Balochistan – a dilemma yet to be solved.

After throwing a low-intensity bomb and shouting “Inqilab Zindabad“, Baghat Singh threw a bundle of notes on which this was written, ” explosion is necessary to tell the deaf”. Without further ado let’s dive into the recent suicide by Shaari Baloch a qualified nationalist of the Majeed brigade of BLA. When three Chinese teachers were heading toward the Confucius institute of Karachi university, a woman blew herself up killing four people including three Chinese teachers. We had heard of suicide bombers, but for now, it is something very casual, this was also understood by the Majeed brigade that’s why they choose something catchy. Being a mother of two children and having a master’s degree never bothered this woman to not blow herself. There is a lot to tell you about that every time a person throws a bomb here and there, the intention is not only blowing people but their unheard grievances which need to be heard. A state is sovereign and supreme, nobody can undo a State. The Sindhis are probably thinking about a Sindhu Desh, the Pashtuns are keen to have Pushtunistan and the Balochs are fighting day in and day out for a greater Balochistan then what remains of Pakistan. To remind you Pakistan is not only Punjab, not in any sense. There are two things which should be discussed, the first one is national security and the second one is the plights of the destitute. 

Balochistan is a plateau stretching out into  Iran and Afghanistan on the west and the north respectively. Balochistan constitutes 44 per cent of the land area of Pakistan. Balochistan is considered to be the cradle of Indus valley civilization as the Mehergarh ruins are depicting the 7000 years old story of glory. During the British Empire Balochistan was divided into four princely states which were” Makran, Kharan, Lasbela, and Kalat”. The Durand line which was drawn in 1893 between the two nations, Subcontinent and Afghanistan only divided a landmass, but the relationships, the brotherhood couldn’t be divided to date. The population of Balochistan is around twelve million which comprises of Balochs, Pathans, Brahuis, and Hazaras. Baloch and Pathans are the main ethnic groups who are 52% and 36% respectively of the total population, the remaining are minorities. Bolan and Khyber pass connect Balochistan with Afghanistan. Gwadar is also a part of Balochistan which occupies the coast of the Arabian sea, with its deep waters Gwadar remains a lucrative geographic position that connects Pakistan with the Middle East and Central Asia. Gwadar was part of the Sultanate of Omen which Pakistan bought in 1958. From the hottest region Sibi where the highest temperature has been recorded at around 53 degrees Celsius to the freezing regions of Ziarat and Quetta where the average temperature drops to -20 degrees Celsius. The demography of Balochistan varies from region to region which includes mountain ranges like the Sulaiman mountains, Khirtar mountains, and Central Makran range, sandy deserts like the Kharan desert, and coastal areas which stretch to 770 km and mainly include coasts of Gwadar and Lasbela districts.

To add on, Pakistan is an Agro-based country, but Balochistan is a dry arid zone. So, the tribes of Balochistan were nomads.  A feudal lord of Punjab differs from the tribal chief of Balochistan. A tribal chief moves with his tribe, he is like a prime minister for the administrative work of his tribe and army chief for all the warfares. A feudal lord of Punjab or Sindh owns the people’s life because he has the greater piece of land, but Baloch as I said were nomads for them sticking to a segment of land is meaningless. What I’m emphasizing is that by putting ourselves into the shoe of a Punjabi, Sindhi, or a Pathan, we can’t truly understand the Balochistan dilemma.  For Balochs, nationality is first then it’s followed by religion. “Pay the Pathans, honour the Baloch, intimidate the Sindhis”, these kinds of stereotypes that the Britishers used to explain the difference among the people of Pakistan were some of the greatest tactics of divide and rule. Everyone needs to know the ground realities of the people of Pakistan, so it would not create stereotypes about the people who are dwelling in various parts of the country. Policies can’t be made on fairytales. There is an urgency to remove the Balochs’ myths before diving into their issues.

