Editorial: Mr. President, Listen to Bhoothani!

The Speaker of Balochistan Assembly, Mohammad Aslam Bhoothani, dropped a bombshell on Friday saying that the office of Prime Minister was endeavoring to sell Balochistan’s seventy thousand (70,000) acre land to Arab sheiks at a throwaway price. According to him, the Arabs were trying to acquire the land in areas close to the Baloch Coast on the banks of Mekran Coastal Highway.
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Besides the will of Balochistan government being totally snubbed, this scheme is strongly backed by some quarters in the Prime Minister House in Islamabad. Uncertain if a thorough gentleman like Prime Minister Syed Yousfa Raza Gillani could personally become a part of such a shocking scheme, Bhoothani decided to chose his words very carefully. He said he was not sure whether the Prime Minister was directly involved in this plot or some elements in the Prime Minister House were secretly working to accomplish their nasty designs. If the Prime Minister is not personally a part of this conspiracy then he should take immediate notice of the matter and clarify his involvement in the matter.

Bhoothani, who was elected as a member of the Balochistan Assembly from Lasbela District, made these startling revelations in a rare press conference at Quetta Press Club. The Speaker address the press only under extraordinary circumstances and situations demanding urgent attention.
He disclosed that the Balochistan government was being pressurized from the Prime Minister House to quickly pass a summery via Revenue Department to provide seventy thousand acre lands to Arab shieks. The local population, after coming to know about the discreet plans, has strongly protested and said it there was no question about surrendering their ancestral lands on which they had been living for generations in return of some money.

When a journalist asked Bhoothani what if the Arabs agreed to pay the amount for the land, he came up with a counter-question: “would the government sell the whole of Balochistan if some outsiders paid a handsome amount?” Bhoothani expected that Chief Minister Raisani would take stern notice of the issue and make every effort to block the summery pending at the Revenue Department. He lauded Chief Minister Raisani for his leadership and firm stance he had recently taken on the controversial Gwadar Port and Reko Diq projects.
“Balochistan is our mother land,” said the Speaker of the provincial legislative body, “We own the coast and the resources of this province as the sons of the soil. We will not sell our mother land to anyone in return of some money.” He admitted that the Arab sheiks were allowed to visit Balochistan, establish tents to stay here for hunting. “Now, it seems they want to permanently settle here and construct huge bungalows on our lands. We have our serious concerns on these developments,” he added.

He further noted that the Arab sheiks were also regularly using the Shamshi Airbase in Chagai area.
Bhoothani is indeed a very brave politician of the mega-sensitive Balochistan province. His critics say the only bad bone Bhoothani has got in his body is that of his affiliation with pro-Pervez Musharraf Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Quaid-e-Azam). Otherwise, he has stood time and again very bravely for the rights of the people of Balochistan. He was in fact the only politician to raise voice against the Pakistan Navy for illegally grabbing the public lands for a test firing range. He battled the case with such a great determination that the Balochistan Assembly ultimately had to pass a resolution against the illegal land acquisition.The Navy had to surrender before a steadfast Bhoothani.

We admire Bhoothani for taking such a bold initiative in the broader public interest. It is earnestly hoped that Chief Minister Raisani will , firstly, ensure the blockade of the summery at the Revenue Department and, secondly, offer complete support ot Bhoothani on this matter. There is already a lot of anger and frustration among the Balochs over their natural resources being usurped. Now that a top official like Bhoothani has publicly accused the office of Prime Minister for pressurizing the Balochistan government for selling land to the oil-monarchs, the Baloch sense of insecurity further gets validated. Balochs would believe that the plot to colonize them is very deep-rooted and officially sponsored.

Bhoothani’s staggering revelation has come at at a time when Balochs hold the Punjab and its leaders responsible for exploiting their resources. Raising fingers at a prime minister who belongs to the Punjab province may trigger massive reactions from the Baloch nationalists. Furthermore, this development is coinciding with the time when the province is struggling to ensure its control over multi-billion Reko Diq gold and copper project.

With Prime Minister Gilani being implicated in this scam, we would urge President Asif Ali Zardari to personally take urgent notice of the matter. The people of Balochistan should be taken into confidence before taking any decision. The people of Balochistan will not happily endorse any official decision to sell the Baloch land to foreigners in return of kickbacks.

http://www.thebalochhal.com/2010/11/editorial-mr-president-listen-to-bhoothani/