Quetta Press Club, June 28, 2013
CRSS team held a Discussion Forum with leading journalists and civil society representatives On June 28, 2013 at the Quetta Press Club. The focus of this DF was the post-elections situation in the province and the challenges facing the new government led by Dr. Abdul Malik Baloch.
Most participants were extremely cautious about the ability of the new government to cope with the pressing insecurity issues which they listed as the biggest challenge to the government.
Abdul Khaliq, senior reporter for the largest circulation Urdu daily ‘Jang’ said simmering issue such as the killing of Baloch nationalists, target-killings of shia Hazaras and non-Baloch settlers, attacks on journalists, and missing persons constituted the core of the security crisis.
Shehzada Zulfiqar, correspondent for daily Pakistan Today and a human rights– activist said the role of security agencies, Baloch politicians, and the federal government were critical for improvement in the situation. Unless they are all on the same page, situation is not likely to improve.
Rectifying acute deficiencies in governance i.e. absence of merit and rule of law represents another major challenge for the government.
‘If political appointments from a clerk to a senior officer to a school or university teacher remain subject to political influence, nothing will change,’ Israr Baloch, a student activist from Naseerabad observed. He said past governments mostly comprised turncoats who had neither any political commitment nor any vision for the socio-economic progress of the people. Education therefore is in a shambles following a massive brain-drain of non-Baloch teachers in the last couple of years because of a relentless campaign of target-killings.
Political influence essentially compromises the ability of the institutions to perform on merit and independently.
Most participants listed corruption as the third biggest challenge. Almost every speaker questioned as to where did all those billions go which came to Quetta between 2008 -2013? The inflow of funds from the Centre to Quetta grew from Rupees 45 billion in 2008 to Rs.172 in 2012-2013, speakers pointed out. Despite the quadrupling of funds from the centre, they said, Balochistan remains where it was before 2008.
Irshad Mastoi, a security expert and correspondent for the online news agency said that while the issue of missing persons continues to dominate the Baloch narrative, figures on actual numbers are conflicting. He complained that most Baloch parties and groups often speak of upto 23,000 people that have reportedly gone missing, allegedly abducted or killed by security agencies in the last decade or so. Yet, he pointed out; the maximum numbers that the Voice of Baloch could come up with was upto 1200 well-documented cases. He pointed out that the independent Human Rights– Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has put these numbers at around 700, and if the 500 or so dead bodies recovered are added to this, this list too goes up to roughly 1200.
As a whole, the sense that the CRSS team got from media professionals, civil society members and political activists was one of frustration and skepticism about the current political dispensation and uncertainty about the future.
Participants of Dialogue Forum
- Abdul Khaliq, senior reporter Daily Jang and General Secretary Quetta Press Club
- Shehzada Zulfiqar, correspondent for daily Pakistan Today and a human rights– activist
- Mohammad Kazim, the Bureau Chief daily Nai Baat and reporter BBC,
- Irshad Mastoi, Bureau Chief Online news agency,
- Mohammad Akbar Shiekh, reporter APP (English service)
- Mohammad Essa Tareen, Bureau Chief INP news agency,
- Ali Ahmed, Provincial VicePresident National Party
- Tariq Baloch, Member Baloch Students Organization (PAJJAR)
- Bashart Baloch,Member Baloch Students Organization (PAJJAR)
- Rehmat Baloch,Member Baloch Students Organization (PAJJAR)
- Zubair Ahmed,Member Baloch Students Organization (PAJJAR)
- Nazam BalochMember Baloch Students Organization (PAJJAR)
- Mouladad,Executive Director MRDS
- Jahanzaib Kasi,Program Officer MRDS
- SaifurrahmanPresident CMW
- Imran Kakar, SO AID BALOCHISTAN, Quetta
- Adil Jahangir, Executive Director |Association for Integrated Development
- Israr Baloch, Student Activist, Naseerabad