PPP apologises to Balochistan for ‘excesses’: Pledge of maximum provincial autonomy

By Raja Asghar


ISLAMABAD, Feb 24: Buoyed by likely support from newly elected independents, the Pakistan People’s Party on Sunday seemed eyeing both power and peace in the troubled province of Balochistan, where it did not emerge as the largest party in the Feb 18 election.

The party is already sure of leading the next federal government with the Pakistan Muslim League-N and the Sindh provincial government, and sharing a PML-N -led government in Punjab and an ANP-led coalition in the NWFP.

A lead role in Balochistan —which a key party leader from the province called a “100 per cent possibility” — will give the PPP a rare position of controlling not only the centre but also sharing power in all the four provinces.

As some party circles predicted this possibility, the would-be national ruling party showed an olive branch to nationalists and dissidents in Balochistan by offering an apology for “the atrocities and injustices committed” in the province in the past and calling for an immediate halt to the ongoing military operation there and release of all political prisoners, including former chief minister Akhtar Mengal.

It seemed a major gesture for peace in the country’s largest but least populated province, which has gone through an insurgency for more than two years mainly over demands for more provincial autonomy and a greater control over natural resources.

A resolution passed by a meeting of the PPP provincial parliamentary party held in Islamabad and chaired by co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari said: “The PPP, on behalf of the people of Pakistan, apologises to the people of the province of Balochistan for the atrocities and injustices committed against them and pledges to embark on a new highway of healing and mutual respect.”

In other resolutions, the party pledged to “work to give maximum provincial autonomy to the provinces in the framework” of the 1973 Constitution, and demanded deployment of traditional local levies instead of police in Balochistan.

The move was in line with a recent statement by Mr Zardari that the party would like to talk even to people “who have gone to mountains” (to fight) in search of a national reconciliation and the thinking of assassinated PPP leader Benazir Bhutto who had specially gone to Balochistan after her return home from self-exile to offer condolences over the killing of former provincial governor Akbar Khan Bugti in a military operation in August 2006.

NUMBERS’ GAME: Though routed in the rest of the country, the former ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML), also known as PML-Q, emerged as the largest single group in the Balochistan assembly with 18 of 51 general seats of the 65-member house in the polls, compared to seven each won by the PPP and the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal and 11 independents with the remaining seven seats shared by smaller groups.

But the PML-Q has so far appeared unable to woo either independents or even its two allies in the previous ruling coalition – the MMA and five-seat Balochistan National Party-Awami.

Asked about the possibility of a PPP-led coalition in Balochistan, PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar said “some people” had proposed such an arrangement but no such plan was on the anvil.

But PPP vice-president from Balochistan Mir Baz Khetran told Dawn his party was sure of putting together a majority coalition with the help of independents and other groups.

“It is a 100 per cent possibility,” he said, estimating that as many as 30 assembly members could join the arrangement while 11 reserved seats for women and three for non-Muslim minorities were yet to be allocated to the parties in proportion to their general seats.

Citing party’s contacts with other groups, he said most of the 11 independents – possibly 10 – could join hands with the PPP besides seven members of the MMA, or JUI-F, five of the BNP-A, two of the ANP and one from the National Party.

He said even most PML-Q members were hardly expected to stick to their party in a province where traditionally tribal considerations have been supreme over party loyalties.

While one National Assembly member elected as an independent from Balochistan, Mir Humayun Aziz Kurd, and one from Punjab, Humair Hayat Rokri, reportedly joined the PPP on Sunday, there was no announcement yet from independents elected to the Balochistan assembly.