Date for APC not decided yet: trust deficit between government, Baloch leaders widens

The government's continued failure to bring the disgruntled Baloch leaders on the negotiating table has widened the trust deficit between the two. The committee constituted by Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani on February 22, to decide the date for calling an All Parties Conference (APC) on the issue has not yet been finalised.
Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah-led committee comprises Mian Raza Rabbani, Mian Manzoor Watto, Arbab Aalmgir, Makhdoom Shahab Uddin, Ayatullah Durrani, Jahangir Badar, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Nazar Mohammad Gondal, Samsam Bukhari, Changez Jamali, Nayyar Hussain Bukhkari and others has yet to finalise a date for the APC, which according to the PPP's own lawmaker from Balochistan is a reflection of the government's non-seriousness to redress issues.
"There is growing sense of deprivation among the Baloch people, which could prove very harmful to the federation if not seriously looked into, as the government appears to be non-serious in taking genuine steps to resolve the issue", said Syed Nasir Ali Shah, a PPP lawmaker from Balochistan who had protested for more than a month in front of Parliament against the government's non-serious attitude to resolve the issue.
Referring to Foreign Office spokesman's Friday comments that Islamabad made demarches with UK and Switzerland over anti-Pakistan activities by estranged Baloch leaders, Shah said there was no need to blame any foreign country for the situation in Balochistan.
He stressed the need for genuine measures to resolve the issues indigenously. "If we are not willing to stop our internal dispute then others will have the opportunity to exploit the situation", he said. He argued "it is due to our own lack of seriousness towards the contentious issues that foreign hands were intervening to destabilise the situation in the province."
He regretted that the government instead of initiating serious dialogue to resolve the issues was further sensitising the issue through use of force. Nawaz Sharif stipulated conditions for attendance of the APC by his party: (i) killers of Nawab Akbar Bugti brought to justice, and (ii) missing persons recovered, and (iii) Baloch given their due rights. Likewise other political parties of the country have called for meaningful dialogue backed by a sincere effort to resolve the outstanding issues with the Baloch leadership.
Baloch nationalist parties have rejected the idea of APC and several PPP lawmakers have supported their point of view saying that the issue can not be resolved only through organising conferences and constituting committees. Nasir Ali Shah added that practical steps were required to woo the disgruntled Baloch. Leader of National Party Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo also stated that the days of the APCs were over and now practical steps to resolve issues needed to precede talks.
Referring to Prime Minister Gilani's previous promises, he said killers of late Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti had not yet been arrested and the issue of missing persons not resolved. He pointed out that the government on one hand was talking about resolving the issue while on the other hand recovery of the mutilated bodies of Baloch youth was continuing.
"In such a situation who will trust the PM and his government to seriously look into the situation in the province?" he asked. He stressed the need for long-term multidimensional approach-genuine political dialogue with the disgruntled Baloch leaders, stopping forced disappearances, recovery of the all missing persons and initiating developmental projects which, he said, would help to stabilise situation to some extent.
Bizenjo argues that the issue of Balochistan could not be resolved unless multidimensional approach was adopted, and said that merely withdrawing cases against Baloch leaders were not enough to solve the complex Baloch problem.