Balochistan needs serious efforts

DAWN.COM

BALOCHISTAN is among the chronic issues faced by the Pakistan. The importance of this issue can be gauged by the fact that both the US and Iran have raised it, but within the country, except for statements and debates, nothing concrete has been done to find a solution. The reality is that an undeclared war is going on, with the Baloch militants in the mountains. A few weeks back, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif met senior Baloch leader Sardar Ataullah Mengal who categorically said the matter was no longer in the hands of the elders and that talks should now be held with the angry Baloch youth in the mountains. On the other hand, government efforts are limited only to the issuing of statements and trying to shift responsibility on to the external forces. Interior Minister Rehman Malik told the Senate on Friday that it was not the army or the Frontier Constabulary but some third force that was making the situation worse. …Responding to the minister’s remarks Baloch senators Shahid Bugti and Abdul Malik said that conditions could have been a bit better if the Balochistan rights package had been properly implemented.

…The operation in Balochistan has been going on for years. There have been changes of government, but the policy on Balochistan has remained unchanged. Today, if the Baloch have taken an extreme line, it is due to our policies. …It is not only Balochistan but the other smaller provinces too where this sense of deprivation exists. Instead of addressing the deprivation and injustices, muscles are flexed further. Until Baloch families stop receiving the bodies of their youth, there will be no hope for any improvement. If at all the government thinks some third force wants to weaken Pakistan, it should take serious note of it.