ISLAMABAD: What can be assumed as turning point in Balochistan separatist movement, a known rebel has agreed to return provided civil and military establishment fulfill his some seemingly acceptable conditions. Sources told Daily Times Barahamdagh Bugti, the grandson of late Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, expressed his willingness to return and shun the separatist movement. He even assured the interlocutors that he would use his influence to woo other separatists including Harbiyar Marri. Last year, the angry Baloch leader held a one-on-one meeting with the then chief minister Dr Abdul Malik and told him to convey his message to those who had final say in Balochistan affairs. Sources said the meeting with Bugti was arranged by a senior parliamentarian who hails from the National Party. The chief minister who was en route to London to meet Khan of Kalat took a quick tour to Zurich to hold what was the very first contact between Bugti and a high-profile government functionary. Bugti left Pakistan after the death of his grandfather in a military operation in August 2006. Nawaz Akbar Bugti had challenged military dictator General Pervez Musharraf. The meeting between Dr Malik and Bugti was a pleasant experience for the former, since there was a general impression that Bugti would never agree to return after shunning the separatist movement he leads. Sources said Bugti demanded withdrawal of some ‘controversial’ cases against him. Bugti told Dr Malik that he did not want official security upon his return to Pakistan as his tribe was ‘well-equipped’ to protect its sardar. However, he wanted uninterrupted access to his native town and free movement throughout Balochistan. Sources said Dr Malik narrated the details of that meeting to the prime minister and Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif. Both were optimistic and positive that bringing an important rebel tribal leader would weaken the separatist movement and frustrate anti-Pakistan schemes, being hatched by a couple of neighbouring countries. Bugti also promised to exert pressure on Harbiyar Marri, who is known for colluding with Indian intelligence agency RAW and has been reportedly seen in India meeting with the Indian agents. The former chief minister confirmed he held fruitful discussions with Bugti but refused to share the details. “I cannot elaborate what transpired in the meeting. However, I told everything to the prime minster and army chief,” he told Daily Times. In December 2015, Dr Malik’s tenure as the chief minister ended under the Murree Accord. Under the agreement, both the National Party and the PML-N were to rule the province for two and a half years each. Some analysts claimed such efforts by Dr Malik at the end of his tenure was an attempt to annul Murree Accord and convince the prime minister that he must continue as the chief minister till 2018. The prime minister had his own political compulsions. He could not afford to annoy Nawab Sanaullah Zehri, who was to succeed Dr Malik under the deal. Eventually, Dr Malik had to step down and the process of negotiation with self-exiled Baloch leaders once again landed in the cold storage. Anwarullah Kakar, spokesman of Balochistan government, dismissed the optimism emerged after Dr Malik’s meeting with the Baloch rebel. He said a lot of politics was played on the matter to safeguard personal interests. “If Brahamdagh agrees on a ceasefire, would Harbiyar follow? And if Harbiyar agrees to lay down arms, would Zamran follow? It is very complicated as we are dealing with multiple groups with their own grievances and ideologies,” he observed. He claimed self-exiled Baloch rebels had dozens of FIRs registered against them for killing thousands of people. “Could all of those be withdrawn with a stroke of pen?” he questioned. He said allowing Brahamdagh Bugti to return and manage his own security would mean allowing him maintain his own armed militia. Kakar said the agents of RAW should never be allowed to negotiate with the state of Pakistan. He conceded since Nawab Zehri succeeded Dr Malik, there had been zero progress on so-called peace talks with Baloch rebels. “The former government was playing politics so as we,” he stated without mincing words.