Balochistan’s persistent conundrum

The Balochistan issue emerged with the creation of Pakistan. It is a different debate as who was right and who was wrong, but the Baloch have defiance in their temperament and do not surrender easily. Therefore, if we look back, many military operations were conducted there from the Bhutto era to the General Musharraf era, but no solution could be found to the ingrained problem, and with the passage of time, the problem has exacerbated. The state attempted to integrate those elements who favoured the federation and distance them from separatist elements. It is another matter that these pro-state chieftains and leaders also exploited the state.

They knew that the state had no option but to support them at all costs and turn a blind eye to their own crimes and let them be. That is why such a leadership emerged in Balochistan which could not solve the problem of Balochistan to date, but with the passage of time, the problem became more and more grave. Perhaps the chiefs of Balochistan wanted the situation to remain the same so that their importance and influence would never fade.

During the Pakistan People’s Party government of president Zardari, we saw that some important efforts were made to accommodate the Baloch. They should have been given more control over their resources and funds. They should be given more stake in international agreements and the job quota was raised. Otherwise, I remember that once under a contract with a foreign company, Balochistan got only two percent of the ore coming out of the mine, while Islamabad and the foreign company got 98 percent. As a result, the gas price of Balochistan was kept so low compared to Punjab and Sindh and the province was paid at such a rate that it was surprising. The gas of Punjab and Sindh was of a “unique quality” which was expensive. There was a time when each member of the Balochistan Assembly received Rs250 million in the name of development grant, which was clearly a bribe. Most likely, that money was shifted to Dubai instead of being spent on the people of Balochistan. We all know the mental caliber of the Sardar who became the chief minister in Balochistan. When he became the chief minister, he imposed a fine of Rs1 billion on his government because he had enmity with another tribe in which his houses and crops were allegedly damaged. He contended that the state should cover the damages, and the money was indeed disbursed to him and his brother by his own government.

I remember that during General Musharraf’s tenure, Rs10 billion were invested to transform non-urban areas (uncharted territories) into regular urban areas. When the funds were exhausted and the PPP government came, all the chiefs demanded that these areas should be reveted to the status “no go areas” again, where the chiefs had their own servants who were recruited to act as their bodyguards and all the salaries were paid by the state. Now the chiefs said that they would get all the salaries and money and they themselves could pay or not pay whomever they want. The Baloch people reverted to the old system in which the government would give millions of rupees to the chiefs and they would share the money in the name of salary among their forces. Now, these people had to remain loyal to these chiefs instead of the state The chieftains always claimed that they were robbed by outsiders and their resources were seized.

Initially, educated people from outside were invited to Balochistan to teach the people of the province. When they all settled down and their children were born and raised there, the Baloch suddenly accused them of robbing them and started killing them. They were forced to leave and were replaced by people from Afghanistan and their properties were confiscated.

A leader from Balochistan was accused of enrolling thousands of foreigners’ voters by issuing them ID cards so that he could win the election. Then differences emerged between the Pashtuns and the Balochs, which further fueled nationalism. The Baloch felt that previously those who came from Karachi, Dera Ghazi Khan, Taunsa had taken their place, but now the Pashtuns and Afghans had outdone them, and that the Baloch were now rapidly losing their majority and identity. Thus, they intensified the resistance and then the atrocity happened when the separatists started killing ordinary and innocent Urdu speaking, Saraiki and Punjabis. To this day, I could not understand how a person who considers himself oppressed can kill another oppressed person. Therefore, the state formed an alliance with the Pashtuns in Balochistan. However, General Musharraf fulfilled the modicum of the gap when Akbar Bugti was killed during his tenure.

Although efforts were made to give the Baloch major slots in Islamabad so that they would consider themselves the rulers of Pakistan and not their subjects. From Zafarullah Jamali to Deputy Chairman Saint Jan Jamali, Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, (former) caretaker interior minister Sarfaraz Bugti to Caretaker Prime Minister Kakar, the people of Balochistan were given slots.  Now as their women and children came to Islamabad after an extended long march in search of missing persons, the way they were treated was not positively perceived by any Pakistani. Even if it is accepted that all these women and children were following the agenda of the separatists, the matter could have been handled in a better way so that in today’s age of social media, video clips of police assault on these women and children did not go viral. Perhaps making clips was the actual purpose (of use of this police force).

The same clips will now be playing on every phone in Balochistan showcasing how their girls were treated on the streets of Islamabad. The Baloch are very sensitive in such matters as we saw years ago in the Dr Shazia case when Akbar Bugti and his whole clan took up arms. After these clips, the recruitment of young Baloch will increase. The question is, how this sensitive issue could have been handled?

 I think, Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar should have taken the initiative. He should have met these protesters along with former Senate chairman Sadiq Sanjrani and former interior minister Sarfraz Bugti. All of them (protesters) should have been called to the Prime Minister House if it was risky for them to go to the venue of the sit-in. They (PM etc) could have placed their hands on the heads of these Baloch girls and give them respect. They could have explained their position and the state’s position and help them as much as possible and returned them with respect. A special flight could have been arranged to send them back to Quetta.

If the helicopter of the Ministry of Interior was used to bring Nihari from Karachi in the past, then these Baloch girls deserve it too. Who knows better than Kakar Sahib that these women and children, whether they are wrong or right, they are from your province. It is more dangerous for Kakar Sahib to ignore them because the police force was used against them when he is the prime minister.

The Baloch and Pashtun divide is very deep in Balochistan. Kakar Sahib is a Pashtun and the protesters are mostly Baloch women. Therefore, this whole message sent a wrong signal that first the police abused the Baloch women and then the Pashtun prime minister from Balochistan did not call them to the Prime Minister’s House and did not even offer them tea. All these things have only helped those who, you say, are the sponsors of this long march or sit-in. You could have failed these sponsors but you also succumbed to your stubbornness and ego and made their (sponsors) job easier.

Once Punjab Jail Inspector-General Mian Farooq Nazir was asked since he has been a jailer dozens of times, and which ethnicity’s prisoner was the most difficult and the easiest to handle. He confidently said that handling a Baloch prisoner could be both the most difficult and the easiest. I asked how that was the case. He said that if the Baloch prisoner has to be tamed and you have to win his heart, then give him respect.  He will calm down. But if you humiliate him, he will rather die in prison and will not bow to you. This simple formula could have been used by our state and our Caretaker Prime Minister Kakar.