Welcome decision from Balochistan CM but will it change anything?
Talks are set to go ahead with militant groups operating in Balochistan after Eid, if the Balochistan chief minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch is to be believed. There are of course many reasons not to believe him. The question that comes to one’s mind is: which militant groups is he referring to? Is he just referring to Baloch separatists or does it include the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Jandullah and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan? If it is just Baloch seperatists, then which groups within them are willing to come to the negotiating table? And of course, what has changed in Balochistan that has changed the position of Baloch separatists, who only recently targeted the symbolic Ziarat Residency and have been complaining that Balochistan is still being run by the security agencies?
Given all these questions, Dr Baloch’s statement to the Balochistan Assembly that a “high-powered committee of Balochistan lawmakers will be formed to hold dialogue with all militants groups” could merely be a statement of the intent of the Balochistan government. This is much more than can be said for the federal government which is in a standoff over the formulation of a national security policy. The results of such a process are not guaranteed but the decision to appoint Dr Baloch as the chief minister could be vindicated if he manages to bring Baloch separatists on the talks table. The first step to build the trust of the Baloch is to start resettling members of Akbar Bugti’s family in Dera Bugti, displaced since the operation in 2005. The removal of unnecessary check posts will be another good measure. The FC and other security bodies manning them were a perennial source of public complaint. However, Dr Baloch’s uniform policy, ““Whether sectarian or Baloch groups, we will hold talks with them,” may not yield the same effect. Separatists and sectarian terrorists are completely different types of militant groupings; one, struggling for rights, the other, bent upon exterminating another group.
It is good that the Balochistan government has said that the use of force has not produced any positive result and has emphasised a political solution to all issues of the province. Dr Baloch has also suggested that the provincial and federal governments are on the same page regarding talks with militants. But an important question is whether the security agencies are on the same page? The targeting of the Shia Hazara community has claimed over a thousand lives while the dead bodies of alleged Baloch separatists have crossed 300 with many more still missing. Perhaps Dr Baloch has been given a signal by Baloch separatist groups but has a similar signal been received from the military and intelligence agencies? The role of the FC and other law enforcers is still murky as suicide bombers continue to enter high security areas. Nonetheless, the announcement is progress and all eyes are on the Balochistan government now.