Interview: Only political settlement can resolve Balochistan conflict; says Malik Siraj Akbar (Part One)

Saturday, November 3rd, 2012 3:03:33 by Faisal Farooq

Malik Siraj Akbar sees a very bleak future for Balochistan and its people unless the Establishment allows a political settlement of the conflict.

 

Akbar, who is currently residing in the United States, is an ambitious Pakistani journalist and has been actively highlighting the Balochistan issue across the globe.

 

He is a Contributing Writer at the Huffington Post and a former Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellow at the National Endowment for Democracy in Washington D.C.

 

He is the founder and the editor of The Baloch Hal, Balochistan’s first online English language newspaper. His newspaper was banned in Pakistan because of its fiercely objective and critical editorial policy.

 

He also wrote a book The Redefined Dimensions of Baloch Nationalist Movement which was released in the US in 2011.

 

He spoke exclusively to Newspakistan.pk about the current situation in Balochistan and his words offer a critical look into a crisis in great need of broader coverage. Here is the first part of his detailed interview.

 

First of all what are your views about current situation in Balochistan?

 

Balochistan is currently going through a serious political and administrative crisis which is worsening with every passing day. The affairs of the province are covertly but strictly run by the Frontier Corps and intelligence agencies.

 

The political government is powerless in terms of making major decisions but, at the same time, it is deeply inept and corrupt as well.

 

Genuine political leaders, activists and independent journalists have gone in hiding or fled the province because they fear being kidnapped and killed by state-sponsored intelligence agencies and death squads.

 

On the top of this abysmal situation, sectarian killing of Shia/ Hazaras have significantly increased while the state seems to be intentionally promoting radical Islamist elements in Baloch areas to counter the Baloch nationalism.

 

Can political dialogue resolve the issue of insurgency in the province?

 

There have been a number of attempts in the past one decade to address the conflict in Balochistan through dialogue. The most broad-based endeavor was made in 2004 under the leadership of caretaker prime minister Chaudhary Shujaat Hussain.

 

Two parliamentary committees were constituted which also enjoyed the trust and acceptance of the Baloch nationalists. But those committees failed because of a number of reasons.

 

For example, Nawab Bugti’s killing in 2006 derailed the negotiation process while, most importantly, hawks in the Pakistan military establishment and federal bureaucracy refused to implement the recommendations of the committees (this was repeatedly confirmed by Senator Mushahid Hussaib Syed—who headed one of the committees).

 

Political dialogue can resolve all kinds of disputes but at this point there are no signs that the army is willing to see pro-independent Balochistan leaders like Hairbayar Marri and Brdamdagh Bugti on the negotiation table. Likewise, the Balochs do not trust the Pakistani authorities.

 

They do not want to negotiate with the political government or the military establishment without any international guarantors because they say they have been betrayed time and again the past despite official promises.

 

Do you think the Establishment has really made its mind to stop taking recourse to military means in ending the conflict in Balochistan?

 

The Establishment has been trying to quell the insurgency for the past eight years but it has failed because the insurgency has spread in breadth and width of Balochistan.

 

Secondly, insurgency can be quelled only by allowing a political settlement of the conflict and the Establishment does not seem to be encouraging that either.

 

How do you see Akhtar Mengal’s six-point agenda which he presented in the Supreme Court?

 

Mengal’s Six Points did not have anything which had already not been demanded by all political stakeholder and international human rights organizations in order to normalize the situation in the province.

 

The government and intelligence agencies rejected all of Mengal’s points within 24 hours after they were presented. Thus, those Six Points are no longer significant. They are just a part of the history.

 

Do you see any political future for Mengal after his recent six-point agenda?

 

Mengal is the last of the Baloch nationalists acceptable to the Pakistani Establishment. He will be allowed to contest elections.

 

He will be accommodated in the future Balochistan government but that will ultimately make him as unpopular among the Baloch as Nawab Akbar Bugti was in 1970s and Nawab Raisani is today.

 

Do you believe Akhtar Mengal will be able to fill his political vacuum in the province when separatists have become radical about his (Akhtar Mengal’s) demands?

 

Akhtar Mengal already made a political blunder by appearing before the Pakistani Supreme Court. His decision was very unpopular with the radical Balochs.

 

If he becomes the next Chief Minister of Balochistan, he will directly be pitted against the hardliner Balochs and required to take action against them.

 

This will create a very challenging situation for him because he will be required to deliver to the Establishment’s expectations.

 

In case the government approves six-point agenda of Mengal, will it be able to woo the separatists?

 

Mengal’s Six Points even do not reflect his party’s stance on Balochistan. These Points are basically a set of recommendations about addressing the issue of law and order in Balochistan and building confidence of the enraged nationalists.

 

To end the insurgency and resolve Balochistan conflict, the Establishment will probably have to concede to tougher demands. And I am sure BNP does have another longer list of those demands.

 

What will be the role of Pastuns in the province against the separation movement?

 

The Pashtuns are not a part of the current conflict nor are they a part of any separatist movement. They have never faced military operations.

 

Since the Pashtuns and Baloch live on their respective historical lands, the Pashtuns neither support nor oppose the Baloch movement.

 

On the other hand, the Balochs say they will support the Pashtuns if they want to create their own province, join Khyber Pakhtunkhwa or join Afghanistan.

 

Is Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) as popular in the province as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Waziristan?

 

No. Lashkar-e-Jhangvi is absolutely unpopular among the people in Balochistan because the society has always been secular and home to even a large number of non-Muslims.

 

The Baloch society is not known for attacking people on the basis of their religion. It mainly operates in Quetta not elsewhere in the province. There is a general impression that the LeJ is sponsored by the Pakistani intelligence agencies.

 

Do you see any likelihood of international forces intervention in Balochistan in the future?

 

I do not see any signs of international military intervention in Balochistan in near future. The maximum support we will see will come in forms of statements and parliamentary resolutions from international governments and organizations which will urge Pakistan to resolve the conflict through political means and end human rights abuses.

 

We do not know a single country that currently officially supports the idea of an independent Balochistan.

 

Continued… … …. … …

Tags: Afghanistan, Akhtar Mengal, Balochistan, BNP, journalist, LeJ, Malik Siraj Akbar, Nawab Akbar Bugti, Pakistan, Quetta, Supreme Court, United States, US

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