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‘National moot to solve Balochistan’s problems’
Friday, October 24, 2008
ISLAMABAD: A national conference could be convened to solve the problems of Balochistan, as it was President Asif Ali Zardari’s first priority, Senator Dr
Babar Awan said on Thursday. Awan was addressing a press conference at the Supreme Court. He said that Zardari had directed the ‘Reconciliatory
Committee’ to start working to solve Balochistan’s problems. Awan said that he was proud of the government passing a unanimous 14-point resolution.
He stated that Zardari had told him and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Balochistan President Lashkari Raisani that the committee for Balochistan
should speed up the process of reaching a consensus. He said that the PPP had set an example by releasing political prisoners and withdrawing all
cases against Balochistan’s politicians. online
Courtesy Daily Times
President meets Senators, discusses Balochistan
ISLAMABAD, Oct 24 (APP): Senator Raza Rabbani, leader of House in Senate, Senator Dr Babar Awan and Sardar Lashkari Raisani called on President
Asif Ali Zardari on Friday. They discussed matters pertaining to Baluchistan, a press release said.
http://thepakistaninewspaper.com/news_detail.php?id=12207
Zardari calls for innovative solutions for energy shortage
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday stressed the need for innovative and out of box solutions to increase oil and gas production in the
country for meeting the growing energy needs. During a briefing in the Presidency on the petroleum issues he called for stepping up oil and gas
exploration. He said that economy could not be sustained without energy adding, “there is a pressing need for multiplying domestic energy production.”
He said that energy security, like food security, was critical in the modern day world and called for devising a comprehensive energy security plan. He
said that an effective energy security plan also involved dialogue at the regional level for cooperation in the filed of energy. The President said that the
government had also planned to hold dialogue with the stake holders in Balochistan to bring peace so that the oil and exploration and development
activities in the province could be carried out without hindrance. He also called for carrying out aerial surveys for exploration of oil and gas.
President said Chinese political leadership was keen to assist Pakistan in all developmental activities.
http://www.pakistanlink.com/Headlines/Oct08/23/04.htm
Zardari calls for innovative solutions to meet energy needs
RECORDER REPORT
ISLAMABAD (October 23 2008): President Asif Ali Zardari has stressed the need for innovative and out of box solutions to increase oil and gas production
in the country for meeting the growing energy needs. He said this during a briefing at the Presidency on petroleum issues on Wednesday. He said that
national economy could not be sustained without energy.
He said that energy security, like food security, was critical in the modern-day world, and called for devising a comprehensive energy security plan. He
said that an effective energy security plan also involved dialogue at the regional level for co-operation in the field of energy.
The President added that the government had also planned to hold dialogue with the stake holders in Balochistan to bring peace, so that the oil and
exploration and development activities in the province could be carried out without hindrance. He also called for carrying out aerial surveys for
exploration of oil and gas.
He said that during his visit to China he found the Chinese political leadership keen to assist Pakistan in all developmental activities. He called upon the
relevant officials to develop new models of private public partnership in the oil and gas sector with the Chinese entrepreneurs. The meeting was
attended by G A Sabri, Secretary, Petroleum and Natural Resources, OGDC Chairman Farooq Rahmatullah, PPL Managing Director Khalid Rehman,
and ARL Chairman Shoaib Malik.
http://www.brecorder.com/index.php?id=824989&currPageNo=1&query=&search=&term=&supDate=
Balochistan peace must for oil exploration: Zardari
By Our Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD, Oct 22, 2008: President Asif Ali Zardari said on Wednesday that the government would restore peace in Balochistan and make it safe for oil
and gas exploration after holding dialogue with stake holders.
At a briefing on energy crisis and the pace of oil and gas exploration in the province by officials of the ministry of petroleum and natural resources at the
presidency, he said energy security was as much vital for the nation as food security.
Sources in the petroleum ministry told Dawn that the president agreed with views being held by most of exploration companies and officials of the
ministry that without bringing lasting peace to Balochistan, no major increase could be witnessed in exploration and production of oil and gas in the
province.
Mr Zardari, they added, was informed that the confidence of investors interested in gas and oil fields in Balochistan could only be restored through peace
and peace was not possible until tribes were taken into confidence.
An official announcement said the president stressed the need for innovative and out-of-the-box solutions to increase oil and gas production. He called
for stepping up oil and gas exploration.
He said that the economy could not be sustained without energy. “There is a pressing need for multiplying domestic energy production.”
Mr Zardari said energy security, like food security, was critical in the modern world. He called for devising a comprehensive energy security plan. An
effective energy security plan also involved dialogue at the regional level for cooperation in the filed of energy, he said.
He stressed the need for carrying out aerial surveys for exploration of oil and gas.
The president said that during his visit to Beijing, he found the Chinese political leadership keen to assist Pakistan in all development activities.
Mr Zardari called upon relevant officials to develop new models of private-public partnership in the oil and gas sector with Chinese entrepreneurs.
The sources said that the president was also briefed on the issues which could arise from the privatisation of the Qadirpur gas-field and the ongoing
maintenance of the same gas field and its impact on energy situation.
http://www.dawn.com/2008/10/23/top4.htm
JWP-Aali for Baloch rights within Constitution
By Our Correspondent
QUETTA, Oct 23, 2008: The Jamhoori Watan Party (Aali group) has said that Baloch political parties are not against parliament and they want their rights
within the parameters of the Constitution.
Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, JWP secretary-general Mir Rauf Sasoli and provincial president Mir Dostan Domki said the party was
not a separatist organisation and it was struggling to achieve the national and democratic rights of the Baloch people and to protect resources and coast
of Balochistan.
They said that anti-Baloch policies of the former military dictator had forced JWP founder Nawab Akbar Bugti to move to the mountains to face the armed
forces out to eliminate him.
They said the usurpers and exploiters of the Baloch rights were responsible for turmoil in the province and the party would never give up its struggle
against those who had been looting the resources of Balochistan for the past six decades.
The JWP leaders said the Balochistan issue was political and it could be resolve only through political means.
They said the government must initiate dialogue with militants and political leaders of Balochistan and Fata and added that no one was against the state
but denial of rights had caused hatred between the warring factions and the federation.
They said the Baloch people would never forget the oppression unleashed by Gen Musharraf and if the government did not register FIR in the case of
Nawab Bugti and other innocent Baloch killed in the military operation than they would approach the court to get the FIR registered.
The JWP leaders warned that if the government did not address the grievances of the Baloch and recognise their rights to control resources in
Balochistan then the situation would deteriorate which would not be in the interest of the country.
SOURCE: http://www.dawn.com/2008/10/24/top14.htm
Pakistani police arrest 32 foreign militants
October 22, 2008
Pakistani police arrested 32 foreign militants in northwestern Pakistan on Wednesday, official Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported.
The militants were heading towards Quetta, capital city of southwestern Balochistan province from Peshawar, capital of North West Frontier Province
without passport and identity papers, said the report.
They were arrested near the Kohat Friendship Tunnel check post in NWFP and shifted to Kohat for further investigations.
