Editorial: General Qadir’s electoral victory raises eyebrows

An election tribunal has ultimately declared former Balochistan governor and corps commander General ® Abdul Qadir Baloch victorious on a controversial seat of the National Assembly from NA-271. Contesting the general elections of February 18, 208 as an independent candidate against Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-e-Azam) candidate, Eshan Rekhi, Qadir had, according to the official results issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan, lost the coveted seat from the districts of Panjgur, Washuk and his own native Kharan. It was Qadir’s first political venture after retiring from the military and entering into politics in a province where links with powerful tribes and the establishment determine the electoral results.

Unwilling to concede his defeat, the Baloch general addressed a number of press conferences against the poll results. Having aggressively campaigned by using the popular Baloch nationalist card, Qadir complained that he had gained the majority votes but had been denied the National Assembly seat on the instructions of former president General Pervez Musharraf. Qadir and Musharraf had developed serious differences on the issue of launching a military operation in Balochistan. Though he once admitted that he had remained Musharraf’s “darling” until the former resented official plans to carry out a military operation in Balochistan.

That said, Qadir was removed as the governor of Balochistan. Musharraf remained so upset with the Baloch retired military officer that he continued to publicly mention Qadir as a classic example of disloyalty. For instance, he told Business Plus anchorperson (now in Express TV) Mubashir Lucman in an interview that General Qadir, as an army officer, had had a very low IQ level but Musharraf had still promoted him on a key position merely to push a “Baloch chap” forward in the country’s military to encourage him. That was the worst affront one could inflict on a dignified officer.

After his retirement, Qadir failed to retain a popular constituency either among his old buds in the country’s military and the Baloch cousins struggling on the platform of various political parties. As indicated by Musharraf’s offensive remarks in the TV interview, Qadir was hardly tolerated and liked in the country’s military where the Baloch representation is below one percent. He was always seen suspiciously as an officer sympathetic towards the Baloch nationalists. On the other hand, many Baloch nationalist parties indirectly expressed their weariness towards a man who had spent his entire career in the country’s army. They equally kept him at arms length by assuming that Qadir still had very close contacts with the military establishment and could ultimately prove to be a source of leakage of nationalist parties’ “secretes”.

Hence, Qadir, only Baloch to rise to such a high position in the country’s military, had no options but to contest elections as an independent candidate. During his electoral campaign in Baloch-populated areas, he spoke against the wrong policies of General Musharraf (not the military as an institution) in Balochistan. At the same time, Qadir never uttered a single word against the country’s military, something that still makes him unpopular among many Baloch nationalists and ‘acceptable’ before the military.
After his rival candidate, Ehsan Reki, was declared successful against him in February 18, 2008 elections, Qadir moved from pillar to post to get the results decided in his favor by moving the courts. Many people supported his case because of their anti-Musharraf sentiments. His case remained pending in different courts for as long as two years. Finally at one stage, people even forgot about his pending case with the election tribunal.

Now, the former corps commander has suddenly been declared victorious on the same seat after two years. The timing of the verdict given by the country’s ‘independent judiciary’ in his favor has alarmed everyone. The tribunal adjudicated weeks after Qadir’s staggering decision to join the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz). Mian Nawaz Sharif had a remarkable role in the reinstatement of the country’s chief justice and other sacked judges. Speculations are ripe that the establishment in the country is trying to sack Zardari and bring Sharif in power. Thus, all roads are being flattened for the next ruling Party, the PML-N in all four provinces, including Balochistan.

The PML-N chief, during his recent visit to Balochistan, managed to include two prominent Baloch leaders Sardar Sanaullah Zehri and General Abdul Qadir Baloch in his party. The impression in Balochistan is that General Qadir, who has also taken oath of his membership of the National Assembly, has been rewarded the NA seat by the judiciary which was restored by Mian Nawaz Sharif. Otherwise, why would Qadir have to wait for two long years to get the decision announced in his favor? Such enormous influence of the PML-N on the country’s judiciary and then on the local politics of Balochistan is somewhat alarming. If joining the PML-N can culminate in such rewards and miracles, Balochistan must prepare to see more of them in the near future.