!Get out of
stupor
Mohammad Jamil
Terrorism is stalking the entire land — Balochistan, Sindh,
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab. However, unrest in Balochistan is posing a serious
threat to the state of Pakistan, which needs a political solution. It is indeed
the responsibility of the provincial government to come forward and negotiate
with the dissidents. And at the same time take measures for alleviating abject
poverty and to ensure better life to the people. For this purpose, Balochistan
strategy must be evolved taking all the stake-holders into confidence and
focusing on the core issues disregarding party or personal interests if any.
Nevertheless, all-out efforts have to be made to fight the menace of
terrorism including target killing of settlers in Balochistan. There have been
targeted killings of Punjabi settlers in Balochistan and scores of teachers and
professors have been targeted. Ethnic and Shia-Sunni fracas has shaken the
erstwhile ethnic and sectarian harmony, as criminal gangs backed by the foreign
powers are stoking ethnic and sectarian divisions. The Great Game of the US
strategic map-makers has been in full play in Balochistan province for quite
some time, influential loyalties of some politicians, media men and so-called
intellectuals are being bought.
They are trying to whittle away the nation-state by stirring turmoil
and violence to achieve their evil designs. The ‘Baloch Society of North
America’ is emblematic of the US meddling in Pakistan’s Balochistan province.
Fomenting separatist movements along Pakistan’s western border has been on US
geopolitical drawing board for years. Some palmed-off members of media,
commentriat and politicos present highly exaggerated figures in regard to
missing persons’ case, and our media and intelligentsia join the chorus
orchestrated by international media. The Supreme Court has the prerogative to
hear the complaints from the families of missing persons but remarks such as Frontier
Constabulary is named for every third missing person and the media pointing its
fingers towards the ISI and MI emboldens the terrorists and their backers. It
is in this backdrop that the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or
Involuntary Disappearances will visit Pakistan from September 10 to 20. It is
hoped that it is not a follow up of the Resolution on Balochistan tabled by
Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher in US Congress after a controversial
debate in the sub-committee of American Congress.
They will assess the progress and also study the measures adopted by
Pakistan to prevent and eradicate enforced disappearances, including issues
related to truth, justice and reparation for the victims of enforced
disappearances, said a press release issued on Wednesday. For some time there
has been some paradigm shift in Balochistan politics and youth is not showing
traditional loyalties to sardars. Sardar Ataullah Mengal is on record having
said that the youth do not listen to them anymore. They need to be approached,
guided and supported to enable them to become the new generation of
politicians. It is unfortunate that Baloch MPAs have been misusing the funds
provided to them for development purposes. Political leaders/MPAs were given
huge development funds (Rs. 25 Crores per year each) but failed to spend these
funds on the people of Balochistan. If the Balochistan package and other
development funds were spent on the people of Balochistan, it would have helped
in eliminating the sense of deprivation among the Baloch youth. Anyhow, nobody
in his right sense would allow the miscreants or dissidents to challenge the
writ of the state.
Unfortunately, many terrorists that were arrested for heinous acts were
acquitted by the courts due to lacunae in the law, as either the witnesses
backed out as they were too scared to risk the wrath of the militant
organizations. The judges of anti-terrorist courts were threatened of dire
consequences if they gave verdict against the terrorists. Our media in general
and some analysts in particular blame the military and intelligence for not
decimating the militants throughout Pakistan. It should be borne in mind that
the military and intelligence agencies cannot fight terrorists everywhere
especially congested localities in the urban areas. Their primary function is
to safeguard the frontiers of the country, and take on the militants in an open
or a difficult terrain like Waziristan where foreign terrorists are also
active. On the other hand, urban terrorism is fought out primarily by the
civilian administrations and their security apparatuses everywhere the world
over. And so it has to be done here in this land, too. Why police, CID and IB
are not being questions, as the terrorists move along in vehicles with
explosives and other weapons on the roads where police has established check
posts and barricades, and still remain undetected.
Through these pages we have been reminding that missing persons’ case
is very complicated one. It has in fact many dimensions, as ‘players’ from the
regional countries and beyond are active in Balochistan. Major General
Obaidullah Khattak, the FC chief, said the issue of law and order and missing
persons should be seen in a broad prospective because restoring peace and order
was a joint responsibility of all institutions, adding that the force was
rendering sacrifices for restoring peace and making efforts to recover the
missing persons. “Fifty per cent of the attacks were directed against my force
and it is not possible for any other institution to face the danger we are
facing.” There is a perception that anti-terror courts out of fear have been
looking for a point whereby they could acquit the terrorists. Having that said,
the ruling parties, opposition parties, judiciary and all organs of the state
should get out of stupor and must reach consensus on elimination of terrorism.
The federal cabinet on Wednesday passed the “Investigation for Fair Trial Bill,
2012”. If passed by the parliament in its present shape, it will allow
investigation by modern techniques and devices and authorise the state to tap
people’s phone calls and intercept all other private communications in order to
catch terrorists.
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