By Air Marshal (Retd) Ayaz Ahmed Khan
I have not for a moment allowed the affairs of Balochistan to slip out of my mind. I have thought, considered and pondered over the ways of improving the lot of our people in this province, and enabling them to secure the same position, and political status with the polity of Pakistan, which are open to their brethren in other provinces.-Qaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah at The Sibi Darbar-February 14, 1948
The security situation in Balochistan has been deteriorating since five years mainly due to unemployment, poverty, destitution, bad governance and inaction of the provincial and federal governments to arrest the rot. Having lost hope, the public frustration has been stoked by some Sardars, and political dissenters. The lethargy of the Balochistan Assembly, the corruption and inefficiency of the provincial administration, has encouraged the dissidents to take the law into their own hands.
The Centre is spending huge amounts on mega projects, but continues to block funds and administrative authority of the provincial government. The governments in Quetta have failed to solve the problems of unemployment, poverty alleviation or deal effectively with criminals who are now on the rampage. The Baloch youth and the nationalists are angry over the fact that Baloch youth have been kept out of the military or civil services controlled by the Centre.
The federally controlled law and order institutions like the 33,000 strong Blochistan Constabulary has 32,100 Pathan soldiers and only 900 Baloch Jawans. Balochistan Police is overwhelmingly Pushtun. The 12,000 strong Coast guard has only 90 Baloch on its rolls. There are hardly any Baloch officers or soldiers in the famous Baloch Regiment of Pakistan Army. PPL responsible for the extraction and distribution of Sui gas does not give jobs to Baloch youth as a matter of policy.
A few hundred Bugti’s on its rolls are not trusted and are ghost employees. The people of Balochistan do not benefit from the huge mineral and gas resources in that province. The Baloch nationalists and the sardars believe that the mega-projects will not benefit the Baloch people. There are no industries to employ the unemployed. The Baloch suffer from a sense of neglect, injustice and deprivation, and this is a fertile ground for the nationalists and sardars to exploit.
Pakistani people and the federal government have yet to comprehend the strategic importance of Balochistan. The province commands 900 miles of Arabian Sea coastline, including the northern shores of Strait of Hormuz, through which oil tankers bound for the West and Japan must pass. The strategic location of Gawadar port commands the vital sea-lanes, and could connect Afghanistan, Central Asia and Western China with the Persian Gulf. The geography of Balochistan has been in the sight of players of international chessboard since long.
Global vested interests see the development of Gawadar port with Chinese financial, technical and manpower assistance as providing China access to the Indian Ocean in a critically strategic location. Islamabad should be extremely cautious to ensure that Balochistan should not slip into the vortex of international politics. If the prevailing turmoil in Balochistan spins out of control, the consequnces might be too disastrous to imagine.
Gun running Governor Awais Ghani recently disclosed that Rs 50 crores worth of arms have been smuggled from Afghanistan into Pakistan during the last six months.
And this despite the fact that there are about 600 FC posts, tasked to check gunrunning into the province. On an average, Rs 100 crores of weapons are smuggled into Balochistan every year. With such massive smuggling or arms into Balochistan, private militias, the Balochistan Liberation Army, and almost every one in Balochistan is armed to the teeth. Nawab Akbar Bugti justifies it by stating that "every Baloch is armed and Baloch Awam is our Army".
Impact of Private Militias Bugti, Marri, Mengal, Mazari,and some other Sardars are maintaining private militias and jails. Bugti Force has thousands of armed and paid fighters on its rolls. Armed Bugti tribesmen have been on the rampage, bombing Sui gas pipe lines, blasting PPL installations in Sui and outside, dynamiting railway tracks, attacking FC posts, police stations, destroying electricity towers, WAPDA transformers, power lines, telephone exchanges, bombing railway bogies, looting buses, and kidnapping officials and passengers since long. Bugti terrorists have carried out over five hundred attacks on Sui gas pipes and installations during the last five years. Balochistan Governor Awais Ghani states that 1568 terrorist attacks occurred across the province during the last few weeks. The collapse of law and order in Balochistan has fuelled the BLA insurgents into greater mischief.
