ISLAMABAD: Tuesday (September 20, 2011): Speakers at a roundtable discussion forum demand that the Center should shun the politics of security in Balochistan so that the public grievances and real issues of under development are better redressed.
In a roundtable discussion forum’Incessant Descent: The State of Security in Balochistan’ jointly organized by ActionAid Pakistan andCenter for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), issues related to proper implementation of ¿Balochistan Rights Package– and specially its components relating to security were discussed in detail.
Speakers including Dr Aasim Sajjad, assistant professor at National Institute of Pakistan, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Ms Amna Yousaf Khokhar, research fellow at Institute of Strategic Studies, Islamabad and Mr Naveed Qaisar, lecturer at Defence and Strategic Studies Department, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad said that the federal government should stop treating Balochistan like a satellite state, rather it should try adopt an inclusive approach to address Balochistan issue.
Mr. Naveed said from 1948 to 1977, there were three episodes of the traumatic state military run over the province. He said there are guerrilla forces operating in the area that are not willing to let down their arms until the government does not change its attitude towards their land. Meanwhile, Ms. Khokhar said the international players are becoming active due to the impending dearth of resources around the globe. She narrated that issues of Indian involvement and Saudi funded madrassahs should be taken care of by the state. She observed that sustained violence in Balochistan will push the province to a point of no return.
Dr. Aasim highlighted that ‘kill and dump’ operations in the province has instigated the young Balochis to take up arms against the state and this is an alarming trend. He said state policies have failed to bring about a positive change in the situation. He said positive signals of reconciliation are being emitted by hard core nationalists like Brahmdagh Bugti and the government should build on this.
Participating in the discussion, PPP leader, Syeda Abida Hussain said political parties should take a leading role in the province to find political solutions to the conflict. In general, participants were agreeing that there is no remedy of longstanding Balochistan issue, but political reconciliation among all stakeholders. They supported the idea of talking to all Baloch dissidents without taking into account their past.