The reason why foreign powers
get attracted towards Balochistan is because of its strategic importance and
wealth. It has Makran coastline in the south, which connects it with Iran in the
southwest and Afghanistan in the northwest. It has a seaport at Gawadar that was
built by China. Gawadar along Makran coastline lies at the opening of Strait of
Hormuz. Balochistan has huge quantities of natural gas, and unexplored oil
reserves apart from gold, copper and variety of other costly mineral resources.
More importantly US want to control the port of Gawadar, and eventually start
its dream oil pipeline from Central Asia through Afghanistan.
In 2006, Carnage Institute of International Peace identified Balochistan as an
area of interest for the US in subverting Pakistan. Selig Harrison in a seminar
held in Washington recently stated, “The US is ready to recognize independent
Balochistan because it serves American interests; its accession to Pakistan was
not legitimate; Pak Army is a suppressing force; Zardari government’s policies
have further ignited separatist movement; four million insurgent Baloch people
want independent state of Balochistan”. Declan Walsh of Britain unveiled
international conspiracy cooking up in Balochistan. RAW run South Asian Analysis
Group (SAAG) website openly claims India’s involvement in Balochistan and
equates it with Kashmir.
Balochistan is the largest province of Pakistan in terms of area and it covers
almost 48% of Pakistan’s area. But its population accounts for only 5% of the
total population of Pakistan. Ethnically Balochistan is divided into Balochis
and Pathans, followed by other small minorities. The state capital is Quetta,
(termed as nerve center of Afghan Taliban by US Generals who allege that Mullah
Omar led Shura is based in that region). From among the Baloch tribes, Magsis
and Jamalis are relatively prosperous while all other Baloch tribes are backward
and poverty ridden. Among the Sardars, Bugti and Marri Sardars are the most
ruthless. Bugtis and Marris being neighbors have remained arch rivals. Their
marrying up in 2004 was out of political expediency and the US influence.
Mengals command influence over largest part of Baloch populated Balochistan and
are in commanding position to either keep the pot of Balochistan simmering or
defuse it.
Balochistan like, Afghanistan and Tribal Areas of Pakistan is a tribal society.
Baloch Sardars (tribal chiefs) rule their respective tribes, often with serious
disregard for human rights. Development wise, Balochistan is the most backward
province in Pakistan. There may be some weight in the argument that the federal
government in Pakistan has neglected the development of Balochistan, but equal
responsibility lies with the Baloch Sardars who enjoy immense power in their
tribes. Sitting in provincial and national parliaments, they don’t work for the
development of their own people. Among the Sardars, handful of dissident Baloch
Sardars have never reconciled to the amalgamation of Balochistan into Pakistan
and have always looked for outside help to make Balochistan independent.
Balochistan has the worst human rights record out of all the provinces of
Pakistan. Every time horrific human rights atrocities are committed in
Balochistan, tribal chiefs defend the abuses by claiming them to be part of
their tribal cultural norms. Since the independence of Pakistan, most of the
tribes have accepted Pakistan as their homeland and have tried to come into the
mainstream Pakistani society. But Bugti and Marri tribal leaders have always
been a source of trouble for Pakistan. Brahamdagh Bugti (grandson of former
Bugti tribe leader and former chief minister of Balochistan, Nawab Akbar Bugti)
is the leader of a runaway terrorist group, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA). He
has till recent been operating out of Kandahar. Before Brahamdagh, Balach Marri,
son of Nawab Khair Baksh Marri, was leader of BLA, and he was killed in
Afghanistan in 2007. Brahamdagh has now shifted to Switzerland and continue to
badmouth Pakistan.
A new dirty game of geo-politics is going on in full swing in Balochistan. To
understand the ongoing wave of violence in Balochistan we must understand the
vested interests in Balochistan. The root cause of violence in Balochistan is
not internal poverty or lack of development but the covert operations of foreign
intelligence agencies. Internal issues might act as catalysts to inflame the
situation but the root cause is foreign interference in internal affairs of
Balochistan. The main group responsible for violence in Balochistan is the BLA.
Brahamdagh Bugti, in his interview with Pakistani news channel AAJ TV declared
that he will attack and kill non-Baloch population of Balochistan. In other
words he threatened killing of innocent Pakistani civilians on ethnic lines.
This is just taking words out of Col Ralph Peter’s plan for balkanization of
Pakistan, along the lines of Yugoslavia (June 2006 issue of ‘The US Armed Forces
Journal’). His article ‘Blood Borders’ envisaged redrawing map of countries in
the Middle East in accordance with oil and gas contents of various regions. The
map showed truncated Pakistan with Greater Balochistan as a separate state. The
contents of this article were included in a course run at US military academies.
Brahamdagh also asked for support of India and other powers to help him break
away Pakistan’s Balochistan. Lashkar-e-Jhangvi is affiliated with BLA, al-Qaeda
and TTP and has taken upon itself to target Hazaras in Quetta.
