THE opposition that the Balochistan package has drawn from Baloch leaders in parliament on Monday is quite understandable. They laid great emphasis on granting amnesty to the exiled Baloch, bringing the killers of Nawab Akbar Bugti to justice and complete withdrawal of the army from the province. As these demands are at the heart of the problem, the initiative under the catchy name Aghaz-e-Haqqooq-e-Balochistan would be meaningless. The real grievances ought to be addressed. Instead of making statements, the government should act. The suggestion, by the Leader of the Opposition, Chaudhry Nisar, that the government should take the entire Baloch leadership on board is vital for the success of the package. The failure of successive governments in conflict resolution can be attributed to the fact that disgruntled Baloch elements were sidelined and the all powerful intelligence agencies muddied the waters by influencing the dialogue process. Their choice of leaders usually ignores the genuine leadership at the grassroots level. Now the best way out is to start a dialogue with both the exiled and the angry Baloch elements in the country. Chairman of the parliamentary committee on Balochistan, Mian Raza Rabbani, has done well to observe that the federal government would welcome suggestions to 'fine tune the document'. But, since the Baloch MPs and other political forces have categorically emphasised on military withdrawal, the trial of General Musharraf and amnesty for the Baloch leadership, the authorities must waste no time in getting on with the work. A considerable time has been wasted in apologies and all that; but fine words are meaningless without accompanying action. Even now it is anyone's guess when the implementation would start. It is a pity that the issue of missing persons continues to linger despite the fact that all it needs is to set them free. The government ought to make up for the lost time.