The government should curtail the role of military and intelligence agencies and call off the military operation if it wants a political solution to the festering Balochistan imbroglio, said speakers at a national conference.
Local politicians, nationalist leaders, rights campaigners and lawyers attended the conference organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and moderated by its President Yasin Azad in Quetta on Sunday.
They called for an open trial of the killers of Jamhoori Wattan Party (JWP) chief Nawab Akbar Bugti who died in August 2006 more than eight months after a military operation was launched by Gen Pervez Musharraf.
They also demanded that the spiral of violence must stop and all missing persons recovered. Rights campaigners blame security agencies for the enforced disappearances in the volatile province – where Baloch separatists have been fighting a deadly insurgency since 2004.
Former SCBA chief and senior lawyer Asma Jahangir did not mince words in her criticism of the military for the mess in Balochistan. “The army wants to exploit the resources of Balochistan and snatch the right of ownership of its people,” she told the participants.
“I am a mother too and can feel the pain when mutilated bodies turn up. Thousands of people have testified against the perpetrators of enforced disappearances, but no arrests have been made,” she added.
Recalling an incident when Balochistan High Court Bar Association President Zahoor Ahmed Shahwani had met with Nawab Akbar Bugti before the latter’s assassination, Jahangir quoted the JWP chief as saying: “Orders have already been issued to assassinate me, Balach Marri and Brahamdagh Bugti.”
“Nobody is born a separatist in Balochistan; they are born nationalists and we compel them to take that course,” she said referring to the apathy of successive governments towards the plight of Baloch people.
She called for the formation of a high-powered commission to reach out to all stakeholders. “Mr Kayani, this is what the civilians want; and you will do it,” Jahangir said, addressing the chief of army staff.
Another former SCBA president Ali Ahmed Kurd said the conference would not yield results unless those responsible were made accountable for their deeds.
“If the people of Pakistan don’t come on the roads and oppose the oppression, as we did for the restoration of judges, nothing will change,” he said.
Acting President of Balochistan National Party (Mengal) Dr Jehanzeb Jamaldini said one good thing about the conference was that guests from all over the country witnessed firsthand the province’s appalling conditions.
Jamaldini denounced the use of “derogatory” adjective “disgruntled” for the Baloch people and said that the disillusionment among the Baloch resulted from 64 years of deprivation.
Balochistan Bar Association President Zahoor Ahmed Shahwani lashed out at the paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) for its alleged involvement in enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.
Gen (retd) Qadir Baloch, a leader of the Balochistan chapter of PML-N, blamed Gen Musharraf for the disillusionment among the Baloch.
He suggested that a commission be formed to investigate the military operation that killed Akbar Bugti. “This will pinpoint all matters and their causes in Balochistan,” he added.
Dr Abdul Malik Baloch, the president of National Party, said that until and unless a national consensus was evolved the Balochistan issue could not be settled.
Nasrullah Baloch, the chairperson for Voice for Baloch Missing Persons, regretted that some stakeholders were missing from the conference.
He maintained “the Baloch people are killed because they speak against the injustices done to them over the years.”
(Read: Fiddling while Balochistan burns)
Published in The Express Tribune, September 10th, 2012.
COMMENTS (19)
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Kudos to Mohtarma Asma Jahangir "Nightingale of Peace and Love" for raising a voice of sobriety and sanity for the oppressed peoples Pakistan.
In order for Balochistan to stay within the federation some bold steps has to be taken by the military establishment to bring back Baloch into the mainstream and win their confidence in Pakistani institutions. In this regard Pakistan supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA)'s 14 point resolution on Balochistan's problem and Balochistan National Congress (BNC)'s 14 pint demands must be implemented in order to prepare the ground for dialogue and finding an everlasting solutions of Balochistan's probelm, but seems like rulers in Islamabad are not concerned at all. So for the powerful military establishment have given a deaf ear to these genuine Baloch demands and the SCBA recommendations.
Related links:
http://www.balochistannationalcongress.org/2012/June/001.html http://www.bso-na.org/files/94908333-Resolution-Adopted-on-_Baluchistan-issue-and-its-solution_.pdf http://www.scribd.com/doc/94908333/Resolution-Adopted-on-%E2%80%9CBaluchistan-issue-and-its-solution%E2%80%9D http://www.bso-na.org/2012/May/026.htmlIt is time that the policy of alienation, marginalization and discrimination must be replaced by acceptance, recognition and accommodation and not by just lip services, empty promises, empty packages, band aids and lolly pops. Baloch people have gone through enormous pain and sufferings and I hope intellectuals Patriotic Pakistani will play their part to bring to an end to such decade long injustices, abuses and immoral treatment directed against Baloch people.
