Imran Khan in Balochistan
Days after the recovery of seven missing persons on the orders of the Supreme Court, PTI Chief Imran Khan visited Quetta on Friday and pledged to change the fate of Balochistan by putting an end to the environment which bred fear and insecurity and resolving the crisis through dialogue with stakeholders, including the exiled Baloch leadership if voted into power.
It was good to see him show courage to subject the security agencies to scathing criticism for their alleged involvement in the enforced disappearances of civilians. Addressing a mammoth gathering at the local hockey stadium, he rejected resolving the longstanding problems of the country’s largest province through military operations while reiterating his commitment to seek their solution through meaningful talks with the Baloch leadership. “The use of excessive force is no solution to political issues,” he said, declaring mysterious kidnappings and extra-judicial killings a major crime against humanity. Responding to slogans from the cheering crowd, which had converged there from all over the province, Imran promised to bring prosperity to Balochistan by allocating more funds to the province and utilising its own resources on its development. As he braved the heavy downpour to reach the meeting venue and saw the streets flooded with the rainwater and sewage, he made a good use of the conditions to launch an offensive against the provincial government for having misappropriated Rs 110 billion from the NFC rather than spending these funds on building roads and improving sanitation facilities.
The people of Balochistan, who have suffered a lot during the decade-long military rule and have not yet been able to find any respite from these excesses, must have felt encouraged to hear from the leader of a mainstream party that under his rule military and paramilitary forces will not subject them to repression. They have, at least, seen someone pledging to bring those responsible for the murder of Akbar Bugti to justice when the rest of the political leadership keeps mum. The Baloch may now expect Imran to continue giving expression to their genuine concerns while addressing public rallies elsewhere in the country.
