ISLAMABAD, Aug 23: Prime Minister Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has said that efforts would be made to find a political solution to Balochistan's problems and a Senate committee would be constituted to recommend ways of resolving issues relating to the province.
The committee would be constituted by the Senate chairman in consultation with Leader of the House Wasim Sajjad and would include members from the opposition side, the prime minister said while winding up a two-day debate on the Balochistan situation in Senate on Monday.
Deputy chairman Khalilur Rahman, who presided over the session, asked the house to move a resolution seeking to constitute the proposed committee.
Chaudhry Shujaat said he had great respect for the Baloch people as they were benefactors of his family. He said he had met Baloch leaders in the past few days to assess the gravity of the situation.
The prime minister said the proposed committee, which would submit its recommendations to the upper house as soon as possible, would also recommend steps for inter-provincial harmony which was one of the goals set by Gen Pervez Musharraf when he took over power in October 1999.
He expressed his desire to be a part of the committee so that he could play a reconciliatory role in finding a permanent solution to the problems of Balochistan.
Many opposition and treasury senators welcomed the prime minister's decision to set up the committee and suggested that a timeframe and terms of reference should also be set for the committee.
Earlier, taking part in the debate, MMA's Prof Khurshid Ahmed described the decision as correct and expressed the hope that Chaudhry Shujaat's successor would continue to make efforts to find a peaceful solution to the problems of Balochistan.
Parliamentary leader of the People's Party Parliamentarians Mian Raza Rabbani lamented that the government's initiative to find a political solution to the grievances of the Balochi people had come too late as many lives had been lost.
He demanded equal representation of the treasury and opposition members on the proposed committee and a clear term of reference with a timeframe to achieve its objective.
He said Balochistan was not the only province which felt a sense of deprivation as similar sentiments were prevalent in other provinces as well which should also be addressed by the committee.
Awami National Party (ANP) president Asfandyar Wali Khan said Chaudhry Shujaat had accepted the Baloch nationalist leaders' longstanding demand of finding a political solution to their grievances as no problem could be solved by the use of force.
He said inter-provincial harmony was linked to provincial autonomy. Amanullah Kanrani said that during clashes between tribes and security agencies, two helicopters had been shot down, killing 35 army personnel.
He claimed that the government was presenting a wrong picture of the situation in Balochistan where the administration had failed to prove any charge of terrorism against those held by the agencies during the operation.
Leader of the House Wasim Sajjad termed the prime minister's decision a good omen for bringing permanent peace to Balochistan. Senator Achakzai, however, differed with the idea of setting up the committee and demanded that the government should give provincial autonomy to the provinces as enshrined in the 1973 Constitution if it was sincere in resolving provincial issues.
Ishaq Dar of the PML-N said political issues could only be resolved through political dialogue. He said the impression that Punjab was usurping the rights of smaller provinces must be removed.
Federal Minister for Education Zobaida Jalal, while welcoming the proposal, requested that being a native of Balochistan she should be made a member of the proposed committee.
She denied that any military operation was being carried out in Balochistan and said that agencies were taking action only against some groups involved in unlawful activities.
