Free and Fair Election in Balochistan is the Way Forward: PILDAT Forum on Balochistan

Free and Fair Election in Balochistan is the Way Forward: PILDAT Forum on Balochistan


Islamabad, March 14; A free and fair General Election in Balochistan can set the course for improving the Balochistan scenario, agreed panellist and participants at the PILDAT Forum on Balochistan today. If the Government and agencies can resolve the issue of missing persons and bullet-ridden bodies, things can improve, said Senator Mir Hasil Bizenjo. This is a pre-condition for dialogue. He said that Youth in Balochistan can still be taken on board. He said that the mindset in rest of Pakistan that Baloch is still a tribal society of the 1960s is deeply flawed. There is an educated class in Balochistan. The "talk-down" syndrome of the centre and establishment towards Balochistan is the main cause of issues, he said.

Speakers at the forum included Mr. Mujib-ur-Rehman Shami, Editor in Chief, Daily Pakistan, Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Moinuddin Haider, former Interior Minister, former Governor Sindh, Mr. Ikram Sehgal, Defence Analyst, Senator Mir Hasil Bizenjo, Balochistan, National Party, Senator Humayun Khan Mandokhel, Balochistan, Independent and Mr. Qamar Zaman Kaira, MNA, Spokesperson, PPPP.

Mr. Qamar Zaman Kaira said that Punjab also needs to be respected like other provinces of Pakistan. Government has taken many initiatives. He appreciated the initiative of PILDAT and said that such a structured conversation, bringing together different MPs and schools of thought that PILDAT holds is not even generally accomplished by political parties and Parliament. He said that media is up in arms even if the Government suggests there should be a media-led Code of Conduct for media. He said that national security decisions can only be taken by the elected Government.

Initiating the Forum, Mr. Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, Executive Director of PILDAT, said that despite 18th Amendment to the Constitution, the 7th NFC Award and the Aghaz-e-Haqooq Balochistan package that have granted unprecedented financial, political and administrative autonomy to Balochistan in line with the demands of the nationalist parties and forces, unrest and insurgency in Balochistan have continued. What ails Balochistan in reality? What are the unmet demands of Balochistan? As an indigenous organization, PILDAT believes there is a need to have an objective and fact-based discussion on Balochistan.

Mr. Mujib-ur-Rehman Shami said that the dominant discourse on Balochistan these days is blaming Pakistan's military and security agencies for compounding the scenario in the province. There is a complete and total absence of a counter-narrative from the Federal Government and the Establishment. Even people of Balochistan shy away from presenting their views openly. He questioned whether providing a platform of publicity, without any editorial control or rules or ethics, to terrorists and separatists who seek to undermine the State of Pakistan is a practice media organizations should indulge in.

Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Moinuddin Haider said that the Provincial Government in Balochistan and the Provincial Assembly is not taking responsibility for resolving the issues of Balochistan. The real issue facing the province is more a case of efficient management of resources rather than the inadequacy of them. There is infiltration in the province and the FC has got to do its job.

Senator Humayun Khan Mandokhel said that population break-up in Balochistan is at 45% Baloch and 45% Pashtun but the province is almost entirely run by the Baloch at the moment. Pashtuns have no quota in jobs and even the convention of a Pashtun being Governor of Balochistan if the Chief Minister is Baloch has been broken this time. We have sympathy for Baloch grievances, but we have grievances too and we should be heard before we take up arms also, he said.

Mr. Ikram Sehgal said that feudalism and democracy can not go hand in hand. Feudalist mindset in Balochistan is its key problem. Throughout history and even today, most of the revenue that the province receives through federal transfers ends up with the tribal political leaders and chieftains who have used it on buying weapons and mustering the tribal bands. Lack of development, endemic poverty and deprivation among the people is because of low priority and low attention to the problems of the people.

"Respect Baloch and Baloch will respect you," said Senator Mohsin Leghari. The issue is not just of development but of respect.

Col (Retd.) Mashahdi of the MQM said his party continues to stand for the rights of Balochistan. The province needs its due share and resources and Dialogue is the way forward for improving Balochistan scenario. He proposed to PILDAT to propose recommendations together with a high-powered committee of the Senate so that the weight of Parliament is behind reform proposals for addressing Balochistan unrest.

Dr. Shahid Masmood said that if media has shown interviews of Brahmdagh Bugti and Hyrbyiar Marri, it is not a crime. Media needs to know their views and the Government, civil society and eminent persons should jointly talk to them.

Questioning media, Ms. Aasiya Riaz, PILDAT Joint Director, said that unbridled freedom without any ethics or responsibility can not be a media norm. Comparative examples in recent history show that the BBC, for an entire decade beginning in 1988, did not broadcast direct statements by representatives or supporters of 11 Irish political and military organizations, especially the Sinn Féin. British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher had imposed a ban saying "starve the terrorists and the hijackers of the oxygen of publicity on which they depend." While Western Europe enjoys exemplary freedom of information for its citizens and media, a report by the Assembly of the Council of Europe is worth quoting through which it advises media to develop a code of conduct to deal with terrorists acts and threats without contributing to the impact of terrorism and avoid contributing to the aims of terrorists or by offering terrorists a platform of high publicity. She said that there has to be a political agreement on minimum conditions for dialogue. The unrest in Balochistan needs to be sorted within Pakistan's Federal framework. While the Government insists it will not talk to terrorists in the north-west of Pakistan until they lay down arms, should the same conditions be applied in Balochistan? She also said that no legitimate and balanced conversation, and indeed the shaping of a national policy to deal with security related issues, can be complete or effective without seeking a systematic input of the military into it, but this has to be under the civilian democratic control.

A number of analysts, media persons, Parliamentarians and citizens participated in the forum.

PILDAT also prepared a Background Paper titled Balochistan which was shared at the Forum.