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“Potential of Natural Resources and the Politics of Agreements in Balochistan”

Islamabad: As part of its campaign to highlight socio-political and economic issues of the poorest and volatile southwestern Balochistan province, the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) organised a public seminar titled 'Potential of Natural Resources and the Politics of Agreements in Balochistan' on October 20th. It was the latest inthe series of public advocacy on BalochistanRights' Package. Prominent TV anchor Dr.Moeed Peerzada moderated the event, which was attended by inter alia by the federal Minister for Water and Power Syed Naveed Qamar, Baloch leaders Mir Hasil Bizenjo and Dr.Ishaq Baloch. Delineating upon the bounty of natural resources and nature of different mining and exploration agreements, most speakersagreedthat solution to the competing interests of all the stakeholders in Balochistan development is key to unleash the natural resources– potential of the province. The minister for Water and Power Syed Naveed Qamar said that Pakistanis should either we should trust foreign investors or wait for generations until the country develops indigenous expertise exploit the vast natural resources, federal Minister for Water and Power Syed Naveed Qamar warned Thursday. The minister issued this warning at a public seminar titled 'Potential of Natural Resources and the Politics of Agreements in Balochistan', organized by the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS). Mr.Qamar acknowledged the existence of 'deeply embedded mistrust among foreign investors, federal government and provincial government,' and said until this mistrust is removed it would be very difficult to exploit the wealth of natural resources. As of now Pakistan cannot do this on its own and thus required foreign services and state of the art technology.'Historically we have not been in good terms with foreign investors on our land, and consequently this mistrust has also held back development.' The Minister made clear that we have two options right now: 'Either we should...

"Potential of Natural Resources and the Politics of Agreements in Balochistan"

Islamabad: As part of its campaign to highlight socio-political and economic issues of the poorest and volatile southwestern Balochistan province, the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) organised a public seminar titled 'Potential of Natural Resources and the Politics of Agreements in Balochistan' on October 20th. It was the latest inthe series of public advocacy on BalochistanRights' Package. Prominent TV anchor Dr.Moeed Peerzada moderated the event, which was attended by inter alia by the federal Minister for Water and Power Syed Naveed Qamar, Baloch leaders Mir Hasil Bizenjo and Dr.Ishaq Baloch. Delineating upon the bounty of natural resources and nature of different mining and exploration agreements, most speakersagreedthat solution to the competing interests of all the stakeholders in Balochistan development is key to unleash the natural resources– potential of the province. The minister for Water and Power Syed Naveed Qamar said that Pakistanis should either we should trust foreign investors or wait for generations until the country develops indigenous expertise exploit the vast natural resources, federal Minister for Water and Power Syed Naveed Qamar warned Thursday. The minister issued this warning at a public seminar titled 'Potential of Natural Resources and the Politics of Agreements in Balochistan', organized by the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS). Mr.Qamar acknowledged the existence of 'deeply embedded mistrust among foreign investors, federal government and provincial government,' and said until this mistrust is removed it would be very difficult to exploit the wealth of natural resources. As of now Pakistan cannot do this on its own and thus required foreign services and state of the art technology.'Historically we have not been in good terms with foreign investors on our land, and consequently this mistrust has also held back development.' The Minister made clear that we have two options right now: 'Either we should...

"Potential of Natural Resources and the Politics of Agreements in Balochistan"

Islamabad: As part of its campaign to highlight socio-political and economic issues of the poorest and volatile southwestern Balochistan province, the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) organised a public seminar titled 'Potential of Natural Resources and the Politics of Agreements in Balochistan' on October 20th. It was the latest inthe series of public advocacy on BalochistanRights' Package. Prominent TV anchor Dr.Moeed Peerzada moderated the event, which was attended by inter alia by the federal Minister for Water and Power Syed Naveed Qamar, Baloch leaders Mir Hasil Bizenjo and Dr.Ishaq Baloch. Delineating upon the bounty of natural resources and nature of different mining and exploration agreements, most speakersagreedthat solution to the competing interests of all the stakeholders in Balochistan development is key to unleash the natural resources– potential of the province. The minister for Water and Power Syed Naveed Qamar said that Pakistanis should either we should trust foreign investors or wait for generations until the country develops indigenous expertise exploit the vast natural resources, federal Minister for Water and Power Syed Naveed Qamar warned Thursday. The minister issued this warning at a public seminar titled 'Potential of Natural Resources and the Politics of Agreements in Balochistan', organized by the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS). Mr.Qamar acknowledged the existence of 'deeply embedded mistrust among foreign investors, federal government and provincial government,' and said until this mistrust is removed it would be very difficult to exploit the wealth of natural resources. As of now Pakistan cannot do this on its own and thus required foreign services and state of the art technology.'Historically we have not been in good terms with foreign investors on our land, and consequently this mistrust has also held back development.' The Minister made clear that we have two options right now: 'Either we should...

