Balochistan crisis & its resolution!

Society Pakistan & World Affairs
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Re: Balochistan crisis & its resolution!

^ I mentioned about this piece by Mohammed Malick in The News in my earlier post. I liked his idea of working both on the "pull factor" as well as the "push factor". But the top problem is that mainstream political forces are still not taking the issue as seriously as they should have done long ago. Any leader who talks about Balochistan, presents a one-sided formula of withdrawing army from the province while their is hardly any mention of removing political vaccum wherein extra-constitutional and extra-judicial problems take place.

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I dont know how the problem would be resolved, it has become very complex with the passage of time. At the moment Balochistan has become the single most important issue on which Pakistan's future is depending, and if its not solved soon we cannot predict the future of the country. Now its in Pakistan's interest to have the problem resolved, it suits the Baloch to continue their struggle (as their issue has gained American recognition, and who knows when it might become an international issue).

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As a precaution, Pakistan should be working on arranging another veto in UN just in case we may need it at an unfortunate time. Pakistan should continue to closely consult with China, and Iran should also be brought into the picture to diffuse the situation. There is no argument about it that while we work out a permanent internal solution to this problem, we should also play our international cards at our best to contain the situation.

As I mentioned earlier, the points of "pull factor" and "push factors" mentioned by Mohammed Malick should be seriously looked into.

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Re: Balochistan crisis & its resolution!

پاکستانی ردعمل پر حیرانی ہے: بلوچ رہنماء

ذوالفقار علی
بی بی سی اردو ڈاٹ کام، اسلام آبا

**بلوچستان کے سابق وزیرِاعلیٰ اختر مینگل نے امریکی ایوانِ نمائندگان میں بلوچ عوام کے حق خود ارادیت کے بارے میں پیش کی جانے والی قرارداد کو مثبت قرار دیا ہے۔
**
قوم پرست جماعت بلوچ نینشل پارٹی کے سربراہ اختر مینگل نے بی بی سی سے بات کرتے ہوئے کہا کہ انہیں اس قرارداد کے نتیجےمیں پاکستان میں سامنے آنے والے ردعمل پر حیرانگی ہے۔

انہوں نے کہا ’حیرانگی اس بات پر ہے کہ اس (قرارداد) پر پاکستان میں اتنا شور مچایا جا رہا ہے۔ حکومت تو اپنی جگہ بلکہ تمام سیاسی جماعتوں نے بھی اس کو بڑا مسئلہ بنا دیا ہے۔‘

ان کا کہنا تھا ’سابق اور موجودہ حکمرانوں کے کردار کی وجہ سے بلوچ نوجوانوں اور بزرگوں کی جو لاشیں پاکستان اور بلوچستان کے بیچ میں پڑی ہیں، جو خون بہایا گیا ہے، اس نے پاکستان اور بلوچستان کے درمیان بہت سے فاصلے بنا دیے ہیں۔ مجھے نہیں لگتا کہ حکمرانوں کی نیت اور رویوں میں کوئی تبدیلی آئی ہے اور اگر یہ رویے اور عزائم ایسے ہی رہے تو بلوچستان اور بھی دور چلا جائے گا۔

واضح رہے کہ امریکی رپبلکن پارٹی کے رکن اور خارجہ امور کی ذیلی کمیٹی کے چیئرمین ڈینا روباکر نے امریکی ایوانِ ایوانِ نمائندگان میں جمعہ کو ایک قرارداد جمع کروائی تھی جس میں کہا گیا ہے کہ بلوچ عوام کو حق خودارایت اور آزاد ملک کا حق حاصل ہے اور انہیں موقع ملنا چاہیے کہ وہ اپنے مستقبل کا فیصلہ کرسکیں۔

قرارداد میں یہ بھی کہا گیا ہے کہ پاکستان میں بلوچ عوام پر تشدد کیا جا رہا ہے اور وہاں ماورائے عدالت ہلاکتیں ہو رہی ہیں۔
اختر مینگل نے کہا ’مجھے حیرانگی ہے کہ پاکستان کے اداروں اور سیاسی جماعتوں کو اس قرارداد کے کس لفظ پر اعتراض ہے۔ حق خود ارادیت پر یا بلوچستان پر؟‘ ان کا کہنا تھا ’اگر حق خودارادیت پر اعتراض ہے تو یہ اقوامِ متحدہ کے چارٹر کا سرفہرست آرٹیکل ہے اور پاکستان خود اقوام متحدہ کا رکن ہے۔‘

