Peaceful Balochistan means prosperous Pakistan
The well-publicised antics of the former Balochistan CM Raisani and his merry band of ‘parliamentarians’ (all ministers but one) had became a byword for incompetence, corruption, misgovernance and criminal apathy. During its infamous five-year stint, the woes of the already troubled province hit rock bottom, with the sectarian killing-at-will of the Hazaras and the targeted killings of Punjabi labourers becoming another cause of concern, apart from the case of the missing persons. Thankfully, the new government formed post-May 2013 provincial elections is much more serious, focused and attuned to the myriad problems facing the backward province and its people. While one cannot say there has been a dramatic sea-change in the overall situation, bits of political good news have started trickling out, despite the destruction in Awaran and elsewhere caused by the killer quake. A 14-member cabinet will be sworn in on the coming Monday, hopefully composed of clean and energetic individuals who can grapple with the profound administrative issues in a determined and pragmatic manner. The ministers will be from all the major parties, a sound decision taken by the PML-N. The presence of at least some of the nationalists in the Assembly, both Pakhtun and Baloch, especially Akhtar Mengal and the BNP also augurs well, though the extremist elements persist in their stubborn policy of rejection, egged on by anglers who love fishing in troubled waters, and indeed by our own mistaken policies of the past. Since there is much talk of negotiations with the Taliban, the Baloch militants too deserve a similar treatment.
The provincial governor, Mohammad Khan Achakzai has expressed satisfaction over the much-improved law and order situation and cessation of sectarian attacks in the last two months. This in itself represents a welcome change. The credit for this turnaround goes to all the stakeholders, but especially to the political elements and their new-found will. The governor says: the aggrieved people were reluctant to lodge complaints with the law-enforcing agencies about disappearance of their loved ones. It reflects a lack of trust on the part of the citizens, and this alarming trend needs to be reversed at the earliest. The federal government must pass appropriate laws to end this despicable practice of forced disappearances, where the kin of the missing persons remain unaware whether they are alive or not, for years.
The journey of a thousand miles begins with one small step. From the calmed situation it appears that this process of taking small steps has begun. In the end, only a peaceful Balochistan means a prosperous Pakistan.