Local media reports said some foreign elements were involved in terrorist activities in Pakistan's northwest and tribal regions. There were some reports
about foreign militants killed in missile attacks launched by U.S. drones in Pakistan's tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. Source :Xinhua
Historic 14-point anti-terrorism resolution adopted unanimously : Nation united against
terrorism: parliament
* Dialogue will be primary instrument of conflict resolution
* Redistribution of resources to resolve Balochistan violence
* Civil agencies will replace military in troubled areas
* Compensation for violence victims, rehabilitation for the displaced
By Irfan Ghauri and Muhammad Bilal
Thursday, October 23, 2008
ISLAMABAD: In a historic resolution on Wednesday, the parliament said the Pakistani nation was united against terrorism and sectarian violence and
would tackle the problem by addressing its root causes. The 14-point resolution, drafted after two days of rigorous negotiations, was passed
unanimously. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani moved the resolution, which he said would serve as policy guideline to the government in framing a
national security strategy. “Extremism, militancy and terrorism in all forms and manifestations pose a grave danger to the stability and integrity of the
country,” the resolution said. “Dictatorial regimes in the past pursued policies aimed at perpetuating their own power at the cost of national interest. “We
need an urgent review of our national security strategy and revisiting the methodology of combating terrorism in order to restore peace and stability to
Pakistan and the region through an independent foreign policy.” Dialogue: The parliament decided that “dialogue must now be the highest priority, as a
principal instrument of conflict management and resolution”, but also said talks would only “be encouraged with all those elements willing to abide by
the constitution of Pakistan and rule of law”.
The legislators decided that all foreign fighters, “if found, shall be expelled from Pakistan’s soil”. The parliament vowed that Pakistan’s sovereignty and
territorial integrity would be safeguarded. “The nation stands united against any incursions and invasions of the homeland, and calls upon the
government to deal with it effectively,” the resolution said, but added: “Pakistan’s territory shall not be used for any kind of attacks on other countries.”
They also decided that “the development of troubled zones, particularly the Tribal Areas, and the NWFP must also be pursued through all possible ways
and legitimate means to create genuine stakeholders in peace. New economic opportunities shall be created in order to bring the less privileged areas
at par with the rest of Pakistan”. Balochistan: On the problem in Balochistan, the resolution called for “a political dialogue with the people, addressing of
their grievances and redistribution of resources shall be enhanced and accelerated”. It said the federation must be strengthened “through the process of
democratic pluralism, social justice, religious values and tolerance, and equitable resource sharing between the provinces as enshrined in the
Constitution of 1973”. Military: The state must ensure rule of law, the unanimous resolution said, and “when it has to intervene to protect the lives of its
citizens, caution must be exercised to avoid casualties of non-combatants in conflict zones”.
The legislators demanded that military be replaced with civilian law enforcement agencies in the conflict zones as early as possible, “with enhanced
capacity and a sustainable political system achieved through a consultative process”. The state must establish its writ, they demanded, but through
“confidence building mechanisms by using customary and local [jirgas]”. Pakistan’s strategic interests must be protected “by developing stakes in
regional peace and trade, both on the western and eastern borders”. Compensation and rehabilitation: The parliament decided that the “mechanisms
for internal security be institutionalised by paying compensation to victims of violence; and rehabilitate those displaced”. The parliament also decided to
form a committee to periodically review “the implementation of the principles framed and roadmap given in the resolution”. The committee will frame its
own rules when it meets.
Courtesy DailyTimes
Call for urgent review of war on terror: Joint session adopts resolution
By Ahmed Hassan
ISLAMABAD, Oct 22: The joint session of the two houses of parliament on Wednesday unanimously adopted a resolution calling for “an urgent review of
the national security strategy and revisiting the methodology of combating terrorism in order to restore peace and stability through an independent
foreign policy”.
It further said that the military would be replaced as early as possible with civilian law-enforcement agencies with enhanced capacity and a political
system achieved through a consultative process.
The joint session, which began on Oct 8 with military and civilian briefings on the war on terror, was prorogued by National Assembly Speaker Dr
Fehmida Mirza after the passage of the resolution.
The session took almost the whole day in bringing unanimity of views between 16 members of the bipartisan parliamentary committee formed on
Tuesday. The committee presented the 14-point document in parliament at about 10.30 pm.
Sources said the reason for taking so much pain to reach a consensus on the resolution and its unanimous adoption by lawmakers on Wednesday was
to complete the process before the departure of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani for China on Thursday.
The resolution was moved by the prime minister and approved by all concerned, the sources said.
After the passage of the resolution, Prime Minister Gilani thanked all parliamentarians for participating in the debate and said the government had been
given a fresh mandate to “reorganise the war against extremism”.
The committee took several hours for accommodating points of view of all parliamentary groups in the Senate and the National Assembly.
The resolution said: “This in-camera joint session of parliament has noted with great concern that extremism, militancy and terrorism in all forms and
manifestations pose a grave danger to the stability and integrity of the nation-state. It was recalled that in the past the dictatorial regimes pursued
policies aimed at perpetuating their own power at the cost of national interest.
“This house having considered the issue thoroughly and at great length is of the view that in terms of framing laws, building institutions, protecting our
citizens from violence, eradication of terror at its roots, rebuilding our economy and development opportunities for the disadvantaged, we all commit to
the following:
“That we need an urgent review of our national security strategy and revisiting the methodology of combating terrorism in order to restore peace and
stability to Pakistan and the region though an independent foreign policy.
“The challenge of militancy and extremism must be met through developing a consensus and dialogue with all genuine stakeholders.
“The nation stands united to combat this growing menace, with a strong public message condemning all forms and manifestations of terrorism,
including the spread of sectarian hatred and violence, with a firm resolve to combat it and to address its root causes.
“That Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity shall be safeguarded. The nation stand united against any incursions and invasions of the homeland,
and calls upon the government to deal with it effectively.
“That Pakistan’s territory shall not be used for any kind of attacks on other countries and all foreign fighters, if found shall be expelled from our soil.
“That dialogue must now be the highest priority, as a principal instrument of conflict management and resolution. Dialogue will be encouraged with all
those elements willing to abide by the Constitution of Pakistan and rule of law.
“That the development of troubled zones, particularly the tribal areas, and the NWFP (Pakhtunkhwa) must also be pursued through all possible ways and
legitimate means to create genuine stakeholders in peace. New economic opportunities shall be created in order to bring the less privileged areas at
part with the rest of Pakistan. “That a political dialogue with the people of Balochistan, the redressal of grievances and redistribution of resources shall
be enhanced and accelerated.
“That the state shall maintain the rule of law and that when it has to intervene to protect the lives of its citizens, caution must be exercised to void
casualties of non-combatants in conflict zones.
“That the federation must be strengthened through the process of democratic pluralism, social justice, religious values and tolerance and equitable
resource sharing between the provinces as enshrined in the Constitution of 1973.
“That the state shall establish its writ in the troubled zones and confidence building mechanisms by using customary and local communities (jirga) and
that the military will be replaced as early as possible by civilian law-enforcement agencies with enhanced capacity and a sustainable political system
achieved through a consultative process.
