Violence, sectarianism & terrorism: government refutes HRCP report on migration from Balochistan

The government on Wednesday rebuffed a Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) report on the migration of 300,000 people from Balochistan in the wake of violence, terrorism and sectarian clashes. Responding to a calling attention notice moved by Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho and others regarding migration of 300,000 people from Balochistan, Parliamentary Secretary for Interior Maryam Aurangzeb informed the National Assembly only 5,000 people, mainly Punjabi settlers, migrated from Balochistan in 2006.
Ms Maryam said that the people started migration from Balochistan after murder of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti but the HRCP figure of 300,000 people was not correct. She said the federal government has set up an intelligence directorate to keep a vibrant liaison with the provinces and gather relevant data on different issues, including terrorism and militancy.
"According to authorities of Balochistan, only 5,000 people have migrated to other parts of the country so far," she said. Taking part in the debate, PPP member Imran Zafar Leghari said that he personally knew people who had migrated from Balochistan; therefore the government should not try to downplay the crisis.
Another PPP member, Ijaz Jakhrani, said the Hazara community was being badly treated in the province and they were migrating to safer places. "The federal government should provide the House members with correct data on the migration," he said, adding that the government should hold census across Pakistan to ascertain exact number of population. Federal Minister for States and Frontier Regions Abdul Qadir Baloch also rejected the mass exodus of people from Balochistan, saying the figure is totally exaggerated.
"It is dangerous to associate the figure with a specific ethnicity in Balochistan," he said, admitting that Punjabi and Urdu- speaking people have been targeted in the province but there is no exodus taking place. Baloch said the total population of the Quetta city was less than 300,000 people; therefore the migration of such a large number of people from the province is not on merit.
"We condemn the killings and acts of violence in the province but the number of migration needs to be reviewed," he said. To another calling attention notice regarding lack of proper arrangements for medical check up to diagnose the tuberculosis in TB hospital Rawalpindi, State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Sheikh Aftab said the total number of doctors in the hospital should be six but it was three. "We will try our best to provide medicines to TB patients and fill vacant seats of doctors as well," he said. The government is struggling to improve performance of all public sector institutions to provide relief to common the man, he said.