After the termination of Bugti-Marri led insurgency from 1974 to 1978,
Balochistan remained peaceful till such time Gen Pervez Musharraf took over
power and decided to remove its socio-politico-economic deprivations through
mega projects and other development works, which went against the vested
interests of Sardars. Development of Gawadar deep seaport and construction of
water dams were aimed at alleviating the poverty of the province and bringing
the neglected province into socio-economic mainstream.
Commencement of work on several mega projects in Balochistan caused deep
resentment to Akbar Bugti and other troublesome Sardars as well as to the US
harbouring ill designs against Balochistan. The coercive Sardars who had kept
their respective tribes in bondage viewed development works in interior
Balochistan a threat to their Sardari system. On one hand they aired political
and economic grievances and on the other they objected to the mega projects
vehemently. They propagated that Gawadar Port would be monopolised by the
affluent class from other provinces at the cost of people of Balochistan.
Opening of schools and colleges and development of road infrastructure in rural
areas was also resented. Anti-development stance contradicted their earlier
stance that Balochistan being the biggest province and rich in resources had
been kept backward and neglected.
At the behest of foreign powers that had deep-seated interest in the province,
Nawab Bugti who was already miffed over gas royalty issue, kindled insurgency in
Dera Bugti in 2004 which later spread to other Baloch inhabited regions of Sui,
Kahan, Kohlu, Kalat, Turbat, Khuzdar, Panjgur, Pasni, Lasbella, Awaran, Kharan,
Machh, Dhadhar, Sibi, Dera Allah Yar, Dera Murad Jamali and also to Quetta city.
Terrorists targeted gas pipelines, electric grid stations and pylons, railway
lines, security check posts, military convoys, passenger trains and buses. 65
Farari camps were made operational by foreign agencies in interior Balochistan
to train and launch terrorists. Kohlu was attacked with rockets when Musharraf
was addressing the people and helicopter carrying IGFC was hit by bullets,
injuring the general officer. When the insurgency assumed dangerous proportions,
a military operation had to be launched in mid 2006 in selective troubled areas.
Most of the 65 Farari camps were dismantled during the six-month operation.
Death of Akbar Bugti in his mountain hideout in August 2006 further intensified
the insurgency, which was supported by RAW, RAAM and Mossad from Afghanistan and
CIA and MI-6 from within.
Continuous funding and material and moral support by foreign governments and
agencies to the dissidents in Balochistan together with policy of softness
adopted by the elected government has converted the insurgency into separatist
movement. Pressure exerted by foreign powers together with human rights
activists, NGOs and foreign/local media forced the military to return to
barracks and hand over dual internal and border security charge to Frontier
Corps (FC). Farari camps that were destroyed have become functional again. In
2009, a deadline was given by BLA to non-Baloch settlers to quit Balochistan or
be prepared to get killed. On 29 March 2012 Nawab Khair Bux Marri demanded that
all (Persian speaking) Hazaras being settlers from Afghanistan since the British
period should leave as should Punjabis, or else, they would be killed.
The FC is now in the firing line and demand for its withdrawal from counter
insurgency operations is getting louder. After airing grievances over political
disempowerment, distribution of federal budget, political autonomy, control over
provincial natural resources, the thrust has shifted towards target killings of
nationalists, missing persons, mutilated bodies, military cantonments, and trial
of Musharraf. The FC and ISI are being accused in the case of missing persons.
While Punjabis have vacated Baloch inhabited regions and shifted to Quetta and
other provinces, large numbers of Hazaras have been killed. Killing of ten
Pakhtun labourers in Mastung on 13 September 2012, which was claimed by United
Baloch Liberation Army, has been resented by the Pashtuns who are otherwise
complaining of political inequities. It has added to the Pakhtun-Baloch divide.
Encouraged by foreign powers, the fugitive Baloch leaders are now demanding
independence. Sardars Brahamdagh Bugti, Harbyar Marri, Suleiman Khan and Dr
Wahid Baloch are promoting the idea of independent Balochistan. Three US
Republicans moved a highly controversial bill in the Congress which supported
the cause of Baloch separatists. The US Congress Committee on Foreign Affairs
chaired by Dana Rohrabacher on February 8, 2012, advocated right of
self-determination for the Baloch and championed the cause of independent
Balochistan. He pleaded the case of the Baloch saying that they were natural
allies of USA who would gladly share the mineral resources of Balochistan and
would let the US run Gawadar Port. Christine Fair was the only one to shun the
notion of independent Balochistan. She asserted that it was unsustainable
because of ethnic diversity and geographic constraints. Congress support has
further emboldened anti-Pakistan Baloch Sardars to spew out poison against
Pakistan.
