April, 1 2005	Friday	21 Safar 1426

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ISLAMABAD, March 31: The parliamentary committee on Balochistan is not likely to meet next week as the government and Jamhoori Watan Party chief Nawab Akbar Bugti are still to appoint two members to a proposed three-member committee which is to monitor implementation of an accord reached between Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and the tribal leader. Upon his return from India, Chaudhry Shujaat may undertake yet another visit to Dera Bugti before naming the government’s representative on the committee. The parliamentary committee meeting, therefore, might be delayed, sources told Dawn on Thursday.

It was decided in the Shujaat-Bugti meeting on March 23 that the agreement between them was limited to the standoff in Sui and Dera Bugti and that the overall grievances of Balochistan would be addressed by the parliamentary committee.

Chaudhry Shujaat held talks with Nawab Bugti on March 20 and 23 and the two agreed to appoint a three-member committee, one member from each side and PML secretary-general Mushahid Hussain Syed being their joint nominee. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz is reported to have offered to the committee to implement parts of the parliamentary committee’s recommendations.

The Mushahid sub-committee had completed its work on political recommendations on January 3 but implementation on it was delayed as the government wanted the main committee to complete its recommendations on all aspects of the issue.

However, the Wasim Sajjad sub-committee could not finalize its report in time due to complex proposals made by representatives of political parties. The committee was to discuss both the reports on March 16 but then it was postponed in the wake of clashes between security forces and Bugti tribesmen on March 17.

The opposition members on the committee refused to attend its meeting on March 21 when Chaudhry Shujaat, who had returned from Dera Bugti a day earlier, refused to divulge details of his talks with Nawab Bugti in line with an understanding the two had reached. MMA’s deputy parliamentary leader Hafiz Hussain Ahmed told Dawn that the members of the committee from opposition would participate in its proceedings only when details of the Shujaat-Bugti meetings were made public.

He expressed the confidence that if the government side continued to hide details of the accord, Nawab Bugti would himself disclose them.

He said the parliamentary committee mostly comprised senators while National Assembly members from Balochistan were kept out of it. He said the entire opposition, including the MMA and ARD, had fought the case of Balochistan by opposing the military operation and standing by Nawab Bugti at a difficult time.