By Murtaza Ali Shah
The true measure of what the government is up against in the context of the restive Balochistan province can be gauged from the extreme reaction the much-hyped Aghaz-e-Huqooq- e-Balochistan (AHB) has generated, on the part of the Baloch intelligentsia, at home and abroad. They have already dubbed the package as an exercise in futility because, in their opinion, it does not acknowledge the presence of the proverbial big elephant -- the military operation -- and the mushroom growth of military cantonments in the province, especially in Bugti and Marri heartlands.
The Baloch were hoping that the package would make radical announcements about the on-going military operation besides giving the reassurance that no acts of human rights violation will take place in the province in the future. Only it turned out to be a 'damp squib' for them, as it didn't set any dates or acknowledge the brutal facts which have driven the Baloch up the rugged mountains from where they can launch action against what they once called their own army.
In a series of interviews, TNS learns that the exiled Baloch leaders have drawn certain important conclusions for them: a) the civilian government is completely helpless, and b) it is the military that actually pulls the strings and can rampage -- unchecked -- whenever and howsoever it wants to. Nearly all of them said they were never consulted or taken into confidence on the package proposals.
Hyrbyair Marri, the most radically positioned and vocal of the new-generation Baloch leaders, called the package a farce and an insult to the Baloch nation's intelligence. Former provincial lawmaker, who has been living in London ever since the Pervez Musharraf regime levelled charges against him and his family for a murder (at the time when the accused Marris were not even present in Pakistan), said the Baloch question should no more be considered as "charity handouts" but as a vital question about a nation's aspiration for freedom from the bulky occupiers (Iran and Pakistan).
Marri said that the level of resentment against the army's presence was so deep in Balochistan that nobody was bothered what the Centre was going to announce.
"I cannot imagine myself sitting and talking about charity packages with those who are spilling the blood of my people," he said, "Stop the massacre, don't allure us with phony packages."
The current Khan of Kalat, Mir Suleman Dawood Khan told TNS that 63 years of trust deficit and injustices cannot possibly be addressed in a package that had been prepared vaguely. "Nobody knows why the government didn't talk to the real stakeholders and, instead, relied on those who have lost credibility. "
The Khan put forward his own proposal about land and resources, exhorting that these must be given in the possession of the Baloch people as a way of accepting the sovereign right of the Baloch over their resources. "International mediation, as far as I am concerned, is a must for us to sit down and discuss with the government of Pakistan.
"Too many promises have been broken. There is no trust left. We need a guarantor. We can't just talk. We are weak and they are strong. They are not talking to the real leadership, and that's the problem."
Nooruddin Mengal, a regular speaker on Balochistan issues at the United Nations forum and UK think tanks, told TNS that the Baloch nation was "not struggling for meaningless packages, but for independence. We see this package as another conspiracy against the province and a part of the systematic genocide of the Baloch people. It has undertones of dishonesty.
"This is a package of deceptions that clearly represents the mind of an occupier bent upon maintaining its hegemony and insulting the people's intelligence by doing something on the contrary."
The young Mengal continued: "They are still bombing our homes, torturing our people in concentration camps and murdering innocent, defenseless women and children. We are in a state of war; therefore, it is even absurd to think that we will agree to anything short of complete independence.
"How can we even expect them to recognise us and give us our rights after all the injustices they have done to us? How does anyone expect us to believe they feel remorse for what they did to Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti when they are still doing the same against his supporters?"
Ahmer Mustikhan, the head of American Friends of Balochistan, said the package was a "sugar-coated poison for our future generations. Almost 15 million Baloch people all over the world want nothing less than their independent homeland. We are resolved we will eat grass but establish our independent state".
He said Baloch people were thinking more about Nawab Bugti, Mir Balaach Marri, Ghulam Mohammed Baloch, Lala Munir Baloch and Dr Khalid Shaheed among thousands of others.
He called upon the international community, mainly the US, European Union, Russia, China and India to ask Pakistan and Iran to give a firm timetable for the pullout of their troops, security forces, intelligence agencies from Eastern and Western Balochistan.
Dr Naseer Dashti, a London-based Baloch intellectual and physician, said there was nothing substantial in the package that will appease the people of Balochistan. In his view, the first and immediate substantial step would be for the state of Pakistan to acknowledge the cause of the conflict it has with the Baloch people.
"The conflict is about the political, cultural, social and economic rights of the Baloch people. In response, the establishment has launched a brutal military campaign to suppress our voice."
As a first step, Dashti proposed, the basics of the conflict should be recognised. Secondly, the state should talk to the real representatives and the stakeholders. And, thirdly, genuine confidence-building measures should be initiated prior to any positive and substantial talk.
Samad Baloch, Secretary General, Baloch Human Rights Council, said the latest package didn't have anything substantial for the Baloch people, and said the government had created hype about the package to divert the attention of the Baloch.
"The PPP government is suggesting that we are beggars and need charity. We are the owner of the land and should be the masters of its resources. It is unfortunate that we don't enjoy the ownership of our own rich resources."
He advised that if the government was serious about resolving the issue then it should stop the military operation, release Baloch prisoners. In addition, the IDPs from Balochistan should be settled in their lands, and those who are killing and maiming our people should be held accountable.
The writer is Assistant Editor at The News-UK edition and can be reached at ams0409@gmail. com
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