"Viva Balochistan"

Much has been seen, heard and written about the state of affairs in Balochistan post Sardar Akbar Bugti’s death on (26^th August 2006). The whole nation grieved over that mishap, to this day no one can still come to terms as to why such a mammoth personality had to suffer in the name of terrorism! The sadness of that incident multiply to neglect of  Baloch people at the hands of Central and Provincial Government  especially post-Musharraf, who deserted the province; where army and ISI had an overwhelming role, because of which the insurgency/mistrust is now getting out of Islamabad's control. The behavior of the powerful political parties and the center of Islamabad remind one of the captain and crew of the RMS Titanic sailing into the night, heading straight towards an iceberg! The civilian, military and judicial authorities are locked up in a tussle colored by political positions and personal egos. And there is a dangerous disconnect between Islamabad and the enormous problems that loom on the Pakistani horizon. 

It shows why reconciliation efforts, like the 18th Amendment and the NFC awards, have been unable to stop the Baloch from pursuing what they call a nationalist movement. The HRCP’s statement in December 2011: This land of extra judicial killings, disappearances, Security forces (SF) high handedness, and repression, as well as a playground for terrorists operating. The Province witnessed 711 fatalities, including 542 civilians, 122 SF personnel and 47 militants in 2011, as against 347 fatalities, comprising of 274 civilians, 59 SF personnel and 14 militants in 2010, Overall fatalities in 2011 thus increased by 104.89 per cent over the preceding year. Incidents of killing rose by 116 per cent, from 150 in 2010 to 321 in 2011. The number of major incidents (each involving three or more fatalities) increased by 152.17 percent, with 58 such incidents recorded in 2011, as against 23 in 2010. Bodies of: At least 225 ‘missing persons’ recovered from various parts of the Province since July 2010. Situation is particularly a grave one, for non-Muslims, minority Muslim sects, like the Hazara group. As many as 80 members of the Shia community have been killed in the Province in 2011 alone, for no reason other than their religious belief.HRCP also has serious concern at targeted killing of teachers, intellectuals and non-Baloch ‘settlers’ in Balochistan. The murder of two HRCP activists and three journalists in the Province in 2011 signifies the dangers that those highlighting human rights violations face on a daily basis. It is a matter of grave alarm that 107 new cases of enforced disappearance have been reported in Balochistan in 2011, and the ‘missing persons’ are increasingly turning up dead. It is scandalous that not a single person has been held accountable for these disappearances and killings.

To top all the above atrocities: With lack of education, no jobs, health facilities, water shortage the people of Balochistan have faced deprivation and have endured much at the hands of the rulers of Pakistan. Mistrust and alienation had been built on the center since the demise of Nawab Bugti, with no amenities provided to the common people. The mainstream political parties too never showed a helping hand or their presence in that area. They never tried to even address the symptoms of the Baloch insurgency let alone the causes. At the end of the year 2011, all political parties in power were at the same spot where they were found in the beginning of the 2010 as far as the Balochistan issue is concerned. Though Nawaz Sharif belatedly tried to display some solidarity with the marginalized people of the restive province, those too were just a few tribals and with that too, he could not go beyond rhetoric!

The brave people of that province showed their love, support and a will of co-existence with Pakistan when Imran Khan visited Quetta on the 20^th April 2012. It was as if a new contact was being established between Balochistan the province and its citizens in that historic visit. Khan Sb’s gallant move in such a scenario to see the Baloch integrated into the mainstream of Pakistani social, political, and economic life, and to ensure that democracy is a fixed element of Baloch society to achieve Baloch consolidation with the rest of Pakistan. His reiteration that:  The center should work with Baloch Sardars rather than fighting with them by encouraging a dialogue between the center and the periphery. An ending of fighting be it military or separatist, because this approach consistently failed in bringing progress to the common people. A fair share for Baloch in royalties for the natural resources extracted from Balochistan so that the economic base of the province could be fortified.

To change the environment of fear and insecurity in the province, assuring the people that their grievances would be addressed by PTI when they take power by peoples vote and pledging to alter the fate of the province once and for all. With the National Anthem of Pakistan, the crowds sang and cheered Khan Sb when he pledged to resolve the issue of Balochistan through dialogue involving all concerned stakeholders by taking them on board to alter the fate of the province. He regretted that at least three military operations had been carried out in the province in the past, and urged the Baloch leadership to talk to the PTI, assuring them that he would not deviate from the promises he would make to them.    
Chairman Imran Khan, Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Balochistan President Qasim Suri and other PTI leadership met Hazara Community at Imam Bargah Nachari Alamdar Road Quetta and offered Fateha, condolences and condemned the killing of innocent Shia people who had been targeted for being a religious minority in the province. He stressed that: The frequent occurrence of sectarian violence under the present regime is a clear indicator that the President and Prime Minister with their top leadership are disconnected with the occurrences/killings in the province, and that no security was being provided to vulnerable communities deliberately.

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Published on the following links:

http://www.islamabadtimesonline.com/viva-balochistan/

http://dailyausaf.com/epaper/page/15/

http://pakobserver.net/detailnews.asp?id=153881