The Balochistan conundrum

The other side of truth

The snow-balling insurgency in Balochistan is the most debated subject in media, among political circles and the intelligentsia, more so since the appearance of Akhtar Mengal in the SC and presentation of his six-point agenda, which in his estimation is the only option to stem the rot. The SC also seems to have bought his arguments readily. The persistent admonishing posture of the CJ towards the government and the agencies—in regards to the missing persons and the alleged death squads operated by agencies—goes to strengthen the unsubstantiated charges of the Baloch nationalists. One would have welcomed the SC’s concern about the killings in Balochistan if it had also asked the Baloch insurgents to stop killing the Punjabis and settlers in the province.

In view of the fact that the charges have been denied by the agencies, FC and army and the statement of the Interior Minister Rahman Malik, about foreign involvement in the insurgency in Balochistan and his promise to provide proof to Akhtar Mengal in this regard, the situation in Balochistan needs to be looked at from other perspectives also rather than an unremitting fixation about the involvement of the agencies in the killing of the Baloch nationalists. The insurgency in Balochistan has all along been supported by the foreign powers. Iraq and former Soviet Union have been fuelling insurgencies through funds and arms in the sixties and seventies. Afghanistan also supported the first separatist effort by the brother of Khan of Kalat. There are also very strong indications of Indian involvement in the ongoing insurgency. When the former Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani mentioned this to the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in their meeting at Sharm-ul-Shaikh, Egypt, the latter did not deny it for which he was strongly castigated by the Indian opposition and media.

In the current scenario, there is a possibility that the foreign power, abetting and supporting the insurgents, is playing a double game. On the one hand, it is supporting the insurgents and on the other hand, it is also operating death squads to kill the Baloch nationalists to precipitate the ‘hate syndrome’ against the military establishment and the agencies, with a view to keep the flame of insurgency burning and pushing Pakistan on the defensive. Isn’t it strange that the international human right agencies and other forums only talk about Baloch rights and remain oblivious to the cold-blooded murders of innocent settlers being killed by the Baloch militants? May be the same power is behind this propaganda campaign, a sequel to a protracted lobbying with these organizations.

The SC and the political leaders, who in their enthusiasm to have a swipe at the government, for reasons of their own, are lending unqualified credence to what Mengal has said, need to consider these possibilities before arriving at any conclusion justifying grilling of the government and the agencies. The situation demands unraveling the nature and context of the insurgency, acknowledging the hard ground realities, confronting the villains and utilizing collective wisdom to find a way to winch the country out of this quicksand.

The urgency shown by the CJ in the case of missing persons is quite understandable but his complete aversion to the other side of the story is equally regrettable. What Akhtar Mengal has said is a well orchestrated and unsubstantiated position taken by the Baloch nationalist which needs corroboration from an independent source. The government’s viewpoint also needs to be looked at dispassionately. Some of the points of his six-item agenda are impracticable, such as the withdrawal of army and FC from the province as a precondition for any kind of dialogue with the government. His stance that it would be a sin to talk to the present government is also very unreasonable and a calculated attempt to scuttle the efforts that it has made to strengthen the process of reconciliation in the province and also to create the impression as if it was solely responsible for the prevailing situation.

The unqualified support and solidarity expressed by the leader of PML-N Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif to his six-point agenda, regrettably, is also rooted in his animosity with the current dispensation rather than his genuine and honest concern for the situation in Balochistan. The appearance of Akhtar Mengal in the SC, in my view was meant to use this platform for gaining mileage in the propaganda war that has been unleashed by the Baloch nationalists and their foreign mentors, rather than a sincere effort to find a solution to this burgeoning tragedy. The SC must be mindful of all these pitfalls and instead of playing to the gallery must take cognizance of all the relevant factors.

Perhaps it was time for the government to abandon its refrain of exposing the machinations of the elements who are playing in the hands of foreign powers for the last six decades and at the same time trying to blackmail the federation. The groveling posture needs to be discarded for good and policy initiatives taken on the basis of the ground realities. The UN and international community must be apprised of the interference in our internal affairs and the attempts to foment insurgency in Balochistan and urged to use their influence to dissuade the involved power from doing what it is doing.

The government would do well to constitute a national commission comprising politicians, judges, retired army generals, renowned economists and the Baloch nationalists, tasked to unfurl all aspects of the Baloch conundrum and make recommendations to resolve it on permanent basis and to also suggest a long term strategy for economic uplift of the province and the ways and means to keep all the Baloch nationalist forces into the political mainstream. Perhaps, the CJ can be asked to head that commission and use his sagacity and enthusiasm to untangle the Balochistan conundrum.