“That Pakistan’s strategic interests are protected by developing stakes in regional peace and trade, both on the western and eastern borders.
“That mechanisms for internal security are institutionalised by paying compensation to victims of violence; and rehabilitate those displaced from their
homes as soon as possible; that spill-over effects of terrorism be contained throughout the country and that public consensus is built against terrorism
through media and religious participation.
“That a Special Committee of Parliament be constituted to periodically review, provide guidelines and monitor the implementation of the principles
framed and roadmap given in this resolution.
“This house authorises the Speaker to constitute the said committee in consultation with the parliamentary leaders of both the houses. The committee
will frame its own rules upon meeting.”
http://www.dawn.com/2008/10/23/top2.htm
Honour killings
QUETTA, Oct 21, 2008: Thirty-eight women died at the hands of their relatives, who killed them on the pretext of protecting their honour during the past
three months in Balochistan.
Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, provincial coordinator of the Aurat Foundation Haroon Dawood Durrani said that 46 women had been
killed in the last quarter.
He said that 220 incidents of violence against women were reported in Balochistan during the same period and 87 women were reportedly abused
physically.
He said that according to data collected between July and September, most of the incidents occurred in Nasirabad and Jaffarabad districts.—Staff
Correspondent
http://www.dawn.com/2008/10/22/top9.htm
Two journalists injured in blast in SW Pakistan
October 21, 2008
Two journalists were injured when a bomb went off in southwestern Pakistan on Monday, according to official Associated Press of Pakistan (APP).
The bomb was planted with a gas geyser outside the offices of local newspapers in Universal Complex in Quetta, capital city of Balochistan province.
An editor called Abdul Qayyum and photographer Jamal Tarakai of daily Awwam suffered minor injuries as a result of the blast. Windows of nearby
buildings, shops and a medical complex were smashed as a result of the blast.
The injured were shifted to Civil Hospital where doctors discharged them after necessary treatment, reported APP.
Senior police officers and bomb disposal squad officials reached the scene and inspected the site of the blast. The police have registered a case
against unknown men behind the blast.
Source:Xinhua
Pakistan eyes 'peace pipeline' for region
By Shahan Mufti Shahan Mufti Mon Oct 20, 4:00 am ET
GWADAR, PAKISTAN – Along the scenic coast in Pakistan's gas-rich Balochistan Province, a weathered roadside shop advertises "fuel available at every
price."
Inside, heady fumes fill a room stacked with cylinders of compressed gas and barrels full of gasoline – fuel smuggled from Iran through the rugged
border region 50 miles west of this Pakistani city, explains Balach Abdullah, the owner.
From here, the fuel makes its way as far as Karachi, Pakistan's largest city.
The Pakistani government is hoping to turn this clandestine exchange into a major energy and trade route.
The Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) pipeline proposal is a $7.5 billion project that would transport gas from the western Iranian Pars gas field to India through
Pakistan along a 1,500-mile route.
The pipeline would be a triumph for Pakistan. The country hopes to make itself a major energy player linking the gas in Central Asia and the oil in the
Middle East to the fast-growing economies of China and India.
But geopolitical considerations, among others, have so far blocked the proposal from becoming a reality.
The United States, which this month signed a nuclear trade deal with India, opposes the plan that would bind its main rival, Iran, with key allies in the
region. Proponents of the deal counter that it could improve security by boosting relations in the often volatile region – and have even dubbed the
proposal the "Peace Pipeline."
"Washington has minced no words saying that they are completely opposed to the pipeline deal," says Tariq Fatimi, a former Pakistani ambassador to
the United States who is now a consultant with a Pakistani energy exploration company.
Now that India has signed a nuclear deal with the US, he says, it would be more inclined to support American policy in the region, which might mean
pulling back from such deals with Iran.
Despite the US nuclear deal, India has not pulled out of IPI discussions. Iran and Pakistan also remain supportive of the deal. Two days after the US-
India nuclear deal was finalized, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki met his Pakistani counterpart in Islamabad and confirmed that the two
countries would now begin work of the pipeline bilaterally.
"India may join the project whenever it is ready for this," the Iranian foreign minister said. A 'Peace Pipeline'
Ismat Sabir, editor of the trade magazine Energy Update in Karachi says it would be "a win-win situation for everyone."
The three large Asian countries could become comfortably interdependent she explains, which would encourage trust in a region where neighborly
relations have often been hostile.
"Iran will sell its gas over land to a major consumer, Pakistan will get some hefty transit fees, and India will finally start to meet its energy demands," she
continues.
US urged to reconsider its position In a report released this month, The Pakistan Policy Working Group, an independent and bipartisan group of top US
experts on Pakistan in Washington, also suggested that the US "reconsider [its] opposition to the proposed Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline project" as a
way of easing regional tensions, especially between India and Pakistan.
The report also points out that the pipeline is tied in with the precarious security situation in Balochistan Province, which borders Iran and Afghanistan.
An armed separatist rebellion has brewed in Pakistan's largest and least populated province for decades, and has intensified since 2006, when the
Pakistani Army assassinated the high-profile Balochi leader, Akbar Khan Bugti.
In the latest incident of this low-intensity conflict, over the weekend a Balochi separatist group claimed responsibility for a bombing that killed three
people in the Dera Bugti district, home to the country's largest gas reserves.
Iranian-Pakistani trade growing
In the past few months Iran and Pakistan have been warming diplomatically along the border that separates the two countries. In recent months a flurry
of agreements have brought the two countries closer as they promise to transform the Balochistan region into an active transport, trade, and energy hub.
Over the summer, Iran and Pakistan signed four agreements that unveiled a new ground transport route and enhanced cooperation in the mining sector
in the area rich in minerals.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi also announced last week that Pakistan would import 1,000 megawatts of electricity across the
border from Iran, as his country suffers from one of the worst energy shortages in its history.
Already the illicit trade of Iranian gas in Balochistan, run by Mr. Abdullah and other merchants dotting the thinly populated southern coast of Pakistan with
their makeshift filling stations, attest to the country's demand for energy. It also illustrates the porous nature of Pakistan's 600-mile border with Iran, as
well as a history of close relations among the ethnic Balochis who live on either side.
Over the summer Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited Islamabad and New Delhi to finalize the pipeline deal at a time when the prospects
of India's civil nuclear energy appeared to be dwindling. Disagreements among the three countries over gas pricing and delivery points have also been a
stumbling block to negotiations.
Representatives from all three governments had met at venues from Spain to Saudi Arabia to discuss the final details of the plan, including pricing and
delivery points.
Despite its recent nuclear deal with the US, India, which imports 70 percent of its required energy, will "need the nuclear deal, the IPI gas pipeline and
more," according to Abbas Bilgarami, who works in the local oil and gas industry.
As a result, India might find itself growing closer to the US, Pakistan, and Iran, he says.
"The compulsions imposed on this region," by the US in its security concerns here "will have to be reconsidered," says Mr. Bilgarami. "The regional
vision is still very strong."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20081020/wl_csm/opipeline_1
NWFP and Balochistan: delay in NFC award may aggravate economic woes
FIDA HUSSAIN
ISLAMABAD (October 20 2008): Balochistan and NWFP might face serious economic troubles in months ahead and the two federating units are
disturbed over the delay in convening National Finance Commission (NFC) meeting to initiate the efforts of achieving consensus on resource
distribution formula between the centre and the provinces.
