Dawn Editorial
Saturday, 23 May, 2009 | 08:15 AM PST |

PROMISES abound when it comes to addressing the problems faced by Balochistan. This time round we have been told that an all-parties conference will be called ‘within days.’ At least that is what the Prime Minister promised on Wednesday, adding that his administration has not forgotten the Balochistan issue. The public perception in this regard, he stressed, is incorrect. Doubting Mr Gilani’s intentions is not the point here, for he is widely seen as a sincere man even if lacking the authority a Prime Minister ought to wield in a parliamentary system. But words alone cannot dispel the impression that Balochistan, for whatever reason, does not rank high on the government’s agenda. Preoccupation with the Malakand operation cannot be an excuse because that battle is only a few weeks old while the government has been in office for well over a year. In a welcome move in February last year, the PPP leadership offered a public apology for atrocities committed against the people of Balochistan. It was also stated — in March 2008 — that the concurrent legislative list would be abolished within a year to give the provinces greater control over their resources. Massive uplift ‘packages’ were announced for Balochistan, the most underdeveloped province in the country. All these pledges, however, have resulted in little movement on the ground.

It is hoped that the APC promised by the prime minister will yield more than just more talk. To be at all meaningful it must include representatives of the Baloch nationalist parties who boycotted last year’s elections, for a congregation of the like-minded rarely serves any constructive purpose. Voices of dissent need to be heard and accommodated if the desired goal is a lasting solution to Balochistan’s backwardness. In keeping with the norms of parliamentary democracy, the APC’s recommendations should then be taken up in the provincial and national legislatures. Only consensus, not diktat, can deliver results. Only then will any ‘Balochistan package’ be truly legitimate.

Balochistan is poor when it should be rich. It has a relatively small population and vast reserves of fossil fuels and precious metals such as gold and copper. The province has been exploited ruthlessly, if not pillaged, by the centre. It has been on the receiving end of brutal military crackdowns, torture and forced ‘disappearances.’ The anger felt by the Baloch is understandable, as is their sense of alienation from the centre. Those who take up arms in the fight against injustice, or seek a separate homeland, will continue to find adherents to their cause if the centre fails to invest in Balochistan and award it control over its riches. Conversely, the insurgents will find few takers when there are enough schools, hospitals and job opportunities in the province.

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~Time owns each and everything~
~Useless youth if not useful for Pakistan~