ISLAMABAD, May 30: There were more than 1.2 million unlicensed automatic weapons in the country, former speaker National Assembly Gohar Ayub Khan said here on Monday. Speaking at a seminar on “Progressive Balochistan,” Mr Khan traced the problems of militancy in the country, private armies and the crisis in Balochistan to the proliferation of weapons as a direct consequence of the Afghan jihad of the 1980s.

“Nearly 800 tons of weapons were going to Afghanistan every day before the signing of the Geneva Accord,” said Mr Khan.

Emphasizing the need for ridding society of weapons, Mr Khan said the proliferation of weapons which took place during the Afghan jihad had become a liability.

He said private armies were a carryover of the historical process and it was in the interest of the state to get rid of them.

The former speaker dilated on the peculiar socio-political structure of the Baloch society and said it was based on a hierarchy of power with the chiefs as the centre of power.

Mr Khan, while emphasizing the need to address the socio-political power structure in the Baloch society, said it would take a long time for the people to get rid of the entrenched psyche of “God above, Baloch Sardar below”.

To increase inter-provincial harmony, Gohar Ayub proposed that the four top offices of the federation, including that of president, prime minister, Senate chairman and speaker National Assembly, should be distributed amongst the provinces.

He said that though no constitutional provision existed for such distribution but the same could be done through political consensus and understanding.

The former speaker said the government should hold regular Cabinet meetings to address the problems of Balochistan. The president should also be a more frequent visitor to Balochistan, he added.

In his presidential address, former foreign minister Agha Shahi traced the problems of Balochistan to the geo-strategic games of the big powers in the region.

“The positioning of the big powers and the geopolitics of the 21st century have to be taken into consideration while dealing with the complex issue of Balochistan,” said Mr Shahi.

He said the policy makers should be able to exploit the situation in their advantage rather than becoming a pawn in the great game being played out in the region.

“We should not provide an opportunity to (Big Powers) exploit the situation to our detriment,” said the experienced diplomat.

Mr Shahi warned against military misadventures in Balochistan while citing the example of separation of East Pakistan.

“The mindset to take military action rather than seek political solutions has brought disaster to the country,” he said.

The secretary general of Pakistan Muslim League-Q, Senator Mushahid Hussain cited examples of affirmative action taken by the government to solve the Balochistan crisis and said a number of persons had been appointed in Balochistan who belonged to the province.

He said Lt Gen Abdul Qadir served as Corps Commander and then as governor Balochistan. Moreover, K. B. Rind was a fluent Balochi speaker, he said.

Senator Mushahid said the FC had relaxed rules for recruitment of Baloch people in the security outfit.

He said for the first time in 32 years, the government had taken up the issue of provincial autonomy.