Baluchistan .
On the edge of volcano!!!
It was a nice autumn morning of Quetta, when Aslam Mirza woke up as usual in his sprawling mansion where he lives now a days with his partner for life khadija & one maid servant, he has been living in this city since he was five and came to than a serene town in late sixties with his father and family, he did his schooling here ,his family is settled all over Pakistan, a sister in karachi and one in Lahore, younger son studying in a university in Islamabad and elder in UK for his MBA.
That morning he completed his usual chores ,took break fast,saw headings in local paper and left his home to settle some issues at his Poultary farms behind Airport,his driver came to pick him up and he left his home at 10 Am, his usual time for business, He and his family has friends all over Pakistan in almost all nook & corners ,Baluchistan was his adopted province so he has friends in hardline baluchis to establishment of Pakistan.
Just half an hour after he left his home a terrible news reached his home, He was gunned down along with his driver ,both died on the spot .
Ongoing crises in Baluchistan has played havoc with the lives of people living in Baluchistan since3 the last four Year, it augmented with the death of Nawab Akbar Bugti, problem goes on & on, the history of Baluchistan issue started the day this nation was born.
Pakistan establishment was never comfortable with Baluchis, Baluch chieftains accepted Quad-E-Azam’s invitation to join Pakistan voluntarily provided there Tribal status is respected & not disturbed, baluchistan was divided in to Pashtunes, Baluchis which included Makrani Baluchis and at that time Part of Baluchistan was ruled by Sultanate of Oman i-e areas of Gawadar & Pasni.
Later on Ayub Khan paid sum to release Gawadar and Pasni from
First insurgency was in 1948 which was done by than Khan of Qalat Mir Ahmed Yar khan which was brutally controlled by Ayub Khan than COAS.
Baluchistan comprises about 44% of land area of Pakistan with 770 Kms, long coastal line but according to Population census of 1998 it makes only 5%of total population of country(6.5Million) with 2/3rd living in rural areas.
Ethnic make up of Baluchistan includes 54.7% Baluch , 29% Pashtune tribes and 7% settlers, Baluch Pashtunes imbalance created by 2 million refugees from Afghanistan has almost destroyed the fabric of Baluchistan and now leaders of Pakhtun khwa Mili awami party demands separate Pashtunes Province in Baluchistan that has caused rift among Baluch and Pashtunes because these refugees posses properties and ID cards and naturally has occupied the rights of Natives & a cause of demographic imbalance.
When Mir Ahmed Yar khan declared State of
Baluchis by nature are free people, they have resisted every move which tried to encroach upon their right and land, by 1963, Pakistan army decided to built new Garrisons in Balochistan as they have successfully caged Sindh, but Baluchis strongly resisted their moves, The Guerrillas led by Sher Mohammed khan Marri established Guerrilla camp over 45000 sq Kms. those guerrillas ambushed convoys and bombed trains, The insurgency came to an end in 1969 when Yahya Khan with drew the one unit scheme.
The Jamiat ulema-i-Islam and National Awami Party in 1972 demanded more rights for ethnic Baluchis in Government, because as a result of 1971 election NAP & JUI made governments in Balochistan which were dismissed by Champion of democracy Z.A.Bhutto and imposed Governor’s rule over Balochistan that move again triggered a wide spread resistance & hue & cry in nationalist factions of Balochistan. This was third insurgency by Balochis against Pakistani establishment it led to killing of more than 5000 Balochis and 3300 soldiers.
The 4th Insurgency continues till to date, it was started when Leader of Jamhoori watan Party Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti along with nationalist Mir Balaach Marri demanded for greater autonomy to province and hold over its resources and also to stop military from making new bases in Balochistan as Balochistan was never a field of battle and is surrounded by friendly countries and provinces, that demand was refused by Pervez Musharaf latest dictator Pakistan’s long Military rulers, he refused to cede to the demands of Baluch people and tried to nip them in the bud, that caused wide spread resistance against dictator’s regime and his nature of killing each with gun, Musharaf ‘s actions are still continued and he is responsible for killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti and scores of Baloch are killed and property worth billions of dollars destroyed since 2005 and still continued.
Policies of Musharaf has caused wide spread hatred and deaths among Baluchis, since than an other issue of ethnic killing is at the highest in Balochistan , specially in Quetta against Punjabi setllers and among ethnic Hazaras , on the average 1 person is killed in Quetta daily may it be a Panjabi, a Pathan or a Hazara but a million dollar question is why a Barbar (punjabi) in Jhatpat, a school Teacher who is also a punjabi in Sibi and a lower order functionary from Punjab in Khuzdar or any other area in balochistan is not killed why it is killed in Quetta only?
