October 14, 2002	Monday	Sha'aban 7, 1423

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window).

KARACHI, Oct 13: The nationalists have paid a great price for not having a clear stance on the US action in Afghanistan.

Their policy drifted away the voters from them to the emerging new political force — Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal — in Balochistan and the North West Frontier Province.

The previous elections had always given a split mandate in the Balochistan and the NWFP and weak coalition governments were formed in the past.

This time too the situation is not very different, but a new political force has emerged overshadowing the fragmented nationalist camp, which had always represented the national aspirations of the people.

The nationalist parties in Balochistan had always secured seats in their areas of influence and then united to form a coalition government, but the Oct 10 election results had established the fact that they had to pay dearly for being split into many groups and failing to adopt a clear-cut policy on the US action in Afghanistan.

The people have completely rejected the two newly-formed splinter groups including the Balochistan National Party (Awami) and the Balochistan National Congress.

The prominent leaders of the nationalist parties including Dr Abdul Hayee Baloch and Mehmood Khan Achakzai suffered a defeat because of their ambiguous stance regarding the US Afghan policy, whereas only the Makran based Balochistan National Movement, headed by Dr Hayee Baloch, could hardly retain its four traditional provincial assembly seats. Even the BNM candidate Dr Malik Baloch, vying for the National Assembly seat, lost the run against Ms Zubaida Jalal.

Other nationalist parties, which lost their traditional seats, included Jamhoori Watan Party of Nawab Akbar Bugti and Balochistan National Party (Mengal).

The JWP retained only provincial assembly seats and none of its candidate could return to the National Assembly.

Similarly, the Pakhtoonkhawa Milli Awami Party of Mehmood Khan Achakzai failed to retain its traditional seats.

Analysts say the nationalists have already lost their traditional fervour because of their divisions and the ideological politics that have become irrelevant after the collapse of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).

Moreover, they say that the nationalists could not judge the implications of the US action in Afghanistan where thousands of innocent people were killed by the American bombings.

The nationalists instead of opposing the US atrocities against the Afghans, who have blood and cultural relations with the people of NWFP and Balochistan, either openly supported the American action or kept silent. Such a policy had a negative impact on the people, but were unable to give vent to their feelings.

It were only the religious parties which had openly opposed the US action by taking to streets and holding meetings against the bombings.

Despite the fact that it were the people of Afghanistan who had supported the progressive forces not only in Balochistan and the NWFP but also in the other parts of Pakistan, the nationalist parties kept mum over the US action. Thus, the religious parties were able to win the sympathies of the people.