Daily Times Editorial April 12, 2013

Balochistan conundrum The largest in area, smallest in population, poorest in development province of Pakistan, Balochistan is once more in the news. Caretaker Prime Minister (PM) Justice (retd) Mir Hazar Khan Khoso travelled to Quetta to acquaint himself with the ground realities in the troubled province. After receiving briefings from the Balochistan provincial authorities on law and order and other issues, Justice (retd) Khoso pledged fair, free and transparent polls in Balochistan and directed the provincial government to provide foolproof security to the political leaders and voters. He also celebrated the participation of the (moderate) nationalist parties in the elections, characterizing the development as beneficial for the province and the country. While the caretaker PM’s wish list can hardly be faulted, it misses the elephant in the room. First and foremost, the PM, who himself hails from the province, by now must be all the clearer about the impediments to his wishes. First and foremost, the insurgency in Balochistan is still very much a fact of life, and although it touches Quetta peripherally if at all because of the heavy presence of the security forces in the capital, the interior of the province is quite another matter. The by now notorious Frontier Corps (FC) not only continues its abduction, torture, kill and dump policy against Baloch nationalists and the province’s intelligentsia, it has by now installed in place mercenary death squads under the command of local tribal sardars (chiefs) who carry out the horrendously oppressive policy with impunity under the patronage of the FC. Insurgency-hit areas are particularly vulnerable to such killings. Even if the threats of the insurgents against anyone participating in the elections prove difficult to implement effectively, given the limited means at the disposal of the insurgents, how can anyone imagine normal electioneering activity in areas where a climate of fear prevails because of the FC and its mercenary death squads’ activities? Second, while the PM is within his rights to ‘celebrate’ the participation of moderate nationalist parties, he knows well that apart from the BNP-M, the rest of these parties were already in parliament over the past five years. Their participation therefore is hardly a breakthrough. The BNP-M however, is another matter. Its leader Akhtar Mengal, after his appearance before the Supreme Court last year, has returned to lead his party in the elections. However, he too is constrained to hedge his bets by pointing to the problems outlined above and questioning how fair, free and transparent elections can be held without holding those responsible for the killings accountable and compensating those who suffered at the hands of these murderous policies. Tantalisingly, he is keeping his powder dry by refusing to rule out the option of a last minute boycott if things do not improve. This allows him to retain his nationalist credentials while exerting pressure on the authorities to accept his demands. The intriguing question however, is whether, after his party’s decision to participate, he will do so even of the situation does not improve to his satisfaction. Former Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif too made a simultaneous pilgrimage to Quetta where, amongst other political leaders, he met Akhtar Mengal. Putting balm on old wounds, Shahbaz said the removal of Akhtar Mengal’s government in 1997 was a mistake that even Nawaz Sharif has owned up to publicly. The two sides agreed seat adjustments for the coming polls. Shahbaz underlined the importance of cooperation between the democratic forces to keep all sinister elements at bay. Mengal appreciated Shahbaz’s visit and extension of goodwill and support on the problems afflicting Balochistan. This bonhomie cannot be considered normal business on the eve of elections. Its significance lies in the context of the widespread antipathy towards Punjab by large sections of the people of Balochistan, a perhaps unfair castigation of the people of Punjab, whereas the target of the Baloch’s wrath should be the state’s establishment, in which admittedly the Punjab elite has a more than fair share. One can only wish that the recognition of the need to apply soothing balm on the wounds of the Baloch had been extended before the elections to the insurgents in order to return Balochistan to peace on the basis of addressing the genuine grievances of this province treated like a stepchild throughout our history.