The provincial government of Balochistan has decided to send representatives of Grand Baloch Jirga to London in December to negotiate with Khan of Kalat Mir Suleman Dawood Jan for his return to Pakistan, it is learnt. An official source privy to the development told Business Recorder on Wednesday that efforts were under way to finalise the representative Jirga comprising numerous senior Baloch leaders to meet Khan of Kalat in London as part of the government's initiative to bring the estranged Baloch leaders back to the country.
"We are hopeful that the efforts to restore normalcy in Balochistan will bear fruit, as Khan of Kalat has already expressed his willingness to meet the Grand Jirga representatives and the Jirga may convince him to return to the country," the official said requesting not to be named as he is not authorised to speak to the media.
The Khan of Kalat had left the country after a grand Jirga was held in Kalat in September 2006 following the killing of senior Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Bugti in a military operation during the government of General Musharraf regime. The Jirga has decided that the International Court of Justice should be approached to restore the status of Kalat State as an independent state.
Muhammad Usman Khan Kakar, parliamentary leader of Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party in Senate, told Business Recorder that efforts were under way to approach separatist elements living in self-imposed exile and address their genuine grievances and bring them into mainstream politics. He said the provincial government had been planning to send some representatives of the Jirga to London in November or December this year to meet Khan of Kalat to convince him to return to the country.
"The return of the Khan will help pacify the separatist elements and it will also restore the trust of estranged elements in the state," he said, adding the Khan of Kalat is an influential figure in the province and his presence in the insurgency-hit Balochistan would be instrumental in other dissidents abandoning the separatist movement and enter mainstream politics.
He maintained that the law and order situation in the province had improved significantly following the recent operations by law enforcement agencies against criminal elements in the province that were creating panic and chaos. "The credit for the improvement in law and order goes to the provincial government as it has been taking all the stakeholders on board and engaging the separatist elements in dialogue process," he said. Provincial Home Minister Sarfaraz Bugti recently claimed that Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) leader Dr Allah Nazar Baloch had been killed in an operation in Awaran district of the province.
Kakar, whose party is leading the National Party-led coalition government in Balochistan, while responding to a query about any effort to approach Brahamdagh Bugti, grandson of slain Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Bugti, said his statement to the BBC that he would consider abandoning the separatist movement was welcomed but at present there was no significant development on that account.
About Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan package, he regretted the federal government had withdrawn many incentives offered by the previous PPP-led coalition government and demanded the restoration of the package for uplift of the Baloch people. However, JUI-F Senator from Balochistan Hafiz Hamdullah said the law and order had improved but the government needed to address basic political and economic issues of the people for long lasting peace in the restive province.
"The provincial government of Balochistan is taking credit for the improvement in law and order but these all appear to be cosmetic measures and the root causes behind the unrest need to be addressed," he said. Talking about the root causes, he said the federal government had been controlling all natural resources in the province while there was a need to involve provincial government and the local stakeholders in the mega projects like Gwadar Port and auction of Sandak and Reqo dik.
In the past, several attempts have been made to alleviate sense of deprivation of the Baloch people through different political and parliamentary committees but implementation of proposals was not significant. During Musharraf government in 2005, a parliamentary committee on Balochistan led by Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain had presented its report to the Senate, recommending that Frontier Constabulary (FC) and the Coast Guard should be withdrawn from interior Balochistan, and proposed a number of other measures to improve the economic and social conditions of the province. The recommendations discussed issues including clearance of gas royalty arrears, abolition of the Concurrent List, reviewing the National Finance Commission (NFC) award, provincial autonomy and development of gas-rich areas.