Implementing Balochistan Package

Implementing Balochistan Package

In order to address the Balochistan imbroglio on a permanent basis, the government launched the "Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan package" duly approved in the joint sitting of parliament. Although, the package is unlikely to resolve all outstanding issues of Balochistan, it promises a better tomorrow for the people of Balochistan.

The salient features of the package are (1) release of political prisoners facing no terror case, (2) expeditious recovery of missing persons, (3) stopping the construction of new cantonments in Balochistan, (4) withdrawing army from the Sui, (5) the basis of National Finance Commission (NFC) Award will on the size, revenue generation and backwardness of the province, (6) necessary constitutional amendments to strengthen provincial autonomy as demanded by Balochistan and other smaller provinces, as well as abolition of the Concurrent List, (7) initiation of a judicial inquiry into the killings of Nawab Akbar Bugti and other Baloch leaders, (8) end to all operations except anti-terror actions, (9) payment of royalty to the province (Rs120 billion) on the Gas Development Surcharge from 1954 through 1991 in 12 years, (10) a judicial inquiry into the allotment of land in Gwadar to accommodate the local population. Besides, a free economic zone will be established in this port city and all jobs will be offered to the local population. The chief minister will be the ex-officio chairperson of the Gwadar Development Authority. (11) There will be a special development package for the Sui area where 5,000 additional provincial cadre jobs will be created, (12) the province will be able to purchase up to 20 per cent of the shares of the PPL, the OGDCL and the Sui Southern when offered on the open market, (13) the Saindak project would be exclusively handed over to the province, (14) Rs1 billion will be spent on the rehabilitation of IDPs from Dera Bugti.

So far, so good. The missing link in the package is that the much-needed reforms have not been implemented in letter and spirit. The recommendations of both the committees (Shujaat Hussain and Mushahid Committee) so constituted in 2006 to improve the life style of the common people of the area were not implemented. Despite repeated promises, all the successive governments remained unresponsive to the need for improving the politico-economic conditions of Balochistan. This, in turn, instigated the marginalized Baloch people to stand up against Islamabad's indifference over the past 64 years.

In retrospect, the stand-off in Balochistan is essentially about three issues. First, Baloch have grievances against the federal government about the exploitation of their natural resources, particularly Sui gas, without adequate compensation and unfairly low share in the award of National Finance Commission. Second, the Baloch people fear that mega projects, in particular the Gwadar port city, would invite an influx of population from other provinces thus reducing them to a minority at some stage. They also complain of injustice in the grant of employment and fear that the benefits of the mega projects would go to the outsiders. Third, building of cantonments in the three most sensitive areas of Balochistan: Sui, with its gas-producing installations; Gwadar with its port; and Kohlu, the "capital" of the Marri tribe. The tribal chiefs exhorted the common people to stand up against the so-called coercive policies of the government.

Nonetheless, the present government has resolved to remove the grievances and bring Balochistan