Problems Lie Within!

The recent outburst from US defence heads, calling the Haqqani Network averitable arm of the ISI (Inter Services Intelligence), has badly hit the loosely balanced US-Pak relations.A major portion of military aid for Pakistan has been suspended amid growing concerns over the military role in supporting the terrorist outfits operating in Afghanistan[i]. Diplomatic ties are on an all time low whereas a large number of US security officials have been sent packing. These relations have seen many highs and lows since the inception of Pakistan, with the then Prime Minister Liaqat Ali Khan, preferring to befriend USA instead of India or USSR. The dictator eras of President Ayub Khan (1958-1969), General Ziaul Haq (1978-1988) and General Pervez Musharrraf(1999-2008) witnessed brief revivals of ties with US, primarily on strategic considerations, but these revivals proved to be short-lived. There has been much debate, both nationally and internationally, over the ongoing developments among both countries in recent times. The mellow-tone foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar, also came in defence of her country by stating that Pakistan would comply with every US demand[ii]. Although tension was diffused, with statements in support of Pakistan and its role in War against Terror, yet more needs to be done reestablish the lost trust in relations. The unity displayed by the political parties of Pakistan in the All Parties Conference (APC), held on 29th of September to discuss the national security situation in wake of US allegations, was also instrumental in sending across a strong message. The country witnessed a positive development through this conference with the opposition leaders, particularly Nawaz Sharif ´ Chairman PML - N, openly questioning the army and doubting its role in the war on terror[iii]. Even though the right wing political parties have for long accused USA for being the root of all evil, mostly for political gains, they never questioned or pointed out the...

Balochistan Weekly Monitor (Oct. 10- Oct. 16, 2011)

In a week when terrorism related violence was at the lowest in the province; nature intervened to balance the equation as according to reports, nine people were killed and five others injured when a portion of a coal mine located in Dasht collapsed on October 13. In sum, the number of dead people stands at 14 during the week. Balochistan provincial minister and chief of the Jalawan tribe, Sardar Sanaullah Zehri narrowly escaped an assassination attempt when the Baloch Liberation Front (BLF) detonated an explosive device near the minister convoy while he was traveling from Kalat to Khuzdar on Friday night, October 15. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani asked militants to shun violence, as the progress of the region lies in peace and amicable settlement of disputes. He assured that Baloch youth will be given appropriate quotas in jobs and relaxation in age in order to address the long held Baloch grievances. Interior Minister Rehman Malik declared on Friday, October 14, that the government is taking all necessary security measures in Balochistan to ensure peace in the province. He blamed banned militant outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) for recent spate of sectarian killings in the province. Human Rights Commission Pakistan (HRCP), in its statement expressed serious concerns over ongoing human rights violations in Balochistan on Saturday, October 15, and urged judiciary and government to take solid measures to address the issue. Week in Review a) Acts of Terrorism/Subversion Two more bullet-riddled dead bodies of Baloch missing persons, including that of a Baloch National Movement (BNM) member, were recovered from Arbab Complex area of Khuzdar district on October 10. The deceased were identified as BNM Vice President of Mashkey, Rashid Ali, and Shafi Mohammad, a resident of Anjira area of Kalat district. According to the details, Shahfi Mohammad was abducted from Karachi in April, 2011, while Rashid Ali was abducted on August 17, 2011 while he was on his way to Karachi....

