By Farhan Bokhari in Quetta
Published: August 15 2009 03:00 | Last updated: August 15 2009 03:00
Bomb blasts in Pakistan's south-western province of Baluchistan that killed one and injured 10 people yesterday served as a grim reminder that the northern Swat valley is by no means the only security challenge facing the nuclear-armed nation.
The continuing unrest has prompted China to suspend plans to build Pakistan's largest oil refinery in Gwadar, where Beijing has financed the construction of a deep-water port.
Separatists have for decades waged a low-level revolt, eyeing a bigger share in income from the province's natural resources. But the violence appears to be at its most intense since the early 1970s and threatens to distract security forces from tackling Taliban fighters along the Afghan border, most of which abuts Baluchistan.
The three blasts destroyed a power transmission line and coincided with Pakistan's Independence Day celebrations. The violence comes after separatist guerrillas this week killed eight policemen who had been held hostage.
"If Pakistan fails to stabilise Baluchistan, plans for stabilising Afghanistan will suffer," said a senior western diplomat. "Stability in Baluchistan and dealing with nationalists is essential in order for the government to focus on the Pak-Afghan border."
The nationalists have carried out a number of attacks on Pakistan's military and paramilitary troops in the years since the 2006 killing of Nawab Mohammad Akbar Khan Bugti, the most vocal tribal leader of the nationalists. Loyalists say he was attacked by the Pakistan military, but the military says it was an accident.
Migrants to Baluchistan from other parts of Pakistan, especially Punjab, have been given deadlines by the nationalists to leave.
"It is a very grim situation and in many respects is deteriorating," said a senior security official in Quetta, the provincial capital. "[Separatists] are openly telling the Punjabis, 'Leave while you can, otherwise your corpses will be sent back.' While everyone is worried about Swat, Baluchistan is getting out of control."
A college professor in the province who teaches Pakistan studies, a subject vehemently opposed by the separatists, said he had received death threats. "The nationalists say I will be killed if I carry on teaching," he said.
Since the country's largest natural gas reserves were discovered in Baluchistan four decades ago, Baluch nationalists have repeatedly criticised Islamabad for failing to give the province its share of gas royalties. Nawab Mohammad Aslam Raisani, chief minister of Baluchistan, told the Financial Times: "We are the richest [in terms of mineral resources] but also the poorest [in terms of economic well-being]."
Abdul Malik Baloch, president of the Baluchistan National party, said: "All the proceeds from the gas have to come to Baluchistan." He favours a withdrawal of the military from the province "as part of a necessary reconciliation process that must begin to address ways of overcoming the anger in Baluchistan".
The nationalists are demanding the release of what they say is hundreds of separatists who have disappeared in the past three years and are believed to be in the custody of security services.
"There is a widespread feeling that Baluchistan has been badly suppressed. Conciliatory steps such as ending the military's presence and addressing the issue of the disappeared will only be enough to lay the course for reconciliation," said Mr Malik. "But then, there has to be reconciliation."
Big province is persistent thorn in Islamabad's side
Baluchistan is Pakistan's largest province geographically but also the most sparsely populated. Local languages include Pashto, Balochi, Persian, Hazaragai and Brauhi. The scene of recurring nationalist protests ranging from street demonstrations to militant insurgencies, Baluchistan remains a significant irritant to Pakistan's internal security.
Baluch nationalists have frequently criticised Islamabad for failing to deliver the province's fair share of royalties from natural gas found in Baluchistan and consumed across the country.
Since the 2006 killing of the elderly Nawab Mohammad Akbar Khan Bugti, a tribal chief who led an insurgency to press for Baluchistan's rights, there have been scores of attacks on government and security officials.
The Baluchistan Liberation Army, a shadowy armed separatist group, is believed to have been involved in most of those attacks.
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