Earlier the provincial share of 4.9% of the GDP was given to Balochistan, it has now narrowed down to 3.7% of the GDP. Balochistan has the highest poverty rate among the four provinces of Pakistan. From highest infant mortality rates to the least developed infrastructure are the defining features of Balochistan. Extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances are very casual to the Balochs. The Balochs consider themselves to be colonized by Pakistan like the British colonized the subcontinent. They claim that their fighting is not only for resources but also for a separate independent Balochistan. For Balochs, a separate independent Balochistan means the equal distribution of the resources among the people of the province which are exploited by Pakistan for decades now. There are places in the region which are not provided with the basic necessities like gas and electricity. It is very annoying to hear that the Sui (a sub-district of Dera Bugti district in Balochistan) gas pipelines are drawn to supply gas for Punjab and other areas of Pakistan. Still, it is not yet provided to the people who own them. Furthermore, companies like the byco international incorporated are operated in the coastal areas of Balochistan to extract petroleum. Pakistan in cooperation with China is developing the Saindak copper-gold project by investing millions of dollars, and it is quite perplexing that the Saindak is a town in the Chagai district of Balochistan. What I’m trying to say is that where is the share of Balochistan? Where does all the money goes which is generated from the multi-million projects in the province of Balochistan? 

Encompassing all the relevant background before building a debate on Balochistan is considerable. In an interview with Al Jazeera, an official of the FC simply put all the blame on the militant Balochs. He said that the Balochs and their tribal chiefs are blowing the gas pipelines and the electric installations, so blaming the Army or the government for the underdeveloped province is just a blame game. It is to be noticed that the BLA and BLF have killed many FC men and targeted many strategical places. They have targeted Chinese engineers and workers, and blowing up coal mines is a day-to-day activity now. It is also perplexing to hear that mainly a few tribes namely the Marri and Bugti are very aggressive towards the state and its developmental works. But, all the other regions where there is not much aggression the infrastructure and basic necessities like water and electricity is null. The BLA( Balochistan Liberation Army) is said to be the oldest form of an organized militant group. Many of the Balochs consider Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto as the forgotten villain who crashed the Baloch uprising in 1973-74. Forced disappearances are a serious human rights concern but it plays a vital role in national security. There is no exact figure whatsoever for the forced disappearances and extrajudicial torture. Though it is estimated that around 6000 men are forcibly disappeared since 2000, this is just a scratch on the ground. The FC( frontier cops) are dismissing forced disappearances by stating that the forced disappearances have come down over the years to a few hundred now. Every tribe’s chief in Balochistan has his own militia, but the Majeed brigade of BLA has gained momentum in targeting the FC and had also targeted the PSX(Pakistan stock exchange) earlier in 2020 killing four police officials and injuring seven others. The insurgency and target killings in Balochistan is a bone in the neck of Pakistan, it should be dealt with wisely, otherwise, it can be a threatening call for the sovereignty of the state.

The recent human bomb who was a woman also belongs to the Majeed brigade of BLA. Pakistan over the years was busy in creating a Frankenstein’s monster across the border in Afghanistan. The recent attacks by TTP on the Pak-Afghan border and the damage of the fence is a sign of a blood-thirsty no-ending war. The TTA is providing some safe havens for the TTP and TTP shall be assisting the Baloch movement in some way or other. The Iranian side of Balochistan is considered to be not hostile because the Baloch insurgents are Sunnis and Iran is a pro-Shiat state. There is no win-win situation if the Balochs are thinking of carrying the war. The state has to reframe its policies and has to look through a lens of stability and coherence, otherwise here the future is not so promising. Extrajudicial tortures and forced disappearances are the main cause of the loath of Balochs towards the state and its agencies which include the FC and ISI. In addition to this, the state has to engage the Baloch people in mainstream politics, and the discrimination of resources shall be dealt with pure impartiality. International multi-million companies like Saindak, BII, and others are operational in exploiting the natural resources of Balochistan, and the Balochs’ Share is not considerable. Balochs are fighting to have self-determination in the long run and it is not possible without proper economic activities.

“Neither love nor terror makes one blind: indifference makes one blind” James Baldwin. Indifference towards Balochistan is itself a ticking bomb and it can be overwhelmingly threatening this time.

 Let’s build Pakistan by building Balochistan.