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By: PROF. KHURRAM SHAHZAD
We have corroboratively been testifying since our independence that individual interests are given preference over the national ones, which may be cognized as one of the eventual causes pushing us backwards in almost every field of life. Balochistan, for instance, is a reminiscent of the horrific incidents for the last many months that delineate the scenario of a mortified penance marking out of what we may call an ailment causing failure of forbearance and restraint.
When would we be capable to rise above individual handicaps of desire and antagonism? Ruining national installations all the way through terror campaign in anyway is the only mode of elucidation of our grumbles? Where the intellects at the back of the corrosion have merely an axe to grind in the name of autonomy or emancipation. The people or so called parties over there, bashing the central setup of deserting people of the province have the same lines of the stance since 70s. They have constantly been painting the mega projects being carried out as anti-people.
In point of fact they do not commend the hectic efforts being exercised by the present establishment to mitigate the ailments of the province. Instead they are infuriating the nationalist sentiments exploiting the mundane of any kind relating to law and order.
Targeting the gas plants in Sui and Wapda installations, killing not only security personnel but also the Chinese engineers working in Gwadar, bomb explosions and abduction of surveyors shapes up a jagged topography of confrontation and hullabaloo. There have been about 30 explosions in Quetta alone and 450 in rest of the province during year 2004 whereas 626 rockets were fired on gas pipelines in the entire province. In Sui, as many as 378 rockets were fired with 122 attacks on gas pipelines, maintaining overall total of 1126 assaults. While in first 20 days of the year 2005 the incidents of rocket strikes touched the numeral of 663, the explosions in Sui reached 657.
The so-called Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed to be behind this state of turmoil, which forced the provincial government to seek centreâ?Ts help for defusing the situation. The halt in gas supply as a result has made the life of the affected people miserable, that too in severe weather conditions. In these critical moments it is also a matter of concern for the entire nation particularly for the Balochs who have been made hostage to the twisting of circumstances into anarchy meant to impairing national economy.
One can without doubt conclude that there may be diverse elements caught up in catalyzing the existing scenario to acquire their malicious ambitions. The statements issued by some of the Baloch Sardars, speaks volume while they portent the government of shoddier circumstances, in quest of seeking a solace, on construction of mega projects.
The intricate social setup in Balochistan smacked by the personal interests of some of the tribal heads based on political monopoly, racial biases and, group-ridden composition of their views made it hard to govern for every setup in past. These conditions still persist to add to its perplexity and bewilderment with the fact that some of the tribal heads are still in a row to collect illegal emoluments from the common men in the locale with a step ahead of overriding them.
Being the part of the political system they not only receive a gratuitous share in the development cremations but also reimburse the remaining budget over the no-turn-out projects. It is convincingly understood that progress of a common man is quite counterpart to relegation of these tribal lords so they use to blow their own horns by intervening in the day to day governing procedures proving their disreputable labyrinthine existence.
Furthermore the sequence between the acts of sabotage does not point unswervingly to the multiple problems of the Balochi populace. Instead, they build up the suspicion of involvement of foreign hands which has proved to be true. Balochi youth have reportedly been coaxed under the garb of â?~liberationâ?T, taken to somewhere in the Middle East first and then to Thailand where they have been divulged training with the iniquitous design of establishing a Secular Baloch state until 2006.
According to these reports an intelligence network of Zionist origin in corroboration with infamous Indian intelligence RAW have been activated in the region from previous many months. This seedy horde might have contravened in our land obfuscating against the backdrop of predicaments in Balochistan.
The pseudo Balochistan Liberation Armyâ?Ts claims to taking liability of the goings-on in the province cannot be given cogent credence because it is inevitable that such a hefty organisation may not resuscitate without the comprehension of local lords and foreign hand.
BLA with an abundant supply of sophisticated arms and ammunition including a large magnitude of rockets and rocket launchers is playing havoc in the area. A single rocket launcher costs Rs 1.5 million whereas one round of rocket Rs 70,000. From where does this come in? These may come from the bordering state of Afghanistan through warlords who, for the sake of money, can do every thing.
The ostensible BLA and the tribal chiefs jointly overawe the government of the identical circumstances that of 1971 but they do not match the ground realities. The refusal to dialogue with the authorities even with all possible assurances is aimed at driving the government to the corner and may cause a collateral smash-up of any kind. It would be advisable for us to mend before it is too late.
http://www.nation.com.pk/daily/feb-2005/15/columns2.php | 