Informed sources told Business Recorder on Sunday that the two provinces are desirous that the process should begin as early as possible as these
are not in position to withstand the massive economic problems being confronted by the units at present and might face in future.
The poor law and order situation especially militancy in NWFP has hit the business community and the economic activities have come to almost a
standstill in the province. On the other hand, Balochistan government pinned high hopes on the next NFC Award as it is expecting to get more as the PPP
government has lenient view on the share of the province on the basis of natural resources.
Facing deterioration in economic fundamentals, the central government is engaged in efforts to woo the foreign donors and governments to assist
Pakistan in the hour of trial and this very fact has disturbed the province as it might cause a further delay in the government efforts on NFC, according to
the sources.
Deteriorating economic fundamentals of the country might create a lot troubles for the two provinces where the governments are facing a lot of criticism
over the unavailability of flour and skyrocketing prices of other essential commodities.
A member of the NFC told this scribe that reaching a consensus on resource distribution would be long and lengthy process and the Award could be
timely finalised if the process was timely started. It is astonishing the much important issue is being ignored, he said.
"As the severe affectees of Afghan war and its aftermath, the two provinces do need more resources. The war against militancy is going on in the NWFP,
but no special economic or industrial packages are being announced," he added. Similarly in Balochistan, the situation is not better. There is a need that
the province should get enough attention from the federal government. Going with status quo and lingering it on would create a sense of further
deprivation.
http://www.brecorder.com/index.php?id=823167&currPageNo=1&query=&search=&term=&supDate=
BNP-M vows to resist IDPs’ settlement in Balochistan
* Former senator Sanaullah Baloch says PPP government should not snub the Baloch while taking major decisions
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
QUETTA: The Balochistan National Party – Mengal (BNP-Ml) has expressed its concern over a reported government plan to settle around 80,000 ,
internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Bajaur in Balochistan and warned to resist the move ‘tooth and nail’.
Former senator Sanaullah Baloch, the party’s central secretary information, told Daily Times on Tuesday that he had recently met with the party’s chief
and veteran Baloch nationalist leader Sardar Attaullah Mengal at his residence in Wadh area of Khuzdar district. He said he shared the alarm with his
party chief regarding reports that the government had recently asked a reputed international humanitarian organisation to prepare the ground in
Balochistan for 80,000 IDPs - whose number would later rise to 200,00 - from Bajaur Agency. “We are extremely concerned about such moves as they
amount to creating a demographic imbalance in the Baloch-majority province,” said the BNP secretary information, adding that the Baloch would strongly
resist the government’s plans to bring more outsiders to the least populated province of the country where the presence of a large number of Afghan
refugees has for long been described as the main source of growing religious fundamentalism and suicide bombings.
“International organisations have repeatedly pointed out the state of Baloch IDPs languishing in different parts of the country but Islamabad has not
provided them with even a single tent,” said Baloch, adding that they demanded the repatriation of the Afghan refuges who came to Balochistan in 1979
and 2001 as Balochistan could not afford to host more refuges or IDPs.
“If Islamabad is truly concerned about the plight of the IDPs then it should settle them in cities, such as Islamabad or Lahore, that are capable of coping
up with this humanitarian issue,” the former senator suggested. PPP government: He said his party wanted the PPP government to unveil its political
and economic roadmap for Balochistan, as the Baloch were apprehensive that the democratic government was snubbing them while taking major
decisions on key issues, such as the multi-billion dollar Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline project. “Skirting the Baloch in major decisions would
surely convince them not to trust the federal government,” he added.
He quoted his party chief Sardar Attaullah Mengal as saying that Punjab was solely responsible for the mess that Pakistan found itself in today, as the
province had refused to share power with other provinces in a country that was meant to be multi-ethnic.
The BNP spokesman said his party would not participate in any PPP-sponsored all parties conference (APC) until the faith of all stakeholders -
especially the Marri and the Bugti tribesmen, who had suffered immensely in recent military operations - was restored. The central committee of the BNP-
M is scheduled to meet today (Wednesday) but, according to sources, the meeting will most likely be cancelled due to insecurity and the absence of party
president Sardar Akhtar Mengal
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008%5C10%5C15%5Cstory_15-10-2008_pg7_21
Security clearance given for oil, gas exploration in Balochistan
Thursday, October 16, 2008
QUETTA: Balochistan government has given security clearance for 15 blocks of the province for the exploration of oil and gas while the new petroleum
policy envisages more facilities to the exploration companies. According to sources, the exploration activities remained suspended in the above blocks
due to security concerns. However, exploration work will now be resumed soon in these blocks as the Balochistan government has declared the law and
order situation satisfactory and also given a security clearance in this regard. Under the new petroleum policy more and more companies will be
provided opportunities to undertake exploration activities so that the growing energy needs could be met by utilizing domestic resources. The process of
granting exploration license will be simplified besides giving other incentives to the companies. Courtesy Geo
University of Balochistan boys’ hostel sealed after clashes
By Malik Siraj Akbar
Thursday, October 16, 2008
QUETTA: Police and the management of the University of Balochistan (UoB) sealed boys’ hostel on Wednesday after clashes broke out between Baloch
and Pashtun students in the afternoon. The clashes injured at least 11 students from both sides, university officials confirmed.
According to the details, clashes between the students erupted at the university during a test of Graduate Record Examination (GRE) being conducted by
the National Testing Service (NTS) for scholarships for Balochistan students at various universities of the country. After results were declared, both sides
opened fire on each other, which injured several students. The testing agency instantly cancelled the test results on the spot without giving a new date for
the tests.
A university official told Daily Times that the boys’ hostel had been shut temporarily and students had been asked to vacate the university dormitory in
order to avoid further clashes. UoB Vice Chancellor Dr Masoom Yasinzai convened an emergency meeting of the university administration to discuss the
situation.
Nabi Baksh, a central member of the Baloch Students Organization (BSO), who was also injured in the clash, said they had stormed into the testing
centre to protest the test results, which did not favour the Baloch students.
In the past, the Baloch students had demanded that scholarships should be offered on district-based open merit rather than open merit, which largely
benefited the Pashtun and Punjabi students.
3 killed, 5 injured in blast in Balochistan.
Islamabad, October 19, 2008
Three persons were killed and five others injured, two of them seriously, in a bomb attack in Dera Bugti town in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan
province on Sunday, police said.
Militants planted the remote controlled bomb on a roadside to target Yousuf Bugti, the son of parliamentarian Ahmadan Bugti, though he escaped unhurt,
police said.
