|
The present situation in Balochistan has been as a result of ham
handed policies of the Pakistan Government which it has pursued for
quite sometime. There is a resurgence of Balochi nationalism because
Balochis feel that they have been consistently denied the fruits of
development and the benefits of their natural assets and wealth are
going to outsiders. In order to express their resentment, towards end
December, an all out strike was organized in Balochistan to
demonstrate against the twin issues of heavy handed Pak military
action and the construction of controversial Kalabagh dam . The strike
was completely successful.
Earlier in December, during Musharraf's visit to the troubled province,
suspected militants had carried out a rocket attack that resulted in a
strong military reaction in the areas of Murri and Bugti which left
over 200 people dead. Pak military used helicopter gunships and jet
planes against the so called 'rebels'. Generally, such level of force is
not resorted to in a law and order situation. It was this
indiscriminate use of force which prompted the human rights
organisations to express their concerns on human rights violations.
Pak military has been at pains to assure every one that no military
operation was going on even as its political ally MQM threatened to
quit the government on the issue, thus, raising the possibilities of Sindh government loosing the majority support.
It is not the first time that Balochistan is up in arms against a
repressive Pak regime. Balochi resistance has seen many highs and lows
since sixties. Rebellion by Balochi nationalists in 1962 and
thereafter led to atrocities by the army and it is during this period
that General Tikka Khan acquired the infamous title of 'Butcher of
Balochistan'. By 1969, some kind of cease fire with the Pararis
(rebels) had been reached. Again in 1973, Bhutto toppled the elected
Balochi provincial government and used military and helicopter
gunships to suppress the resultant turmoil and resistance to the
central rule. In 1974, Bhutto believed that the back of Balochistan
People's Liberation Front had been broken but resistance continued
till General Zia reached another truce with Balochis.
The Pak government did not see writing on the wall when in 2003, the
Governor of Balohistan, Lt. General Abdul Qadir Baloch (Retd)
resigned to protest against the land grabbing by military officers and
other non-Balochi elite in the fast developing Gawadar port. Balochi
nationalists have been continually accusing the central government of
economic and social negligence of Balochistan and depriving Balochis
of their rightful share of wealth from oil, gas, minerals and other
assets of the province. Since 2003, the Balochi Liberation Army has
been conducting operations to thwart the attempts of Pakistan's
establishment to gain from mega-projects launched by Musharraf's
regime in Balochistan.
The geo-strategic relevance of Balochistan has grown because of not
only development of Gawadar port but also due to its location as a
land bridge between energy hungry market of India and energy supplier
Iran. It also provides access to land locked Afghanistan and Central
Asian countries for sea trade and opens avenues to Indian Ocean for
China. When infrastructure of roads, oil and gas pipelines is fully
developed it will become a hub of transit and trade corridors
benefiting all the nations involved. Therefore, stability and security
in this region is not only of concern to Pakistan but also to other
countries and especially so to India. India is not only concerned with
human rights and democratic processes, it also has interest in the
security of projected Indo- Iranian gas pipeline which would pass
through Balochistan. Despite America's objection to the pipeline
project, India wants to go ahead and thus it has a vested interest in
peace in the troubled province. It is expected that successful
completion of the pipeline project would create mutual
interdependencies that may lead to added focus on economic issues and
diffusion of security issues.
Therefore, the Indian government's remark that 'we hope the Government
of Pakistan will exercise restraint and take recourse to peaceful
discussions to address the grievances of people of Balochistan' should
not be viewed in isolation. While Pakistan is sensitive to Indian
criticism on Balochistan issue, it sees no harm in issuing statements
by the dozen on human rights situation in Kashmir. Further, Pakistan's
own record in Northern Areas on human rights violations is abysmal.
Also, in his zeal to force the pace of ongoing peace process,
Musharraf's propensity to suggest new proposals through media, like
demilitarisation or self-governance in Kashmir, look very
attractive on the face of it but lack the substantive, political,
diplomatic and historical perspective that is needed to solve the 56
years old problem. Musharraf also continues to look for concessions
from the Indian government in Kashmir while looking the other way on
regarding cross border terrorism.
Thus, the Indian government is right in feeling miffed about Musharraf's
approach to the ongoing composite dialogue and, apparently, it would
be naïve to expect a major breakthrough in the Indo-Pak
talks as of now. Meanwhile, situation in Balochistan is
worsening and according to a Pakistani analyst "allowing a situation
to develop where the Bugtis and Marris take to the gun testifies to
the failure of political imagination. Who is to blame? India, RAW, the
CIA, or our own failure to develop and sustain political institutions?
The military mind may be a wonderful thing in itself but where
politics is concerned, it is an unmitigated disaster…. From a ruler we
expect something more: vision, perspicacity, competence and, if we are
lucky, a sense of history". However, the military mind seems to be
more interested in perpetuating its own rule rather than rule of law.
|
