Quetta—Experts at a consultation said that social and political engineering would increase radicalization in troubled Balochistan, noting that this ‘wrong’ approach will create more polarization in society.
These views were expressed at a discussion, “Building Bridges: A Stakeholder Consultation on Tolerance and Inclusivity”, organized by the Islamabad-based Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) here on Thursday at the Quetta Press Club.
Lawmakers, lawyers, academics, religious scholars, human rights and political activists, and civil society representation took part in the dialogue. It brought together key stakeholders to explore strategies on bridging divides, addressing misconceptions, and fostering social harmony, tolerance and inclusivity in Balochistan and across the country.
Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) leader and ex-senator Sanaullah Baloch said that social and political engineering in Balochistan had brought behavioural changes in society. “This is a wrong approach that cannot bring tolerance and inclusivity in the province,” he said. He added that this engineering created more actors, which would increase extremism and radicalization.
Leader of the Opposition in the Balochistan Assembly Younas Aziz Zehri said that citizens were entitled to demand their rights, and such actions should not be misconstrued as terrorism. “Not even the minorities but also the majority is facing challenges in Balochistan,” he said, adding that security concerns were one of the major problems.
Maulana Hidayatur Rehman Baloch, MPA and the chief of the ‘Haq Do Tehreek’—a rights movement, urged that they need to come out of the mindset of ‘Islamic and un-Islamic’, and should look into reasons of extremism and intolerance in the broader context.
Dr Dost Muhammad Barrech, Chief Coordinator at the Balochistan Centre of Excellence on Countering Violent Extremism said that 3Ds – democracy, development, and dialogue – would remain their focus. “We are applying non-kinetic approaches to tackle extremism and interacting with different stakeholders,” he added.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) politician and social worker Sakina Abdullah Khan noted that certain constitutional provisions conflicted with the fundamental rights guaranteed in the Constitution and were discriminatory towards minorities.
Khair Jan Baloch, member Balochistan Assembly, said there was a need for dialogue to move forward on the ideas of inclusivity and tolerance, and to address issues in Balochistan. “The state should avoid imposing restrictions on the freedom of expression of citizens while remaining within the legal framework,” he said.
Sanjay Kumar, parliamentary secretary in the Balochistan Assembly on minority affairs, claimed that religious minorities were not facing any major challenges in the province. He emphasized the role of civil society in bringing social harmony and inclusivity in society.
Religious scholar Maulana Anwarul Haq Haqqani endorsed the view that minorities are safe in Balochistan. He added that the state had reserved quota in jobs for such groups, which was a positive step.
Rafiullah Kakar, a public policy specialist and former adviser to the Balochistan government, said the present parliamentary system of the country had failed to protect the social, political, and economic rights of the people of Balochistan. “The state will have to recognize their fair rights,” he added.
PIPS Director Muhammad Amir Rana, moderating the session, said extremist tendency was a social attitude, underlining it was wrong to link it with the foreign elements. “We should come out of the state of denial,” he said, adding that ensuring political rights to the people is the way of peace and cohesion. He concluded that the state should review its policies to end the menace of extremism.