Two persons were killed instantly while another succumbed to his injuries on the way to hospital. The five injured were rushed to a hospital in nearby Sui
town where doctors said the condition of two persons was serious.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Such strikes are usually blamed on Baloch nationalist groups that are waging a campaign for a greater say in the exploitation of the province's abundant
natural resources, including gas reserves and minerals.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print.aspx?Id=2062eedb-7ec7-44d9-b1f7-c63106704387
Friday, October 24, 2008
ISLAMABAD: A national conference could be convened to solve the problems of Balochistan, as it was President Asif Ali Zardari’s first priority, Senator Dr
Babar Awan said on Thursday. Awan was addressing a press conference at the Supreme Court. He said that Zardari had directed the ‘Reconciliatory
Committee’ to start working to solve Balochistan’s problems. Awan said that he was proud of the government passing a unanimous 14-point resolution.
He stated that Zardari had told him and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Balochistan President Lashkari Raisani that the committee for Balochistan
should speed up the process of reaching a consensus. He said that the PPP had set an example by releasing political prisoners and withdrawing all
cases against Balochistan’s politicians. online
Courtesy Daily Times
President meets Senators, discusses Balochistan
ISLAMABAD, Oct 24 (APP): Senator Raza Rabbani, leader of House in Senate, Senator Dr Babar Awan and Sardar Lashkari Raisani called on President
Asif Ali Zardari on Friday. They discussed matters pertaining to Baluchistan, a press release said.
http://thepakistaninewspaper.com/news_detail.php?id=12207
Zardari calls for innovative solutions for energy shortage
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday stressed the need for innovative and out of box solutions to increase oil and gas production in the
country for meeting the growing energy needs. During a briefing in the Presidency on the petroleum issues he called for stepping up oil and gas
exploration. He said that economy could not be sustained without energy adding, “there is a pressing need for multiplying domestic energy production.”
He said that energy security, like food security, was critical in the modern day world and called for devising a comprehensive energy security plan. He
said that an effective energy security plan also involved dialogue at the regional level for cooperation in the filed of energy. The President said that the
government had also planned to hold dialogue with the stake holders in Balochistan to bring peace so that the oil and exploration and development
activities in the province could be carried out without hindrance. He also called for carrying out aerial surveys for exploration of oil and gas.
President said Chinese political leadership was keen to assist Pakistan in all developmental activities.
http://www.pakistanlink.com/Headlines/Oct08/23/04.htm
Zardari calls for innovative solutions to meet energy needs
RECORDER REPORT
ISLAMABAD (October 23 2008): President Asif Ali Zardari has stressed the need for innovative and out of box solutions to increase oil and gas production
in the country for meeting the growing energy needs. He said this during a briefing at the Presidency on petroleum issues on Wednesday. He said that
national economy could not be sustained without energy.
He said that energy security, like food security, was critical in the modern-day world, and called for devising a comprehensive energy security plan. He
said that an effective energy security plan also involved dialogue at the regional level for co-operation in the field of energy.
The President added that the government had also planned to hold dialogue with the stake holders in Balochistan to bring peace, so that the oil and
exploration and development activities in the province could be carried out without hindrance. He also called for carrying out aerial surveys for
exploration of oil and gas.
He said that during his visit to China he found the Chinese political leadership keen to assist Pakistan in all developmental activities. He called upon the
relevant officials to develop new models of private public partnership in the oil and gas sector with the Chinese entrepreneurs. The meeting was
attended by G A Sabri, Secretary, Petroleum and Natural Resources, OGDC Chairman Farooq Rahmatullah, PPL Managing Director Khalid Rehman,
and ARL Chairman Shoaib Malik.
http://www.brecorder.com/index.php?id=824989&currPageNo=1&query=&search=&term=&supDate=
Balochistan peace must for oil exploration: Zardari
By Our Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD, Oct 22, 2008: President Asif Ali Zardari said on Wednesday that the government would restore peace in Balochistan and make it safe for oil
and gas exploration after holding dialogue with stake holders.
At a briefing on energy crisis and the pace of oil and gas exploration in the province by officials of the ministry of petroleum and natural resources at the
presidency, he said energy security was as much vital for the nation as food security.
Sources in the petroleum ministry told Dawn that the president agreed with views being held by most of exploration companies and officials of the
ministry that without bringing lasting peace to Balochistan, no major increase could be witnessed in exploration and production of oil and gas in the
province.
Mr Zardari, they added, was informed that the confidence of investors interested in gas and oil fields in Balochistan could only be restored through peace
and peace was not possible until tribes were taken into confidence.
An official announcement said the president stressed the need for innovative and out-of-the-box solutions to increase oil and gas production. He called
for stepping up oil and gas exploration.
He said that the economy could not be sustained without energy. “There is a pressing need for multiplying domestic energy production.”
Mr Zardari said energy security, like food security, was critical in the modern world. He called for devising a comprehensive energy security plan. An
effective energy security plan also involved dialogue at the regional level for cooperation in the filed of energy, he said.
He stressed the need for carrying out aerial surveys for exploration of oil and gas.
The president said that during his visit to Beijing, he found the Chinese political leadership keen to assist Pakistan in all development activities.
Mr Zardari called upon relevant officials to develop new models of private-public partnership in the oil and gas sector with Chinese entrepreneurs.
The sources said that the president was also briefed on the issues which could arise from the privatisation of the Qadirpur gas-field and the ongoing
maintenance of the same gas field and its impact on energy situation.
http://www.dawn.com/2008/10/23/top4.htm
JWP-Aali for Baloch rights within Constitution
By Our Correspondent
QUETTA, Oct 23, 2008: The Jamhoori Watan Party (Aali group) has said that Baloch political parties are not against parliament and they want their rights
within the parameters of the Constitution.
Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, JWP secretary-general Mir Rauf Sasoli and provincial president Mir Dostan Domki said the party was
not a separatist organisation and it was struggling to achieve the national and democratic rights of the Baloch people and to protect resources and coast
of Balochistan.
They said that anti-Baloch policies of the former military dictator had forced JWP founder Nawab Akbar Bugti to move to the mountains to face the armed
forces out to eliminate him.
They said the usurpers and exploiters of the Baloch rights were responsible for turmoil in the province and the party would never give up its struggle
against those who had been looting the resources of Balochistan for the past six decades.
The JWP leaders said the Balochistan issue was political and it could be resolve only through political means.
They said the government must initiate dialogue with militants and political leaders of Balochistan and Fata and added that no one was against the state
but denial of rights had caused hatred between the warring factions and the federation.
They said the Baloch people would never forget the oppression unleashed by Gen Musharraf and if the government did not register FIR in the case of
Nawab Bugti and other innocent Baloch killed in the military operation than they would approach the court to get the FIR registered.
The JWP leaders warned that if the government did not address the grievances of the Baloch and recognise their rights to control resources in
Balochistan then the situation would deteriorate which would not be in the interest of the country.
SOURCE: http://www.dawn.com/2008/10/24/top14.htm
Pakistani police arrest 32 foreign militants
October 22, 2008
Pakistani police arrested 32 foreign militants in northwestern Pakistan on Wednesday, official Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported.
The militants were heading towards Quetta, capital city of southwestern Balochistan province from Peshawar, capital of North West Frontier Province
without passport and identity papers, said the report.
They were arrested near the Kohat Friendship Tunnel check post in NWFP and shifted to Kohat for further investigations.
