AFTER the tragic incident of Jaffar Express in Balochistan Province and several terrorist attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), the in-camera meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security was the most needed step.
All major political parties participated in this meeting where military leadership gave detailed briefing on the rise of militancy and terrorism in the country.
It was hurting, agonizing and very unfortunate that the main opposition party in the Parliament, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) did not participate in this event of national significance.
Besides, a few other political parties also boycotted the meetings alongside the PTI.
This is the most regrettable aspect and in no way this act of PTI and other political parties is justifiable.
In the last one year, PTI, as a political outfit, did not participate in any event of national significance, consensus building and national unity.
Having differences on any issue is one aspect but ignoring such meetings of national significance is absurd and disrespectful towards the national cause.
Such attitude and actions are tantamount to disrespecting the mandate of those who voted the PTI Parliamentarians as their representatives.
This political outfit should have achieved the requisite amount of maturity by now.
The in-camera meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on the National Security has shown resolve to take all needed measures to overcome the menace of terrorism from all parts of Pakistan, especially the terrorism hit areas of the Balochistan and Khyber- Pakhtunkhwa provinces.
With regards to rising trends of terrorism, two significant aspects were highlighted by General Asim Munir, Chief of Army Staff.
One; the ‘soft state’ approach over the losses of lives and two; gaps in the system of governance in Pakistan.
Both aspects belong to political governments.
General Asim Munir said, “Soft state” approach is responsible for the loss of innocent lives amid rising terrorism across the country.
Besides, he said, “For how long we [defence forces] will fill the gaps of governance with our martyrs’ blood.”
Indeed, these aspects need serious retrospection and analysis for finding a way forward.
Soft state approach is primarily concerned with a lenient approach of the successive governments towards terrorists and terrorism in various political, ethnic and sectarian contexts.
Judicial trials of the terrorists have been yet another aspect where many terrorists were set free by courts.
Debating the governance issue, it is pertinent to mention that, there has been demonstration of bad governance in Pakistan since decades.
This practice of bad governance is continuing even now without any check and accountability.
The successive governments in Pakistan have never been put through the process of accountability on governance issues.
The truth is that, absence of good governance is the root-cause of all political, social and economic problems in Pakistan.
The terrorism and militancy in various parts of Pakistan is also the outcome of the bad governance at the level of federation as well as in the provinces.
In the province of Balochistan, there has been a total absence of good governance.
There has been a clear disconnect (gap) between provincial governments and administration from the masses of the Province.
The elected representatives (MNAs, Senators and MPAs) visit their constituencies only once they need the vote (once in five-year’ time).
Besides, the Provincial Administration and local district administration has been found authoritarian and hard while dealing with the masses of the province.
Neither the MPs nor the administrative officers paid attention towards the most needed issues of the masses of the province.
This inappropriate attitude of ruling elites and administration gave rise to uncertainty and unrest among the general public of the province.
The people of the rural areas of the province were kept deprived of the basic requirements and necessities of life.
Upon questioning from the masses about these deprivations, the people are told that the Federal Government doesn’t issue funds for such projects.
The people of the province are wilfully antagonized against the State, its institutions and other provinces.
Owing to poor education, strong Sardari system and lack of awareness, the masses never get their rights from their elected representatives and government officials from the budgetary allocations and special grants given to the Province from time to time.
The provincial budgetary allocations and other funds are mainly consumed by the elite class of the province, ignoring their true and lawful utilizations.
Indeed, the majority of the elected representatives of the Balochistan Province either reside in Islamabad or Karachi with a few in Quetta.
Same is the case with the provincial bureaucracy, since they have to be in line and closer to their bosses.
This elite group is not available to the masses for the resolution of their issues.
This is how the governance system of the Balochistan Province has worsened over the years and there was no one to question the provincial governments.
In the subsequent phase, the disgruntled class turned against the state with multiple grievances where they are exploited by terrorist outfits and their external sponsors.
In summary, the terrorism in the Province of Balochistan is the outcome of bad governance which caused widespread deprivations, uncertainty and chaos among the masses of the Province.
The ruling elites of the Province (political parties) are directly and indirectly responsible for this chaos.
The resolution of the Provincial problems of Balochistan lies in Good Governance and Political Engagements with all those people who have grievances against the state.
— The writer is Professor of Politics and IR at International Islamic University, Islamabad.(drmkedu@gmail.com)
