Irresponsible rhetoric

Rehman Malik's statements on Balochistan are truly astonishing and have the potential to have grave consequences.

That the Balochistan government has reportedly distanced itself from Interior Minister Rehman Malik’s statements and decisions regarding the law and order situation, while not surprising, is a matter of great concern.

The interior minister’s often outlandish, off-the-cuff statements have long been a source of humorous anecdotes. His bizarre musings on the Karachi target-killings – how to tackle them and his persistence on certain points – have long been taken with a pinch of salt.

However, his statements on Balochistan are truly astonishing and have the potential to have grave consequences.

The situation in Pakistan’s largest province in terms of land is precarious – and has been for a while now. But the interior minister’s bravado was uncalled for and irresponsible – which is indicated by the provincial government disowning his comments. His statement has been met with opposition from all political forces in Balochistan.

Now, Malik’s statements have not only alienated the miscreants, but also created an open divide between the centre and the provincial government. It has effectively worsened the situation by losing the mainstream political setup – which, though largely discredited in large tracts of the province, is the centre’s last link to the Baloch. Moreover, by effectively bypassing it, Malik has caused the fragile setup in the province to lose whatever little credibility it may have had.

Two, though Malik’s orders of handing over police powers to the FC came only on Wednesday, the fact is that the force has long been operating checkpoints and carrying out other small-scale operations in the province. Their excesses are documented and relations with the people of Balochistan – the ones they are meant to be protecting – are abysmal.  And their gains zero.

The Frontier Corps (FC) is already a despised force on the ground in Balochistan – they are hated by locals, political, militant or otherwise. This is not a sweeping statement. This is a ground reality.

Consider some points from a Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) report on Balochistan:

“In HRCP’s fact-finding missions (December 2005-January 2006) report, the commission says it was ‘bewildered by the role of the FC headquarters in preparing propaganda material’ against their adversaries.

“On December 25^th 2004, it was reported that four FC officials were killed by unidentified persons. In retaliation, the FC set up checkpoints and started an extensive “house to house” search. During this period a number of innocent people were beaten and injured.

“According to an HRCP report from 2009, FC personnel manning checkpoints in Balochistan insulted people by shaving their moustache, tearing the Baloch shalwar and making other gestures derogatory to their culture and bearing.

Three, Pakistan hardly has the capacity to open up another front at this point – therefore it makes little sense in stoking the flames, for little other than political reasons, and exacerbating what is still a precarious situation to one that then truly requires urgent action. That is all his statement has done. Given fodder with little possibility of anything following it.

Four, the front he is currently looking to open is one that no setup – military or civilian – has been able to deal with using force. To “restore the writ of the government”, there have been at least three full-fledged operations, that too involving the Army, and numerous smaller ones. They have amounted to zilch. Why does the current set-up think they can do much better – that too using the FC?

In fact, he himself has said that this will not be a full-scale operation. Therefore, it’s effectively a half-measure when the social and political fallout threaten to be full-blown.

Five, the federal government has imposed a ban on five Baloch militant outfits and frozen their accounts. A majority of these organizations already operate clandestinely. They are not overt. Banning them just means that you are shutting the door on reconciliation.

All avenues had not been tried. The incumbent Chief Minister of Balochistan is on record saying that he does not have the mandate from the centre to engage destabalising forces politically. The interior minister has effectively jumped to the last resort before exhausting all options.

(ZEHRA ABID CONTRIBUTED TO THIS REPORT)

Published in The Express Tribune, September 9^th, 2010.