Farrukh Khan Pitafi
While deliberations aimed at government formation are underway, the question of Balochistan keeps cropping up all the time. The PML(Q) leaders coming on television claim that since they are accepting the verdict of the people in other provinces and at the Centre gracefully, they have a legitimate right to form the government in Quetta. The endgame has already begun in the province with the appointment of a new gubernator. There is no gainsaying that in the elections the Q-League has emerged as the leading party in the province closely followed by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). Yet if one was only to pay heed to the make-believe principles of the sort, one would have to be extremely fickle minded and given to amnesia. How else can recent history be forgotten?
To begin with the reason why you see the Q-League still behaving coolly is that President Musharraf is still in office and he to them is an insurance policy of sorts. While his supporters might have been beaten badly in the elections, the masonry he erected with the help of the imposition of emergency is still intact. From the delay in the election result notification, to the attempts at banning channels and YouTube, from the regime’s remnants in the intelligence agencies to the trappings of crony journalism and McCarthyism in the media, the system is still well put. Once it starts crumbling and their patron in chief is gone, I am sure the outlook of the PML(Q)’s movers and shakers will change dramatically. A clear indication of this is their attitude towards former premier Shaukat Aziz. That means that once that what is inevitable happens, the possible Q-League government in Balochistan will be further alienated, if not fail. This is not affordable in a province that is already so marginalised. For the time being, however, the leaders of the party are hoping that a beleaguered president will not only manage to survive but also soon call for fresh elections with considerable margin of manipulation. Therefore, this apparently mature behaviour thus far. They are hoping, however, that Balochistan will become a perfect excuse and ready bait for such a crisis.
If it were only a matter of which party got the maximum seats, then of course the popular mandate should have been respected. But the reality is much different. Had that been the case, in 2002 disregarding the popular verdict a minority government of PML(Q) would not have been formed with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM’s) support. But that was done. In fact, even at the federal level floor crossing was encouraged in the name of the ‘vote of conscience’. I do not want to revisit the bitter memories, but the way the regime ensured that the turncoats did not deceive it during voting cannot be forgotten.
But that is the normative part. Let us also focus on the prudential aspect now. Let us for a second pretend that the leading party has an inalienable right to form the government. Now ask yourself can you possibly believe that the result in Balochistan truly reflects the democratic aspirations of the people? Have you forgotten the military operation in the province? Have you forgotten the assassination of Akbar Bugti and Balach Marri? Can you forget that before Nawab Bugti transformed into a radical, Chaudhry Shujaat accompanied by Mushahid Hussain had held parleys with him, assured him that the province’s problems would be solved and then failed to make a difference? I cannot and nor would the Baloch. The elections in the province were held in an artificial environment under fear of further action. You just have to talk to any Baloch on the street to get his views regarding the credibility of the results. When you kill half of the opposition leaders and the other half is forced to flee, how can you possibly call the results democratic?
Indeed the provincial PPP has done quite a magnanimous thing in apologising for the plight of the province. But that is valid only if the PPP-led government is formed. Otherwise, what is the use of an apology if the party that supervised the action is returned to power? Please do not take this point lightly. Even if any power struggle has to take place in the country, Balochistan is not the right place for it. The people of the province need to be integrated into the mainstream. While some people may think that dire predictions on Pakistan has become a fashion, please note that failing this integration there will be no future for the federation.
The notion that if the people in Balochistan are appeased a bit the province may relapse into the same chaos is based on one fallacious premise: that the people of the province are necessarily evil and will not waste any time in bulldozing the federation. Yet nothing could be farther than the truth. We need to accept that the people we kept fighting or harassing in the province are also our own brothers and fellow citizens. Without them there is no future for us and if do not give up our imperial hubris, we will have to pay dearly for it. If we cannot hold elections in the province again after declaring general amnesty, we can at least stop insulting their intelligence by refusing to impose a regime on them that is the cause of all their woes.
Now when we have already discussed in detail the politics of Balochistan, let me also make some quick complimentary remarks. Those who claim that the PPP and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) cannot prove to be good allies ignore the eight years long history of persecution. Let me also remind you that the cases framed against Senator Zardari and Mohtarma Bhutto were initiated not by the Nawaz government but by the then President Leghari. Likewise, they are oblivious to the dynamics of the coalition politics and the geo-strategic ground realities.
I am also really touched by the generosity of the caretaker government. While distributing checks among the victims of terrorist acts, our caretaker premier very kindly has enhanced the perks offered to the Chairman Senate. And the government spokespersons should remember that they are not the elected representatives of the people, therefore they should desist from issuing any statements against the chosen MPs.
The writer is a television journalist and a commentator on political and security issues
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