Local media reports said some foreign elements were involved in terrorist activities in Pakistan's northwest and tribal regions. There were some reports
about foreign militants killed in missile attacks launched by U.S. drones in Pakistan's tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. Source :Xinhua
Historic 14-point anti-terrorism resolution adopted unanimously : Nation united against
terrorism: parliament
* Dialogue will be primary instrument of conflict resolution
* Redistribution of resources to resolve Balochistan violence
* Civil agencies will replace military in troubled areas
* Compensation for violence victims, rehabilitation for the displaced
By Irfan Ghauri and Muhammad Bilal
Thursday, October 23, 2008
ISLAMABAD: In a historic resolution on Wednesday, the parliament said the Pakistani nation was united against terrorism and sectarian violence and
would tackle the problem by addressing its root causes. The 14-point resolution, drafted after two days of rigorous negotiations, was passed
unanimously. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani moved the resolution, which he said would serve as policy guideline to the government in framing a
national security strategy. “Extremism, militancy and terrorism in all forms and manifestations pose a grave danger to the stability and integrity of the
country,” the resolution said. “Dictatorial regimes in the past pursued policies aimed at perpetuating their own power at the cost of national interest. “We
need an urgent review of our national security strategy and revisiting the methodology of combating terrorism in order to restore peace and stability to
Pakistan and the region through an independent foreign policy.” Dialogue: The parliament decided that “dialogue must now be the highest priority, as a
principal instrument of conflict management and resolution”, but also said talks would only “be encouraged with all those elements willing to abide by
the constitution of Pakistan and rule of law”.
The legislators decided that all foreign fighters, “if found, shall be expelled from Pakistan’s soil”. The parliament vowed that Pakistan’s sovereignty and
territorial integrity would be safeguarded. “The nation stands united against any incursions and invasions of the homeland, and calls upon the
government to deal with it effectively,” the resolution said, but added: “Pakistan’s territory shall not be used for any kind of attacks on other countries.”
They also decided that “the development of troubled zones, particularly the Tribal Areas, and the NWFP must also be pursued through all possible ways
and legitimate means to create genuine stakeholders in peace. New economic opportunities shall be created in order to bring the less privileged areas
at par with the rest of Pakistan”. Balochistan: On the problem in Balochistan, the resolution called for “a political dialogue with the people, addressing of
their grievances and redistribution of resources shall be enhanced and accelerated”. It said the federation must be strengthened “through the process of
democratic pluralism, social justice, religious values and tolerance, and equitable resource sharing between the provinces as enshrined in the
Constitution of 1973”. Military: The state must ensure rule of law, the unanimous resolution said, and “when it has to intervene to protect the lives of its
citizens, caution must be exercised to avoid casualties of non-combatants in conflict zones”.
The legislators demanded that military be replaced with civilian law enforcement agencies in the conflict zones as early as possible, “with enhanced
capacity and a sustainable political system achieved through a consultative process”. The state must establish its writ, they demanded, but through
“confidence building mechanisms by using customary and local [jirgas]”. Pakistan’s strategic interests must be protected “by developing stakes in
regional peace and trade, both on the western and eastern borders”. Compensation and rehabilitation: The parliament decided that the “mechanisms
for internal security be institutionalised by paying compensation to victims of violence; and rehabilitate those displaced”. The parliament also decided to
form a committee to periodically review “the implementation of the principles framed and roadmap given in the resolution”. The committee will frame its
own rules when it meets.
Courtesy DailyTimes
Call for urgent review of war on terror: Joint session adopts resolution
By Ahmed Hassan
ISLAMABAD, Oct 22: The joint session of the two houses of parliament on Wednesday unanimously adopted a resolution calling for “an urgent review of
the national security strategy and revisiting the methodology of combating terrorism in order to restore peace and stability through an independent
foreign policy”.
It further said that the military would be replaced as early as possible with civilian law-enforcement agencies with enhanced capacity and a political
system achieved through a consultative process.
The joint session, which began on Oct 8 with military and civilian briefings on the war on terror, was prorogued by National Assembly Speaker Dr
Fehmida Mirza after the passage of the resolution.
The session took almost the whole day in bringing unanimity of views between 16 members of the bipartisan parliamentary committee formed on
Tuesday. The committee presented the 14-point document in parliament at about 10.30 pm.
Sources said the reason for taking so much pain to reach a consensus on the resolution and its unanimous adoption by lawmakers on Wednesday was
to complete the process before the departure of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani for China on Thursday.
The resolution was moved by the prime minister and approved by all concerned, the sources said.
After the passage of the resolution, Prime Minister Gilani thanked all parliamentarians for participating in the debate and said the government had been
given a fresh mandate to “reorganise the war against extremism”.
The committee took several hours for accommodating points of view of all parliamentary groups in the Senate and the National Assembly.
The resolution said: “This in-camera joint session of parliament has noted with great concern that extremism, militancy and terrorism in all forms and
manifestations pose a grave danger to the stability and integrity of the nation-state. It was recalled that in the past the dictatorial regimes pursued
policies aimed at perpetuating their own power at the cost of national interest.
“This house having considered the issue thoroughly and at great length is of the view that in terms of framing laws, building institutions, protecting our
citizens from violence, eradication of terror at its roots, rebuilding our economy and development opportunities for the disadvantaged, we all commit to
the following:
“That we need an urgent review of our national security strategy and revisiting the methodology of combating terrorism in order to restore peace and
stability to Pakistan and the region though an independent foreign policy.
“The challenge of militancy and extremism must be met through developing a consensus and dialogue with all genuine stakeholders.
“The nation stands united to combat this growing menace, with a strong public message condemning all forms and manifestations of terrorism,
including the spread of sectarian hatred and violence, with a firm resolve to combat it and to address its root causes.
“That Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity shall be safeguarded. The nation stand united against any incursions and invasions of the homeland,
and calls upon the government to deal with it effectively.
“That Pakistan’s territory shall not be used for any kind of attacks on other countries and all foreign fighters, if found shall be expelled from our soil.
“That dialogue must now be the highest priority, as a principal instrument of conflict management and resolution. Dialogue will be encouraged with all
those elements willing to abide by the Constitution of Pakistan and rule of law.
“That the development of troubled zones, particularly the tribal areas, and the NWFP (Pakhtunkhwa) must also be pursued through all possible ways and
legitimate means to create genuine stakeholders in peace. New economic opportunities shall be created in order to bring the less privileged areas at
part with the rest of Pakistan. “That a political dialogue with the people of Balochistan, the redressal of grievances and redistribution of resources shall
be enhanced and accelerated.
“That the state shall maintain the rule of law and that when it has to intervene to protect the lives of its citizens, caution must be exercised to void
casualties of non-combatants in conflict zones.
“That the federation must be strengthened through the process of democratic pluralism, social justice, religious values and tolerance and equitable
resource sharing between the provinces as enshrined in the Constitution of 1973.
“That the state shall establish its writ in the troubled zones and confidence building mechanisms by using customary and local communities (jirga) and
that the military will be replaced as early as possible by civilian law-enforcement agencies with enhanced capacity and a sustainable political system
achieved through a consultative process.
“That Pakistan’s strategic interests are protected by developing stakes in regional peace and trade, both on the western and eastern borders.
