APC on Balochistan: Late but should not be too late

Belated but ultimately, PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif vowed to call an all-parties conference on the issue of Balochistan. In the most positive sentiment, the PPP, the ruling party showed inclination to pay heed to the long-suffering region.

The assassinations and murder rate remains unacceptable high. In the recent times, it appeared to have increased numbers of young, literate and middle-class insurgents.

Those people, who demand separation, despite having small numbers, are continuing to rise in the province. They are too using immoral and unlawful acts in projecting their cause or in retaliation steps.

At the same time, everything is not good and positive on the state’s end. Regardless of that former president Pervez Musharraf has gone away and his full-bore military operation is no longer in evidence, the policy of kill and dump is continued on larger-scale.

No one is taking the responsibility of extrajudicial killings of Baloch people who are directly or indirectly accused of uprising in the province. It also indicates that the incumbent failed to reduce the intensity of mistrust and anger among the inhabitants.

Among the ray of hopes, an all-parties conference is at the top. It is quite a positive omen that the PML-N and the PPP, the two largest political parties, are agreed to sit together and to discuss the issues with the dissident Baloch people.

However, the APC will only bring fruitful consequences if both the parties succeeded to convince all the concerned stakeholders, particularly the Baloch nationalist leaders. Although the APC will try to hear the grievances of mainstream leaders of the province, it is need of the hour to bring all the nationalists and separatists on table of negotiations.

It is unclear that what will the nationalists respond to the call of all-parties conference. Sitting with them on table of dialogue does not mean to accept their demand of independence.

However, their real issues will have to be resolved at the earliest, particularly law and order, military operation, missing persons, royalty of their recourses and provision of all basic necessities.

The only way to rescue the province is a political solution. The government might succeed in crushing the fifth uprising with the use of forces, but it will surely set the arena for a sixth revolt down the road.

Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=8673

Posted by Faisal Farooq on Jan 10 2012. Filed under National, Opinion, Pakistan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry