Middle class in Balochistan the suffering lot (Organized by SPO)

Source: Dawn

Date: December 29, 2010

ISLAMABAD, Dec 28: Speakers have blamed the troika of militants, Sardars and government for suppressing the middle class in Balochistan.

They were speaking at the roundtable forum on ‘Peace and Human Development’ arranged by Strengthening Participatory Organisation (SPO) here on Tuesday.

The speakers, coming from all provinces, said Pakistan was utilising more resources on security paradigm than on human development.

Senator Dr Abdul Malik said Balochistan was backward because of the collusion of local politicians with the ruling class to maintain a status quo, adding that there was a need to shift the current paradigm from security state to human security to achieve Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

“The current insurgency in Balochistan is a result of deprivations of the last 63 years and the only solution lies in accepting the legitimate demands,” he added.

Director of Area Study Centre, University of Peshawar, Dr Sarfraz said terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) had a deep-rooted impact on the achievement of MDGs.“When schools are bombed, students are threatened to join seminaries and women are prohibited from getting education, it becomes impossible to achieve the targets of MDGs,” he said.

“The thought process that has traditionally been independent in KP is curtailed now, and this will harm the quality of education in seats of higher learning in the province,” Dr Sarfraz said.

Abrar Kazi presented the perspective of Sindh and said being a postcolonial state Pakistan was entangled in ideological, religious and nationalist conflict.

He said the violent conflict in Sindh was rooted in ethnicity and attributed this situation to the failure of institutions.

He told participants that tribal feuds, jirgas and ransom in the inner parts of Sindh had brought economic development to a standstill.

Former chief economist Dr Pervez Tahir said the objective of security in the country was always the state and never human security.

Shedding light on performance of MDGs vis-à-vis Pakistan’s performance, he claimed that Pakistan was far away from achieving the targets.

“In education and health, expenditure is lower now than what it was in 2001, but on defence and military expenditure had increased manifold,”Dr Tahir said.

Educationist Dr Rubina Sehgal stressed the need to look more into militancy in Punjab as it provided 50 per cent of the jihadi workforce.

Speaking on the impact of conflict/terrorism on women in Pakistan, she provided historical overview of the conflict in which civilians remained largely immune to wars.

Senator Hasil Bizenjo said: “Our politics is based on secularism but secular parties do not openly go against the Federal Shariat Court.” Military and mullah are doing whatever they like, he added.

Link: http://epaper.dawn.com/ArticleText.aspx?article=29_12_2010_153_003