The new government and the Balochistan issue
Balochistan is an issue that has often been paid lip service only. The state has almost no writ in most of the province, lawlessness rules the roost. Successive governments have failed to bring peace to the restive province despite ordering military operations and giving special powers to FC. Tortured and mutilated dead bodies of Baloch resistance youth appear every other day. With most fingers pointing at agencies and army for their role in forced disappearances and killings, the provincial and federal governments have proven spineless over the years in handling the situation. But a golden opportunity to restore peace in Balochistan has just presented itself in the form of a new democratic government.
The PML-N, which has come out to be the largest party in the country, has nominated Sanaullah Zehri as the next chief minister of the province, and his statement regarding the steps the party intends to take in the province is a welcome one. He said that he would make all possible efforts to take all political forces on board for durable peace in the violence-stricken province. While this statement of intent is a good one, what the Baloch people really need are actions, not statements. The new coalition government in Balochistan, comprised of PML-N, PkMAP and NP, has this rare chance as their collective representation can help smoothen things over. A decades old military operation, sectarian and ethnic violence, regressive approach on development and education by local feudal lords, lack of employment opportunities and an overall hostile environment has made the people of the province feel deprived and left out of mainstream Pakistani society.
The problems in Balochistan are deep rooted but luckily their solutions are not that complex. Military must be called back from the areas where they have a hold and responsibility of law and order must be given to civilian law enforcement agencies. Baloch nationalist leaders can be invited to a dialogue process which should focus on peace, instead of pinpointing who did what wrong. Agencies must stop killings and recover all the people that have become a target of forced disappearances. Now that the provincial government enjoys federal government’s support, and CM nominee is a person very much unlike his predecessor, the dialogue process can result in meaningful actions to bring peace. Chief of National Party Dr Malik Baloch says that they are willing to initiate talks with the Baloch resistance fighters. The only thing he needs to add to efforts in this regard is the urgency of action. The sooner the talks initiate, the better the chances to bring peace to the province. It deserves a chance at peace.