Power struggle: Heat at the top keeps Balochistan volatile

CM says governor attempted to destabilise his government.

ISLAMABAD:

There may be no respite for Balochistan as a tug of war continues between the governor and the chief minister of the province over a variety of issues, a former chief secretary of the province told The Express Tribune.

The chief minister has purportedly complained to the federal government that the governor was involved in plots to destabilise the provincial government.

The key cause of their tussle has been letters that Governor Nawab Zulfikar Ali Magsi had been writing to the federal government against the poor governance of Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Raisani during the last few years, said an official, who is familiar with the clash among the two chiefs, on condition of anonymity.

This rift surfaced earlier this month when Nawabzada Lashkari, the younger brother of the chief minister, accused the governor of ‘hatching conspiracies’ against Raisani’s government.

Lashkari alleged that provincial assembly speaker Aslam Bhotani, president of the provincial chapter of ruling Pakistan Peoples Party Sadiq Umrani and some other provincial ministers were being instigated by the governor to topple the Balochistan government.

The governor has denied the allegations

The official also said that the governor, in his letter to the prime minister, painted an abysmal picture of the provincial administration. Raisani believed this was as an attempt to instigate Islamabad for imposition of governor rule, the official added.

The governor, in his letter, had recommended that the federal government take immediate steps to improve the situation in the province.

He stated that the provincial government had failed to run the affairs of the province in accordance with the law.

“A two-pronged approach of political negotiations as well as strict action/operation against militant hideouts needs to be adopted to bring the law and order situation under control,” the governor recommended.



The governor also singled out the target killing of Punjabi-speaking settlers in the province.

The killing of settlers mostly goes on without a word of condemnation from any segment of society, the governor reportedly said.

The killing of Baloch nationalist, on the contrary, always witnesses a sharp reaction, mostly in the form of shutter down strikes, and protests marked by violence on some occasions, he added.

The public, particularly the settlers, are disturbed over rising cases of recovery of mutilated bodies of Baloch youth in various parts of the province because it raises fears of violent backlash by militant organisations who are enraged over such incidents, the letter added.

Persistent threats and attacks by militants have demoralised teachers and a good number of them have already migrated to other provinces, the letter stated.

The governor also mentioned the kidnapping of Hindus in Balochistan, and said it has instilled a sense of fear and insecurity amongst the local Hindus community which has started migrating to India.

Criminals, militants, tribal chiefs, political figures, personnel of Balochistan Levies, police and FC are all involved in criminal activities in Balochistan, the letter said.

The governor also mentioned the ‘foreign hand,’ saying,“With foreign promptings through financing and material support, a number of Baloch youth are drifting into militancy.”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 25^th, 2012.