ISLAMABAD:
Suffering from militancy, sectarian violence and a separatist insurgency – the country’s top political and military leadership is betting on trade to uplift Balochistan.
The decision to open at least two more border crossing points with Iran and Afghanistan in Balochistan appears to be the first step towards a plan to create ‘vital links’ to transform the province into a transit route between South and Central Asia — a proposal given the green light by the United States, but one that may affect Islamabad’s relationship with one of its closest ally, China.
According to officials familiar with the development, the top political and military leaders met in Islamabad last month to tame what some participants called an ‘active insurgency’ in the province.
The huddle to address the breakdown of law and order and missing persons in Balochistan was presided over by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and attended by Chief of Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt Gen Zaheerul Islam.
The meeting that came on the heels of calls by top political leaders to curtail the role of the military in Balochistan also decided to form a six-member committee to spearhead dialogue with rebel Baloch chieftains.
At least three top officials, including a federal minister, told The Express Tribune that the top leadership was unanimous on addressing the Balochistan imbroglio with a mix of political means and economic measures.
“One thing that we all agreed was that the youth in Balochistan don’t have many opportunities to earn. There is no industry in the province, no agriculture. So we decided to give them a chance to have cross-border trade,” said the federal minister, who attended the meeting.
Currently, there are only two active international crossing points between the two countries – one at Taftan with Iran and one at Chaman with Afghanistan. However, these facilities are being used as transit points for smuggling.
Another official, requesting anonymity, told The Express Tribune, that a decision had not been taken yet as to where the crossing points would be established, adding that they could be located anywhere between Jeewani and Lasbella.
The official went on to add that another crossing point may be established in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, while at least two would be set up in Balochistan.
Published In The Express Tribune, June 13th, 2012.
COMMENTS (8)
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Has Mr Zia Khan ever seen a map? Since when do Lasbela and Jiwani have any border with Iran/Afghanistan? And why would micro-trade in border areas and improved security in the province upset China? What nonsense!
something odd about this article ?, something dont fit in.
Most of the grievances of the people of Balochistan stem from a sense that they have not benefited from the resources under their land. Powerful tribal chieftains in the province have exploited this sense of deprivation to demand and receive significant funds for themselves while ordinary Balochis have remained among the poorest and most backward in Pakistan.
As Pakistan moves forward with developing vast new mineral discoveries such as Reko Diq in Balochistan, it's essential that there be a mechanism to equitably share with ordinary Balochis the billions of dollars in revenue expected to flow from these resources.
Balochistan Fund can be modeled on Alaska Permanent Fund. It is a constitutionally established and professionally managed fund which is run by a semi-independent corporation. Shortly after the oil from Alaska's North Slope began flowing to market through the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, the Permanent Fund was created by an amendment to the constitution of the U.S. state of Alaska to be an investment for at least 25% of proceeds from some minerals [such as oil and gas] sale or royalties.
http://www.riazhaq.com/2011/11/alaska-permanent-fund-model-for.html
South Asia a nothing without India. How much is our paltry trade with Central Asian countries, almost nothing? The only way to survive is to create road network transit with India and let them trade, the way Bangladesh is doing and earning millions of dollars. We do not have products, market size, big companies or anything else that can sustain this in long term.
What kind of trade would these posts do? Thats is million dollar question....
Atleast explain why china would be upset at trade points with afghanistan and iran. I fail to see the logic