Deflecting criticism: Army backs political process in Balochistan

Army chief Gen Kayani says process must be within constitutional framework .

ISLAMABAD: In the face of scathing criticism directed towards the army in recent days, Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani released on Wednesday a rare public statement on strife-torn Balochistan.

Gen Kayani was quoted as saying that the military would support any political process to resolve the unrest in the province – provided that it was in the constitutional framework. He also sought to dispel the impression that the security establishment was, in any way, a hurdle in the resolution of Balochistan’s problems.

“The army supports any political process in the province as long as it is within the Constitution of Pakistan,” the army chief was quoted as saying by the Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR).

A military official told The Express Tribune that the recent criticism of the army by some political leaders compelled Gen Kayani to issue the policy statement on Balochistan.

The security establishment recently came under attack during a gripping court hearing on the law and order situation in Balochistan where former provincial chief minister Sardar Akhtar Mengal made an appearance in the Supreme Court.

Mengal presented a six-point charter, calling for an immediate end to all “covert and overt military operations” in Balochistan, a fair court trial of all missing persons, and an end to all “death squads”  allegedly operating under the supervision of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the Military Intelligence (MI).

The military authorities, however, denied allegations and insisted that it was in favour of political steps leading to a solution of the Balochistan imbroglio.

Referring to Gen Kayani’s statement, the military official said though the army supports a political process, it had reservations on certain issues.

“The demand for international arbitration on Balochistan and portraying the issue as if it is between two states is not acceptable,” the official added. He claimed that no overt and covert military operations were underway in any part of Balochistan. “This is mere propaganda.” He said the Frontier Corps has presence in Balochistan but it was under the control of the federal interior ministry, not the army.

Commenting on Kayani’s statement, political analyst Ahmed Bilal Mehboob said the army wanted to see some kind of normalcy return to insurgency-hit Balochistan.

“Probably, they (the army) want to wave a white flag, so that nationalists end their boycott of political activities ahead of elections,” added Mehboob, who is also the Executive Director of Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT).

Nationalist parties had boycotted the last general elections in 2008 as a protest against the military operation launched by then military ruler General Pervez Musharraf.

(Read: Voices from Balochistan)

Published in The Express Tribune, October 4^th, 2012.