As a result of the utter failure of the Balochistan government to bring promised peace to the province witnessing continuous violence and bloodshed, in what seems an act of desperation, the Balochistan Assembly unanimously passed a resolution to constitute a jirga to convince the self-exiled Khan of Kalat, Suleman Dawood, to return to Pakistan. The princely Kalat State acceded to Pakistan six months after independence in March 1948 in what the Baloch say was a forced annexation. The province, in order to win its rights and autonomy has been wracked by five insurgencies over the past seven decades. Many tribal leaders, including Suleman Dawood, were accused from time to time of supporting the ongoing nationalist insurgency. After the assassination of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti in 2006 by the Musharraf regime, sensing the threat to his life, the Khan of Kalat fled the country and sought asylum in the UK. Due to the traditional respect he enjoys, it is assumed that bringing him back may help the government negotiate with the insurgents, because with the assassination of Akbar Bugti and passing away of Nawab Khair Bux Marri, there is hardly any leader left to talk to. Despite repeated claims by the provincial government of carrying out negotiations, nothing seems to be happening on ground where law and order keeps deteriorating. Even the induction of the moderate nationalist Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch proved of little help in normalising the situation. Balochistan, a mineral-rich province where the phenomenon of finding mutilated and tortured bodies dumped along roadsides has become a routine, it is difficult for the government to convince the insurgents that it calls the shots. It seems that the government is oblivious of the possibility of some foreign power, tempted by Balochistan’s geostrategic location and untapped mineral wealth, coming round to supporting the separatist movement. History tells us that many guerrilla struggles, irrespective of their strength and persistence, eventually yielded to political solutions through dialogue. At this point if the government fails to bring the alienated elements into negotiations and remains wedded to the use of force alone, nurturing fresh generations of alienated youth is highly likely, who may take up arms against the state like their preceding generations. A conduit or channel is needed to bridge the gulf between the two sides in this conflict, which may be possible by convincing some Baloch elders to play a mediatory role. Whether, however, the Khan of Kalat still enjoys the influence to play that role remains in question. Nevertheless there is no harm in trying, provided the Khan of Kalat can be persuaded. *