Lawmakers ask government to take killers of Nawab Akbar Bugti to task

The parliamentarians on Wednesday demanded of the government to take to task killers of Nawab Akbar Bugti and other people of Balochistan. They also urged the government during the joint sitting of the Parliament to take practical measures to remove the sense of deprivation among the people of Balochistan and hold talks with disgruntled Baloch leaders to bring them into the political mainstream.
The joint session was Tuesday adjourned without discussing Aghaz-e-Huqooq-e-Balochistan package due to death of MNA Faiz Muhammad Khan of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). The members paid tribute to Faiz. While participating in the debate on Balochistan Package which resumed today (Wednesday), Deputy Chairman of Senate Jan Muhammad Jamali said for the first time in the history of Pakistan, PPP government ended the stalemate after 62 years and talked of the rights to Baloch people.
"I appreciate the efforts of President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani who succeeded in ending this stalemate and brought the issue of Balochistan in the Parliament. The Prime Minister has to take action to overcome the sense of depravation among the Baloch people," he added.
Jamali said enough debates have taken place and now is the time for practical measures. He said one-unit was introduced in mid-50s, which created many problems for small provinces. He said decisions about the West Pakistan were taken in Lahore during one unit and locals were neglected in the decision-making process.
"Bad politics and failed military policy caused separation of East Pakistan, which is known as Bangladesh," he said. Jan Jamali proposed that the Upper House of the Parliament should be strengthened and given fiscal powers. Besides, he called for holding direct elections of the Senate.
"There is need of many executive orders if we want to unite Pakistan. The government should hold talks with nationalist leaders Khair Bux Marri and Barhamdagh Bugti, otherwise the government efforts would not bear fruit," he said. Senator Professor Khurshid Ahmed said his party appreciates the government initiative to address the grievances of the people of Balochistan but there is still room for improvement. In his view that the real problem is of trust deficit that could only be bridged by taking up certain measures to send a message to the people of Balochistan that the government is serious in addressing their long-standing problems.
Khurshid said this trust deficit was four-dimensional and as a first step of the confidence building, the government has to take to task the killers of Nawab Akbar Bugti and other innocent people, release the prisoners and stop military operation and interference of intelligence agencies.
He said the issue needed to be resolved immediately in a transparent manner as according to Human Rights Watch the number of missing persons are over 4,000 while the numbers given by the government is far less. The Senator demanded of the Prime Minister to announce the end to military operation and invite all Baloch leaders to talks without the proviso as to who was eligible and who was not.
Khurshid said without giving provincial autonomy to Balochistan, the package would be useless as people of Balochistan would not agree anything less than having control over their resources and power to take decision about their future. Opposition leader in the Senate, Wasim Sajjad also underlined the need to constitute a three-member delegation including Elahi Bux Somroo, Bulakh Sher Mazari and Sardar Atta Ullah Khan Mengal to initiate talks with the leaderships of Balochistan both in and outside the country.
Wasim said in line with the people's desire, the head office of Gwadar Port Authority should be shifted to Quetta from Karachi and a Baloch Chairman of the Authority should be appointed.
"Adequate revenue of the port should be spent on the welfare of Balochistan. The Prime Minister should announce in his winding up debate names of the judges who would be members of the fact-finding mission announced by the government in the package to determine the causes of Akbar Bugti's killing," he said.
About job quota for Balochistan, Wasim Sajjad proposed that instead of 5,000, the entire shortfall in jobs, which he claimed stands at 40 to 50,000 in different departments, be allocated for Balochistan. He said the government should announce general amnesty for political workers of Balochistan.
Khawaja Saad Rafiq of PML-N said military establishment has never allowed any elected government to work freely from 1985 to 1997 and generals are responsible for the deprivations of Balochistan. The PML-N leader proposed a high-powered judicial commission rather than fact-finding mission to expose the killers of Akbar Bugti and taking them to the task.
While debating on Aghaz-e-Huqooq-e-Balochistan, Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis, Dr Farooq Sattar of MQM said that the package would not be fruitful if the government fails to find out the causes of the problems of Balochistan. There is no difference in today's and 1971's East Pakistan situation, he added. The MQM leader said the time has come to give Balochistan complete autonomy and control on its resources along with political and management powers.
"Giving 5,000 jobs for educated youth of Balochistan is no solution to their problems as it needs payment of Rs 120 billion surcharge and at least 20 to 30 percent share in Gwadar Port and Sui Southern Gas Company on an emergency basis. Minister of State for Industry and Production, Dr Durrani called for holding talks with nationalist leaders Khair Bux Marri and Barhamdagh Bugti and offered to mediate the talks.
He criticised the United States for troops surge especially in Helmand and added the increase in troops in oil rich area would result in creating a number of problems in Balochistan as the local people will migrate from there. Senator Abdul Rahim Mandokhail said the issue of Balochistan is constitutional and political and the provincial autonomy was only solution to this problem. Senator Muhabbat Khan Marri, Sher Muhammad Baloch, Dr Abdul Malik and others also participated in the debate.