Lingering ghosts

Bugti family said after acquittal that they accept apology of nobody, least of all that of General (retd) Musharraf

Both ghosts and skeletons abound in the extensive attics of Pakistan, some being given a regular airing, Generals Zia and Musharraf being but two of them. The former is long dead and unlamented by many — still loved and revered by others. The latter is still very much of this world and he leaves a long shadow even on sunless days. The anti-terrorism court in Quetta on January 18 acquitted the former military ruler, General (retd) Pervez Musharraf, in the case of the murder of Jamhoori Watan Party leader Nawab Akbar Bugti in a decision that is unlikely to lay to rest the controversy surrounding the death of the Baloch leader.



It will be recalled that Mr Bugti was killed in an explosion caused during the course of a military operation in the Kohlu area. He died in August 2006 but lives on in the minds of many in Balochistan as one who fought for the rights of its people. Since his death, there have been various attempts to bring to account those deemed to be responsible for it, General (retd) Musharraf being but one of several. He was chief of the Pakistan Army at the time of the operation in Kohlu and therefore ultimately the individual at the top of the tree carrying ultimate responsibility.

Those seeking to prosecute him have failed, and there is unlikely to be any fresh legal move against him in this instance, but he carries a considerable responsibility for the unrest that persists to this day in Balochistan. The province has been marginalised, under-invested and indifferently or merely badly ruled and separatist sentiments therein have the flames fanned sufficiently regularly for the province to be a significant drain on security resources. The human rights violations seen during the Musharraf years have in some instances continued, and the apology General (retd) Musharraf reportedly sent through his lawyer to the Bugti family in December 2015 has cut no ice. The family said after the acquittal that they accept the apology of nobody, least of all that of General (retd) Musharraf. The ghosts of the Musharraf years are going to haunt Pakistan for generations to come.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 20^th, 2016.

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