“That mechanisms for internal security are institutionalised by paying compensation to victims of violence; and rehabilitate those displaced from their
homes as soon as possible; that spill-over effects of terrorism be contained throughout the country and that public consensus is built against terrorism
through media and religious participation.
“That a Special Committee of Parliament be constituted to periodically review, provide guidelines and monitor the implementation of the principles
framed and roadmap given in this resolution.
“This house authorises the Speaker to constitute the said committee in consultation with the parliamentary leaders of both the houses. The committee
will frame its own rules upon meeting.”
http://www.dawn.com/2008/10/23/top2.htm
Honour killings
QUETTA, Oct 21, 2008: Thirty-eight women died at the hands of their relatives, who killed them on the pretext of protecting their honour during the past
three months in Balochistan.
Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, provincial coordinator of the Aurat Foundation Haroon Dawood Durrani said that 46 women had been
killed in the last quarter.
He said that 220 incidents of violence against women were reported in Balochistan during the same period and 87 women were reportedly abused
physically.
He said that according to data collected between July and September, most of the incidents occurred in Nasirabad and Jaffarabad districts.—Staff
Correspondent
http://www.dawn.com/2008/10/22/top9.htm
Two journalists injured in blast in SW Pakistan
October 21, 2008
Two journalists were injured when a bomb went off in southwestern Pakistan on Monday, according to official Associated Press of Pakistan (APP).
The bomb was planted with a gas geyser outside the offices of local newspapers in Universal Complex in Quetta, capital city of Balochistan province.
An editor called Abdul Qayyum and photographer Jamal Tarakai of daily Awwam suffered minor injuries as a result of the blast. Windows of nearby
buildings, shops and a medical complex were smashed as a result of the blast.
The injured were shifted to Civil Hospital where doctors discharged them after necessary treatment, reported APP.
Senior police officers and bomb disposal squad officials reached the scene and inspected the site of the blast. The police have registered a case
against unknown men behind the blast.
Source:Xinhua
Pakistan eyes 'peace pipeline' for region
By Shahan Mufti Shahan Mufti Mon Oct 20, 4:00 am ET
GWADAR, PAKISTAN – Along the scenic coast in Pakistan's gas-rich Balochistan Province, a weathered roadside shop advertises "fuel available at every
price."
Inside, heady fumes fill a room stacked with cylinders of compressed gas and barrels full of gasoline – fuel smuggled from Iran through the rugged
border region 50 miles west of this Pakistani city, explains Balach Abdullah, the owner.
From here, the fuel makes its way as far as Karachi, Pakistan's largest city.
The Pakistani government is hoping to turn this clandestine exchange into a major energy and trade route.
The Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) pipeline proposal is a $7.5 billion project that would transport gas from the western Iranian Pars gas field to India through
Pakistan along a 1,500-mile route.
The pipeline would be a triumph for Pakistan. The country hopes to make itself a major energy player linking the gas in Central Asia and the oil in the
Middle East to the fast-growing economies of China and India.
But geopolitical considerations, among others, have so far blocked the proposal from becoming a reality.
The United States, which this month signed a nuclear trade deal with India, opposes the plan that would bind its main rival, Iran, with key allies in the
region. Proponents of the deal counter that it could improve security by boosting relations in the often volatile region – and have even dubbed the
proposal the "Peace Pipeline."
"Washington has minced no words saying that they are completely opposed to the pipeline deal," says Tariq Fatimi, a former Pakistani ambassador to
the United States who is now a consultant with a Pakistani energy exploration company.
Now that India has signed a nuclear deal with the US, he says, it would be more inclined to support American policy in the region, which might mean
pulling back from such deals with Iran.
Despite the US nuclear deal, India has not pulled out of IPI discussions. Iran and Pakistan also remain supportive of the deal. Two days after the US-
India nuclear deal was finalized, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki met his Pakistani counterpart in Islamabad and confirmed that the two
countries would now begin work of the pipeline bilaterally.
"India may join the project whenever it is ready for this," the Iranian foreign minister said. A 'Peace Pipeline'
Ismat Sabir, editor of the trade magazine Energy Update in Karachi says it would be "a win-win situation for everyone."
The three large Asian countries could become comfortably interdependent she explains, which would encourage trust in a region where neighborly
relations have often been hostile.
"Iran will sell its gas over land to a major consumer, Pakistan will get some hefty transit fees, and India will finally start to meet its energy demands," she
continues.
US urged to reconsider its position In a report released this month, The Pakistan Policy Working Group, an independent and bipartisan group of top US
experts on Pakistan in Washington, also suggested that the US "reconsider [its] opposition to the proposed Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline project" as a
way of easing regional tensions, especially between India and Pakistan.
The report also points out that the pipeline is tied in with the precarious security situation in Balochistan Province, which borders Iran and Afghanistan.
An armed separatist rebellion has brewed in Pakistan's largest and least populated province for decades, and has intensified since 2006, when the
Pakistani Army assassinated the high-profile Balochi leader, Akbar Khan Bugti.
In the latest incident of this low-intensity conflict, over the weekend a Balochi separatist group claimed responsibility for a bombing that killed three
people in the Dera Bugti district, home to the country's largest gas reserves.
Iranian-Pakistani trade growing
In the past few months Iran and Pakistan have been warming diplomatically along the border that separates the two countries. In recent months a flurry
of agreements have brought the two countries closer as they promise to transform the Balochistan region into an active transport, trade, and energy hub.
Over the summer, Iran and Pakistan signed four agreements that unveiled a new ground transport route and enhanced cooperation in the mining sector
in the area rich in minerals.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi also announced last week that Pakistan would import 1,000 megawatts of electricity across the
border from Iran, as his country suffers from one of the worst energy shortages in its history.
Already the illicit trade of Iranian gas in Balochistan, run by Mr. Abdullah and other merchants dotting the thinly populated southern coast of Pakistan with
their makeshift filling stations, attest to the country's demand for energy. It also illustrates the porous nature of Pakistan's 600-mile border with Iran, as
well as a history of close relations among the ethnic Balochis who live on either side.
Over the summer Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited Islamabad and New Delhi to finalize the pipeline deal at a time when the prospects
of India's civil nuclear energy appeared to be dwindling. Disagreements among the three countries over gas pricing and delivery points have also been a
stumbling block to negotiations.
Representatives from all three governments had met at venues from Spain to Saudi Arabia to discuss the final details of the plan, including pricing and
delivery points.
Despite its recent nuclear deal with the US, India, which imports 70 percent of its required energy, will "need the nuclear deal, the IPI gas pipeline and
more," according to Abbas Bilgarami, who works in the local oil and gas industry.
As a result, India might find itself growing closer to the US, Pakistan, and Iran, he says.
"The compulsions imposed on this region," by the US in its security concerns here "will have to be reconsidered," says Mr. Bilgarami. "The regional
vision is still very strong."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20081020/wl_csm/opipeline_1
NWFP and Balochistan: delay in NFC award may aggravate economic woes
FIDA HUSSAIN
ISLAMABAD (October 20 2008): Balochistan and NWFP might face serious economic troubles in months ahead and the two federating units are
disturbed over the delay in convening National Finance Commission (NFC) meeting to initiate the efforts of achieving consensus on resource
distribution formula between the centre and the provinces.
