Editorial: Withdrawal of cases against Baloch leaders

Winding up the debate on Balochistan Package in the joint Sitting of the Parliament, Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani delivered a major policy speech on problems of Balochistan making important announcements that will have far reaching impact on the political scene in this turbulent province of Pakistan. Primarily, the Prime Minister announced that he is ready to meet all Baloch leaders and youth, including those in self-exile, for bringing back traditional peace and tranquility. He also said that he was also ready to meet the elderly Baloch leaders (without naming Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri and Sardar Ataullah Mengal) and he would visit personally to their places to initiate the talk process normalizing the situation.

The Prime Minister conceded that it was claimed several thousand Baloch persons missing. Now that the government has released a list of 992 missing people out of which over 262 had been traced, efforts are underway to locate the others. He said he had asked the government to publicize the list of missing persons properly in the newspapers in a big way so that more details are available for the government to trace them. He announced that the Pakistan government would open the Mand border, another legal route, close to Iranian Balochistan for lawful movement of people from both sides of the border enabling the local residents to meet their close relatives.

The Prime Minister also announced that he had ordered lifting of seven major check posts of the security forces, including those located at Uthal, Sheikh Wasil, Zero Point on Coastal Highly, Shella Bagh near Chaman and some other places. Balochs were publicly insulted at these check posts for the past many decades. He said that the Pakistan Army had already vacated the military cantonment at Kohlu (Marri Tribal Territory) and the Army would be withdrawn from Sui (Bugti Tribal Area) also in due course of time. He said that the responsibility of the Pakistan Army had been handed over to the Frontier Corps, Balochistan, for maintenance of public order. The Government would raise three more Wings of the Frontier Corps, Balochistan, soon in which Baloch youths would be recruited in future.

According to the PM, the federal government intended to keep the Frontier Corps under the command and control of the Provincial Chief Minister. There was criticism on the Frontier Corps, Balochistan, as its officers are from the regular Army and its control is with the Ministry of Interior which undermined the provincial autonomy and representative rule of the Provincial Parliament as some FC personnel defied the chosen representatives of the people. He said that the educational qualification for recruitment of Baloch youth in the Coast Guards had been brought down from 10^th Class to mere middle level. The government was under severe criticism from the Baloch nationalists claiming that Baloch coast is more than 80 per cent of Pakistan and Baloch representation in the Coast Guards is merely a few percent.

In a way, Balochs had been barred from Coast Guards by designs. The Prime Minister announced that the government would provide 5000 jobs to jobless Baloch graduates in coming months. He also announced that around 10,000 Baloch graduates would be inducted into the National Internship Programme providing them permanent jobs in future. The Prime Minister disclosed that the government was committed to grant greater autonomy to the provinces and the Constitutional Committee of the Parliament is finalizing the proposals for autonomy in coming weeks that would satisfy the provinces enjoying greater autonomy.  The Prime Minister told the joint sitting of the role of Federal agencies (Intelligence) would be reviewed in Balochistan following complaints from many quarters. The Prime Minister had made the Balochistan Package more fabulous further loading it with more concessions and relief with a public commitment that there should no recurrence of such unfortunate decisions against the people.

Following the prime ministerial speech, Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Mohammad Aslam Raisani formally issued the notification of withdrawal of 89 cases against various Baloch nationalist leaders, including Nawabzada Bramdagh Bugti, Dr. Allah Nizar, Sardar Akhtar Jan Mengal, Shakar Bibib, Dr. Hakeem Lehri, Sadiq Raisani and many others.

In response, the Baloch political parties are continuously asking the PPP government to do more. While one hardliner Baloch school of thought is still unwilling to compromise on anything less than separation, the other is demanding maximum provincial autonomy. No doubt, it is the best package the PPP government could offer in the domain of administrative measures at a time when it is under extraordinary pressure for its own survival. At this point, the government should not squander much time in getting implemented all the recommendations of the Balochistan package. Secondly, it should expedite work on the other committee responsible to address the outstanding issue of provincial autonomy. Timely action is very essential to ease tensions in Balochistan.