Original article at The Friday Times | July 8 - 14, 2011 | Is Balochistan ready for devolution?

by Shahzada Zulfiqar

Some political groups, like the National Party, are still pro-parliament and liberal, and demand maximum provincial autonomy. Other groups, like the Balochistan National Party headed by former chief minister Sardar Akhtar Mengal, now demand a right of self-determination. Other Baloch groups are either openly taking part in an insurgency that calls for an independent Balochistan, or supporting these 'Sarmachars' or freedom fighters.

After the devolution of power to the provinces and the abolition of the concurrent list under the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, the mineral-rich Balochistan is in control of most of its own resources.

The three-phased process of devolution was completed on June 30 despite bureaucratic obstacles. The 18th Amendment addresses a number of concerns of the nationalist political groups, including those in Balochistan, a province rich in natural resources and with a 1,129km coastline.

Although all nationalist forces in Balochistan have been struggling for complete provincial autonomy - the devolution of all subject to provinces except Defence, Foreign Affairs and Currency - the developments after the 18th Amendment are encouraging for them.

But in the situation that prevails in Balochistan, where emotions against Islamabad are high, the move may not be enough to stop those who have taken up arms against the state.

No Baloch nationalist group except the National Party (which was a part of the team that worked on the constitutional amendment and the process of devolution) has welcomed the initiative of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) led government. Political parties in the other three provinces, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh, have either been part of the amendment process or praised the federal government for its efforts to empower the provinces. The concurrent list had been a bone of contention between the nationalists seeking provincial autonomy and the federal government major political parties.

In the 1990's, the demand of the Balochistan National Alliance government headed by slain Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti for provincial autonomy was seen as a demand for freedom. Pro-centre parties, especially the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) responded by calling the BNA a separatist party.

During the 1988 general elections that marked the end of an 11-year-long Martial Law and controlled democracy under General Ziaul Haq, a number of Baloch groups entered parliamentary politics and gave up armed struggle for an independent Balochistan.

Some political groups, like the National Party, are still pro-parliament and liberal, and demand maximum provincial autonomy. Other groups, like the Balochistan National Party headed by former chief minister Sardar Akhtar Mengal, now demand a right of self-determination. Other Baloch groups are either openly taking part in an insurgency that calls for an independent Balochistan, or supporting these 'Sarmachars' or freedom fighters.

A new phase of the Baloch struggle that started in 2000 in the wake of arrest of Baloch separatist leader Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri, most of the parliamentary parties started demanding that the people of the province should have complete control over their natural resources and coast. Nawab Marri remained in jail for 18 months on charges of the murder of Justice Mir Muhammad Nawaz Marri, then senior judge of Balochistan High Court. And with the passage of time, these forces started supporting separatist groups, justifying their ongoing armed struggle in the mountains and streets.

Late Nawab Akbar Bugti, who was regarded as pro-establishment through out his life, also endorsed the demand for control over the resources and the coast of Balochistan.

Chief Minister Nawab Muhammad Aslam Raisani, who leads a seven-party ruling coalition as parliamentary leader of the PPP, is also known to be a nationalist at heart. He has been part of a number of Baloch nationalist parties and still supports the demand for maximum provincial autonomy guaranteed in 1940 Pakistan Resolution. The federal PPP leadership is not always happy with that demand. Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani is said to have asked the Balochistan chief minister more than once not to mention the 1940 resolution.

"The constitutional amendment that empowers the provinces may be a good step, but it is useless in the case of Balochistan where nothing is visible on the ground on the one hand, and there are military operations in all parts of the provinces, on the other," said Agha Hassan Baloch, the information secretary of Mengal's faction of the Balochistan National Party. "Security forces personnel and intelligence agencies are killing the Baloch youth and dumping their dead bodies in the streets like animals, after subjecting them to severe torture."

Balochistan National Party-Awami and the Awami National Party have welcomed the devolution of power to the provinces and called the 18th Amendment a major breakthrough towards complete provincial autonomy.

It is not clear though if all those who reject or support the 18th Amendment also clearly know what it means and what kind of opportunities and challenges it is likely to bring.

Especially in Balochistan, there are concerns about a lack of capacity as well as of vision. There is no special cell in the province to monitor the devolution process.

The Inter-Provincial Coordination Ministry headed by a grade-21 officer is looking at the process so far. Its secretary there is a problem of capacity. "There is a wrong perception in the centre that there is a capacity issue in the Balochistan province," said Azam Baloch. "Balochistan is capable enough to take control of the new departments."

In the first phase, five departments including local governments and social welfare were devolved to the provinces. In the second, another five subjects including education were transferred to the provinces and in the third phase, eight departments were devolved.

There are a total of 551 sanctioned posts in these 18 departments, of which 378 are filled while rest are vacant. The Balochistan government calls these posts a liability because of a lack of finances. Employees working on these posts are being considered to be on deputation till their fate is decided.

The chief minister has demanded finances from the centre for projects and initiatives like the National Commission for Human Development (NCHD).

"Most of the assets are located in Sindh and Punjab, while there is nothing in Balochistan," a provincial government official said. "So what should we call these employees, the rented properties and the old vehicles? Are they assets or liabilities?"

The government of Balochistan has demanded the division of assets in all provinces in terms of cash, because most of the valuable assets are located in Karachi and Lahore.

"In the meeting of implementation commission, Balochistan has demanded for transfer of the assets along with the departments," a second official said. "But the response from the centre was not very encouraging."

"It is the joint stand of all four chief ministers that the federal government should continue to provide finances for the devolved departments until the next National Finance Commission Award," Chief Minister Raisani said.

Shahzada Zulfiqar is a journalist based in Quetta