Mr Sharif on Balochistan

In his latest incarnation as the scourge of the military, PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif has, at least in rhetoric, said what needs to be said on Balochistan. He continued in that vein during his visit to Quetta, unequivocally calling for an end to military operations in the province and the immediate release of all ‘missing’ people. Nawaz Sharif’s words should be welcomed, but with caution. Just about every political leader in the country has apologised to the people of Balochistan and promised to address their grievances, but none have managed to translate that into reality. Even Imran Khan, who has been accused of receiving support from the establishment, has taken a similar position on Balochistan.

As strong as Mr Sharif’s critique of the military’s role in Balochistan may be, it is somewhat tempered by the political reality that for every shot he takes at the military, he must also launch a broadside against the elected government. In Quetta he took the opportunity to criticise the Balochistan package announced by the government two years ago as inadequate. This was despite the fact that the PML-N chief’s solutions for the province are nearly identical to those proposed in the package. Had he felt the need to go after the government, he should have pointed out that the package had yet to be implemented rather than attack the package itself as flawed.

While this may not be the wisest thing to say while canvassing for votes in the province, Mr Sharif’s guise as an unvarnished truth-teller would have been further burnished had he tackled the problem of separatism in the province. The fact is that most political parties in Balochistan want nothing to do with the mainstream political process and are increasingly opting for violence over participation in everyday politics. As repressed as the Baloch people are, this is not going to help their cause for greater autonomy. And as a politician from Punjab, the PML-N chief could also have made the case for Punjabi settlers, many of whom have spent a lifetime in the province and work in fields like education, who are being targeted by separatists. This would have added weight to his overall message, rather than make him seem like yet another politician hoping to win parliamentary seats in the province.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 8^th, 2012.