WITH three major militant organisations in Balochistan deciding to take a break from their violent routine of carrying out rocket and bomb attacks on government personnel and installations, can we expect peace to return to the conflict-scarred province? The answer will depend on how quickly and effectively the government seizes what appears to be a golden opportunity to set right the wrongs done to Balochistan over the decades. In taking the decision to cease hostilities, ostensibly for the sake of the people, the Balochistan Liberation Army, Baloch Republican Army and Baloch Liberation Front have denied any deal with the government and have threatened to retaliate if attacked. But while this intriguing development is bound to raise several questions about the militants’ firepower and intentions, for the time being their declaration should be taken at face value.
Starting with the PPP’s apology to the Baloch people for the excesses perpetrated on them, there are signs that the current government would like to assuage provincial grievances. Measures like the decision to abolish a number of Frontier Corps checkpoints and removing the names of Baloch leaders from the Exit Control List can go a long way in healing the psychological wounds of a people estranged from a repressive centre. Similarly, the acknowledgment by interior advisor Rehman Malik that there are more than 1,000 missing people in Balochistan can perhaps be seen as a beginning in the direction of tracing and recovering them. While distrust of the government after years of abuse at its hands is not likely to go away soon, showing an active interest in the welfare of the Baloch can expedite the reconciliation process.
Where the government has been dragging its feet is over giving the Baloch a sense of ownership of their province. Unpaid gas royalties, the fiercely opposed presence of the military’s vast cantonments, the threat posed by the Gwadar Port project to jobs for the Baloch as well as the demographics of the area and the demand for greater provincial autonomy are all issues which demand urgent attention. One would like to know what became of the prime minister’s promise to abolish the Concurrent List and how the reconstituted National Finance Commission plans to apportion revenue shares among the provinces. Will it be based on the population criterion alone? Or will Balochistan’s demand for the NFC award to factor in provincial area, poverty and backwardness be heard? With discontent soaring in the province, the government’s moves to tackle the problems will be watched closely by the people. And also by the militants.
http://www.dawn.com/2008/09/03/ed.htm#1 |
