Warming up: Brahumdagh Bugti amenable to dialogue

BRP chief says willing to give up demand for independent Balochistan

KARACHI:

In a first, a self-exiled Baloch separatist leader has warmed up to the dialogue option to resolve the Balochistan conundrum, saying that he is willing to withdraw his demand for an independent Balochistan state, if the Baloch people desire so.

In the past, Brahumdagh Bugti, the chief of the Baloch Republican Party (BRP) and grandson of slain Jamhoori Watan Party leader Nawab Akbar Bugti, had repeatedly rejected dialogue offers and insisted on armed struggle for an independent Balochistan.

In an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation, Brahumdagh, who had fled Pakistan following the killing of his grandfather, claimed that the security establishment had to review its strategy on the Balochistan issue as “it has accepted that it could be resolved only through peace negotiations”.

Brahumdagh – who is seeking political asylum in Switzerland – said 10-15 years of violence in Balochistan has not solved the problem. He was referring to a low-key insurgency in the province which had started in 2004 and intensified in 2006 after the killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti in a military operation in Kohlu.



Asked what would be his response if the establishment set the precondition of giving up his demand for an independent Balochistan, Brahumdagh said, “If the majority of our friends, comrades, political allies and people of Balochistan desire this then we are ready to stay with Pakistan.”

Brahumdagh denied reports of his contacts with Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan who is in London these days but said he wanted to resolve all issues peacefully through political means.

“If they [Pakistan govt] want to pursue talks, we are ready to engage. We are a political people and want a political solution. It will be stupid to refuse dialogue if somebody invites us to come to the negotiating table,” he added.

Brahumdagh said the government had contacted them a number of times in the past but no serious effort was made. “During the Pakistan Peoples Party government, we had had talks with [then interior minister] Rehman Malik. But when we contacted [then president] Asif Ali Zardari, he said the establishment was not ready for talks.”

He called for an environment conducive for talks. “Negotiations will be difficult amidst killings. That is why we demand the military operation is called off and forces called back to barracks. Only then the environment can become suitable for negotiations,” he said.

Responding to a question about the agenda of possible talks, he said, “We will see what they [govt] have to offer. If they asked, we would give them the agenda, which would be approved by the majority of our people.”

Asked if the Baloch separatists were facing public pressure to seek a political solution, Brahumdagh said they were willing to pursue dialogue without an iota of doubt. “Ten to 15 years have passed but no serious effort has ever been made to hold dialogue. Such discussions remained confined to newspapers and official meetings,” he claimed.

To a question about his group receiving funds from India, Brahumdagh said that he would not refuse, if New Delhi offered him help. “Everybody seeks help to defend himself and we may even seek help from the United States and the United Nations,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 27^th, 2015.