KARACHI: There has been much talk of late that a Balochistan government delegation will be soon visiting the self-exiled Khan of Kalat, Mir Suleman Dawood Jan, in London to persuade him to return to Pakistan.

However, according to Baloch politician Yousuf Mastikhan, who has been in regular contact with the Khan, the latter has said that “no-one from the Pakistan government has contacted me and I have only read about it in the newspapers. As a Baloch I will meet them, but that doesn’t mean that I’ll just fly out and come to Pakistan. It is not possible for me to come back unless they come to me with a well-thought-out political agenda.” Sources confirm that the provincial government had indeed made no “direct contact” with the Khan on the issue.

Mr Mastikhan, central leader of the Awami Workers Party, is a member of the Grand Baloch Jirga that met in the aftermath of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti’s death in 2006 — the first time it did so after 103 years — and unanimously decided to ask the Khan of Kalat to approach the International Court of Justice for the restoration of Kalat state. The Khan had been quoted as having told his father-in-law, Prince Mohyuddin, that before meeting any delegation he would consult the members of the Grand Baloch Jirga.

Elaborating the Khan’s stance, Mr Mastikhan said: “Even now [the establishment doesn’t] understand. They just say we’re going to persuade him to come back. All [the Baloch leaders] who had left Pakistan have taken a stand and they will stick to their approach. They can’t just come back. They’re answerable to the people also. If he comes back without a political agenda it will be a big setback for the [separatist] movement overall.”

However, he believes that continuing with a military-led policy towards Balochistan will be disastrous. In his view, Pakistan’s recent membership of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation offers a ray of hope. “It seems that the Asian leadership is asserting itself in world politics. China and Russia are also taking India on board. If that works out, then there can be peace and prosperity in this region. Otherwise the proxy war — whether over potential trade routes, gas pipelines, the copper deposits, etc., — will continue with each party, especially western multinationals, seeking hegemony in the area. The issue of Balochistan must be settled if development is to come to Pakistan.”

Doubts have been expressed whether an approach to the Khan has any potential for success given the current insurgency which draws a large measure of support from Balochistan’s southern districts where society is more egalitarian and the sardari system of rigid tribal hierarchy associated with vast landholdings does not exist. To this, Mr Mastikhan responded that even Dr Allah Nazar — leader of the Balochistan Liberation Front mainly operating in the southern part of the province — has also based his movement on “the [Instrument of Accession] signed by the Khan of Kalat and its subsequent violation. If the Khan’s stance is that the agreement should be reconsidered, then [the insurgents] also derive a moral and legal legitimacy from this.

Further into the conversation, Mr Mastikhan articulates broad outlines of the political agenda that some Baloch leaders, and perhaps the Khan of Kalat himself, have in mind. “Since 1948, when it was signed under duress by the Khan’s grandfather, the Instrument of Accession had been violated many times. According to its terms, only the subjects of communications, defence and foreign affairs were to be surrendered to the centre with the rest to remain with the Khan of Kalat who was even allowed to keep his own army and flag,” said Mr Mastikhan. “We should now in fact revert to the earlier Standstill Agreement [a tripartite agreement signed between Pakistan, Britain and Balochistan in 1947] under which Balochistan was declared an independent state. We should re-negotiate that with Pakistan, and bring in international powers to act as guarantors. The government has to take a political stand -- they can’t just come in like that.”

While this may appear far too unrealistic a negotiating position for the powers that be in Pakistan, there is apparently the realisation among some Baloch leaders that a new approach is needed. “There is infighting among the people who are in the mountains also,” said Mr Mastikhan. “They’ve been fighting for so long, and some elements feel this hasn’t worked, so the situation is ripe for negotiation [even if there are some principles] on which there can be no compromise.” As always, however, the question is; will the establishment allow a political solution?

Published in Dawn, July 15th, 2015

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