Balochistan Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik has vowed to drag the province out of severe challenges with the cooperation of all political parties in the province.
Malik told the Voice of America in an exclusive interview that although his ruling National Party did not represent all the Baloch groups, he was calling on Baloch insurgents to join him in a mission to bring peace to the province.
Malik is the first civilian administrator from the province’s educated middleclass who is neither a tribal chieftain nor a member of the former ruling families.
“They should come to the table talk. The basic subject should be the people of Balochistan, and if they (insurgents) agree we can develop the province and make the supremacy of the people and empower them. This is the 21st century and we can succeed only through democracy,” he pledged.
Malik faces daunting challenges. In recent months, sectarian violence has escalated as suspected Sunni Muslim extremists attacked minority Hazara Shias in and around Quetta and killed hundreds of innocent people.
The Baloch politicians accuse state security agencies and paramilitary forces of illegally detaining and killing activists demanding autonomy. Hundreds of bodies of the Baloch activists and leaders bearing gunshot wounds have been found across the province in recent years. Authorities deny they are responsible for this brutality.
The chief minister said he was in contact with the federal government to seek a resolution to the problem of “missing people.” He also has plans to gain oversight of the controversial federal paramilitary troops known as Frontier Corps or FC.
“If you want to solve problems of Balochistan, the federal government and provincial government should be on the same page. The federal government should bind the FC that they should work under the provincial government,” Malik told the Voice of America.
Although Prime Minister Sharif has vowed to improve the situation in Balochistan, many analysts are skeptical whether or not he (PM) will be able to convince the military to allow the civilian leadership greater power over policies for the province.
Some Baloch separatists are also not likely to support a peace agenda. While security forces are blamed for many of the abuses in the region, some separatist groups are also accused of kidnapping and killing moderate nationalists. Chief Minister Malik himself survived at least one assassination attempt while campaigning for the May elections.
Balochistan’s patchwork of 18 major tribes has long made it difficult to govern the province. Each tribe is headed by a Sardar or chieftain who commands his own armed militia.