Issue of missing persons in Balochistan was drummed up under a calculated
scheme. The US, the West and India helped in internationalizing it and coaxing
the UN team to visit Pakistan and carryout ground assessment. Our government
instead of forbidding the team welcomed it and facilitated its visit to
Balochistan. It is still not clear who invited the UN delegation. Talal Bugti
presented the visitors a list of 638 missing persons and demanded UN
intervention. This is a very sinister move and seems that the schemers are
feeling confident that the endgame has begun. Our leadership and the media are
either a party or are criminally negligent. We must not forget that this was
exactly the same framework used by the UN to intervene in Sudan, Indonesia and
other countries. A UN mandated case against Pakistan is now being hatched by our
adversaries and our leaders have helped them in putting Pakistan in awkward
situation and in paving the way for propaganda hell to break loose once this
team returns and hands over a jaundiced report.
Although the armed forces are doing an excellent work in motivating the misled
Baloch youth by undertaking host of development works and spreading education in
interior Balochistan, however, the provincial government mired in corruption and
lacking political will and commitment to redress law and order is a huge
disappointment. While the US resolution moved by Rohrabacher has not been
condemned by Balochistan Assembly, Federal government is appeasing the rebels
and ignoring the patriots and so is our media. Despite its policy of
appeasement, the government has failed to woo back the dissidents. Law courts
have so far not convicted any terrorist nabbed by security forces while no
effort has been made to expose involvement of RAW in Balochistan about which the
government claims that it has undeniable proofs.
Baloch nationalism is assuming dangerous proportions because of heavy
involvement of foreign agencies and deleterious role of dissident Baloch Sardars
who are prepared to go to any extent to save their Sardari system. However, they
are not making any headway since the people of Balochistan do not subscribe to
their separatist ideas. The Baloch neither represent the whole of Balochistan
nor do they have sizeable following. The Pashtuns, Brahvis and Hazaras in
Balochistan comprise 60% of the province and are averse to the idea of
independence and fully support the federation. Majority of Baloch are patriots
and loyal to the federation and the youth have started joining cadet colleges
and taking up service in armed forces in great numbers.
The problem for US is that BLA together with BRA and BLF with no more than 3500
fighters are not able to break away Balochistan from Pakistan. Of the 8 million
population of Balochistan, 3.5 million are Baloch and among them the trouble
makers supporting the terrorist groups are about 3-5 lacs only. They don’t even
have support of 10% Balochi population. With this narrow support base confined
to limited space, the dissidents are neither capable of building mass movement
nor have the ability to defeat the security forces. That is why their exiled
leaders keep urging foreign powers to step in and make Balochistan an
independent state as had been done in former East Pakistan in 1971.
The Pakistan Army and ISI are resisting the assault in national and strategic
interests of Pakistan. The Great Game of Brzezinski will surely continue in
Balochistan and rest of Pakistan. The people of Pakistan are ready to counter
this great game but need leadership and some courage. Among the array of
politicians, Nawaz Sharif has better equation with dissident Sardars like Khair
Bux Marri and Akhtar Mengal and even with Mahmud Achakzai who is a popular
leader among the Pashtuns of Balochistan. The other party is Imran Khan led
Tehrik-e-Insaf (TI) whose agenda of eliminating corruption within 90 days,
strict accountability and delivering equitable justice has appealed to the
senses of masses. It is opined that if any of the two parties gain power in next
elections, it will be in a better position to normalize the situation in
Balochistan. It will be ideal if the two together with Jamaat-e-Islami marry up
and form a coalition government. Unity of the three will be the only way to
prevent PPP from getting re-elected in 2013. However, so far, much to the
delight of the PPP, the TI and PML-N are on a self-destructive warpath, while
Zardari is employing variety of tricks to postpone the elections for another
year, or how to win the next elections by hook or crook.
Feeling the pulse of the people, exiled Gen Musharraf is suggesting an interim
government of top class technocrats for three years to cleanse the rot, carryout
suitable amendments in the constitution to correct the anomalies in sham
democracy and ensure growth of true democracy, and then hold fair and free
elections under the supervision of the Army and judiciary. He prods the
judiciary to marry up with the Army and play its role in getting rid of the gang
of corrupt and save the country rather than the constitution. He gave an example
of his first three years tenure in which his selected technocrats had made
substantial progress in all the fields. There is no denying the fact that Field
Marshal Ayub Khan, Gen Ziaul Haq and Gen Musharraf were competent rulers and had
lifted the GDP to over 7% because of superior governance and dedicated approach.
Their performance declined after the induction of politicians in the government.
Though I do not hold high opinion about Gen Musharraf, however, his suggestions
need to be critically examined and pondered over. Team of spotless technocrats
led by Imran Khan assisted by honest and hard nose provincial governors like
Nawab of Kalabagh, Lt Gen Azam Khan and Air Marshal Nur Khan will be most
desirable to cleanse the stables. In order to cure the diseases, the surgeon’s
knife rather than treating the symptoms must dig deep down to remove the
malignant part of the body.
Reflections on Balochistan
Asif Haroon Raja
The writer is a retired Brig, a columnist, defence analyst and historian. Email:
[email protected]