Balochistan Weekly Monitor (October 03-09, 2011)

As evident by recent back to back events of sectarian killings in the province; Balochistan is rapidly emerging as a sectarian terrorism hotbed. In continuation of this latest trend, 14 Shias belonging to Hazara community were shot dead in Quetta on Tuesday, October 4. In total, 25 people were killed during the week in different acts of violence across the province. Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI), chief Imran Khan and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), leader Altaf Hussain termed the murder of the Hazaras as ¿sectarian terrorism– that needs to be curtailed. Members of the National Assembly, including some from the ruling alliance, demanded the resignations of cabinet members and other senior officials for their failure to curb sectarian killings in Balochistan on Tuesday, October 4. On the other hand, Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged the government of Pakistan to provide protection to the Shia community residing in Balochistan, and hold accountable those responsible for targeted killings. Week in Review a) Acts of Terrorism/Subversion and Abduction In another episode of gruesome killing of Shias in the province, 14 people belonging to the Hazara communitywere gunned down whileseven injured in a firing incident near the western Bypass in Quetta onOctober 4. About 20 people were on board in a bus when unknown gunmen, riding motorcycles, intercepted the bus and sprayed bullets indiscriminately after entering into the bus. No one has claimed responsibility for the incident so far.[1] Moreover, two policemen were among four people killed in separate incidents of violence in Quetta on Wednesday, October 5. According to official sources, unidentified gunmen riding a motorbike assaulted a police van. One officer died on the spot. The injured officers and civilians were shifted to the Bolan Medical Hospital where one officer succumbed to injuries later on. In another incident, gunmen killed two civilians and injured two others in the Brewery Road area. The assailants managed to...

CRSS-AAPK Discussion Forums

Balochistan Rights– Package and the State of Balochistan Economy ISLAMABAD: ISLAMABAD: Poorly governed and extremely under-developed Balochistan requires urgent intervention by the Center to mitigate grievances of the Baloch people. The authority should also move from the para-military forces to the civilians to address simmering political grievances. Underlining the urgency of the situation in Balochistan, speakers at a roundtable discussion forum jointly organized by ActionAid Pakistan (AAPK) and Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), said that an accelerated implementation of the 'Balochistan Rights– Package' could work as the urgently-needed panacea in the province that is currently reeling under ethnic and sectarian violence. Economic infrastructure development accompanied by a political reconciliation process by the federal government must take priority if the Centre is sincere in ending the isolation of the Baloch people. Prominent PPP leader, and former member of parliament, Syeda Abida Hussain blamed the tardy socio-economic progress in Balochistan on 'political and bureaucratic issues which are holding back the province.' We must all join hands to break the politico-bureaucratic hold on Balochistan, she said. Dr Rehana Siddiqui, Director of recently established Centre of Environmental Economics and Climate Change (CEECC) at Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, Islamabad, pointed out that most of the people are caught up in 'bewilderment and are only discussing the outcomes of injustices to Balochistan,' while neglecting the indigenous causes of prevalent sorry state of affairs in the province. Discussing some of the economic indicators, Dr. Siddiqui reminded the participants that Balochistan mining share in GDP declined from 2.7 per cent in 2004 to 2.4 per cent in 2011, while the coal production has dropped by 10.6 %. It is primarily because of the ongoing security instability and political unrest in the province. She said Reko Diq and...

Balochistan Weekly Monitor (Sept. 26-Oct. 2, 2011)

Executive Summary Against the backdrop of last week whooping violence, the week in focus witnessed a fragile lull in violence. An explosion near the Frontier Corps– (FC) fort in Dera Bugti on Monday, September 26 resulted in injuring 10 FC personnel. Balochistan National Party (BNP) leader Abdul Salam was shot dead by unknown gunmen in Khuzdar on Wednesday, September 28. Two armed men riding a motorbike sprayed bullets on Salam vehicle, injuring him and his daughter. Later on, both the victims were rushed to the hospital, where Salam succumbed to his injuries. In sum, five people fell prey to the ongoing spate of violence across the province. The newly appointed head of the commission on missing persons, Justice â”¬Â« Javed Iqbal said on Monday, September 26 that the commission tasked to recover missing persons will also investigate cases of mutilated bodies which have been surfacing in Balochistan. Addressing the lawyers at Balochistan High Court Bar Association, he emphasized that we have to prepare an authentic list of missing persons firstly, since earlier lists also carry the names of those who are jailed or engaged in fighting in Afghanistan. Balochistan High Court criticized on September 27, the provincial home department report regarding last week sectarian attack in Mastung and observed that 'Balochistan government is pushing the province towards destruction and it should clarify its policy.' Meanwhile, Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President, Asma Jehangir said on Wednesday, September 28 that Balochistan situation has been deteriorating since the day security forces were given authority to make decisions for the province. Week in Review a) Acts of Terrorism, Subversion and Abduction At least 10 FC men injured in an explosion near the FC fort in Dera Bugti on Monday, September 26. According to an FC official, acting on a tip-off, FC personnel seized an explosive device near the FC fort in Dera Bugti. 'It went off, injuring 10 personnel. All injured...

