Balochistan elections: Premier Khoso reaches out to nationalists

Says participation of all parties will send out a positive message to the world.

QUETTA:

The caretaker prime minister, Mir Hazar Khan Khoso, has called upon all Baloch nationalist parties to take part in the May 11 elections, promising them security and a level-playing field.

“Participation of all nationalist parties in the elections will help restore peace in Balochistan and also send out a positive message to the international community,” Khoso told leaders of mainstream and nationalist parties during a meeting in Quetta on Wednesday.

Balochistan has been plagued by a low-level insurgency since 2004 where Baloch insurgents have been fighting for more financial autonomy and ownership of the region’s resources. The insurgency became deadlier after the killing of Baloch chieftain Nawab Akbar Bugti in 2006.

Most Baloch nationalist groups had boycotted the 2008 elections to protest Bugti’s killing and the ‘military operation’ in the province, raising questions about the legitimacy of the democratic process.

Premier Khoso held out an assurance to all nationalist leaders that his administration would ensure their security in the upcoming parliamentary elections. The government will address security-related reservations and take steps to abolish ‘no-go’ areas in the province, he added.

Attendees at Wednesday’s meeting included Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai, Balochistan National Party-Mengal’s Senior Vice President Dr Jahanzaib Jamaldini, National Party President Dr Abdul Malik Baloch, Pakistan Peoples Party leaders Mir Amin Umrani and Mir Naseer Khan Mengal, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid’s Saeed Ahmed Hashmi and Awami National Party leaders Eng Zamaruk Piralizai and Aurangzeb Kasi.

Khoso said he would personally monitor implementation of the suggestions laid out by the nationalist leaders during the meeting. He urged them to promote ethnic, linguistic and provincial harmony in the province.

He said all political parties – including Baloch and Pakhtun nationalist groups – were participating in the 2013 election which would send out a positive signal to the outside world. “The federal government wants to see nationalist politicians in mainstream national politics,” he added.

However, the premier also warned that his administration, which has been tasked to hold free and fair elections in a trouble-free atmosphere, would not allow anyone to interfere in the election process. Khoso said he has directed law-enforcers and senior administration officials to take action against troublemakers in all constituencies, particularly in the sensitive areas.

The premier also asked Governor Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Magsi and Caretaker Chief Minister Nawab Ghous Bakhsh Barozai, who also attended the meeting, to provide foolproof security to all political leaders and ensure peaceful elections.

Chief Secretary Babar Yaqoob Fateh Mohammad, Home Secretary Capt (retd) Akbar Hussain Durrani and IGP Mushtaq Sukhira briefed to the caretaker premier on the security situation and the measures taken by the government to maintain peace in the province. The premier was also briefed about various projects, including the Gwadar deep-sea port, Gwadar Development Authority, Kachhi canal, and the Naulang and Mirani dams.

Khoso said the ongoing Rato Daro-Khudzar highway project was crucial for connecting Gwadar to the rest of the country.

“The Gwadar port will not only play a significant role in the progress of the province but will also usher the entire nation into a new era of development,” he said. “The federal government will also look into a proposal for the appointment of the Balochistan chief minister as chairman of the Gwadar Port Authority,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 11^th, 2013.