Meet the press: ‘Govt turns blind eye towards suffering in Balochistan’

Akhtar Mengal highlights the plight of people living in the country’s largest province

KARACHI: Balochistan has been made a political orphan and the rulers turn a blind eye towards the sufferings of its people, said former Balochistan chief minister Sardar Akhtar Jan Mengal while addressing a press conference at Karachi Press Club on Sunday.

"It's a reality that whoever struggled for the rights of the people of Balochistan was imprisoned by the government," he remarked, adding that whoever brings attention to their plight is termed a 'traitor'.

The leader of Balochistan National Party-M and member of the provincial assembly said that the Baloch are disillusioned with the judiciary, politicians and even from their own selves. The government only wants to take control of the province's coast and resources and has no interest in investing in the future of its people, he added.



Giving the example of Gwadar, he said that it is shown to be quite beautiful in the banners put up in Karachi but in reality there is no water supply in the city. Currently, even the electricity to the area is being supplied from Iran, he revealed.

He also asked why the government became interested in developing Balochistan after around 70 years since its independence.

"The Baloch cannot even afford the bus fare to Karachi or Quetta, so what's the purpose of building airports then?" he remarked, adding that this shows that the people of the province will gain nothing from the development projects being carried out there.

According to him, the condition of Balochistan is not the way it is being portrayed in the mainstream electronic media. "Mass graves have been found in Khuzdar but it is never highlighted by the media," he lamented.

The establishment can hear the voice of people suffering in Kashmir but it becomes deaf when it comes to Balochistan. Around 17 journalists have been killed in Balochistan in recent years while the press clubs in Khuzdar, Turbat and Panjgur have been locked down, he claimed.

Commenting on the insurgency in the province, the former provincial premier said "neither can I force a peaceful democratic agenda on them nor can they force their rebellious ideas on me or on my party. However, they will soon find out that their way of struggle is not right."

Published in The Express Tribune, October 10^th, 2016.