@Mirza: For a change can you suggest some real solutions to the Baluchistan situation without your usual rant against the Judges and the Generals?
@Mirza:
"As long as the generals and SC judges hot strong grip on powers no civilian or any govt can try them."
Even a million mice cannot knot a bell in the cat's neck. One needs to be bigger in stature than cat to do the job. Until you stop churning leaders of the stature of a mouse, whining is the only thing you can possibly do.
“I am a mother too and can feel the pain when mutilated bodies turn up. Thousands of people have testified against the perpetrators of enforced disappearances, but no arrests have been made,” she added.
Why your motherhood goes into deep comma when Punjabis and Hazaras are targeted by these terrorists. Why your sharp tongue goes into paralysis mentioning the criminal negligence of your beloved government of PPP. What did exactly did the PPP government do to solve the miseries of the Baloch people during her 4-1/2 years rule except corruption and plunder?
“The army wants to exploit the resources of Balochistan and snatch the right of ownership of its people,” she told the participants.
How ludicrous? She should have also explained how army is exploiting the resources and snatching the ownership of the people of Balochistan.Is army shifting all those trillions of tones of raw ores buried deep down the crust to their barracks and homes? Did army singed the agreement with Antofagasta and Barrick Gold (TTC) for Reko Diq gold and copper mining? I wonder whose intelligence she is trying to insult.
To truly serve the people of Baluchistan and to make sincere efforts for bringing peace in the troubled province is one thing but publicity stunts must be avoided.
“The army wants to exploit the resources of Balochistan and snatch the right of ownership of its people,” so said Asma Jahangir. This is plainly a false statement. Resources of all the provinces are exploited for common good and it is the Executive Branch of Government that has that responsibility and the Army has nothing to do with it. This is not to deny that the Baluch insurgency should be dealt with in a soft manner and all missing persons should be accounted for and that resources of Baluchistan and of other provinces be better used of greater benefit of the Baluch people.
when there is a war like situation one can can not blame only intelligence agencies. As it takes two to make a four.
As far as atrocity is concerned it should be condemned at all levels. The problems of our Baloch brothers should be solved immediately and their rights which are available to the people of other provinces must be given to them. However, it is another thing that 99% democratically elected representatives of the province are fully enjoying the "fruits" of democracy. Moreover, a differentiation must be made in between Bugti and the people of Baluchistan. People are innocent but Bugti was a criminal and he had challenged the writ of the government. He himself had confessed that he had committed his first murder at the age of 13 years and he did not remember how many murders he had committed in his life.
High time Pakistan transformed from a military-run security state to a welfare state. Kudos to Ms Jehangir for saying it plainly.
An issue unnecessarily glorified by the Media for reasons unknown.
All those speaking against Pakistan Army/ISI are infact helping the terrorists who have created havoc in Baluchistan. These politicians who have contributed nothing but misery are trying to hide behind such rethoric. Pakistan will never see a ray of hope with this class of politics.
Don't expect anything from this conference except that there will be less disappearance of the activists of JWP. The present Government can not initiate any step against the Intelligence Agencies as they enjoy the support and sympathy of common men of Punjab & Sindh the majority of populace. Army and the Spy Agencies are still considered as the saviour of Pakistan whereas the politicians as the corrupt lot who looted in the past and are looting the national resources. this perception needs to get changed. Now safely there can be steps to compel the ISI & FC to report to civilian Authorities and introduce accountability for the wrong doing. All these factors will strengthen the democracy and weaken the generals.
Finally all thanks to free media we are able to hear stores apart from those that unjustifiably glorify Pakistan army.
The speakers and judges can do all the talking but no general has ever been tried in the history of Pakistan and gotten away with murders and multiple acts of high treason the most serious crime according to the constitution. As long as the generals and SC judges hot strong grip on powers no civilian or any govt can try them. Isn’t going to happen. Even the SC judges keep talking in the court without taking any action or making any decision. The generals and judges are exempt like Prince Arsalan.
It is good that civil society is mobilizing on the issue of Balochistan.
This government has not even found Benazir Bhutto's killers even after passage of over 4 years.They will do nothing unfortunately. Baluchistan needs serious attention
A ray of hope in trouble time for our brothers and sisters in Baluchistan ......... I am personally not a fan of Ms Jahangir but certainly agree with her comment " am a mother too and can feel the pain when mutilated bodies turn up' Salutes to Supreme court who is taking up this matter seriously.