October 19 , 2012

Balochistan in Spotlight

Balochistan, one of the most complex and sensitive of Pakistan’s many internal challenges, drew world media attention when the US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs held a meeting in February  this year for an exclusive discussion of the unrest in that area of the country. 

The principal motivator of the discussion, Dana Rohrabacher, a California Republican, with the support of two of his Republican colleagues, followed the deliberations by a resolution in the House on February 17 stating that the Baloch people, currently residing in parts of Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan, had “the right to self-determination and to their own sovereign country, and they should be afforded the opportunity to choose their own status”. 

Presenting the resolution, Rohrabacher said, “The political and ethnic discrimination they suffer is tragic and made more so because America is financing and selling arms to their oppressors in Islamabad”.  The resolution, in effect, advocates the carving out of Pakistan territory an independent Balochistan.

The US State Department has, however, distances itself from the move and reiterated its commitment to the integrity of Pakistan. Nonetheless, it has expressed its concern over the volatile situation in the province and the restive Balochi population.

The situation in Balochistan has deteriorated lately owing to the murder in Karachi some time back of the wife and daughter of a Balochi leader related to the late Akbar Bugti. Then, there was the hearing in the country’s Supreme Court on the missing persons particularly of Balochistan and the unabated agitations of nationalist groups for autonomy.

The US Congressional Committee’s hearing followed by the resolution is viewed in Pakistan as too odd and tendentious. Pakistan’s Foreign Office, its ambassador in Washington and several newspapers and TV channels had labeled this as an uncalled for interference in the internal affairs of the country. Evidently saner counsels had not informed the Chairman and some members of the Committee. 

It is possible that the move was calculated to pressure Pakistan to lift the ban on the transmission of supplies to US and NATO forces through Pakistan territory. But, the negotiations through official channels for the restoration of supplies have reportedly reached the final stage of an amicable settlement. The US budget for the next fiscal year has an allocation of 2.4 billion dollars in aid to Pakistan. The timing of the use of the Balochistan card is therefore open to question.

Despite the ups and downs in US-Pakistan relations, their symbiotic nature has always been recognized by both sides and irritants removed as quickly as possible. The current tension over the transit facility would also resolve itself before long. The Committee’s deliberations and the proposed resolution in the House, at this juncture, were therefore as uncalled for as the religious parties’ public meetings in Pakistan supporting the defense services of the country, but blaming incessantly the pro-US tilt of the government for all negative developments in the country. 

The Committee’s hearing on the Balochistan turmoil followed by a formal resolution in the House of Reps, conveys the impression, particularly to the Balochi nationalist groups that the US would support their struggle to gain independence. The long-term repercussions of such a perception will be deleterious not only for the Balochis and Pakistanis but also the vital interest of the US in the region.

Balochistan’s immense natural resources and its strategic location overlooking the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz, has made it a focal point for both the US and China. Considering the threat of Iran to disrupt the flow of oil tankers through the strait and the severe strains in US-Iran relations over the nuclear program of Iran, a US presence in Balochistan would be considerably advantageous to the US. The same holds good in respect of the conflict of interest between the US and China over the use of the Gwader port.  China intends linking it by road, via the Karakoram highway, to Western China primarily for the import of Gulf oil and for the export of its manufactures.

The closing down of a US airbase in Balochistan in retaliation for

the accidental or intentional attack on Pakistan’s Salala check-post has been rankling US authorities. No less hurtful was the closing down of the supply route through Pak territory of US trucks carrying essentials goods and equipment for the US and NATO troops in Afghanistan.

Seen in the above perspective, the move in the House makes some sense from the US point of view. The concerns over the human rights violations and the right to self-determination of the Balochis may be just ruses. 

 The move may have been calculated to disrupt the Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline project, opposed by the US, and the Chinese aim of connecting China by road to the Gwader port. But, the disruption may turn out to be short lived, as the favorable geo-economic compulsions will accomplish both in the long run.

Indeed the situation in Balochistan poses a serious challenge to the policy makers in Islamabad. The current method of using the gun to kill and dump the persons, particularly the youth, suspected of fanning narrow nationalism in that region, may not render the desired results. It has already turned out to be counter-productive, as the logic of military power is unlikely to succeed in this

day and age and in the particular circumstances of Balochistan.

The human rights abuses being carried out in the province allegedly by the security agencies need urgent and committed attention.  Plenty of media facilities are easily available now to the public to give vent to their grievances. So, they cannot be ignored.

Unfortunately, the allocations of funds to enhance the living standards of the people of Balochistan have so far failed to deliver the desired results. That is the crux of the problem. The concerned authorities should be able to identify the real causes of the failure. 

An abiding solution might lie in a radical shift in the prevalent socio-economic pattern based on the British policy of indirect control of the people through the Sardari Nizam.

The Sardari system deeply entrenched in that area does not admit of the spread of education or of making widespread availability of opportunities to the Balochis to eke out a living independent of the wish and will of the Sardars.   Unfortunately, no serious effort has been made so far by any regime to educate the people and create a general awakening about the drawbacks of the system. 

The prevalent domination of the man in uniform must yield to elected representatives of the people to put an end to the logic of brute power – the kidnappings and disappearances, the kill and dump episodes, and the rampant ethnic cleansing. The moves of Congressman Rohrabacher are indeed open to objection, but Pakistan too has to make serious efforts to set its own house in order.

       arifsyedhussaini@Gmail.com