Balochistan conundrum

In a case of good intentions colliding with bad policy, the Supreme Court has decided that the best way to solve the Balochistan problem is by convening a grand jirga comprising the heads of all the major tribes in the province. The biggest problem with this proposal is that it takes a head-in-the-sand approach to the violence in Balochistan, by putting the onus for a solution solely on one side. Involving the chieftains is not in itself a bad idea. The military has always held, with some element of truth, that the tribal chiefs are interested only in perpetuating their hereditary rule, with little concern for the citizens of the province. Be that as it may, with separatists unwilling to enter negotiations with the government and vice versa, the tribal chiefs may have to play a part in formulating a solution. However, expecting them to tackle problems on their own is unrealistic when it is the military established that is apparently the biggest stumbling block to peace in Balochistan.

The Supreme Court may believe that empowering the tribal leaders will marginalise the separatists but it has overlooked the fact that the only way to dampen the ardour for separatism is by securing tangible concessions from the military. This is where the Court should be playing a constructive role by focusing on scrutinising human rights abuses in the province and showing that it can provide justice to those whose lives have been ruined by the establishment’s alleged involvement in the missing persons scandal.

Instead, the Supreme Court has decided that the most problematic actor is the civilian government, not realising that its hands are tied by the power of the military. The chief justice held the interior secretary and inspector-general of the province chiefly responsible for the violence in the province. While there can be no doubt that the government has been lax in implementing its Balochistan package, blaming only the civilians for unrest in the province will not allay the perception that in this particular case the apex court is perhaps not very interested in holding the military to the same standards it has set for the elected government. That perception will be corrected if the military is asked to explain its actions in the province.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 22^nd, 2012.