Bodies in Balochistan

Terrifying events take place in our country. Unless we are in some way directly affected, we tend to ignore them. The secret world of death and torture lies deep below the gaze of most of us. The report in this publication of the discovery of 21 bodies since July this year, all apparently belonging to nationalists, in various cities in Balochistan is chilling. They had all died in identical fashion: a bullet piercing their skulls, hands tied behind the back and torture marks on the bodies. The style of execution brings back memories of other similar, and equally sinister, deaths. That of journalist Hayatullah Khan, whose body was found in the North Waziristan town of Mir Ali in 2006, was one such victim.

The agency theory holds sway among many Baloch.We may never know the whole truth. But perception is in some ways more important than reality. The belief that state agencies are responsible will only aggravate the deep anger that runs through Balochistan and is directed against the federation. The government needs to take urgent note of the situation. While its Balochistan package specifically speaks of discovering the whereabouts of missing people in the province, today more continue to vanish within it. A number have turned up dead; murdered in the most brutal fashion. Baloch groups maintain several thousand may still be missing.

What is happening in Balochistan is extremely grave. This is true not only from the humanitarian perspective, but the political one as well. We cannot afford so much disquiet in our largest province. The ethnic killings, the murder of nationalists and other kinds of violence all add to this. Together they contribute to a disaster we must try to avert before it is too late.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 5^th, 2010.