Complexities of Balochistan

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Mehrang Langov is in jail. She was arrested while inspecting the dead bodies recovered after the Jaffar Express operation that killed hundreds, including innocent men, women, and children, alongside scores of security personnel. According to state media, she stormed into the hospital to claim the bodies, defying the image of a so-called pacifist.

For years, Mehrang has been at the forefront of protests against enforced disappearances, something that she and many in Balochistan believe is part of a state policy aimed at suppressing the separatist movement. This movement, simmering since decades, has grown increasingly violent over the past decade. While Mehrang presents herself as a human rights activist, Pakistan's state institutions see her as a pawn in the hands of foreign forces, particularly India.

She has been accused of supporting the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a group that has not only waged war against the state but has also slaughtered thousands of innocent people, particularly those of Punjabi origin. She has also openly backed the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) despite its known anti-Pakistan rhetoric and activities. Repeatedly asked in media interviews to condemn the BLA and PTM, Mehrang has consistently dodged the question, instead doubling down on the narrative of enforced disappearances.

The question arises: whose bodies was she looking for at the morgue? Were they passengers, personal acquaintances, or fellow members of the Baloch Yakjehti Council (BYC), which she leads? Why was she so concerned about retrieving them? According to state sources, the bodies Mehrang sought to claim belonged to BLA militants killed in the Jaffar Express ambush. If she insists that these individuals were linked to her and the BYC, does that not imply an implicit endorsement of their violence? If, in her view, the state's alleged "kill and dump" policy is unacceptable, then why does she not extend the same moral standard to terrorist organisations?

It is undeniable that the state's heavy-handed response to the grievances of the people of Balochistan has, at times, exacerbated the crisis. When Baloch families marched to Islamabad in 2023 seeking answers about their missing loved ones, their concerns should have been met with dialogue rather than force. A more diplomatic approach, one balancing "carrot and stick", could have prevented the situation from reaching this point, where even terrorists are being painted as victims.

However, it is also essential to dismantle the false victimhood narrative surrounding Mehrang Langov. Contrary to claims that she was deprived of educational opportunities, Mehrang, a doctor by profession, received her degree from Bolan Medical College on a full scholarship. The story that her mother had to sell her clothes to raise a meager Rs5,000 annual fee is nothing but a fabrication designed to bolster the illusion of systematic oppression. Balochistan, like the rest of Pakistan, has undeniable educational challenges, but the claim that Baloch youth are entirely deprived of opportunities is misleading.

The very activists leading the BYC today — educated, articulate and well-versed in political discourse — received their education in Pakistan, not in India, Afghanistan, or the West. If they now stand against the state, it is not because they were denied education but because separatist elements have hijacked their cause.

The BLA of today bears little resemblance to the separatist movement of the early 2000s. It has devolved into a terrorist outfit, run by thugs rather than ideologues. If their real concern was the well-being of the Baloch people, why would they sabotage CPEC? Why would they attack passenger trains and buses carrying innocent civilians? Why would they keep Balochistan in a perpetual state of violence, suffocating its economic potential under the pretext of resistance? The BLA's actions have only worsened the very conditions they claim to oppose.

Pakistan's federal structure is not without fault, but it is essential to ask: who truly holds the power in Balochistan? The province has long been controlled by feudal lords and tribal chieftains, who perpetuate a cycle of exploitation. Elections, governance, and even insurgency revolve around the same elite families. One tribal chief wins an election and enters the assembly. His rival? His own brother. Meanwhile, another family member leads an armed rebellion against the state. They control both power and insurgency, ensuring that no real progress is ever made — only the common people of Balochistan continue to suffer.

When BLA terrorists recruit Baloch daughters and sisters for suicide bombings, Akhtar Mengal remains silent. His sudden decision to use the "women's rights" card for a so-called Long March is nothing more than a desperate attempt to revive his dwindling political career.

Despite the complexities, Balochistan's problems cannot be solved through brute force alone. The province needs a genuine healing touch, one that emerges from within its own sociopolitical framework. Someone from within the warring factions must take the lead in dousing the flames of separatism before the propaganda becomes too deeply entrenched to counter.

Mehrang Langov and others like her are doing no service to Balochistan or Pakistan. Instead, they are acting as useful instruments in the hands of foreign powers intent on destabilising the country. If Balochistan is to progress, it must first identify its real oppressors - not in Islamabad, but within its own feudal hierarchy.