Peace in Balochistan:

Mengal issues four fresh demands to ensure peace in Balochistan

HOMER BALOCH

ISLAMABAD: Balochistan cannot get peace and stability until the provincial democratic setup is powered on four subjects. This was said by Sardar Akhtar Mengal, chief of Balochistan National Party (Mengal) here on Monday while addressing a seminar on “Peace in Balochistan & the role of Federation” conducted by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI). The event also featured the launch of book “Balochistan: Azadi Sai Subai-Bay-Ikhtiari Tak” by Ahmad Salim. 

Sardar Mengal said it is essential for peace that the power of decision and policy making pertaining to four critical subjects including Kashmir, Balochistan, Afghanistan and foreign affairs is handed over to the democratic set up, for their political solution. Moreover, he said, his six point’s demand is also part of the solutions of Balochistan issue. “The demand was completely ignored by the authorities but it is still not too late for them to consider it”, Mengal added. 

While talking about the violence in Balochistan, he said during the last 25 days, 65 people went missing while 13 mutilated bodies were found from different parts of the province. He said from January to May 2013, 84 people went missing and 79 mutilated bodies were found. “The government should punish the murderers of Nawab Akbar Bugti and Habib Jalib, the IDP’s of Balochistan should be settled in their native areas, the interfere of intelligence agencies should be stopped, and the political parties should be made independent in Balochistan, 

in order to develop peace in the region”, Mengal added. “The problem starts when the government authorities do not admit any operation in the province, nor they take responsibility for the dead bodies found every day”, said Mengal. He said the government and its agencies should either take responsibility for these dead bodies, or at least blame anyone else for the crime. He said no one will negotiate with the authorities until they continued receiving dead bodies. 

He said the Baloch people are not demanding the greenery of Margalla hills or any of the five rivers of Punjab, but the land on which they are living since years and years, and it is their basic right. He further said that the country is not enjoying complete democracy due to the ‘democratic jammers’ installed to the system. He said due to these jammers, it took the election commission 3 to 18 days to announce the results of our constituency in recent elections whereas no one had submitted any application at any forum to delay or stay the results. 

“Although the democratic system is under the instructions of GHQ, we did not lose our patience to support the democracy. But the question is how long we would be able to keep our patience”, said Sardar Mengal. According to Mengal, only the ballot boxes used during the elections were transparent as the results coming from them were not real. 

The other speakers and guests of the seminar were Mr. Jan Achakzai, Spokesperson, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazlur Rehman (JUI-F), Mr. I.A. Rehman, Secretary General, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), Lt. Gen (R) Talat Masood, Senior Political and Defence Analyst and Mr. Ahmad Salim, Senior Advisor, Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI). 

In 2012, Sardar Akhtar Mengal had pre- sented six points for the solutions of Balochistan. His six points demand was, (1) All overt and covert military operations against the Baloch should end; (2) All missing persons should be produced; (3) All proxy death squads created by the ISI and MI should be dis- banded; (4) Baloch nationalist parties should be allowed free political play without interference from ISI and MI; (5) Those responsible for the killings and disappearances should be brought to book; (6) Thousands of Baloch displaced by the conflict should be rehabilitated.