سابق وزیرِ اعلیٰ نے کہا کہ ’اگر ان کو یہ اعتراض ہے کہ خودارادیت کا لفظ بلوچستان کے لیے کیوں استعمال کیا گیا ہے تو پاکستان کے حکمران 1948 سے یہی نعرہ کشمیر کے لیے لگارہے ہیں۔ وہ کشمیر جو متحدہ ہندوستان کا حصہ تھا۔ جب حق خودارادیت ان کے لیے جائز ہوسکتی ہے تو بلوچستان کے لیے کیوں نہیں جو کبھی متحدہ ہندوستان کا حصہ تھا ہی نہیں؟‘

انہوں نے یہ سوال اٹھایا کہ امریکی ایوان نمائندگان میں قرارداد پیش کرنے کے لیے حالات یا موقع کیوں فراہم کیا گیا۔
**’باسٹھ سالوں میں بلوچستان کے ساتھ جو کچھ ہوا ہے۔۔۔ آج شور مچانے والوں نے اپنی زبانیں کیوں بند کی ہوئی تھی؟ انہوں نے کیوں اپنی آنکھوں پر پٹیاں باندھی ہوئی تھیں؟ جہاں تک اس قرارداد کا تعلق ہے، ہم فی الحال اسے ایک اچھی پیش رفت ہی کہہ سکتے ہیں۔ اس میں صرف بلوچ عوام کی حق خود ارادیت کی ہی بات نہیں ہے بلکہ بلوچستان میں جو بلوچ قوم کی نسل کشی کی جارہی ہے اس کو مدِ نظر رکھ کر بھی یہ قرارداد پیش کی گئی ہے جس سے کوئی انکار نہیں کرسکتا۔‘
**
انہوں نے کہا ’پاکستان کی سیاسی جماعتیں جب اپوزیشن میں ہوتی ہیں تو بلوچستان کی زیادتیوں پر مگرمچھ کے آنسوں بہاتی ہیں اور آج جب ان زیادتیوں کا ذکر ہورہا ہے تو اس پر یہ کیوں خفا ہورہے ہیں؟‘

انہوں نے کہا کہ بلوچستان میں ساڑھے تین سو نوجوانوں کی لاشیں ملی ہیں اور ہزاروں لوگ لاپتہ ہیں۔ ان نے الزام لگایا کہ اس کے پیچھے پاکستان کی فوج اور اس کے خفیہ اداروں کا ہاتھ ہے۔
بلوچستان کی قوم پرست تنظیم بلوچ نینشل وائس نے بھی بلوچستان کے معاملے پر امریکی ایوان نمائندگان میں پیش ہونے والی قرارداد کا خیر مقدم کیا ہے۔

دوسری جانب قوم پرست جماعت بلوچ نیشنل وائس کے ترجمان نے بھی امریکی ایوانِ نمائندگان کی قرارداد کا خیر مقدم کیا ہے۔

جماعت کے ترجمان نے بی بی سی کو بتایا ’بلوچستان میں گمشدہ افراد کی لاشیں ملنے کا سلسلہ جولائی 2010 سے شروع ہوا تھا اور اب تک لگ بھگ چار سو گمشدہ افراد کی لاشیں مل چکی ہیں جن میں بیشتر اعلیٰ تعلیم یافتہ لوگ اور سیاسی کارکن اور رہنماء ہیں۔‘

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The push factor that he is mentioning is long term, and frankly I dont think we have got any time left now (thanks to our army), and for doing that we will need to improve our relations with US, India and Afghanistan which I dont think will improve unless the Kashmir, and Pakistani longing for strategic depth (Afghanistan) is sorted out.

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Nawaz Sharif had announced in a fanfare a couple of weeks ago that he will initiate an APC on Balochistan (seems he has forgotten about that now), similarly his brother had promised a hospital in Quetta which is in doldrums too now…

Fearing security threat: Punjab backs out of Balochistan projects – The Express Tribune

Fearing security threat: Punjab backs out of Balochistan projects
**A day after the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) pledged to take up the Balochistan issue as a priority, the party’s efforts to portray itself as the vanguard of the reconciliation process suffered a serious setback.

**

**According to sources in both the Punjab and Balochistan governments, the former is likely to back out from previously announced development projects in the violence-plagued province.
**

Fearing a threat to their lives, no one from the Punjab administration is ready to work in Balochistan or even participate in bidding, sources in both governments informed The Express Tribune. The Punjab government, run by the PML-N, has formally informed the Balochistan administration that the current uprising in the troubled province has forced them to reconsider all of their projects.