But Sardar Akbar Bugti states that," No sardar has a private army. The people of Balochistan are our army. Chaudhry Shujaat wanted to discuss with me the problems afflicting Balochistan. I told him that the problems of Balochistan must be discussed with other sardars as well. I am directly concerned with the incident of march 17, 2005, which needs immediate attention. Among other important issues is the case of Dr Shazia as well". He rejected the allegation that three sardars are maintaining private armies. "We derive our power from the Qabail (tribesmen). There is no such thing as Bugti Army, Mengal Army or Marri Army."
Marri Militia: At the height of the 1974-77 Marri-Mengal insurgency, Khair Bux Marri and Ata Ullah Mengal had sixty thousand fully armed fighters under their command. The insurgency by this well armed guerrilla force continued for four years. In 1977 Marri-Mengal rebellion was crushed by the Pakistan Army, which had deployed eighty thousand regular and FC troops for the purpose. Three thousand Marri and Mengals were killed and thousands were injured. Their villages were levelled. Khair Bux Marri had fled to Afghanistan, while Ataullah Mengal took asylum in UK. Khair Bux Marri had created the Balochistan National Liberation Army with Moscow’s material support in 1971. As a rabid Marxist-Leninist he had carried out indoctrination of Marri tribesmen.
As member of the national assembly of Pakistan, he refused to sign the Constitution of Pakistan in 1973. Even today he is the mastermind of the simmering ongoing insurgency and anti state BLA propaganda. He has thousands of armed and trained Marri fighters to do his bidding. Mengal Force
Attaullah Mengal became Chief Minister soon after the dissolution of One Unit in 1969. He was the strongest opponent of one Unit. His government resorted to seizing properties and jobs of what he alleged were outsiders. Now he demands not only autonomy but an independent Balochistan.
His ultimatums to the federal government are highly provocative. He has a force of thousands of Mengal and other tribesmen to do his bidding. He supports BLA terrorism. Balochistan Liberation Army The Baloch sardar’s have led four insurgencies in 1948, 1958-59, 1962-63, and 1973-77. Now the fifth insurgency is underway by a better organized and equipped Balochistan Liberation (guerrila ) Army.
The BLA has several training camps, and is well equipped with offensive weapons, small arms and modern communications, that is, wireless radios, cell phones etc. The BLA has the material and moral support of the three warlords; Akbar Bugti, Khair Bux Marri, and Ata Ullah Mengal. The BLA has claimed and accepted responsibility for each and every terrorist bombing attack including the January 11, 2005 major attack on PPL installations at Sui. No Baloch warlord or sardar has condemned BLA’s attacks.
The BLA internet web site indulges in vicious propaganda against Pakistan, the Army and Punjab, and narrates grievances on a daily basis to mislead and indoctrinate educated Baloch Youth. Marri, Bugti, Mengal sardars and the BLA allege that," Baloch people feel that they wont get their rights through democratic and legal means. We will use the gun to get our rights". They were infuriated when President Musharraf said, " Don’t push us, this isn’t the 1970’s, when you can hide and run into the mountains. This time you wont even know what hit you. " Attaullah Mengal immediately warned," In case of military operations the Baloch people will fight a decisive battle". Akbar Bugti declared that sixty thousand armed Bugti’s will give a pitched battle. Army will inflict casualties because it is better equipped, but we will fight back and also inflict casualties." Writ of the government does not exist in the Marri, Bugti and Mengal areas.
No one has been punished for the large-scale BLA bombings and attacks on state installations. Demography of Balochistan.
By the last census Balochistan population was 5.5 million. Today it could be close to six million, comprising 3 million Baloch, 2.5 million Pashtuns and half million others. Mahmood Khan Achakzai son of Abdul Samad Achakzai who was killed in a bomb blast, in a recent press interview said that "Areas adjoining NWFP are heavily populated by Pushtu speaking people, who demand merger with NWFP or creation of a separate province to be named South Pushtunistan". He said that Balochistan is not one single ethnic entity, The Pushtuns do not agree with the demands of the nationalists. Balochistan is inhabited by Baloch, Pathans, Barohi’s, Sindhi’s, Punjabi’s and Urdu speaking Muhajir’s.
