Change in Balochistan?
A six-member committee set up to initiate a process of dialogue with Baloch dissidents is an important step forward.
Suddenly, there seems to be some wind of change blowing in the otherwise morbid and strife-ridden province of Balochistan. The sense of awareness that the crisis there can no longer be ignored is a welcome change on the part of the establishment. The 15-point declaration following a conference convened by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and also remarks by the Supreme Court on events in Balochistan seems to have jolted politicians into a new sense of awakening. Perhaps, it is the regular references to the events of 1971 and those that preceded the break-up of the country that scared them into action and ended the state of inertia. Whatever the reasons though, the realisation has come as a positive development.
At a meeting chaired by the prime minister and attended by top military and civil officials — including General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Chief Minister Balochistan Nawab Aslam Raisani and other key players in the affairs of the province — it was decided that the Frontier Corps (FC) would be placed directly under the control of the chief minister of Balochistan, allowing the provincial government to best use it to maintain law and order. The FC, so far falling under military control, has been repeatedly held responsible for the ‘picking up’ of people in the province. We will need to see if the measures taken now can rein it in. In addition, following the SCBA Conference declaration which strongly emphasised a need for a political and not a military solution in Balochistan, a six-member committee comprising three representatives each from the centre and the province is to be set up to initiate a process of dialogue with Baloch dissidents. Funds for Balochistan, the rights package announced for the province and other issues including jobs for Baloch youth were also discussed.
This is an important step forward. But we will still need to see what follows next and how many of the measures discussed will be implemented; most crucially, it remains to be seen if the mistrust in the province can be broken down. If this is to happen, patience and caution will be required. The anger and the perceptions of injustice in Balochistan have festered for a long time. Such sentiments will take time and trust to heal.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 31st, 2012.
At a meeting chaired by the prime minister and attended by top military and civil officials — including General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Chief Minister Balochistan Nawab Aslam Raisani and other key players in the affairs of the province — it was decided that the Frontier Corps (FC) would be placed directly under the control of the chief minister of Balochistan, allowing the provincial government to best use it to maintain law and order. The FC, so far falling under military control, has been repeatedly held responsible for the ‘picking up’ of people in the province. We will need to see if the measures taken now can rein it in. In addition, following the SCBA Conference declaration which strongly emphasised a need for a political and not a military solution in Balochistan, a six-member committee comprising three representatives each from the centre and the province is to be set up to initiate a process of dialogue with Baloch dissidents. Funds for Balochistan, the rights package announced for the province and other issues including jobs for Baloch youth were also discussed.
This is an important step forward. But we will still need to see what follows next and how many of the measures discussed will be implemented; most crucially, it remains to be seen if the mistrust in the province can be broken down. If this is to happen, patience and caution will be required. The anger and the perceptions of injustice in Balochistan have festered for a long time. Such sentiments will take time and trust to heal.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 31st, 2012.