Discussion Forum On Balochistan

Hasil Bizenjo said that there is constitutional breakdown and no government exists in Balochistan and ministers sit in Islamabad or Karachi.

Senator Mir Hasil Bizenjo, leader of National Party, has said that NFC Award and 18th Amendment were important developments and would have effect if there was peace but unfortunately the timing coincided with insurgency.

Mir Bizenjo was speaking at a Roundtable Discussion Forum on ‘Balochistan: beyond government claims’, organised by Centre for Research and Security Studies. General (r) Talat Masood, former chairperson of POF, moderated the session.

Senator Bizenjo said that NFC Award and 18th Amendment would ultimately deliver and he was sure it would play role but the existing situation rendered them to a secondary stage.

He said that Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan had not been implemented anywhere. Similarly, he said, missing persons case is also nowhere. He said Federal Government is helpless. Should we empower it, he asked.

He said no insurgency runs on local funds only. In his opinion, it was a low level insurgency and foreign intervention is not that much. He said that the problem is that they have created their own force. Now even IB has got itself involved in Baloch affairs. He said that their (agencies) working is very dangerous and also provided assistance to many. He said that insurgency is only 30 per cent but warlords are involved in every affair whether violence, kidnappings, smuggling or dacoities.

He said that after attacks on settlers, there was migration of people and now you can discover that there is a kidnapping after every tenth Hindu family and major involvement is of these outfits.

Hasil Bizenjo said that there is constitutional breakdown and no government exists in Balochistan and ministers sit in Islamabad or Karachi. He said that Levies force had been converted into employment body instead of a fighting arm. He said that the sum of Rs15 billion being given to FC can be given to Levies to solve the issue.

He appealed for making the next elections as free as possible. Even if 30% better people come, it would be good. Answering a question, he said that issue of greater Balochistan is out of question. He said that Balkanisation takes place in region and not in a country.

Haris Khalique said that many think that it was a liberation struggle going on in Pakistan. He said that Shia-Sunni conflict is also taking place and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi developed in Brahvi areas and killing Hazaras.

Danial Aziz said that many events took place like some development work, NFC Award, 18th Amendment, and control over Gawadar and wondered why things were not better.

Ishaq Baloch from National Party said that all good schools in Balochistan are closed, good teachers migrated and more than 70 per cent students are from private schools who are not Balochis. Dr Ishtiaq Ahmad from Oxford University said the issue in Balochistan is essentially political, and, therefore, can be settled through a credible reconciliation process involving all political stake-holders. The key problem is the absence of dialogue, despite the existence of so many proposals and initiatives for peace in the province.