There could be more Baloch living in other parts of Pakistan than in Balochistan. There is sizeable Baloch population in Sindh, especially in Karachi. Dera Ghazi Khan district of Punjab is heavily populated by ethnic Baloch. Kaisrani’s, Natkani’s, Buzdars, Lund, Khosa’s, Leghari’s, Mazari’s, and Darshekh tribes. In Muzaffargah district of Punjab, Dasti’s, Gurmani’s, Jatoi, Khar’s, and Gopang’s claim to be Baloch’s. Kalpars thrown out by Akbar Bugti have now settled in Multan. There is a large Leghari Baloch population in Muzaffargarh district and in Rahim Yar Khan. In Sind Talpurs, Khoso’s, Leghari’s, Chandio’s and Jatoi’s are proud of their Baloch origin. The Hoat of Dera Ismail Khan are also Baloch.
The 75 Baluch sardars head their own separate tribes. In terms of population the Bugti’s, Marri’s and Mengals in numbers are not more than a few hundred thousand. The Bugti and the Mengal tribe may be about one hundred thousand each. The Marrri’s could be about three hundred thousand. The Makrani’s in Las Bela, Mekran, Jiwani and other coastal districts are not ethnically Baloch.
Political Influence of Sardars President Musharraf recently said that 72 out of the 75 Sardars are law abiding people. Only three Sardars are trouble makers and blackmailers. The fact however is that these three Sardars weild greater influence among the Baloch than all other 72 sardars put together. Former Prime Minister Zafar Ullah Jamali recently said that the Sardari system cannot be shelved. More prominent Sardars have always been in the forefront of politics in Balochistan.
Akbar Bugti, Ataullah Mengal, his sons Akhtar Mengal, Naseer Mengal, Hamayun Marri, Gulam QadirJamote, and his son Jam Yousuf, Taj Jamali and Zafar Ullah Jamali who became the Pime MInister of Pakistan are prominent Baloch Sardars A few Sardars I.e Akbar Bugti, Justice Mengal and some others were Governors of Balochistan. Akbar Bugti was Defence Minister in 1958. Akbar Bugti has a towering personality, and is admired by all other sardars.
Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had directly came up against the intransigent and rebellious ways of the sardars in Balochistan when he wanted to build schools, roads and hospitals in areas where the sardars exercised influence. The National Assembly of Pakistan passed the System of Sardari Abolition Act in 1976, which prescribed three years imprisonment for any one exercisiang any right of Sardari, or being in possession of, or derive any benefit from any land belonging to the tribe, ".
The law stated that, "The Sardari system is the worst remnant of the oppressive and tyrannical, feudal and tribal system, which being derogatory to human dignity and freedom, is repugnant to the spirit of democracy and equality as enunciated by Islam, and is enshrined in the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. It is a system opposed to the economic well being and cultural advancement of the people." The Sardari system would have been abolished, had Bhutto lived. It was nourished by the Federal and provincial governments after ZAB’s death.
Law enforcement: Elected provincial governments and district administrations have been lethargic, corrupt and inefficient. Appeasement of the sardars and their henchmen has brought them into the forefront of Baloch politics. The sardars have never been amenable to law and good order. Zafar Ullah Jamali says that pride and arrogance is the cause of present unrest. It can be solved with the help of four or five sardars. He advocates adhocism, which has done much damage already. He is optimist that the successful dialogue between
Akbar Bugti and Chaudhry Shujaat Hussian will help solve the problem. But such an under the able deal smacks of appeasement. He said that the big sardars wanted to cooperate with the government, but they were treated unfairly. The government must attend to peoples economic plight. 51 per cent jobs in all the mega-projects including Gawadar must be given to the Baloch youth. Islamabad cannot be held entirely responsible for the rot in Baluchistan. All the Chief Ministers were Baloch Sardars, they also must be held accountable for not attending to the needs of Baloch people".
But injustice in Balochistan is very visible. Seventy per cent of common people are below the poverty line. Poverty in Balochistan is twice as high as in other provinces. The Baloch youth have been denied jobs in the civil and the forces. There are no Baloch in the famous Baloch Regiment of Pakistan Army. The Baloch are a fine martial race, why this injustice to them. There are hardly any Baloch in the civil services or autonomous institutions. The PPL, which runs Sui installations, has only ghost Bugti employs on its rolls. The pertext they cannot be trusted. All this is now impacting on the security situation in Balochistan. The only solution is devolution of power to Baluchistan as enshrined in the 1940 Lahore resolution, in the 1973 Pakistan constitution, and as desired by Qaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah
http://www.nation.com.pk/daily/apr-2005/11/columns3.php
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