Another Bad result of Musharaf’s policies which he persuaded is that moderate sane element among balochis were sidelined , he relied on religious bigots to strengthen its hold in province and root away moderates & used iron hands against nationalist and killing of 80+ Nawab Akbar Bugti is one example of Musharaf’s egoist and apolitical Ghunda style of autocracy .
He illegally allotted hundreds of thousands of acres of land in Gawadar to civil and military beaurocrates so benefiting outsiders at the expense of Balochi people, as they did in Sindh .every one who retired from Military has to get Land in Sindh not a single Sindhi or Baloch has got Lands allotted in Punjab or NWFP since 1947 ? that is why the feel of colonialism is never gone from Sindh and Balochistan.
The military has reportedly sought 11000 acres of land in in Gawadar to construct what it calls a Combined Defense Complex; the other projects in Gawadar will displace 70,000 balochis from their ancestral land.
Musharaf had another project in mind he wanted to sell every available land to his cronies inside and outside establishment, he also sold sindh’s Islands which are vital for biodiversity & for the survival of fish, prawns and mangroves population, He also annouced Soanmiani port in May May 2007 at soan maini , 70 Kms from Karachi, The Balochistan assembly unanimously passed a resolution against ports construction but brute continued so that like HUB Soanmiani should also become property of MQM as they had already extended up to Thatta & engulfed hub town in Karachi, now coastal expansion of Karachi towards further Baloch areas was his true wish ,He has time and again proved himself more loyal to linguistic and terrorist organization than their founders!
How much insensitive are our rulers to the sentiments of common men and smaller provinces and their grievances is proven from the facts that Islamabad kept rubbing salts on the wounds of Baloch people , that Balochistan Levies were banned in the Musharaf regime from the most districts of the Balochistan and later on merged in Balochistan Police, that move was widely resisted & created another episode of resentment against the centre because Baloch thought that Levies were familiar with Local customs and traditions and serve the communities well than predominantly Non Baloch Police !!
Military Operations on going since Musharaf regime and past has always caused resentment among locals, this time it added fuel to already worsening situation in baloch youth & commoner. It also caused & triggered interprovincial tension as army is predominantly Punjabi.
In January 2005, military operation was initiated to suppress the armed protests by tribal militias ,consisting mainly of tribes men following the gang rape of a Lady Doctor Shazia Khalid on Jan.7.2005, allegedly by an Army Officer and accomplice!!
In December 2005 The full scale Army operation following the firing of eight rockets at a para- military base outside Kohlu, which is a strong hold of the Marri tribe during Musharaf’s visit to the area on 14th December 2005, Paramilitary troops started aerial bombardment at Kohlu on 17th December, 2005, they claimed to fire at strong holds of militants but by the mid June 2007 it was in international and national reports that 400-500 innocent Baloch people were killed in those operations by that time.**
According to Baloch Nationalist Party (Mengal) which is popularly known as BNP-Mengal group on 12,December 2006 that at least 3000-4000 Baloch youth were in custody of
Thousands of Balochis were imprisoned and tortured and killed by eight year long repressive regime of Musharaf and in 2006 than interior minister admitted to have around 4000 Baloch in custody!!!!
Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, the head of JWP was killed in an army operation on august 27,2006 and his sons were not allowed to inherit his property and funeral was allowed in controlled and shrouded way, it flame a wide spread simmering hatred against federation in to a volcano against centre and Punjab.
Saleem baloch was arrested in February 2008 and remained in custody for eight long months ,he is Senior vice President of JWP, in 2006 crises group reperted courtesy HRCP numerous incidences of intimidation, arbitrary arrests, torture, disappearances and Extra judicial killings in Balochistan , incidences were markedly high in Balochistan than any other part country they reported 92 total disapearances in country and Balochistan share was 69 out of that in Jan 2006 and in December 2006 report was 242 total disappearances country wide among them Baloch share was an alarming 170 !!
Baluchistan remained most neglected in the post Partition era while Bengal and sindh also share same view, but it was most marked during Zia & Musharaf’s regimes, no concrete measure were taken during the floods and cyclones during June-July 2007, Death toll 180 in July and it has risen to 420 in September.
