sparklingway
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Rethink needed
Dawn Editorial
Monday, 17 May, 2010
At its core, the Balochistan problem remains an issue of an enormous trust deficit. Photo by Reuters
The comments made by former COAS Waheed Kakar at a seminar organised by the Friends of the Baloch and Balochistan on Saturday ought to stir some soul-searching in the Pakistan Army high command.
From expressing concern over the plight of the missing persons to the warm remarks about the character and leadership of the slain Akbar Bugti, Gen Kakar struck a sensible tone on the problems in Balochistan and, implicitly, criticised the army for its approach towards the restive province since the time of Gen Musharraf. So much has gone wrong in Balochistan over the last few years that bringing peace to the province will be a very complex matter, requiring changes big and small across a range of issues. But there is a sense that even at this late stage, some first principles need to be revisited.
It is relatively clear that the army does not get Balochistan. While it recognises that there are problems in the province, the army seems to regard them as India-driven. True, few seriously doubt the possibility of Indian interference any more, but to an extent that misses the point. Is the trouble in Balochistan inspired by India or is India stirring a pot of the Pakistan states own making? To outside, non-army observers, it seems clear it is the latter. But so long as the army seems to cling to the former, India-centric explanation, peace in the province will never be had. A flawed diagnosis cannot lead to a successful solution and in the case of Balochistan it continues to poison any semblance of trust between the two sides.
Of course, the other side must shoulder some of the blame too. The secessionist forces in Balochistan have carried out a campaign of target killings and other acts designed to fan ethnic/provincial tensions. Clearly, the central demand of the secessionists cannot be met: the geographical boundaries of Pakistan proper cannot be put up for negotiation.
Mainstream Baloch leaders need to play their part to rein in the extremists and must not simply shrug off their role. At its core, the Balochistan problem remains an issue of an enormous trust deficit. Measures such as the Balochistan package announced by the federal government and more provincial autonomy via the 18th Amendment will only work if the protagonists abandon some of their deepest suspicions about each other.
Dawn Editorial
Monday, 17 May, 2010
At its core, the Balochistan problem remains an issue of an enormous trust deficit. Photo by Reuters
The comments made by former COAS Waheed Kakar at a seminar organised by the Friends of the Baloch and Balochistan on Saturday ought to stir some soul-searching in the Pakistan Army high command.
From expressing concern over the plight of the missing persons to the warm remarks about the character and leadership of the slain Akbar Bugti, Gen Kakar struck a sensible tone on the problems in Balochistan and, implicitly, criticised the army for its approach towards the restive province since the time of Gen Musharraf. So much has gone wrong in Balochistan over the last few years that bringing peace to the province will be a very complex matter, requiring changes big and small across a range of issues. But there is a sense that even at this late stage, some first principles need to be revisited.
It is relatively clear that the army does not get Balochistan. While it recognises that there are problems in the province, the army seems to regard them as India-driven. True, few seriously doubt the possibility of Indian interference any more, but to an extent that misses the point. Is the trouble in Balochistan inspired by India or is India stirring a pot of the Pakistan states own making? To outside, non-army observers, it seems clear it is the latter. But so long as the army seems to cling to the former, India-centric explanation, peace in the province will never be had. A flawed diagnosis cannot lead to a successful solution and in the case of Balochistan it continues to poison any semblance of trust between the two sides.
Of course, the other side must shoulder some of the blame too. The secessionist forces in Balochistan have carried out a campaign of target killings and other acts designed to fan ethnic/provincial tensions. Clearly, the central demand of the secessionists cannot be met: the geographical boundaries of Pakistan proper cannot be put up for negotiation.
Mainstream Baloch leaders need to play their part to rein in the extremists and must not simply shrug off their role. At its core, the Balochistan problem remains an issue of an enormous trust deficit. Measures such as the Balochistan package announced by the federal government and more provincial autonomy via the 18th Amendment will only work if the protagonists abandon some of their deepest suspicions about each other.
