Sir: The May 11, 2013 elections gave hope to the people of Balochistan. Right after the elections it seemed as if the newly elected parties would solve all the issues faced by the province and would bring the angry Baloch leadership to the dialogue table. However, with each passing day, the situation is getting worse. The angry Baloch leadership also refused to talk to the government. Hence, the scenario is becoming volatile. Now, after almost two and a half months, the Balochistan government is still in search of a cabinet. Chief Minister Dr Malik and Mr Sanaullah Zehri are the only two persons who are representing the cabinet. A province without peace is also searching for its cabinet. Although the people of Balochistan have been facing this kind of situation since 2006, this cabinet-less scenario is new for even them.
After the Ziarat residency incident and the attack on the police lines in Quetta, where a number of highly ranked police officers were martyred, a number of questions have been raised regarding the performance of the security forces. However, no one is questioning the defective functionality of the Balochistan government. It is our luck that Balochistan is not geographically located away from Pakistan like East Pakistan; otherwise the story would have been different. The ruling party the PML-N, which is also a shareholder in the provincial government of Balochistan, should take some measures to settle the issues in Balochistan. The so-called politics of reconciliation are not always the better solution. Although the PML-N has stepped back from its many promises like ending load shedding, it should not step back from the promise of bringing peace to Balochistan because the prosperity of Balochistan is linked to the prosperity of Pakistan. The political elite should remember the fact that they need a geographic country to rule. What will they rule if they lose yet another part of this country?
HASSAM WAHEED
Lahore