Nilofer Qazi
March 2012
March 2012
I had little interest
in adding my two bits to the recent interest and discussion on Baluchistan, but
listening to Bramdagh Bugti on television made me livid! I am a citizen of
Pakistan, not so proud these days, but nevertheless. My forefathers settled in
Baluchistan and my grandmother known as ‘Mummy’ to All, in her home
town-Pishin, would turn in her grave at the state of affairs in her beloved
home.
Baluchistan represents the failure of Pakistan. It represents the greed and refusal to be
just and provide good governance to its citizens. I hated what Baramdagh Bugti
said but I loathe even more the reality that made him say what he said. He can
be ‘fixed’ or ‘disappeared’ as is fashionable these days who speak
uncomfortable truths.
When the Baloch raise their voices against the false
guardians of Pakistan they do it on behalf of all the exploited and the
oppressed in Pakistan. It is ironic that the Baloch nationalists are actually
the most Pakistani of nationalists. Hilarious!
As for the Sardars of the Baloch they are like the Khans,
the Maliks, the Chaudhrys, the Waderas
all over Pakistan add to those
are the ‘new’ elites, the military, the religious and the urban bosses. Members
of elites, naturally party, hate and kill each other but what they commonly
share is exploit the poor and the weak. In this situation to expect the
majority of the Baloch population to revolt against Baramdagh and his ilk is
asking them to join a ‘plan of action’ devised by outsiders against them. The
Baloch are poor and illiterate but they are not stupid.
What gives Baramdagh Bugti the right to decide on behalf of
a minority elite in Baluchistan to declare that the majority of Baluchistan
wants independence? On what basis does
he assert this? Has there been a referendum on this issue? Who does he
represent?
Baluchistan is the largest province of Pakistan; in the
absence of an updated census (since 1998), the population is majority Pathan
with many other ethnic groups including Brohi,
Makrani besides the Baluch.
Baluchistan belongs to all of us. We are all Baloch.
The state of
Pakistan, under ZAB, over threw a democratically elected NAP government in the
1970s and sent in the army too crush its own population who were demanding
equal rights and a share in the natural resources they provide the nation! This
is a fact. A criminal reality no one can deny.
The continued army operations in Baluchistan fuels this
discontent and protects those who would
take advantage of a bad situation. The extra judicial murder of Sardar Akbar
Bugti only strengthened the idea of the
perpetual persecution of the Baloch.
Where rights, development, strengthening
governance should be our focus, idiotic archaic divisive ideas are
gaining ground. We have allowed this to happen. No one else is to blame. What have our craven elites chosen to do?
Vent their feeble anger at a moron called Rohrabacker in the USA rather than
address the national challenge that injustice and exploitation results.
Tragically it looks like our current ‘elites’ are completely unfit to address
this challenge. We lost Bangladesh and
blamed India. We are gaping at Baluchistan and blaming America?!
What is criminal negligence on our state’s part is that we
understand the occupation of Afghanistan has fueled and strengthened the
regressive Taliban and cannot understand what our unaccountable army can fester
in our own province?! No modern sane
state should allow its army to manage the governance of its largest
province. Certainly not while we are
pretending to be democratic! No less an
army which has lost everything it starts. The inability of the state to
exercise its writ in law, governance, and development is a reflection of
absolute political failure and has to be rectified immediately. If we are to be
a democratic polity one cannot just talk, or ask for forgiveness or make
sweeping statements of reparations, actions speak louder than words. The
Baluchistan package announced so proudly by this government not only was
pathetically patronizing but has altered none of the fundamental grievances of
the entire population of the province.
The first step would be to remove the army from the province
immediately. Initiate a census in the province to determine the profile and
opinion(s) of your citizens there. Commit to develop the province which has the
potential to carry the rest of the nation into the next century independent
from donors and foreign reliance.
Baluchistan is not alone in the dismal treatment it has
received from the state of Pakistan. To have areas which are not under the writ
of the state such as FATA FANA makes a mockery of the notion of a modern state.
We cannot argue in the community of nations to be treated as a sovereign
responsible modern country when we have little sovereignty over our own. Our
governing elites are mere servants who only know how to lord it over those who
are fewer and weaker than themselves. As a result we have no good answer to Baramdagh
barb : the Baloch do not care to be servants of servants.
Baluchistan is a dump and Baluchis need to get off their backsides and become productive instead of whining and moping like a bunch of sissies and blame Pakistan for their ills.
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