March 15, 2013 . 0

Nawab Aslam Raisani is back in the saddle to run the terror-torn Balochistan as its chief executive after spending two months in the powerless wilderness. Exactly 60 days ago when the Hazara (Shia) community refused to bury their dead targeted in a sectarian attack and insisted that the capital Quetta be handed over to the army, they were persuaded to be content with Governor’s Rule; for, it was argued, under Governor Nawab Zulfiqar Magsi they would have no more complaint. Unfortunately, despite granting greater power and freedom of action to the FC, he failed to stop a recurrence of tragedy to the Hazaras, though, perhaps, he was successful in bringing down the general level of targeted killings, abductions and insurgency. During his tenure, the FC managed to haul up quite a number of militants and capture a large cache of arms and ammunition and raw material for bomb-making. As his mandate expired on Wednesday without Parliament granting any extension to his rule, not even for three days when the provincial assembly would have stood dissolved, the unrepentant prodigal Raisani assumed power again as the province’s Chief Minister.

While Nawab Raisani must be feeling redeemed, the ordinary beleaguered Baloch, who had experienced enough of the ordeal of deadly attacks and haunting scare during his rule, would be dismayed and utterly at a loss to know why the powers that be should have put him back into power, even for a few days. The Chief Minister’s lack of comprehension of the lost writ of state in the face of raging militancy was, without exaggeration, of biblical proportions. He took things casually, spending most of his time in Islamabad or abroad in the countries of his choice unconcerned with the chaotic situation in the province that he was to be ruling. Thus, when removed from power, he was outraged and tried to make little of the murders and disappearances that were taking place as a daily routine.

Raisani’s glory comes from the dirty politics of the governing coalition both at the centre and in the province. With the blood-soaked bodies of Raisani’s rule staring the nation in the face and without caring to point out any redeeming factor for his reinstatement to the public, Federal Religious Affairs Minister Khurshid Shah is reported to have worked hard to bring around the anti-Raisani group in Balochistan to let him resume power. Perhaps, he thought that the people should know it was the season of caretaker setups and unless different political parties and factions, including both pro- and anti-Raisani camps, were on the same page, there might be some difficulty in selecting a candidate for the caretaker chief ministership who could be of use to the parties in power. The turmoil in Balochistan, the general concern over it and the ruling political leadership’s sense of self-respect and dignity figured nowhere in the equation. All was sacrificed at the altar of the lust for power!

http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-ne...ntant-prodigal