The Baloch people have lost trust in the federal government because promises are made only to be broken"We are ready to hold talks with Baloch leaders living abroad to resolve all issues of Balochistan," thus declared Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani while on a recent visit to Quetta. A meeting of the federal cabinet was also held in the provincial capital to demonstrate how serious and committed the federal government was to address the Balochistan issue. However, reacting to the prime minister's statement, Balochistan's former chief minister and the leader of the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M), Sardar Akhtar Mengal, said: "This government [PPP-led coalition government at the Centre] is neither strong nor serious enough to resolve the Balochistan issue." Sardar Akhtar Mengal was addressing a political rally in Quetta marking the first anniversary of the assassination of Habib Jalib Baloch, the late Secretary-General of BNP-M. From these two statements one can gauge the extent of divergence of perceptions and the depth of mistrust between the federal government and the Baloch nationalists on the issue of Balochistan. More than anything else, it is this lack of trust that has so far blocked any forward movement towards reaching an agreed solution of the Balochistan issue among various stakeholders.
This is not for the first time that Prime Minister Gilani had announced offer of talks with Baloch nationalists. Last month, while on a visit to Quetta, the prime minister had said that the government was ready for political dialogue with the estranged leaders of Balochistan in the larger national interests. Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Raisani had also initiated a move to engage Baloch nationalist leaders in talks aimed at national reconciliation. But these efforts bore no fruit.
Various initiatives announced by the federal government since it came to power in 2008, including the Balochistan Package known as Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan and revision of criterion for the distribution of fiscal resources among provinces on the basis of need and poverty under the 7th NFC Award, also failed to satisfy the restive circles of the province. The federal government has also met some of the longstanding demands of the nationalists such as ban on the setting up of new cantonments, withdrawal of Frontier Corps (FC) personnel from certain areas, dismantlement of checkposts manned by the FC, cancellation of land allotments in Gwadar and creation of more jobs for the educated Baloch youth, besides announcement of heavy grants for the province for undertaking construction of social and physical infrastructure in the province. The province of Balochistan has witnessed a growth in the number of educational institutions and health centres, construction of new roads and establishment of cadet colleges and universities. However, the situation in Balochistan, instead of showing signs of improvement, has continued to take a downward slide, slipping into what now is being generally described as low intensity insurgency. Reports from Balochistan suggest that the policy pursued by the security forces of ruthlessly suppressing and targeting Baloch political activists has left no option for the Baloch youth but to join the ranks of insurgents. Why does the issue of Balochistan continue to defy every effort for resolution?
There are two main reasons. First, the government continues to view the issue merely in terms of law and order or a case that can be handled by announcing huge grants of money for development works. While maintenance of law and order and development work are also essential, the government should realise that Balochistan problem is basically a political problem and it should be dealt with politically. To achieve any forward movement in this direction, what is needed is not merely offer of talks but the implementation of some confidence building measures (CBMs) that could restore the trust of the Baloch people regarding the intentions of the government. The Baloch people have lost trust in the federal government because promises are made only to be broken.
Secondly, not only in Balochistan but also in other parts of the country, there is a strong perception that the provincial as well as the federal government are powerless in the province. It is the security establishment, especially the FC, which calls the real shots. The FC had become so powerful in the province that last year Balochistan chief minister accused it of running a parallel government in the province and said that the FC's attitude had harmed the reconciliation process. It should also be noted that Governor Zulfiqar Magsi, instead of approaching the federal government, had requested early this year the army chief, General Kayani, to resolve the issue of missing persons, which he said was being exploited by anti-state elements. The situation in Balochistan is so serious that any indifference or delay in addressing it would harm not only the interests of the province but also national integrity. This was the message contained in the speech made by a former governor of the province, Lieutenant-General Qadir Baloch on the floor of the National Assembly in January this year.
The PPP-led coalition government at the Centre should be particularly concerned about the fast deteriorating situation in Balochistan and make determined efforts to resolve this issue. For it is a democratically elected government established with a popular mandate and the people of Balochistan had attached great expectations with it when it came to power. It is, therefore, under a heavy obligation to find new and innovative ways to resolve this issue instead of remaining mired into the discredited narrative of the security establishment on the causes and nature of the conflict in Balochistan.
The writer is a professor of International Relations at Sargodha University. He can be reached at rashid_khan192@yahoo.com
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