Aspects of Baloch Pakistan Relations

By Dr. Naseer Dashti

www.balochwarna.org/modules/articles/article.php

(Presented at the foreign Policy Centre Seminar on 4th December, 2006)

The primary aspect of Baloch Pakistan relations has been the dispute over the legitimacy of accession of Baloch State with Pakistan. In the wake of British withdrawal from South Asia, Baloch declared their independence on August 13, 1947. Immediately elections were held for a bicameral parliament, beginning a new democratic political system in Baloch land. However, with the help of British colonial administration in India, a portion of Baloch land, which was leased out by Baloch State to British government during Anglo-Afghan wars, was incorporated in to Pakistan under the pretext of a controversial referendum. Protests against this action were totally ignored by the colonial administration in New Delhi. Soon Pakistan began to employ different pressure tactics for coercing Balochistan to merge in to newfound religious state. When in April 1948 Pakistani troops entered Balochistan from north and south, the ruler of Baloch State under pressure signed an agreement of accession with Pakistan. This was against the will of Baloch people expressed by both houses of their parliament. In a Baloch perspective, it is the illegal occupation of their land.

The second aspect is the doctrine of Islamic brother-hood and strong centre tradition. Legal, cultural, social and economic systems put in place by state ignored or contradicted pre-existing social, political and cultural systems of Baloch and other minority nationalities. The newfound religious state of Pakistan adopted the concept of Islamic Nation, identified with strong centre tradition. With the help of army, a single nationality emerged as the only manipulator of state power. Baloch and other nationalities were kept at the periphery of state power structures. The concepts of Islamic brother-hood, Pakistani Islamic nation and strong centre doctrine were used as the tools for subjugating other nationalities and exploiting their cultural, linguistic and social traditions. Army institution as the protector of ideological boundaries of the state was declared sacred. Any discussion about the role of army, Islamic nation-hood and strong centre were regarded sins as big as blasphemy and treason.

Use of ruthless military power is a permanent feature of Baloch Pakistan relations. The soldiers were the first to arrive in Balochistan. It became the sacred and God given task of Pakistani army to protect the backward and politically ‘immature’ Baloch people from the “exploitation, tyranny and corruption” of their tribal, social and political leaders. The army launched major offensives in Balochistan during 1948, 1958, 1962, 1973 killing thousands of Baloch women, children and elderly people. The recent military aggression in Balochistan is the continuation of that policy; nevertheless, it surpasses all previous military aggressions in its intensity and ruthlessness. The recent threats of physical elimination of Baloch by General Musharaf are the repetition of such threats by earlier military rulers.

Once the military control was established, a system of 'indirect colonial rule' was employed in Balochistan. A small, carefully selected group of Baloch who were loyal to Pakistani establishment exercised limited powers in the province on behalf of centre. The state intelligence agencies selected, instructed and often co-opted these figureheads. Beginning from 70s a new and previously unknown breed of elite, the ‘religious leaders’, was created in a secular Baloch society and was also incorporated in the schema of ruling Balochistan by proxy. During the last 60 years, the genuine Baloch leadership was allowed to govern the province only for few months. It is noteworthy that recognised leadership of Baloch masses were kept in prisons during 50s, 60s and 70s under the pretext of being anti-state, and anti-development.

One of the hallmarks of the relationship between Pakistani state and Balochistan is the settlement of people from majority nationality in to various regions of Balochistan in order to bring state sponsored demographic changes. Consequently, many townships in Balochistan are increasingly becoming settler dominated. Baloch identity of many towns including capital city Quetta has been replaced by the identity of a settler society. The exploitation of oil and petroleum reserves and the recognition of Gwadur port as a potential economic and commercial centre has encouraged a whole range of planned colonization schemes to attract investors and migrants to the region.

Systematic developmental aggression is another hallmark of Baloch Pakistan relations. This developmental aggression is the ruthless exploitation of Baloch natural resources in the name of development and is at the expense of Baloch economic interests and for the benefit of dominating nationality. The exploitative economic measures taken by the state for the last many decades had produced devastating results. The lives of millions of Baloch are characterised by poverty and majority of them are living below the poverty line.

Cultural exploitation of Baloch is another aspect of Baloch Pakistan relations. It is the sacred mission of Pakistani army and civilian establishment to ‘civilize’ the ‘uncivilized’ Baloch. The Baloch socio-cultural and political systems are being destroyed or corrupted in a systematic and organized way. Alien cultural traditions are being imposed at the expense of traditional Baloch social values. A north Indian language (Urdu) has been imposed as national language and language of instruction in educational institutions. The state media is very busy in portraying Baloch as primitive and tribal. Tribalism has been the basis of Baloch social organization but the state establishment always portrays the tribe as a concept to denote backwardness or primitiveness.

Intertwined with the tradition of economic exploitation in the disguise of development is the concept of Muslim brother-hood and of making Baloch perfect Muslims. State establishment made organized attempts, to bring religion into a prominent position in a secular Baloch society. In this regard, large numbers of religious schools are being financed in every corner of Balochistan to convert the 'ignorant Baloch into perfect Pakistani Muslims' and save them from ‘eternal damnation’. A culture of religious narrow mindedness is being forced upon Baloch masses. This 'colonisation of the mind' has important implications. Replacing a traditional social belief system of a people by an alternative frame of reference often amounts to changing the entire identity of a people. In a Baloch perspective, this is an attempt to dilute their national resistance and to justify the exploitation of cultural and natural resources of Baloch people in the name of Islam.

Violation of basic human rights of Baloch is the most painful aspect of Baloch Pakistan relations. Extra judicial killings, harassment, kidnapping and inhuman torture of Baloch leaders, political activists and intellectuals are the normal state responses to Baloch political mobilization. The situation of Baloch remains grave and alarming. They are living a life at gunpoint in the shadows of inhuman atrocities by the most atrocious state in the contemporary world. Their very survival as a nation is threatened by distortion of their history, colonization through forced occupation, militarization, and policies and designs aimed at submerging them in the cultures and national identity of the religious fundamentalist state.

Marginalization of Baloch, ruthless and frequent military operations by state and Baloch demand for national rights are the characteristics of Baloch Pakistan relations. Baloch universally share the perception that as a nation they are at the verge of being extinct. Baloch took up arms when left with no other options as peaceful demands for national rights were responded with ruthless military force. They have chosen the option to fight to be alive rather being submissive to be extinct. In this perspective, the national resistance of Baloch is their struggle for human rights, honour, identity and freedom. The spirit of love for their national identity and socio-cultural values are the guiding force of Baloch national resistance and it continues to fuel their struggle despite their limited resources. Baloch consider self-determination as their collective right and the very foundation of the enjoyment of their civil, political, economic, cultural and social rights.

The response of international community has been one of criminal silence towards the physical and cultural genocide of Baloch people. The silence on the use of sophisticated and lethal weapons and indiscriminate aerial bombardment and shameless murders of Baloch political leaders by Pakistani army cannot be justified on the pretext of Pakistan being an ally in the war on terrorism. It is imperative that international community should consider the plight of Baloch people in a human perspective. It should take immediate actions before it is too late for Baloch. Resolution of Baloch-Pakistan conflict is linked with the right of self-determination under the charter of United Nations.