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  "path": "/news/1974285/clerics-urge-talks-over-violence-in-balochistan",
  "publishedAt": "2026-02-19T02:02:20.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.dawn.com",
  "tags": [
    "Pakistan"
  ],
  "textContent": "QUETTA: Religious sch­­­­olars on Wednesday decl­ared that guns were not the solution to any problem, and stressed that all stakeholders must sit toge­ther and resolve Balo­chistan’s issues through dialogue.\n\nSpeaking at a joint press conference following a seminar on ‘Rest­oring Peace in Balochistan and Confidence-Building, the Institutional Respo­nsibilities of Ulema and Mashaykh’, the scholars — including Maulana Dr Ata ur Rehman, Allama Muh­ammad Juma Asadi, Mau­lana Anwar-ul-Haq Haq­qani, and Qari Abdul Reh­man Noorzai — emphasised that lasting solutions lie in justice, mediation, and reconciliation rather than the use of force.\n\nThe clerics urged the government to conduct transparent investigations into all missing persons’ cases. They said that anyone found guilty should be tried in open courts, while innocent individuals must be released immediately.\n\nWarning that the province now stands at a crossroads, the scholars noted one path leads toward com­­plete separation and the other toward a constituti­o­nal struggle for basic righ­­ts. They traced the current cycle of violence, the consequences of which are still being felt today, to the 2006 killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti, a former federal minister, Balochistan chief minister and governor.\n\nThe scholars warned that hostile elements exp­loit local grievances and demanded that citizens be treated as partners of the state rather than suspects.\n\nTo reduce frustration and anxiety among the youth, they demanded that locals be given jobs and a meaningful stake in Gwadar, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and mining projects.\n\nThey also called for a major portion of revenue generated from provincial resources to be allocated to local development.\n\nThe clerics blamed foreign interference for worsening the situation, alleging that external forces sought to create divisions, hatred and mistrust to prevent unity among Muslim countries and destabilise Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran.\n\nNoting that the Quran declares peacemaking between disputing parties a religious duty, the scholars said the seminar proposed several specific measures to restore stability.\n\nThese include holding transparent elections in the province; granting locals their rightful share in natural resources; expanding education, specifically technical and vocational training and employment opportunities; regulating border trade routes and eliminating drug and trawler mafias; empowering the Human Rights Commission; establishing a reconciliation council comprising ulema and respected community figures.\n\nThey further called for improved intelligence systems with community participation and introduced the idea of special quotas for Balochistan in public and private sectors.\n\nThe scholars reaffirmed that Balochistan’s leading ulema and mashaykh stand ready to shoulder any responsibility assigned to them for restoring peace and stability in the province.\n\n_Published in Dawn, February 19th, 2026_",
  "title": "Clerics urge ‘talks over violence’ in Balochistan"
}