Using the National Disaster Management’s data , a local NGO, RDPI has portrayed a very dismal & heart breaking portrait of relief efforts of government, according to RDPI there were only seven relief camps in whole Baluchistan in June and July ,while sindh has 108 camps, though the
During that emergency over 5000 villages in Baluchistan and 1400 in Sindh were badly hit, losses in Baluchistan were amounted to 417million dollars , about 5000 roads were washed away in Baluchistan alone.
Because of its faulty design the newly built and much projected Mirani dam flooded vast areas in Turbat, Naseerabad, Kharan and other southern districts of Baluchistan.
Baluchistan has never been financially independent despite its huge natural resources and reservoirs and 700 kms long productive coastal line, fisheries and ship breaking industry, if only fish industry were developed in past 63 years Baloch were financially independent, it has large reservoirs of Natural Gas, minerals, coal, and oil some tapped, some trapped and some yet to be found , Balochistan produces country’s 40% energy requirement but some years back most of Baluchistan were without gas facility and large areas import energy from neighboring Iran despite the fact that their Gas is pumped to whole country, 80% of province energy needs are met from biomass energy !!
Till recent months Baluchistan was receiving only few rupees (Rs 38/Million BTU) on royalty of its huge Gas supply in comparison to royalty given to Sindh (140) and Punjab(80-190/M. BTU in PKR). Despite another fact that job to Baloch youth are banned as per policy on their gas fields!!
Baluchistan is heavily in debited to centre and its debit has reached to some 417million $s, it drastically reduces the already scarce financial resources for development, on the contrary it receives very meager amount from federal divisible pool which is still being shared on the basis of population alone not on the basis of need and area or on the basis of income generated, so Punjab the most developed and industrialized , educated and most resource full gets 53.36 % from federal divisible pool while Baluchistan gets only 5.11% and Sindh gets 23.71% while it gives centre 72% of income.
Social indicators of Baluchistan are also drastically poor according Ministry Of Finance it has lowest Literacy rate country wide, fewest education institutions and lowest ranking in gender parity index, the average literacy rate in age 10 and above is only 36 %!!
According to multiple cluster survey conducted in 2004,over 3/4th of females and 2/3rd of males over age 12 were literate compared to national percentage of 52%, according to survey one quarter of districts in Balochistan have their female literacy rate in single figure! Dera Bugti has only 2% female literacy rate and its lowest in country !!!
Poverty levels are also alarming in 2003 it was 41-47% in Province while national average is 35.71% according to white paper on budget 2009-10.
Health facilities & facilities of clean drinking water and sanitation are a dreamily scarce in a province who is 44% of Pakistan’s land, only 35% of children gets full immunization and its EPI survey report, Infant mortality rates and maternal mortality rate is comparable to least developed areas like Somalia.
According to a youth development survey young people of Baluchistan are twice less likely to get jobs in comparison to their Punjabi counterparts and federal quota of Jobs goes mainly to Punjabis , even seats of Baluchistan are occupied by Punjabis on the domiciles of Baluchistan in centre and in Baluchistan on bogus documentation.
Only 25 % percent of rural population of
The centre is treating Baluchistan it is a culture medium for hatred , Baloch have every right to ask for remedies and immediate actions to redress their grievances from rest of Pakistan, its sane and very vocal new born media, its intelligentsia and its political & democratic government and forces to redress their issue immediately and stop army action in DeraBugti- Kohlu areas and priority development in these and other areas of Baluchistan , Establishment of Pakistan should see the writing on the wall, killing, arresting and torturing innocent and vocal political activists is not the answer to the question.
What was done in East Pakistan should never repeat in
Long we have proved a sore thumb to little provinces and to our neighbors we have re think and re draft our long standing, dictatorial policies internal and external, now its time to change those policies, maybe we need a new constitution based on social justice and equality to all members of federation otherwise writing on the wall is clear and it is blocked and looks green only to color blind!!
PAKISTANIS LIVING IN NORTH OF PAKISTAN ESPECIALLY IN PUNJAB’S DEVELOPED PARTS AND ISLAMABAD FAILED TO UNDERSTAND THE REAL PAIN & PROBLEMS OF BALUCHISTAN & SINDH, EVEN in THIS SO CALLED MEDIA REVOLUTION IN PAKISTAN. IT IS MY DUTY TO SHOW THEM MIRROR IN FACE, BUT FIRST Saim.
No comments:
Post a Comment