Talking to journalists on Wednesday, Balochistan Governor Zulfiqar Ali Magsi said that he does not see any progress on the talks with the "angry Baloch people" who, he averred, are engaged in a struggle for their rights. Had any progress been made, he added, the situation in the province would have been much better.
As if to endorse his assertions, three rockets landed in Quetta on Wednesday, killing four people, including a police inspector, and injuring 18 others. In what appeared to be a contradiction of sorts, the governor went on to express concern over an increase in kidnappings, even of judges, lawyers and women, saying that "law and order is a provincial subject and the Balochistan government can best explain the situation", and further that "we should wait for the next elections so that a new leadership comes and makes efforts to normalise the situation."
The kidnappings may be the handiwork of criminal elements, but what makes them easily possible is the prevailing political atmosphere in the province. Governor Magsi as well as Chief Minister Aslam Raisani had, on earlier occasions, expressed extreme frustration over their inability to address the Baloch grievances. They have been accusing the powers-that-be of refusing to listen to them.
The fact of the matter is that what is going on in Balochistan is an insurgency, which the provincial government - this one or the one the next elections produce - cannot handle on its own. As we have been pointing out in these columns before, the old Baloch grievances have now been overtaken by two important issues and demands: one, the recovery of the disappeared; and two, the removal of the FC checkposts from certain areas. Both lie beyond the provincial government's authority.
This is obvious from Raisani's, and indeed Magsi's, repeated public pleas. The CM had told journalists about three months ago that if the federal government gave him the mandate, he could hold meaningful talks with the "angry Baloch brothers" to bring them into the mainstream. It is reasonable to assume that he did not get the mandate, hence the lack of progress in the talks.
The powers-that-be seem to think that the only way to deal with the Balochistan situation is use of force - all the more so considering that the ubiquitous foreign hand is involved in fomenting trouble in that restive province. But on-the-ground reality shows it has the opposite effect. Even the normally pro-federation parties stand by the side of the nationalists and separatists on the two aforementioned issues.
In any case, lessons of history suggest political problems, no matter how difficult and complex, can best be settled through political means. What Balochistan needs is a cessation of military action and the beginning of sincere discussions with the angry Baloch brothers. Once the brothers resolve the disputes between themselves, outsiders will be able to do little to cause trouble and hurt this country.