The main project in question is the proposed Cardiology Centre in Quetta. According to government data, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had announced the construction of the centre in 2008 and had allocated Rs2 billion from the provincial budget as well as 20 acres of land located near Quetta’s Bolan Medical College.

Well-placed sources in the health department told The Express Tribune that the National Engineering Services of Pakistan (Nespak) was initially recruited to supervise the project. The deteriorating security situation indicates, however, that, for the immediate future, development projects will remain scarce. A Turkish company that had shown interest in constructing the cardiology centre backed out given the adverse law and order situation.

**Damage control

**
**Perhaps aware that the move takes away credibility from the PML-N’s recently-announced pledge to better the lot of Balochistan, the Punjab government tried to carry out some damage control. Sources said the provincial administration told the Balochistan authorities that when PML-N comes to power, it will fulfil all its commitments to the Baloch according to the promises made by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.

**
Special Assistant to the Punjab Chief Minister for Health Khwaja Salman Rafique told The Express Tribune that he would investigate the reasons behind the delay in the implementation of the projects. He pointed out, however, that the security situation in Balochistan was rapidly deteriorating – and fixed responsibility for the uprising on the Pakistan Peoples Party-led government.

**Balochistan lashes out

**
The Punjab government’s anticipation of a backlash was not unfounded.

**Balochistan Health Minister Haji Ali Madad Jattak lashed out at the chief minister, saying that four years had lapsed but Sharif’s promises remained unfulfilled – Balochistan is yet to see a cardiology centre as well as a promised kidney centre.
**

Shahbaz Sharif was not the only one to receive flak from the health minister. PML-N President Nawaz Sharif also came under fire when Jattak said his promise to address the grievances of the Baloch were “hollow”. He added that if Nawaz couldn’t even construct a hospital in Balochistan, then the possibility of his other claims materialising was even less likely.

**His criticisms did not stop there – Jattak made his disdain clear when he said the Sharifs were merely playing politics with the people of Balochistan through empty announcements, which were taking advantage of an aggrieved populace.
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**The provincial health minister also expressed frustration at the immobility of funds, saying the Punjab government also had the option of transferring the money allocated for the cardiology centre to the cash-strapped Balochistan administration, but refused to do so.
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**This is not the only project that affects Balochistan, to be delayed.
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**While the Punjab government has increased the quota of Baloch students in Punjab’s educational institutions, it is yet to construct the much-anticipated Ghazi University near the Balochistan border in South Punjab. The Punjab chief minister had announced that half of the total strength of the university’s students would be from Balochistan and would receive free education.
**

Published in The Express Tribune, February 19[SUP]th[/SUP], 2012.

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A fanfare after all... :(

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*No tallks in army's presence, Baloch leaders tell Imran
*
ISLAMABAD: There’s an increasing sense of urgency about Balochistan on the political stage, and as the violence continues, the conditions for negotiations continue to get more stringent.

In a recent meeting with Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) chairperson Imran Khan, Baloch nationalist leaders sent out a clear message.** It’s a zero sum game now: Unless the military leaves Balochistan and abductions of Baloch people allegedly by the intelligence agencies come to an end, all other measures to address the province’s concerns will fall flat.**

The PTI chief met Balochistan former chief minister Sardar Akhtar Mengal and exiled Baloch nationalist Harbiyar Marri in a bid to appease the province’s leaders and formulate a strategy to address Balochistan’s grievances. After the meeting, Khan said such a strategy would be outlined soon. The nationalist leaders, however, remain understandably cautious.

“Baloch leaders told Khan that, in the presence of military and intelligence agencies in Balochistan, there cannot be any meaningful dialogue or discussion on the issue,” said a PTI leader.

On the other hand, it appears that Khan remains one of the few political leaders that the nationalist leaders are still willing to talk to.

“Mengal, Marri and other leaders conveyed to Khan that he was amongst those leaders where the trust deficit was at a minimum,” he added.

The meeting also seems to have spurred Khan to switch his party’s focus from corruption to the Balochistan issue. The PTI’s next rally is scheduled to take place in Quetta. Taking his party members into confidence over his meeting with the Baloch leaders, Khan is quoted to have said that the matter should become the number one priority for PTI, adding that the issue is seriously threatening national integrity.

He directed the party’s think-tank to come up with meaningful proposals on Balochistan, which will be made part of the PTI’s upcoming manifesto. One of the more radical proposals on the table is to shift the federal capital and government to Quetta in order to enable massive and quick development.

