Apathetic attitude: Experts urge centre to adopt inclusive approach

Speakers at a roundtable discussion forum in Islamabad demanded the centre to give up the “practise of playing security politics” in Balochistan so that public grievances and development issues are better redressed, said a press release.

In the discussion titled  “Incessant Descent: The State of Security in Balochistan” — jointly organised by Action Aid Pakistan and Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) — issues related to proper implementation of the Balochistan Rights Package were discussed.

Participants agreed that the federal government should try to adopt an inclusive approach to the province. Naveed Qaisar, a lecturer at the Defence and Strategic Studies Department lecturer Quaid-i-Azam University, said guerrilla forces are not willing to put down their arms until the government changes its attitude.

Amna Yousaf Khokhar, Research Fellow at Institute of Strategic Studies, said issues of Indian involvement and Saudi funded madrassahs should be taken care of by the state. She observed that sustained violence in Balochistan will push the province to a point of no return.

Dr Aasim Sajjad, Assistant Professor at National Institute of Pakistan, highlighted those “kill and dump” operations in the province which have instigated young Balochis to take up arms against the state.

Participating in the discussion, PPP leader, Syeda Abida Hussain said political parties should take a leading role in finding feasible solutions to the ongoing conflict in the region.



Published in The Express Tribune, September 21^st, 2011.