With the announcement of an all-parties conference (APC) on Balochistan, the government set the ground for dialogue on the simmering issue.
The more important question it faces now is who will sit at the table.
The ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), which called for the APC to seek a ‘political solution’ to the unrest in the province, is yet to decide if the military, a key stakeholder on the issue, will be invited.
“No, there is no decision yet,” said Nayyer Bokhari, leader of the house in the Senate, when asked if military and intelligence leaders would be invited to the huddle. They have been invited, and have participated, in all APCs on national security issues in the past.
However, given the struggle to bring political forces to the table, the military’s presence may, at the moment, not be their primary concern.
“Right now, we are focusing only on how to motivate the political leadership to participate,” Bokhari said.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani constituted a 13-member committee to launch efforts to ensure maximum participation by political parties in the event. Bokhari is a member of that committee.
No date has been announced for the APC so far.
Will they sit together?
While Bokhari refused to explicitly mention whether the government would ultimately decide to invite the military and intelligence chiefs, some other members of the committee said Baloch nationalist leaders might not want to sit with them.
“We will do whatever is possible to persuade all angry Baloch leaders to participate in the APC … because it is an issue of country’s integrity,” said a top PPP leader.
“We will have to keep it an entirely political affair … Of course, we will seek input from the military as well, but their personal participation is neither likely nor important,” said another PPP leader.
Hurdles to huddle
Baloch nationalists, who had refused to participate in the event despite an announcement by the government to withdraw criminal cases against some of them, have blamed the military for enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in the province.
Meanwhile, former premier Nawaz Sharif, who heads his own faction of Pakistan Muslim League, has set tough conditions for making himself and his party available for the conference.
Bokhari, however, played down the refusal of Baloch nationalists and Sharif’s tough conditions. “We, as a committee, haven’t contacted anybody yet. The reaction that is coming is not to our efforts but to media reports … we will see how our efforts are responded to when we actually start them, possibly from next week,” Bokhari said.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 25th, 2012.
COMMENTS (16)
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To be honest Army should be part of it. Either they admitt or not they are major stakeholders in this. If American envoy can meet with Gen. Kayani for Afghanistan issue then why here there presence is not endorsed?
The govt of USA is nothing without minute to minute in put of CIA and Pentagon, PPP is that mature to differentiate who telling lie and who is speaking fed words.Politicians read 10 as 10000.and hundreds were in lal masjid deaths were 93,Few missing, fed ones are saying and paid media is projecting 1000s.Nobody is counting those Doctors,Engineers,Teachers Businessman ,labourers killed by foreign trained gangs.
Out of 70 Sardars of Baluchistan only three are in accordance with the demand of independent Baluchistan. Iran has gone in favor of USA. How it is possible now that US will bet on these three young children who has no experience of life. It seems that US will abandon them with out supporting for independence of Baluchistan.
Both of those characters ought to be quarantined but, as someone asked who will bell the cat(s)?
@A prizada ... what is the horizon of your 'dawn of time' . Not sure of the geography covered by your history as well. History is full of military commanders ruling the nations. Unless you dawn of time is from 2009 ?
I suppose the better question might be whether it makes any sense to have the civilian govt waste time with this conference. You all know who is responsible for most of the "missing" and not inviting them to the conference is absurd. . The fact that your civilian govt doesn't control your military makes issues like Balochistan that much more complex - maybe it's time for your civilian govt to grow a set and have an all conference party to discuss controlling the military/isi rather than Balochistan.
Army and ISI must be made part of the conf as they can give u the insight and solution. it is beyond the political parties to even comprehend and tackle the issue. what has been done by a 65 member provincial assembly during last four years except filling their own pockets.
Baloch are not the only ones. Pashtoon are also going through the worst phase of its history. Today pashtoon are killed in hundred every day. the Majority of them believe that Pakistan Army is behind this killing to make money. How long they can trust these mercenaries? how long Pashtoon blood would spil with impunity. How long their created killing robots Taliban would bomb our mosque, Hujras, streets, Police Post and Markets. ISI, MI and other agencies have to face the music
The sight of khakis in the APC will as usual scare all the politicians into timidly accepting what ever explanations and remedies the generals dish out. So it is probably better for the APC to meet without them, come to an independent-minded and civilian-oriented remedy for the problem, announce it to the world - and then worry about the next step of making the army comply with the new strategy.
The million dollar question is who will bell the cat ?/?
The accused becoming Jury ????
What a sad state of affairs in Pakistan that this query is even raised. How can a military in any nation be an independent entity? The only way it has worked since the dawn of civilization is that the army has always been subordinate to the rulers, not the other way around. The problems in Pakistan is a direct result of this.
I think ISI chief should be made part of that meeting, many questions are being raised about intelligence agencies role, but he wont come i know that and Gov will not call him too
Them being there has a positive sound to it because they're part of Balochistan's concern but, really, it'll just hinder honest and productive conversation. It should be that they aren't included and just do what they're told after the conference. But, they'll have a huge influential part and it will align itself with past denials. For them to concede to anything means they have to confess to some lies that they said before and I can't think of a time that ever happened regardless of the severity of the issue. Realistically, they'd have to be distanced and pressured. Not intimately included and trusted.
If the APC, called by PPP is sincere in making any progress in Balochistan then it has to have the armed forces as a part of the APC. Political parties, regardless of their sincerity to solve the Baloch problem cannot accomplish it on their own, Democracy and all political parties are not strong and capable yet to handle such issues. The reason Balochistan is still a part of Pakistan is because of the Armed forces.