I am also in favour of shifting the capital to Balochistan. Knowing how costly it may be, Quetta could serve at least as Summer Capital of the country.

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WIth them involving america now, I think any support for them would further erode to the point of crushing the militants. Instead of this useless hit and run war, I think Pakistan should have the guts to just crush the militants. You can't do development work where militants are allowed, especially after the advent of this govt, to have a free rein in balochistan. Some of the balochi demands are legitimate (you need a mole to make a molehill), but others like no pakistani can freely move in balochistan or have no rights, akin to arab treatment of south asians, should not be tolerated at all.

[quote]
I am also in favour of shifting the capital to Balochistan. Knowing how costly it may be, Quetta could serve at least as Summer Capital of the country.
[/quote]

This is a completely retarded idea of whoever came with it. Islamabad is well planned city and capitals should not be major cities. In fact, karachi and lahore should not be capitals of sindh and punjab either. Look at the US where capitals are never the major cities, but other cities so in that the money is used to develop another city instead of plopping it on a large city again. You basically get more bang for the buck with the american approach.

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Hope you are thing for a Pakistan from Muree to Lahore and Sialkot to Sahiwal .

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Well I dont think Pakistan is left with the option of crushing the Baloch now as the whole world is looking towards the region. If still the military/government is willing to take a suicidal path all power to them.

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Time running out for Balochistan: Altaf

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You are setting a bad precedent if you can't deal with the militants. Law and order can't just be broken or taken for granted.

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interesting article…

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Our army had 7-8 years to sort Balochistan out but they couldnt. Now there would be a diplomatic solution to it (if possible now, I fear it might already be too late now), as the area is so important and India, Afghanistan and US would love to have a slice. With most of the Baloch public sidelined, and all the interested countries in tandem what options are left with Pakistan now (considering that even the economy of the country is on the death bed.)?

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Agar – 19th feb 2012

A discussion in which HyrByar Marri and Jameel Bugt is present

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Staggering violence: With 621 deaths in 2011, violence in Balochistan continues to rise – The Express Tribune

Staggering violence: With 621 deaths in 2011, violence in Balochistan continues to rise
****ISLAMABAD: **A total of 231 bullet-riddled bodies were found by roadsides in Balochistan in 2011, said a report launched here on Sunday.

**
Of these, according to Balochistan government’s Home Department estimation, the bodies of 196 missing persons were recovered mostly from Baloch-dominated districts of the province including Quetta, Sibi, Kalat, Mekran, Nasirabad and Zhob, said the report.

Titled “Balochistan’s Maze of Violence” and compiled by the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), the report states that 621 people died during the course of the year in a show of staggering violence in the province.

According to the report, 281 people were shot in different incidents of target killings and firings, 68 fell prey to two deadly suicide attacks while bomb blasts and landmine explosions obliterated 120 others.

**The military, in a statement, said that foreign hands were involved in the volatile region’s brewing violence.
**

**“But we do not have evidence to support this claim. In light of the history of insurgency exploitation in the region, it is quite possible but is still just an assumption,” said CRSS Chief Executive Imtiaz Gul. He added that the security situation in Balochistan continues to aggravate with the passage of time, despite the government’s efforts to curtail the spiral.
**

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan estimates that 6,000 people are still missing. The Balochistan government estimates that 117 people lost their lives in 20 incidents of sectarian violence, 92 of them Shias from Hazara community, who mostly live in and around Quetta city, according to the report.

During 2011, the militants’ relentless skirmishes with security forces resulted in the killing of 218 men belonging to the Frontier Corps, police and Levies. The Baloch Republican Army and Balochistan Liberation front claimed responsibility for most attacks.

**The violence continued into 2012 too, with 60 people losing their lives in different incidents of violence in January, said the report.
**

Published in The Express Tribune, February 20[SUP]th[/SUP], 2012.

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It is an endless discussion on our part but we have to see if those who have power, are willing to do anything other than calling an APC? How many APCs and apologies will precede a concrete step, is an unknown guess to us.

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First of all I dont think there would be an APC, even if there is one it would be futile.

The people running this country need to force the military establishment to rethink their policies towards Balochistan, and other smaller provinces.

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The Baloch are fed up with hollow apologies now, as Zardari also apologized and the violence in Balochistan during his government increased. They are saying the same about IK's apology now, I dont think they believe in any Pakistani politician presently.

Our military was thinking that the kill and dump policy is working in Balochistan but it has worked in only one aspect (side lining of even the pro Pakistani people there).