Balochistan Weekly Monitor (September 19- 25, 2011)

Two disgustingly atrocious episodes of sectarian violence, reportedly orchestrated by Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) jolted Balochistan this week. On Monday, September 20, a group of armed men attacked a passenger bus carrying Shia pilgrims from Quetta to Iran; killing at least 29 people near Ganjidori area of Mastung, about 30 kilometers southeast of Quetta. Three days later, LeJ militants again attacked a passenger van and killed three people from Hazara community on Sibi Road in Saryab, on the outskirts of Quetta. In total, 36 people were shot dead during this week in different acts of terrorism. Moreover, Chief Minister of Balochistan Nawab Aslam Raisani formulated a committee on Thursday, September 22 to probe the killing of 29 pilgrims in the Ganjidori area of Mastung in a sectarian attack. Afghan intelligence sources blamed the Taliban leadership in Pakistan for the assassination of former Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani. Tajik and Russian diplomatic missions in Pakistan submitted before the National Assembly Standing Committee on Human Rights on September 22 that their citizens who were killed in Kharotabad in May had no criminal record. Week in Review a) Acts of Terrorism/Subversion and Abduction The Shia community in Balochistan suffered a huge loss of lives on Tuesday, September 20, when 29 people were killed in two separate incidents of ostensibly sectarian violence perpetrated by LeJ. Reports suggest that at least 26 people were killed and six others injured in Ganjidori area of Mastung, about 30 kilometers southeast of Quetta, when a group of armed men attacked a passenger bus carrying Shia pilgrims from Quetta to Iran. Hours later, three more people, hailing from the Hazara community, were gunned down near Akhtarabad area of Quetta as their rescue team made its way to the site of the bus attack. The assailants managed to escape.[1] Frontier Corps (FC) seized huge quantity of explosive materials and arrested an accused during a search operation near...

Spiking Sectarian Violence in Balochistan

Balochistan, the area-wise largest and population wise smallest province of Pakistan, embodies great geo-strategic importance not only for the countrybut also for the region. Balochistan shares borders of about 1,200 kilometers with Afghanistan to its northwest and 900 kilometers with Iran to its west. Some 1,129 kilometers of the Persian Gulf MakranCoastare in Balochistan. The geographical location of Balochistan is unique as it is a gateway to South Asia, Middle East and Central Asia. Moreover, home to almost seven million people, Balochistan comprises 44 per cent of Pakistan's total land mass. Mostly deserts and mountains, it is rich in untapped resources such as natural gas, uranium and possibly oil. Some 20 per cent of the area is sparsely populated with nomadic and settled Baloch and Pashtun tribes. Since independence in 1947, there have been intermittent disturbances in Balochistan. These are being variously referred to as Baloch militancy–, ¿insurgency–, sectarian violence, and ¿uprising– or ¿resurgent nationalism–. Ethnic Balochs always demanded greater autonomy and more control over revenues from their gas fields and other mineral resources, whereas Pakistani government in response launched four military operations and the fifth one, that beganin 2003, is in progress, primarily against hardline Baloch separatists operating from hills and remote areas. Sectarian Militancy As Balochi nationalist separatists continue their violence campaign against the government,the province has seen an unusual spoke insectarian violence in recent years. A staggering 30 per cent growth of the religious schools has been recorded in Balochistan between 2002- 2007, when a coalition of religio-political parties and tribal chieftains ruled the province. The majority of these seminariesbelong to the Sunni Deobandi school of thought, and some of them are considered to be the primary source ofsectarian violencethe province. This dimension of newly emerged paradigm of violence has...