Same game, new player

Mir Abdul Quddus Bizanjo has entered the Chief Minter House in Baluchistan with almost the same team which Jam Kamal Khan had. There’s a saying, ‘Teamwork makes the dream work, but a vision becomes a nightmare when the leader has a big dream and a weak team.’ So generally speaking any major change in the largest province of the country is not expected. Not expected mainly because neither those sitting in Islamabad nor the feudal lords enjoying a comfortable life, care for this godforsaken place. So whoever is in the CM House doesn’t matter at all.

For instance despite Bizenjo’s assurances, water and gas supply to girls’ hostels could not be restored as yet. The students of Sardar Bahadur Khan Women University, the only women’s university in the province, took out a procession on the premises of the varsity and chanted slogans against the Sui Southern Gas Company and the Water and Sanitation Agency for not providing water and gas to the hostels. The CM asked the authorities to restore water and gas supply to the hostels, but the concerned authorities turned a deaf ear to his orders.

As a matter of fact the change of face in the CM House in Quetta will not make any difference unless the federal government and the sardars are on same page, jointly deciding to make a collective effort to bring peace and harmony in the province followed by economic upliftment. But unfortunately there’s no sign of any hope to be seen in this regard.

The happy-go-lucky Baloch elites believe in a famous saying: ‘Enjoy life… that’s what we’re here for,’ meanwhile Balochistan is not on the priority list of those sitting at the helm of affairs in Islamabad.  As such the mineral-rich province has turned in to a breeding ground for non-state actors. The formation Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) is a natural outcome of such passivity. Moreover, international players; India, Afghanistan and others have continued to nurse their vested interests in the province – the arrest of Kulbhushan Yadev is a result of this.

Prime Minister Imran Khan in his last visit to Gwadar, expressed his willingness to, “talk to the insurgents in Balochistan” – indeed a bold initiative and a display of moral leadership and administrative statesmanship. However, when it came to it, instead of taking any constructive measures he decided to appoint Member of the National Assembly Shahzain Bugti as his Special Assistant on Reconciliation and Harmony in the province – that’s all. It goes without saying that such cosmetic moves cannot solve such deep-rooted problems as the ones faced by Balochistan. What is required from the federal government, instead, is to hammer out a comprehensive plan in consultation with all the stakeholders in the province, its proper and uninterrupted scheduling, as well as timely implementation.

This can be said without fear of any contradiction that increased terrorism and a sense of deprivation can only be rooted out with the full support and all-out cooperation of the federal government. Ask any ordinary Balochi and he has a tale of betrayals and suppression to tell you. Though PM Imran Khan’s gesture was indeed a welcome one but his government has failed to translate his ‘desire’ in to a reality. Time is running out and it’s high time to take the happenings in this province rather seriously. Merely admitting the bitter reality in all humility from the federal government will not serve the purpose.

In fact, so far none of the parties in power in Islamabad took Balochistan seriously, likely due to the fact that out 343 National Assembly seats only 17 belong to Balochistan. So for them Baluchistan doesn’t stand anywhere in power politics where numbers, and not human, values count. It is indeed a matter of grave concern that a province with a significant deposit of more than eighty mineral resources is being ignored just because the it makes up less than six per cent of the total population of Pakistan, making it less influential in politics. So the main problem is of course purely political and hence requires a solution based consensus with all the stakeholders.

The situation is getting worse with every passing day. Only two months prior security forces killed 15 terrorists including a BLA commander in two operations in Harnai and Mastung, according to an announcement made by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) and Balochistan Counter Terrorism Department (CTD). According to the Balochistan CTD spokesperson a large cache of arms and ammunition was also recovered from the camp used by the proscribed outfits. The seized arms include nine AK-47 assault rifles and variants at least 20 kilogrammes of explosive material RPG rockets, prima cord detonators and other equipment. Moreover, a search operation is underway in the area and an FIR of the incident has been registered at the CTD police station, whereas the police have also widened the scope of the investigation.

A number of critics believe – and rightly so – that any socio-economic development measure cannot be successful unless the insurgency which has plagued the province, indirectly affecting the whole country, can be rooted out.  It is heartening that the PM Imran Khan is considering talks with Baloch insurgents, but before such talks are initiated, many believe that the federal government should take some confidence-building measures. Some Baloch leaders believe that ensuring the safe recovery of missing persons, establishing a truth and reconciliation commission and announcing a fair share of income from the mineral wealth of the province, could be some of these steps.

This is the time to take Baloch sardars in to confidence and convincing them that the federal government is sincere in undoing systemic injustices meted out towards them. There’s no doubt that the PM possesses a unique opportunity to do that as he has been vocal about the rights of the oppressed, and exhibits every intention to undo the status quo. Now he must translate his willingness to “talk to the insurgents in Balochistan” in reality.

To win the hearts of the aggrieved Balochs a couple of issues must be addressed instantly which include, provincial sovereignty, interprovincial migrations, preferential budgetary allocation and, last but not least, safeguarding local culture and dialect. A report right states that, “it should come out of the status of a backwater colony, and become part and parcel of national cohesion. The province is a goldmine as it possesses oil and gas, as well as precious minerals. It’s high time to tap the resources and that too by empowering the Baloch.”

The people of Awaran, Buleda, and Barkhan are still down with the feeling of complete isolation. More than 70 percent of Awaran are living below the poverty line. The area faces extreme deprivation, drought, and food insecurity despite the Bizenjo family having remained in power for decades. In such a grave situation what can you expect from Bizenjo, Mir Zahoor Buledi and Sardar Abdul Rahman Khetran, the anti-Jam group, who despite being in power during the Jam Kamal days failed to do anything for their respective constituencies.