Pakistan's caretaker PM acknowledges Baloch aspirations for independence

Islamabad [Pakistan], January 28 : In a first by any Pakistani political leader, Pakistan's caretaker prime minister, Anwarul Haq Kakar on Saturday acknowledged that the Balochistan people are not merely dissatisfied with Pakistan, but are seeking an independent state, The Balochistan Post reported on Saturday.
He stated this in an interview and addressed the complex issue of enforced disappearances in Balochistan. He recognized the challenges in resolving these cases and stressed the importance of focusing on the return of missing persons. Notably, he admitted that the root of the discontent in the region lies in the aspiration for a separate Baloch identity and state, a perspective rarely acknowledged by previous Pakistani administrations.
The Balochistan Post report said that the statement marks a distinct approach of past Pakistani governments, which tended to describe the Balochistan independence movement as the concern of a minority, often responding with offers of dialogue rather than recognizing a widespread desire for independence.
Originating from the Pashtun belt of Balochistan, Kakar's tenure as interim prime minister has been marked by controversy. Pro-independence and political parties in Balochistan have criticized his government, perceiving it as being supported by the Pakistani establishment and involved in the suppression of the Baloch movement.
Kakar's administration has been accused of employing force against relatives of missing persons and engaging in political vendettas. The Interim Prime Minister has openly opposed demonstrations by families of the forcibly disappeared and has accused journalists, writers, and civil society advocates supporting these causes of being linked to the Baloch armed struggle.
Earlier on Saturday, a large number of people from parts of Balochistan gathered to participate in the Baloch Yakjehti Committee's (BYC) protest in Quetta against Pakistan's atrocities.
The BYC, which recently concluded a two-month protest in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, had called for huge participation from people in the protest.
People joined the protest even when Section 144 was imposed by the government in Quetta, the Balochistan Post reported, citing local media reports.
According to X, the information minister of Balochistan, Jan Achakzai, had announced that due to threat alerts for the next two weeks, all forms of public gathering are forbidden in Quetta.
The Baloch Yakjehti Committee and other rights organizations alleged that Pakistan's military institutions are behind the extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances of innocent people in Balochistan and the state's mainstream parties, government, judiciary, and media are backing these crimes, Dawn reported.