By Umair Jamal
A major infrastructure initiative between China and Pakistan could spur reconciliation in Balochistan.
A few months ago, the leader of an outlawed Baloch separatist party hinted that “If our friends, companions, political allies and finally the people are in favor of this [reconciliation with Pakistan], then we are definitely ready to live with Pakistan.”
Pakistan has faced the Baloch rebellion since its inception. Insurgency in Balochistan has evolved over the decades. The largest uprising took place between 1973 and 1997 with some 80,000 Pakistani troops deployed in the province. Following the death of Nawaz Akbar Khan Bugti in August 2006, the movement surged again.
The movement has died down recently, with many self exiled Baloch separatist leaders toning down their independence rhetoric and asking their followers to consider the reconciliation approach towards their state. Brahamdagh Bugti, leader of the Balochistan Republican Party (BRP) – a separatist party – in a recent statement said that he is heading a democratic party and believes in dispute resolution through dialogue.
Arguably, part of this has to do with the growing economic activity in Balochistan, which irrespective of all negativity, is assured to bring economic prosperity to one of the least developed economic regions of the country. Perhaps economic gains have convinced both the Baloch separatist leaders and the state to rethink their mutual hard-line approach towards each other as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor cannot become a success story unless there is peace and stability in this region.
Read the full story at The Diplomat