Peace without progress?: Balochistan CM concedes deadlock with separatists

Dr Malik, Hasil Bizenjo admit Arsalan’s appointment was a mistake.

ISLAMABAD:

Chief Minister Abdul Malik Baloch conceded on Saturday that though 90% of Balochistan is peaceful, little headway has been made in breaking the ice between the government and the separatists.

There were more ‘confessions’ during the press conference called by Dr Malik and National Party’s senior vice president Hasil Bizenjo at the Balochistan House on Saturday.

Bizenjo read out the provincial government’s statement, which admitted that Arsalan Iftikhar’s appointment as the vice chairman of the Balochistan Investment Board was a mistake. But he added that Arsalan, who is the son of former chief justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, was not given the post under pressure.

Arsalan resigned on Thursday after his appointment came under fire from all quarters, including political parties and media. However, ‘undemocratic forces’ were deliberately making it a point to raise the issue even after the resignation, Bizenjo pointed out.

At the same time, Dr Malik explained, “I’ve known Iftikhar Chaudhry for a very long time. I wanted their family to maintain their ties with Balochistan.” He reiterated that he would not support any undemocratic move initiated by anyone.



It was a shame that a leader like Imran Khan would criticise and make an issue out of Arsalan Iftikhar’s appointment during his Bahalwalpur rally, added Bizenjo. “Who is PTI?” exclaimed Dr Malik, “none of them even know where Reko Diq is located.”

Both Baloch and Bizenjo said the Reko Diq project would only be sorted out with input from the federal government, and that the media was putting a spin on facts and propagating an inaccurate picture.

On the security of the province, he said 90% of Balochistan was peaceful and major routes had been secured for travelling. Many construction projects that had been stalled because of security threats had resumed after a decade, he added.

However, the chief minister admitted that he has told the Council of Common Interests that a census was not possible in eight districts of the province – because of security reasons.

Referring to the death of Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri, he said the relationship with Baloch leaders was not like it was in the 1970s. “[Now] there are two separate schools of thought,” he explained, those who want to remain in Pakistan and continue a democratic struggle and those who want separation.

Although Dr Malik was given the mandate to convene an all parties’ conference and talk to those who were ‘up in the mountains’ and those living in exile, but the chief minister admitted “we haven’t been able to reach any baseline to call an APC”.

Sectarian attacks

Senator Bizenjo, while explaining the frequent attacks on Shia pilgrims, said that both the provincial and federal governments had allowed subsidised air travel from Quetta to Mashhad for their safety.

Referring to the tragic Taftan suicide bombings, he said most of the pilgrims were from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa who had not informed the authorities of their travel. They came under attack on the last checkpoint on the Iranian border, which has not been ever attacked before, he said.

Meanwhile, Dr Malik said the delay in the findings of the commission on mass graves was because of a delay in the results of DNA tests. However, he was silent on the issue of missing persons.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 6^th, 2014.