Informed sources told Business Recorder on Sunday that the two provinces are desirous that the process should begin as early as possible as these
are not in position to withstand the massive economic problems being confronted by the units at present and might face in future.
The poor law and order situation especially militancy in NWFP has hit the business community and the economic activities have come to almost a
standstill in the province. On the other hand, Balochistan government pinned high hopes on the next NFC Award as it is expecting to get more as the PPP
government has lenient view on the share of the province on the basis of natural resources.
Facing deterioration in economic fundamentals, the central government is engaged in efforts to woo the foreign donors and governments to assist
Pakistan in the hour of trial and this very fact has disturbed the province as it might cause a further delay in the government efforts on NFC, according to
the sources.
Deteriorating economic fundamentals of the country might create a lot troubles for the two provinces where the governments are facing a lot of criticism
over the unavailability of flour and skyrocketing prices of other essential commodities.
A member of the NFC told this scribe that reaching a consensus on resource distribution would be long and lengthy process and the Award could be
timely finalised if the process was timely started. It is astonishing the much important issue is being ignored, he said.
"As the severe affectees of Afghan war and its aftermath, the two provinces do need more resources. The war against militancy is going on in the NWFP,
but no special economic or industrial packages are being announced," he added. Similarly in Balochistan, the situation is not better. There is a need that
the province should get enough attention from the federal government. Going with status quo and lingering it on would create a sense of further
deprivation.
http://www.brecorder.com/index.php?id=823167&currPageNo=1&query=&search=&term=&supDate=
BNP-M vows to resist IDPs’ settlement in Balochistan
* Former senator Sanaullah Baloch says PPP government should not snub the Baloch while taking major decisions
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
QUETTA: The Balochistan National Party – Mengal (BNP-Ml) has expressed its concern over a reported government plan to settle around 80,000 ,
internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Bajaur in Balochistan and warned to resist the move ‘tooth and nail’.
Former senator Sanaullah Baloch, the party’s central secretary information, told Daily Times on Tuesday that he had recently met with the party’s chief
and veteran Baloch nationalist leader Sardar Attaullah Mengal at his residence in Wadh area of Khuzdar district. He said he shared the alarm with his
party chief regarding reports that the government had recently asked a reputed international humanitarian organisation to prepare the ground in
Balochistan for 80,000 IDPs - whose number would later rise to 200,00 - from Bajaur Agency. “We are extremely concerned about such moves as they
amount to creating a demographic imbalance in the Baloch-majority province,” said the BNP secretary information, adding that the Baloch would strongly
resist the government’s plans to bring more outsiders to the least populated province of the country where the presence of a large number of Afghan
refugees has for long been described as the main source of growing religious fundamentalism and suicide bombings.
“International organisations have repeatedly pointed out the state of Baloch IDPs languishing in different parts of the country but Islamabad has not
provided them with even a single tent,” said Baloch, adding that they demanded the repatriation of the Afghan refuges who came to Balochistan in 1979
and 2001 as Balochistan could not afford to host more refuges or IDPs.
“If Islamabad is truly concerned about the plight of the IDPs then it should settle them in cities, such as Islamabad or Lahore, that are capable of coping
up with this humanitarian issue,” the former senator suggested. PPP government: He said his party wanted the PPP government to unveil its political
and economic roadmap for Balochistan, as the Baloch were apprehensive that the democratic government was snubbing them while taking major
decisions on key issues, such as the multi-billion dollar Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline project. “Skirting the Baloch in major decisions would
surely convince them not to trust the federal government,” he added.
He quoted his party chief Sardar Attaullah Mengal as saying that Punjab was solely responsible for the mess that Pakistan found itself in today, as the
province had refused to share power with other provinces in a country that was meant to be multi-ethnic.
The BNP spokesman said his party would not participate in any PPP-sponsored all parties conference (APC) until the faith of all stakeholders -
especially the Marri and the Bugti tribesmen, who had suffered immensely in recent military operations - was restored. The central committee of the BNP-
M is scheduled to meet today (Wednesday) but, according to sources, the meeting will most likely be cancelled due to insecurity and the absence of party
president Sardar Akhtar Mengal
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008%5C10%5C15%5Cstory_15-10-2008_pg7_21
Security clearance given for oil, gas exploration in Balochistan
Thursday, October 16, 2008
QUETTA: Balochistan government has given security clearance for 15 blocks of the province for the exploration of oil and gas while the new petroleum
policy envisages more facilities to the exploration companies. According to sources, the exploration activities remained suspended in the above blocks
due to security concerns. However, exploration work will now be resumed soon in these blocks as the Balochistan government has declared the law and
order situation satisfactory and also given a security clearance in this regard. Under the new petroleum policy more and more companies will be
provided opportunities to undertake exploration activities so that the growing energy needs could be met by utilizing domestic resources. The process of
granting exploration license will be simplified besides giving other incentives to the companies. Courtesy Geo
University of Balochistan boys’ hostel sealed after clashes
By Malik Siraj Akbar
Thursday, October 16, 2008
QUETTA: Police and the management of the University of Balochistan (UoB) sealed boys’ hostel on Wednesday after clashes broke out between Baloch
and Pashtun students in the afternoon. The clashes injured at least 11 students from both sides, university officials confirmed.
According to the details, clashes between the students erupted at the university during a test of Graduate Record Examination (GRE) being conducted by
the National Testing Service (NTS) for scholarships for Balochistan students at various universities of the country. After results were declared, both sides
opened fire on each other, which injured several students. The testing agency instantly cancelled the test results on the spot without giving a new date for
the tests.
A university official told Daily Times that the boys’ hostel had been shut temporarily and students had been asked to vacate the university dormitory in
order to avoid further clashes. UoB Vice Chancellor Dr Masoom Yasinzai convened an emergency meeting of the university administration to discuss the
situation.
Nabi Baksh, a central member of the Baloch Students Organization (BSO), who was also injured in the clash, said they had stormed into the testing
centre to protest the test results, which did not favour the Baloch students.
In the past, the Baloch students had demanded that scholarships should be offered on district-based open merit rather than open merit, which largely
benefited the Pashtun and Punjabi students.
3 killed, 5 injured in blast in Balochistan.
Islamabad, October 19, 2008
Three persons were killed and five others injured, two of them seriously, in a bomb attack in Dera Bugti town in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan
province on Sunday, police said.
Militants planted the remote controlled bomb on a roadside to target Yousuf Bugti, the son of parliamentarian Ahmadan Bugti, though he escaped unhurt,
police said.
Two persons were killed instantly while another succumbed to his injuries on the way to hospital. The five injured were rushed to a hospital in nearby Sui
town where doctors said the condition of two persons was serious.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Such strikes are usually blamed on Baloch nationalist groups that are waging a campaign for a greater say in the exploitation of the province's abundant
natural resources, including gas reserves and minerals.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print.aspx?Id=2062eedb-7ec7-44d9-b1f7-c63106704387