribune, October 14^th, 2011.