Daily Times

In a welcome move, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has taken steps to be more inclusive of those who represent mainstream Pakistani politics. The ECP has reached out to Baloch leaders in an attempt to make them feel less disgruntled about the upcoming elections. The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Mr Fakhruddin G Ebrahim met the Baloch political parties and seemed satisfied that “almost all” were willing to participate in the upcoming elections. President of the Baloch National Party (BNP), Akhtar Mengal, has also said that he will be a part of the upcoming elections, although this has little to do with the ECP as Mengal’s intentions were clear before the CEC’s outreach to the Baloch leaders. It is extremely reassuring to see the CEC make the effort of bringing the leaders of the most neglected and volatile province to the fore and to welcome them as major players in the upcoming milestone elections. However, one cannot help but notice that almost all the parties the CEC speaks of are those that are already part of parliament. These are the moderate nationalist parties that have, at one time or the other, supported the government and the centre. To have representatives give their reassurances, while laudable, really does not solve the larger political problem in Balochistan: the anger and frustration that is felt by those parties and individuals not reached out to in the province. The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), the Bugtis and others who are waging a nationalist war against the discriminatory policies of the establishment and the state. It is these parties, insurgents and political individuals who need to be addressed. They have vowed not to accept the upcoming elections and so the task at hand is not to make them active participants — for that is a long time coming — but to at least make them comfortable with the prospect of the elections and the importance of their sentiments and stance by those who are in charge of seeing this election run smoothly. It will not do to reach out to and persuade those parties already semi-aligned with the government and the electoral process; what is needed is for the ECP to reach out to all those concerned, even if they are on the fringe and yet significant.

Balochistan is a province beset by violence and blatant violation of human rights. It is a place where people go missing and their bodies are found tortured and dumped in broad daylight as brutal reminders of the battle being waged in the province. It is a place where the citizens look at the military establishment with open suspicion and accusation for these murders. The FC has long been accused of being behind this kill and dump policy but this has not stopped the reign of terror in the province. Amidst all this mayhem, the ECP looks towards Baloch leaders for participation. It is suggested that the ECP go a step further and do whatever is in its power to ensure that the elections taking place in Balochistan do so with the tightest of security arrangements, otherwise this extension of friendship to Baloch leaders will have been a waste of time. That means reining in the military and asking it and the FC to take a breather from all those activities that cast it in a bad light in the province. If reasonably creditable elections are to be held in Balochistan, all those players who have a hand in the battle being fought need to be dealt with in a very wise, very practical manner: the security agencies need to be told to desist and the angry nationalists need to be brought to the table. Until all participants are reached out to, elections in Balochistan will be far from credible. *