The volatile situation of Balochistan - options to bring it into streamline

Abstract

While most of the world's media remains focused on insurgent attacks on coalition forces, oil facilities and Shia and Sunni sectarian attacks in Iraq, Pakistan is experiencing a rising tide of violence in the country's volatile Balochistan province, where the majority of the energy-starved country's natural gas facilities are located. Pakistan, currently engaged in a drawn-out conflict against al-Qaeda and Taliban remnants in its North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), is slowly descending into conflict with anti-government forces in Balochistan province, raising the unsettling prospect of a rising second internal front against militants. A second internal front would drain resources from Pakistan's ability to maintain effective, smooth and stable control over the law and order situation in the country and its campaign against al-Qaeda and Taliban remnants in the NWFP and the Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA). Under the prevailing situation conventional means to bring about peace and encouraging environments for political and economic stability seem to be elusive. In this thesis an effort will be made to uncover the root causes, historical perspective and genesis of socio cultural setup in Balochistan, so that the modern techniques and tools of IO/IW can be used to recommend useful options to deal with the situation by the Pakistan government.