For Balochistan issue, the time is now
A kthar Mengal deposing in the Supreme Court in the missing persons case has brought the Balochistan issue in sharp focus. At the court the Baloch National Party (BNP) leader also unveiled his six-point formula to tackle the Balochistan imbroglio.
In the context of Pakistan’s checkered political history, six points have a peculiar connotation. Sheikh Mujeeb-ur-Rehman’s six points formed the basis of separation of East Pakistan from the rest of Pakistan and the creation of Bangladesh.
Mengal’s six points as clarified by him are distinct from that of Mujeeb-ur-Rehman’s. Mujeeb’s six points were maximalist envisaging a virtual confederation between East and West Pakistan. General Yahya’s military putsch against the Bengalis put paid to Pakistan as Jinnah had created it.
On the other hand, the Baloch leader’s six-point charter put forth in the Supreme Court envisages finding a solution to problems of the perennially troubled province. It basically demands an end to the military’s spy agencies’ interference in Balochistan; disbanding of the death squads and allowing the Baloch political parties to function and resume their political activities without interference. It also demands an end to forced disappearances.
Ostensibly the six-point charter seems harmless. It, however, sums up the sad state of affairs in the province. Successive governments, both military and civilian, and the establishment have played havoc with the people of Balochistan. However, Baloch leadership itself cannot be entirely absolved of the blame for the present unsavory state of affairs.
As a result of the twentieth amendment in the Constitution, the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award and the so-called Balochistan Package, the province has received a lot of funds. But these have hardly permeated to the common Baloch who still lives in abject poverty and neglect.
The Balochistan Assembly’s rump with the exception of perhaps three members is composed of those sitting on the government benches. Corruption is rife. And bulk of the enormous funds allocated to the members has not reached their respective constituents.
The Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Raisani seems hardly interested in the province he is supposed to govern. He spends most of his time in Islamabad. He is fond of good things in life, sometimes engaged in his favourite hobby: riding a high-powered motorbike on the streets of Islamabad.
Akthar Mengal has incurred the wrath of the ultra nationalists who seek an independent Balochistan. These nationalists are hyperactive abroad lobbying for an independent Balochistan. They have been able to win the support of some influential US Congressmen for their cause.
Apart from the Sardars, nationalists and ultra nationalists, pro-federation or anti-federation, the relguous militants and the jihadists are also hyperactive in the province. As it is obvious from the name, the headquarters of the Taliban leadership, the so-called Quetta Shura, is based in the province.
The ethnic cleansing of the Hazara Shia community has become the norm rather than the exception in Balochistan. Even the Punjabis settled for generations or those who are engaged in government jobs are not spared. Ironically not much is said about these victims by our Punjab based leadership.
The federal government that was initially very keen to bring the estranged Baloch leadership in the mainstream and to restore a semblance of normalcy has conveniently adopted an attitude of benign neglect.
Predictably, the maverick Interior Minister Rehman Malik reacting to Mengal’s demands sees a “foreign hand” in Balochistan. Malik is not the first government functionary invoking foreign interference as an excuse for what is wrong with Pakistan.
The first PPP government in 1972 initiated the military action against an elected Baloch leadership. A flimsy pretext that arms were being smuggled through Iraq was also used. Ironically, Nawab Akbar Bugti was the lynchpin of Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto against the Sardars. He appointed him governor of the province.
Neither General Pervez Musharraf had any qualms in crushing the Baloch resistance with an iron hand on the pretext of protecting “the national interest”. Ironically, Akbar Bugti, basically a moderate, was the victim of his wrath.
Bugti was killed on his orders. But he literally got away with murder in this case. Now Musharraf, while ensconced in his comfortable abode in London, reacting to Mengal’s six points claims that Balochistan is no East Pakistan.
Probably not. But does this mean that the military establishment and its spy agencies should not let go? Do they have carte blanche to trample over the basic human rights of the Baloch population?
It is the Chief Justice of Pakistan who unlike his predecessors mustered the courage to take up the cause of missing persons in Balochistan, albeit with mixed results. The military establishment that has always considered itself a law in itself has not paid much heed to the apex court’s orders. But sadly the federal government by parroting the establishment’s line has taken the path of least resistance.
The Army Chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani has backed any political process in Balochistan as long as it is within the confines of the constitution. The general also said in his policy statement that any steps taken in violation of the constitution in the insurgency-hit province would be unacceptable.
The question that begs an answer here is: who will decide what is constitutional and what is beyond its ambit? The military or the higher judiciary?
Certainly implementing Mengal’s six points, prima facie, does not violate the constitution. Democratic norms demand that those wanted by the state are entitled to due process.
Of course no one can condone those who espouse the dismantling of the state. But keeping the military intelligence, the ISI and the FC on a tight leash is certainly within he confines of the constitution.
The ball is squarely in the military’s court. It should make full disclosure to the apex court, if need be in camera. Furthermore, practical steps should be taken to demilitarize the troubled province.
Imran Khan and Nawaz Sharif lending support to Akthar Mengal and their call for ending military operations in the province should be commended. Imran holding a public meeting in Quetta was a salutary step. Sharif and other mainstream politicians from different political parties, including the president and the prime minister, should do the same if they are sincere in walking the talk.
The writer is Editor, Pakistan Today