Baloch need to be understood to resolve issues

Politicians, military, bureaucracy held responsible for conflict in Balochistan.

ISLAMABAD:

Lack of political will, incompetent bureaucracy, unequal distribution of resources/funds and military operations in Balochistan have  inculcated a sense of deprivation and alienation among Balochis. The issues in Balochistan can be resolved through inclusiveness and understanding of the society and culture of the restive province.

This was the gist of a roundtable discussion titled “Impact of conflict on women in Balochistan” organised by the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) in collaboration with ActionAid Pakistan here on Thursday.

Speakers at the conference urged for quick implementation of the Balochistan Rights Package and demanded that women’s role be encouraged in decision making and peace building processes.

They said that the Baloch people are diverse in culture, mindsets and lifestyle and there is a need to properly understand them.

Harris Khalique, a renowned writer and independent analyst, said, “People of Pakistan consider Balochistan as a chapter in some history book as majority don’t even know the name of cities in the province except Quetta.”

He said that Balochistan is divided in various parts and apart of their livelihoods, people differ from each other politically, culturally, socially and psychologically.

There are also various contextual differences within women groups in Balochistan. Hence, it is important to properly understand them before making an effort to resolve their issues, he said.

“Pashtun belt is different from Baloch belt and though they are not in the conflict zone working with Pashtun women is much difficult,” he added.

Federal Ministry for Human Rights Director General Prof. Farkhanda Aurangzeb said Balochistan conflict was highly politicised. She said their issues should be taken as human rights issues and they should be consulted for peaceful negotiations.

“Bugti issue was highly mishandled by the people in power as they failed to understand him, his personality and his vision. He was not anti-state; he raised his voice for the right of his people which turned out to be his biggest mistake,” she said.

She held politicians, military and the bureaucracy responsible for the conflict in the province.

She said that the Baloch people have always been neglected by the discriminatory attitude of the establishment towards them. “I am highly disappointed with the top decision-makers of Pakistan for not solving the problems of the Baloch people and keeping them deprived of all their rights,” she added.

Citing an example of apathetic attitude of the bureaucracy in Balochistan, she said that the establishment once decided to disburse some funds to all four provinces for computerisation of education institutions, but the Chief Secretary of Balochistan refused to even accept the funds.

Dr Rakshinda Parveen of Creative Anger by Rakhshi was of the view that inclusion of women in the decision-making processes is important to improve the overall socio-economic conditions of the women in Balochistan.

She said that the women from among the elite of Balochistan were not only aloof and insensitive, but also powerless and helpless in supporting the needy, adding that the non-elite women are more conscious and socially active, but suffer from loss of attention by the donor community.

She suggested sustainable solutions to the problems of Balochi women through structural adjustments and stressed that the Balochistan package should be made gender friendly and inclusive.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 17th, 2011.