Balochistan: The Forgotten Land

On 8^th February there was a congressional hearing on Balochistan in USA. This hearing stirred a controversy in Pakistan, whether this was interference in the internal affairs of Pakistan or should it be taken positively. Before the dust was settled, some US lawmakers introduced a resolution that called for an independent Balochistan. This was beyond the threshold of tolerance for a common Pakistani and apparently for the government as well. People poured into the streets to condemn the resolution and urged the US politicians to mind their own business, and if they really have too much idle time, why not pass it by bringing resolutions about the sovereignty of Palestine and Kashmir. Its very obvious that Kashmir and Palestine need more attention than Balochistan. On the other hand the Pakistani government tried its best not to disappoint its people. The foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar repeatedly condemned the resolution and government started counter lobbying in USA to nullify the effects of the resolution, that eventually resulted in the distancing of US government from it and an assurance by American delegates to Pakistani prime minister that both the American political parties were not in the favor of the resolution.

Apart from its negative effects on the already tense relations between USA and Pakistan, the resolution had some positive outcomes as well.

The Balochistan issue has never been discussed so much in the Pakistani media. This resolution brought the issue to light and also warned the people of Pakistan that the situation in Balochistan is much worse than what they are made to think by their government. It also pressurized the Pakistani government to take immediate steps in order to contain the situation.

But is the government taking any steps that would really contain the situation?

The immediate reaction from the Pakistani interior minister Rehman Malik was to announce the withdrawal of cases against Baloch tribal chiefs including Barahamdakh Bugti and Harbiyar Marri. Some welcomed the decision and others criticized it. Its clearly a wise idea to withdraw cases against Baloch chiefs in order to encourage them to return from their exile and take part in the political process instead of resorting to armed conflict with Pakistan army. But do these chiefs really represent the Baloch people? A common Baloch himself thinks that they do represent him, but what have these chiefs ever done for the people of Balochistan? Why should Baloch people trust them? They’re not democratically elected representatives; they are tribal chiefs who assume the representation of their tribe just because their father was a chief. The approach of Pakistani government to quell the rebellion in Balochistan by bribing the chiefs might cool down the situation for the time being, but in the long run the problem will get even worse because the problems are with the people of Balochistan not with these tribal chiefs.

According to a study by Dr Talat Anwar, rural poverty in Balochistan increased by 15% between 1999 and 2005. The maternal mortality ratio is 650 per 100,000 live births in Balochistan - nearly two times the national average. The province has the lowest literacy rate in the country and highest rates of poverty and unemployment. Apart from this the major tragedy is the extra judicial killings of civilians by Pakistani armed forces. These are the problems that need to be dealt with, not the cases against tribal chiefs. The feeling in Balochistan is that they are at war with Pakistan and Pakistani army in Balochistan is an occupation force. When a Baloch says that he’s a Baloch first he’s told to say he’s a Pakistani first and then a Baloch, but are they being treated like a citizen of this country? Their deprivation forces them to think that they are Baloch first, not any kind of nationalist arrogance. They’re being discriminated just because of being Baloch. If Pakistan can’t keep the people of one of its provinces happy, then what is the point in condemning their call for independence. Its like keeping a bird in a cage without any food and then shooting it when it tries to escape. Either feed it or let it find its own food.

Had the Pakistani politicians been less selfish and more astute, they would have considered the resolution presented by an ‘idle’ American politician as a warning bell and would have started improving the standard of living of Baloch people and restoring their rights sincerely, instead of attempting to bribe their unelected chiefs. The interesting thing is that the attempts to bribe the chiefs have been failed as Harbiyar Marri has rejected Rehman Malik’s offer to withdraw cases against him stating that the Interior Minister was not sincere and had no concern about the sufferings of Baloch people as he deployed frontier corps in the province for killing them. its about time for the Pakistani politicians to keep their personal interests aside for a moment and sincerely restore the rights of Baloch people instead of bribing their chiefs. Had the government been sincere to the Baloch people, it wouldn’t have had any need to deal with their chiefs. Besides, the people of Balochistan should also try to resolve the issues peacefully instead of resorting to violence. Use of force makes their case weaker. They should stop following their chiefs blindly and start representing themselves democratically. Half of the problems of Balochistan would be solved automatically if Baloch people bring common people from amongst them into their provincial assembly instead of tribal chiefs. The solution is never complex if there are sincere people to solve the problem.