THERE are in any long-running conflicts, big and small, moments when the narrative can be changed for the better, leading to change in policy and perhaps even an end to the conflict. If any conflict deserves to be brought to an end, it is the one that the security establishment has been waging in Balochistan against separatists and dissidents. And if there has been a moment that could be seized by the political government in Islamabad to change the security-driven policy narrative on Balochistan, it is the arrival in Islamabad of Mama Qadeer Baloch after an epic journey on foot in the most heart-wrenching of circumstances. What Mama Qadeer and the few souls who braved threats and adversity have done is to highlight the cause of the so-called missing persons and dead Baloch whose mutilated bodies continue to turn up across the province. The symbolism of their non-violent, peaceful protest against the most egregious state crimes is all the more poignant because the marchers are victims themselves — marching on behalf of family members who have been abducted.

Here then is a moment for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to stand up and be counted on the right side of history. If Mr Sharif were to personally meet Mama Qadeer and his group, stand by their side and promise that his government will do what is necessary to protect them and many families like theirs and ensure that the missing will be recovered — it would send an incredibly powerful message that the rule of law and the rights of the Baloch are at long last being taken seriously by those in power in Islamabad. The timing would also be portentous: with rights abuses in Balochistan having gained much more coverage and the appetite for endless conflict diminished in all but the most security-obsessed of quarters, Mr Sharif is in a position to deliver on his election pledge of bringing Balochistan back from the edge.

Of course, a single meeting between a democratically elected prime minister and a citizen waging an epic struggle for his people’s rights would not pose a challenge to the established order of things — unless it is followed up by meaningful action. It is here where the Sharif government, and also the Abdul Malik-led provincial government in Balochistan, have failed so far. While saying all the right things at the outset, neither the prime minister nor the chief minister have demonstrated the kind of moral courage and seriousness of purpose that alone will end the insurgency-related violence in the province. Ultimately, it is a question of elected governments recognising that the old order will prevail until it is challenged forcefully and insistently. Perhaps, if he were to meet Mama Qadeer, the prime minister could hit the re-set button on Balochistan?