By Senator Sanaullah Baloch
THE grand coalition of democratic parties that has been voted into power has to work hard and in the right direction to reverse eight years of iniquitous, undemocratic and authoritarian policies.
The Musharraf regime plunged Pakistan into political turmoil and institutional decay, and gave rise to centre-province confrontation, a crippling energy crisis and a generally anarchic state of affairs. Clearly, a sincere and concerted effort will be required to put things back on track.
The political theatre is now perfectly set for the coalition to play a planned and positive role in national affairs. The current political and economic unrest has to be addressed and solutions found to the myriad problems facing the country, including Islamabad's unpopular wars against the Baloch and the tribal people of Fata. Balochistan is an unfortunate victim of President Musharraf's ill-advised adventures. It has been suffering since the military took over in 1999 and began to pursue a policy of indiscriminate subjugation of the Baloch people. It ruthlessly suppressed the voice of the people of Balochistan and seized control of their natural resources by sending fighter jets and helicopter gunships to bomb innocent and unarmed civilians. Musharraf introduced the phenomenon of enforced disappearances in Pakistan to create a state of fear to silence dissidents.
He ordered the killing of veteran Baloch nationalist Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti. His policies resulted in the mass displacement of civilians. The sufferings of the people were further compounded when foreign and local aid organisations were prevented from providing basic assistance to the internally displaced population of Balochistan.
Sardar Akhtar Mengal has been detained since November 2006 without any charges being laid. Balach Marri, a young politician and son of a prominent Baloch leader, was killed in November 2007. Countless activists have been languishing in jail for many years without a fair trial. Every day police and paramilitary troops detain innocent citizens in violation of lawful procedure.
Musharraf's infamous policies resulted in the deep alienation of the Baloch masses from the centre. Moreover, the continued political and economic marginalisation of the Baloch and state-sponsored violence against them has compelled the people of Balochistan to voice their concerns about the development projects undertaken in the province. They fear that these projects will not create greater economic opportunities for the indigenous population.
The new government in Islamabad has courageously announced that it will end the sinister policies of the establishment, such as the militarisation of Balochistan, state-sponsored violence, and the humiliation and planned dispossession of the people of the province to deprive them of their natural resources.
The coalition government must be very clear about achieving its aims and objectives in respect of Balochistan's development. The need is for a U-turn on the neocolonial policy of controlling and plundering the province's natural wealth. The resources available in the politically suppressed and economically marginalised province should be tapped to address the growing energy crisis.
A political dialogue should be launched based on the explicit recognition of the people's ownership of the natural resources of the provinces.
The Musharraf policy of controlling Balochistan's natural wealth has proved a total failure. Even the costly military operation and establishment of a cantonment in Sui-Dera Bugti have failed to maintain a steady flow of gas supplies, which were previously available uninterruptedly with the support of Nawab Bugti and his tribe. In the last four years since the military operation was launched, production has declined by 14 per cent in the gas fields of Balochistan.
The federal government must first understand the issues before opting for a policy of change. The establishment's stereotypical approach towards Balochistan has always sought to defame and discredit the political leadership of the province, especially those players who have refused to be a party to the establishment's exploitative agenda.
A pro-people and sustainable political policy vis-à-vis Balochistan requires a bold decision by the political leadership in Islamabad. Winning the hearts and minds of the traumatised Baloch demands a genuine political initiative by the coalition. Some of the measures that should be adopted promptly are:
a) Instead of constructing military and paramilitary cantonments, which are only creating hatred against Islamabad, all available funds should be redirected towards the socio-economic development of the province's conflict-stricken districts.
b) Pull back all military and paramilitary forces to their 1999 positions and remove all Frontier Corp check-posts established at variance with constitutional safeguards.
c) Immediately assess all damage caused to the displaced populations of Dera Bugti and Kohlu districts and arrange for the repatriation of the displaced people and pay them compensation.
d) Release all political activists and provide speedy and fair justice to those who have been imprisoned since 1999.
e) Cancel all allotments of civil/military lands made between 1999 and 2008 in districts Gwadar and Lasbela. A new allotment policy should be based on market prices.
f) End the policy of amalgamating locally recruited Levies with the police force. The less costly traditional Levies force must be modernised and equipped.
g) Draw up a policy of paying equal wellhead price for gas and 30 per cent royalty to Balochistan (15 per cent for the gas-producing district and 15 per cent for the province — presently the province receives 12.5 per cent royalty).
h) End the agencies' role in Balochistan's political, social and tribal affairs as they are regarded by the majority in the province as a source of instability which provokes conflict among the tribes and the political parties.
The above-mentioned confidence-building measures only need executive orders from the prime minister. These would help ease political tensions between the centre and the province.
However, this does not detract from the need for an in-depth political dialogue among the representatives of all provinces, including Baloch leaders, to restructure the Constitution of 1973 to make it more flexible and workable and reduce future risks of a centre-province confrontation.
The federal government will also have to agree to the granting of provincial autonomy to the provinces by abolishing the concurrent list and incorporating a new provincial legislative list in the constitution. The new list must give complete authority to the provinces over their natural resource, including oil, gas, copper and gold, as well as ports and shipping, to improve and facilitate their economic growth. Law and order issues and longstanding unemployment in the provinces, particularly in Balochistan, need to be addressed by giving the provinces control over the civil armed forces such as the Frontier Corp, Rangers and the Coast Guard.
The main coalition partners are signatories to the Charter of Democracy and the APDM charter. They are morally duty-bound by their pledges to stop military operations, restore normality and accept the political and economic rights of the people of Balochistan.
The writer is a member of the Senate.
balochbnp@gmail.com
Senator Sanaullah Baloch
Member Senate of Pakistan
http://www.sanabaloch.page.tl |
