The Pakistani Spectator

The situation in Balochistan is disappointing;  if not alarming.  In Quetta a large number of private schools have been warned not to play national anthem.   The administration of the University of Balochistan was alert by inviting Frontier Corps (FC) after it was announced that a procession of students would reach the University administration building and burn the Pakistan flag by hoisting its own with announcement for independent Balochistan.  There are repeated sentences of the leaders that there would be no compromise less than independence.

People live in panic and fear.   It is fear and insecurity which rules the day in large number of cities, particularly Quetta with bomb blasts, target killing,  kidnapping and threats.   The settlers, having come from different parts of the country and living there before or since partition, may be the immediate sufferers, but the indigeneous Baloch is equally suffering.    Many of them have lost lives in bomb blasts, target killing and counted as missing people.   One can witness a frequent scene of protests where Baloch women and children are demonstrating in front of the city press club with banners in their hands for  loved missing ones.  The day to day shutter down and wheel jam strikes in Quetta and other cities not only have made the lives paralyzed but inflicted billion Rs. of  losses on the province economy already in poor state due to lack of  industrial and agriculral infrastructure.   The crisis of  penetration is growing with without a remedy in sight.    No matter whatever devices of the remedy may be in offing, there is a need of the diagnosis of the problem.  What are the faultlines?

There is declining testimony of the trust building of Baloch leaders and people.  Trust building is very important for the  viability of a system based on representation and welfare.  Like common Pakistani, a system based on representation was neither allowed nor encouraged to take roots in the country.    The growing crises of political development  at the cost of military coups against civilian rules and disruption of democratic process have confirmed their beliefs that democracy in Pakistan has neither been allowed nor encouraged.  The displacement of a civilian government at the end of the day by the army might have been taken as a dim hope for better future, but the hope is no longer cherished.

The preaetorian ruler type role in Pakistan with its civilian authoritarian outlook where popular political parties and leadership was purged and bribed in favour of a crown  political party, particularly the one from 1999 to 2008 is accountable for today’s wooes of Balochistan.    Had dialogue process been taken between Nawab Bugti and rulers there would not have been a public resentment against the government.   The incident had negative impact on the Baloch Nationalist Political parties  which led them to boycott the elections 2008.  The alienation of the Baloch nationalists from the system was the major faultline with foreseen political instability of the system.   Nationalists have played a positive and balancer role in the legislative politics of Balochistan.  No matter how poor and intervened record of representative system in this country since 1970 when Balochistan was raised to a province status,  the nationalists have raised their voice for their rights under the constitutional framework of  federation.    But they had the least feeling of spring from the changing political weathers in this country.  They were thwarted with anti-Pakistan label with the only fact that due to undemocratic and prolonged military rules there have been no demarcation between one being an anti-state and anti-government.  The alienation and ouster of nationalists from parliamentary debates adds to the situation we are faced with.    The poor performance of  Nawab Raisani’s government and volatile politics inside the Assembly is due to the fact that nationalists (including Pasthun nationalists) boycotted the elections.

Baloch are nice people and can well be taken together with respect.  The British ruled the area and supported their Forward Policy under the carrot and stick policy by evaluating and respecting their values and traditions.  The fact unfortunately has been ignored by our rulers for which they are paying the price in longer run. Robert Sandeman and John Jacob being still remembered for their administrative and judicial skills employed the tactics judiciously.  They became conquerers but not with sheer force or military manouvers.   The situation in Balochistan is deplorable and pathetic due to the lack of respect it needed.

Our rulers Pledge their support for the promotion of the ideas of  Quaid-e-Azam in day to day life.   They raise their voice to the  motto of the Quaid where only and only Pakistan comes first with a tolerance and promotion for all sects and classes of society.  But in fact they have shown a distrust on their behalf for the promotion of his ideas.  They have sheerly betrayed them.  A similar betrayal of idea which his successors could promote was the development of Balochistan he sought essential long ago the emergence of Pakistan as a nation-state.   Quaid supported the idea of idea of development and reforms in Balochistan, tentamount to showing respect to their nationhood, in his famous 14 Points against the Nehru Report. Quaid-e-Azam visited Balochistan twice in 1943 and 1945.   It was raised to a province in 1970.  Bhutto dissolved the Ministry three months before the functioning of the 1973 Constitution and put the leading Baloch leaders in custody and jails from May 1973 to July 1977.  Was that respect and justice to the leaders?    The external factors which is a disturbing factor in Balochistan with intelligence and financial involvement would not have effective had they people been taken into confidence.

The situation in Balochistan is pathetic and callos.