ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan Wednesday formally initiated a process to open dialogue with the estranged Baloch insurgents by appointing Jamhoori Watan Party chief and MNA Nawabzada Shah Zain Bugti as Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Reconciliation and Harmony in Balochistan.
According to a notification issued, Bugti would enjoy the status of a federal minister.
Interestingly, as the notification came to the fore, a statement by Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal went viral as he opposed the decision to open a dialogue with the estranged Baloch leaders.
In a statement published in mainstream newspapers of Quetta, Jam Kamal said that the Baloch elements working on foreign agenda would never be happy and they would keep destabilizing the situation in the Balochistan province. He said that Imran Khan’s focus were those people living either inside Balochistan or abroad who were unhappy as Balochistan did not serve their purpose.
“The Prime Minister […] has been pleased to appoint Nawabzada Shahzain Bugti MNA, as Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Reconciliation and Harmony in Balochistan, with immediate effect. He shall hold the status of Federal Minister,” a notification from the Cabinet Division said.
The appointment comes on the heels of the government working on holding talks with “disgruntled Baloch leaders who are not associated with India.
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry, a day earlier, had said Balochistan would soon be a “cradle of peace” in the country, adding that those involved in Lahore’s Johar Town blast — who the government earlier said have links with India — have been arrested by authorities.
PM Imran Khan, two days back, had said he was mulling over speaking to the insurgents in Balochistan, as the situation in the province had changed, and Pakistan was moving towards a better future.
BUGTI LACKS POLITICAL CLOUT
Sana Baloch, a seasoned Baloch nationalist leader and the parliamentary leader of Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) in Balochistan Assembly, told Pakistan Today that Shah Zain Bugti was neither part of the solution nor a part of the problem. He said that Shah Zain Bugti simply lacked the political clout and purpose required for a huge task of the reconciliation process in Balochistan.
“To be honest, it is a good omen that Prime Minister Imran Khan has adjusted Shah Zain but frankly he can’t play a huge role in the reconciliation process in Balochistan,” he added.
When asked to elaborate, Sana Baloch said that if Prime Minister really means business, he should have engaged people who carry a neutral image and who have legitimacy and are politically influential.
Asked who was he referring to, Sana Baloch said that political heavyweights like Akhtar Jan Mengal should be engaged.
“Then the PM must also give powers to them. One must know the agenda and Terms of Reference for a meaningful engagement. Then reconciliation could succeed,” he asserted.
Shah Zain is a part of the problem, not part of the solution.
Fida Hussain Dashti, Finance Secretary of National Party said that the appointment of Shah Zain Bugti was another controversy and this reflects that people in Islamabad have little or no understanding of the complex issue of Balochistan. Else, he said, if Prime Minister Imran Khan is serious in resolving the tiff, he is not being given sincere advice.
“One must not forget the fact that Dr Malik Baloch had reached out to the estranged Baloch leaders and there had been a breakthrough. Even Brahamdagh Bugti had issued a positive statement about talks. But then things went wrong and dialogue could not succeed,” he said.
He said that Shah Zain Bugti was a ‘political novice’ and he would never be willing that Brahamdagh Bugti would return and join the mainstream as both the cousins have a claim on the leadership of the Bugti tribe.
Shah Zain Bugti would also not be acceptable for senior Baloch leaders like Khan of Kalat, Javed Mengal, Hairbyar Marri and others. It would have been better if Imran Khan would have formed a committee led by his own party president Sardar Yar Mohammad Rind and include in it the top Baloch chieftains. It would have worked,” he asserted.
Asked if Khan had formed a tribal jirga (called Mairh in Balochi), Dashti said it would be an ideal decision. He said that Dr Malik Baloch or any senior Baloch politician could have been given the task to lead a bipartisan jirga to reach out to estranged Baloch leaders.
شاہ زین بگٹی کی تقرری سے یوں لگتا ہے اسلام آباد اب تک بلوچستان کے مسئلے کو سمجھ نہیں پایا ہےشاہ زین بگٹی کی بلوچستان کے سنجیدہ حلقوں میی کوئی اہمیت نہیں اور نا کوئی شازین بگٹی سے مذاکرات کیلئے تیار ہوگا