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Eagle's Eye: Balochistan blues

Friday January 6, 2006

'Oppression in Kashmir' is a must for all bulletins of the Pakistani electronic media round the year, regardless of the health of
our bilateral relations, says Atul Cowshish India had allegedly committed a diplomatic faux pas when the spokesman of the
external affairs ministry said that New Delhi was watching with 'concern the spiralling violence in Balochistan and the heavy
military action, including the use of helicopter gun ships and jet fighters by the government of Pakistan.' It led to a sharp reaction
from the Pakistani foreign office, which asked India to 'mind its own business' and questioned the 'motives' behind the concern
over Pakistan's troubled western province of Balochistan.

Of course, diplomatic niceties demand that sovereign countries refrain from commenting on the internal affairs of each other.
But does this rule apply in the present context? How much of nicety does Pakistan exercise in its dealings with India?Hardly a
day passes when the Pakistani media as well as its rulers are not commenting on what is an 'internal affair' of this country.
'Oppression in Kashmir' is a must for all bulletins of the Pakistani electronic media as well its print media round the year,
regardless of the health of our bilateral relations. Often the language used against India borders on abuse and vulgarity.

It is possible that the Pakistanis are rattled by the Indian 'interference' in the affairs of Balochistan because of its proximity to the
Kandahar region of Afghanistan where the Pakistanis allege India is establishing a 'strong' presence.
The large presence that scares Islamabad is not the arrival of Indian Army there but 'army' of Indian aid workers who are
engaged in the reconstruction of Afghanistan that was destroyed by Taliban, a Pakistani creation. Nevertheless, the Pakistani
retort was hardly surprising, given their trait of blindly hitting back at India.

Balochistan may be a part of Pakistan but India has some reasons to be concerned about the state of affairs in that neglected
province which shares its border with Afghanistan and Iran and has been in a state of boil for close to two years. The proposed
gas pipeline from Iran to India will be passing through Balochistan. Though its future still does not look certain in view of the stiff
US opposition to it because of its animus towards Iran, this multi-billion dollar pipeline is going to be crucial for India's energy
security in the coming years. If there is any reservation in India about the gas pipeline from Iran it is solely on account of the
security concerns, which in simple terms means fear of sabotage and damage to it in the Pakistani territories to block the flow
of gas to India. Whether the pipeline from Iran enters from Multan or any other point in Pakistan, it is sure to enter that country
from Balochistan.

Only a few and sporadic details filter through to the Indian media about the conditions in Balochistan. One strong reason for that
is that the military rulers of Pakistan have clamped a virtual ban on independent entry of the media in that remote Pakistani
outpost as it does not want the world to be aware of the heavy handedness with which it has been dealing with the local tribal
leaders. Thanks to the new alignment between Pakistan and the US, the West too has been generally indulgent towards the
excesses and flaws of the Pakistani military, be it in the matter of its rampant corruption, inability to handle rescue and relief
mission in the quake-hit Occupied Kashmir or gunning down and hounding critics of the regime at home.
Balochistan is by far the largest province of Pakistan though its accounts for only about 7 percent of the country's population. It is
an arid land but rich in resources, including natural gas. Yet, it is also the most neglected state.

The only thing that has grown in Balochistan is the presence of the military with a number of cantonments set up and more due
to come up. Gwadar, a small town on the Makran coastline, is being converted-- by the Chinese--into a hub port for Central Asia.
The people of Balochistan are not impressed, as they want greater political and economic rights denied to them since the
formation of Pakistan in 1947. They want autonomy that the (military) rulers are not willing to give them. They have been fighting
for their rights and demanding that they should get a fair share in the development pie a disproportionate proportion of which
goes to the Punjab province.

The first time the people of Balochistan rose against the federal authorities was in the 1970s when Islamabad had quelled the
rebellion with a strong arm with ample support from Iran, which has a Baloch-speaking minority on its eastern border with
Pakistan. Then, about two years ago trouble erupted again in Balochistan. Islamabad responded by sending its troops and
paramilitary forces. When it evoked protests, a promise was made that the troop deployment would be reduced and the
people's grievances would be redressed. But nothing of the sort happened and now the rulers in Islamabad are accusing its
critics in Balochistan of being anti-progress.The systematic attempts to subjugate the Balochis has led to the creation of a
strong rebel force known as the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) which, much to the discomfort of the Generals at the GHQ in
Rawalpindi, has touched a chord with the common Balochs opposed to their domination by the Pakistani military.

Islamabad has also found an additional reason for sending troops to Balochistan and adjoining South and North Waziristan in
the North Western Frontier Province (NWFP). These are the areas, where, according to both Pakistan and the US sources, are
hidden the bulk of Al Qaeda fugitives and they cannot be flushed out, it is claimed, without a military operation. In fact, the
alleged presence of Al Qaeda fugitives may be the reason why the West has decided to condone-as it did its nuclear
proliferation activities-the large-scale military action in the western border areas of Pakistan. That the military operations were in
excess becomes clear from the fact that the opposition alliance, Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD), has openly
demanded that 'Western democratic forces' should help in stopping the government from continuing the military operations in
Balochistan. Allegations of human rights abuses have also been levelled against the Pak army. And the issue had rocked Pak
Parliament, the National Assembly often.

The Balochi anger has been rising rather alarmingly for the comfort of rulers in Islamabad. Early in December, rockets were
fired upon the convoy of the Pakistani military strongman, Gen Pervez Musharraf, when he was in Kohlu district of Balochistan. It
was not the first instance of rockets being fired by the rebels and Baloch nationalists have often fought pitched battles with the
military. In 2004, at least 30 soldiers were killed in attacks in Balochistan. There are no indications that the Baloch nationalist
movement is showing any signs of cooling off because the rulers in Islamabad continue to marginalise and brutalise the
Balochs. Already death toll has crossed 200. And the economic blockade of 'rebel' strongholds has pushed people to a life of
misery with shortages of water, food and medicines increasing every day.

Syndicate Features

http://www.centralchronicle.com/20060106/0601304.htm