Which way for Balochistan?

In an unguarded moment, former Balochistan chief minister Akhtar Mengal told newsmen in Lahore this week that his six-point plan was “not different” from the six points presented by Shaikh Mujib-ur Rehman. It was in the same city in 1966 that Mujib presented his six points at a national conference of opposition parties. Mengal is right. While the specifics of the two plans may be different,  the crux is the same.  The cry is for provincial autonomy and a plea to check the injustices of the center. It is sad to see that nearly fifty years have passed since Mujib gave his points. The mindset of the civil-military bureaucracy remains unchanged. More sad is that we continue to put up with this.

Looking back, what Mujib proposed, and for which he was labeled a traitor, were genuine demands that would have helped all provinces, not just the then province of East Pakistan. He wanted a constitution that was based on the spirit of the Lahore resolution, he asked that power be devolved and for some provincial control on finances and on law and order. Today, Sardar Akhtar Mengal’s points focus on political autonomy as well as a check on the actions of our intelligence agencies. He calls for recovering of missing persons and help to those displaced by the violence. These too are genuine and do-able demands. Will the establishment now also label Mengal a traitor? Such a move would surely worsen an already deteriorating situation in the province. Maybe, as was the case in Mujib’s political career, this could be a turning point. Till then, Mujib had wanted to save East Pakistan.

Provincial autonomy remains a thorn in Pakistan’s side. Our great parliamentarian, Raza Rabbani, warns us that his efforts at provincial autonomy are being sabotaged by the establishment. In his case, the amendment to the constitution he so patiently crafted and rallied to have passed was sabotaged by his own prime minister. But does that mean we should give up and continue to suffer decisions made by an unelected civil and military bureaucracy that decides what is in the national interest?

We cannot ignore the state of affairs. Some 8,000 people are estimated to have gone missing in Balochistan in the past five years or so. Someone should be asked why. Where are they and who is keeping them? We all know the answers. We need to bring Balochistan back into Pakistan. And to do this would require leaders like Mian Nawaz Sharif, whose party enjoys the most popularity in Punjab, to take the first step. Mian Nawaz Sharif has more sway over Pakistan’s civil-military bureaucracy than President Zardari. And Pakistan’s most populous province should lead the way.

This would require a campaign in Punjab to garner sympathies for the Baloch people. It would also require Mian Sahab to go to Quetta and meet the people, not just stay at the Serena and take a round of Sariyab Road. We need to tell everyone that what the centre is doing in Balochistan is not saving it. In fact, the actions of our agencies is speeding up the process of separation. And we must not insult the Baloch people. We cannot over-simplify the situation by using the excuse of the foreign hand, as interior minister Rehman Malik usually claims.  The international community has not been given any credible evidence of a foreign hand in the trouble in Balochistan. And by blaming foreign powers, what we are saying to the Baloch is that there is no problem in the province and they are simply being misguided by others. This is the same reaction we had when troubles started in East Pakistan.

Money isn’t the solution. Each Balochistan MPA now has over Rs180 million annually for development projects. It is not a surprise that most of this is siphoned off. There are cabinet members who are involved in kidnapping and extortion. But the government turns a blind eye. As it does to the billion rupee smuggling racket that is run by an LEA.  Enough has been said. We need action now. Lets listen to the Baloch leaders for once.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 1^st, 2012.