On 02 May 2014, UMT School of Law and Policy hosted a talk, titled “Balochistan-Myth and Reality,” by Syed Junaid Arshad (Senior Superintendent Police, PSP). The audience comprised of lawyers, law professors, law students, and Baloch students in Lahore.
Mr. Arshad began the talk by stating that his focus would be on the “missing persons” in Balochistan based on his own experience when he served in the province as a police officer. He started by explaining that, in the context of Balochistan, “missing persons” refers to Baloch individuals allegedly detained by different law enforcement organizations on charges of terrorism or other heinous crimes without any legal process or justification. Human rights organizations maintain a list of these alleged missing persons and have been constantly demanding their recovery. However, these activists are extremely disappointed over the response of the government and the courts in this regard.
He then elaborated on the general law and order situation in the province. He discussed the tribal system of justice that is often resorted to and preferred by the locals. This is a very old system with deep roots in the Baloch culture. He also discussed the Pashtun-Baloch dynamics in Balochistan, and gave examples of how matters vary between Pashtun and Baloch areas in the province. The sectarian issues were also touched upon.
Coming back to the point, Mr. Arshad mentioned that, first of all, most individuals on the so-called missing persons lists have long histories of criminal acts ranging from murder to terrorism. Secondly, a lot of these individuals, in order to avoid prosecution and sentences, have left Pakistan and are living in Afghanistan and other countries. There is ample proof of it and, therefore, it is wrong to mention them as missing persons. Thirdly, there is infighting between different criminal and terrorist organizations in Balochistan. Whenever a criminal or terrorist organization abducts or kills a member of the rival organization, the blame is put on law enforcement organizations. Fourthly, if, for argument’s sake, we accept that the different lists of missing persons are true, law enforcement organizations simply do not have the facilities and infrastructure to detain such a large number of individuals. Fifthly, he stressed that human rights activists need to make a realistic assessment of the situation in Balochistan.
Mr. Arshad concluded by saying that the province is going through a tough time. Even certain foreign actors are also actively sabotaging all efforts aimed at ensuring peace and stability in the province. It is a complex state of affairs and there is no simple solution. However, it is not too late. The government and the political parties need to have a strong resolve and they must not hesitate to take the required tough decisions.
The talk was followed by a detailed Q&A session that moved the discussion towards other issues like human rights, literacy rate, greater autonomy, increased royalties from natural resources, etc.
In the end, Syed Imad-ud-Din Asad [LL.M. (Harvard); Advocate, High Court; Founding Director and Associate Professor, UMT School of Law and Policy] thanked Mr. Arshad for taking out time to share his views and expertise on the matter.
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