IT is quite comforting to know that the chieftain-elect of the Bugti tribe, Mir Aali Bugti, grandson of the late Akbar Bugti, has advocated other means than violence to secure the rights of the Baloch. He has also appealed for unity in the Bugti tribe. Though the military operation forced him to take refuge in the mountains along with his cousin Nawabzada Brahamdagh Bugti, he has not lost his cool. He has done well by distancing himself from those who are indulging in subversive propaganda and activities in Balochistan. As a Baloch leader, he could play an effective part in mainstream politics. Concurrently, there is a consensus in the country that a solution to the conflict prevailing in Balochistan has to be found. Recently, Mian Nawaz Sharif aired his sentiments saying that the PML(N) would take up the case of the Baloch in the same way it struggled for the restoration of the deposed judges. The PPP Co-Chairman offered apologies for the harm done in the past. But the past injustices cannot be wiped out by promises; they have to be redressed. Mere promises would not suffice to remove the sense of alienation prevailing at present. During General Musharraf's rule, the Baloch were maltreated. The military operation launched by the regime resulted in the extrajudicial killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti and other Baloch leaders, thus increasing resentment. The present government, therefore, must capitalize on the opportunity that has been created by the goodwill gesture from the new Bugti leader.