Survivors sandwiched between govt and rebels in terms of accepting aid. PHOTO: ATHAR KHAN / EXPRESS
To add to the hardship of the Baloch people, the recent massive earthquake is serving as a ‘loyalty test’. In terms of accepting aid and relief, the people are stuck in the middle – they have to choose between the separatist rebels and the government.
The situation is quite sticky. If people accept help from the government, the separatists brand them as ‘traitors’, and vice versa. But some feel they are ‘forced’ to not side with the government.
“You are our guests. We respect and welcome you. We wouldn’t have come out from our shacks if you had come with officials,” said Akhtar, who was a young and angry resident of Sarimalaar, one of the 12 villages in Malar.
“There is no development at all. You will hardly see any schools and hospitals even in the bigger villages. Because we have nothing, people, especially the young men, tend to support the rebels, but only in principle,” explained an elder in Gishkaur.
“I don’t know whether they (the rebels) will be able to ever achieve what they want to but we are sandwiched between them and the government,” another elder intervened.
Meanwhile, others complained of the ‘attitude’ of the security forces, who they alleged “ignore them and mistreat them”.
Many quake survivors are not ready to welcome relief efforts initiated by law-enforcing agencies, alleging that they want to enter into ‘sensitive areas’ instead of helping them.
“We all are being kept in isolation. Is it the way to behave with your own citizens,” a frustrated and angry Ahmed asked. He also lives in Awaran tehsil. “The government is deliberately giving Awaran a bad image to keep visitors at bay because when outsiders visit, they will be able to see how shockingly backward and deprived the province is.”
“I see everyone has arrived here, including the chief minister,” Bilal Ahmed, a youngster commented, chuckling. “They should have come earlier and distributed relief good. They have lost our support now. It is too late,” he said.
Government officials claim that they are afraid to go in the ‘no-go areas’ of Awaran because of the militancy and security situation.
“But the media teams and donors, international or national, are welcome and they are not afraid,” said villagers.
“Flags of BLF have been removed from most areas. The deployment (of FC men) is everywhere and Awaran will no longer be a stronghold of rebels in coming days,” commented a local working for an NGO.
Before the earthquake, Awaran was just known to the media and other organisations as a disturbed area for being the centre of Baloch militancy. But the earthquake has revealed how the area has been ignored for years.
An official of the Balochistan government, on the condition of anonymity, told The Express Tribune that no official has bothered to perform his duties even before the earthquake when the situation was normal.
Another resident of Awaran tehsil said, “When the district commissioner is not in his office, which is most of the time, even the National Bank of Pakistan is closed in the area. How do you expect a town to function then?”
‘Army will continue efforts’
The army said that the security forces will continue relief work in the earthquake-stricken areas despite security hazards and unabated attacks by miscreants.
“During the last week, miscreants have targeted troops, security forces convoys and even helicopters busy in relief works,” said Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Maj Gen Asim Salim Bajwa in a statement issued on Friday.
Condemning the attacks, he said, “All efforts will be utilised to provide relief to our brethren in distress.”
Giving details of relief work, he said that over 2,000 troops, 14 helicopters and two C-130 aircraft of PAF are participating in relief work in Awaran.
He said 134 sorties of helicopters have flown till date to the affected areas for transporting relief items and evacuating the injured persons. So far, 962 tons of ration has been distributed.
He added that 811 tons of relief goods are on the way from Karachi and Quetta via Bela and Khuzdar.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 5th, 2013.
COMMENTS (18)
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@Siraj Baluch No body said anything about corporate culture. Work ethics necessarily has nothing to do with corporate culture. Only a working man knows that. Again the question arises about who will give them jobs by Mr.Siraj. As pointed out earlier, the money given to sardars since 1947, was for that purpose, to build infrastructure/roads /develop mines or attract investment. But as Mr. Ali pointed out that that money was distributed as alms from the mighty sardar, as if that money was his pocket money. Good riddence to akbar bugti. And on work ethics, Pashtun population is on the rise in baluchistan. One can clearly see the difference of work attitude between pashtuns and local baluch. I am calling spade a spade, and not abusing anybody. In a nutshell the attitude of baluch population must change and interestingly, it is , Alhamdulilah. It will take a lot of time, maybe 2 generations. Again to our leaders, donot give alms, create jobs.
Nawab Bugti is dead since 2007 ,7 years are passed but I have not seen any rapid development in Dera Bugti, 4 gas fields are located in this district(approximately 40 percentg natural gas needs of Pakistan are being fulfilled through these gas fields).Even the situation is more worse than before the so called Corporate social responsibility budgets (CSR) of yearly millions of rupees of operating companies in Dera Bugti can be seen only in papers but in reality there is no major change.The qualified people of Dera Bugt are not getting jobs in these companies,Nawab Bugti was at least pressurizing these companies to recruit local people.
@ A Balouchi Phew man, you sound so cliched about the work ethics of Baloch people. let me rise to defend them, and as I can not defend with out poking fun and some other ethnic group or the humans being by and large, who does not want it easy? I have heard the same about the Arabs in Gulf countries, about the Afghan's in Afghanistan, about the African Americans in US, that hey they don't want to work to earn a living. Sadly I find it really hard to digest, I fond Baloch's to be as hard working and as honest as any one around the world, you can not expect some one living in Awaran following the corporate work routine or ask him to have work ethics when he has no work at all, its not about work for them its about survival and they survive.
we simply salute Pakistan Army, FC and ISI for busting these anti state agents..spcial tribute to FC for relief activities..
@ Ali Baloch It seems rom what Mr. Ali has said that all Balouchis want to earn their living by receiving royalties / stipend from govt of Pak. Yes, one may argue to an extent that what is owed to them should be given to them. Can someone tell me what else they do for living/ what they are doing to improve their own situation?The blame for lack of infrastructure is placed conveniently on govt. but what have they done themselves except taking royalties/complaining of lack of royalties. Yes, the balouch do smuggling and occasional fishing as a job, but what else? Mr. Ali balouch said that X amount of money was paid to bugti who wisely divided the money to its population which was Y amount of money. Was that money given to be divided as alms or to build jobs/ infrastructure which would sustain the population. What about small mines, which the balouch always complain about being exploited, couldnt it be then used to build them? or small cheap roads to remote mining areas for inviting investments? Absolutely no, the sardar expects money but wants to do no work and feels entitled to it. Why, because he is a sardar and the whole world his serfdom. There is an extreeme lack of work ethics in balouchistan, no baluchi expects to do hard work to earn his living. Some do, but in general all what is heard is complaining. To new CM of baluch, do not give the population alms but tools to earn their living.
@Jamil Baloch: Chances are you neversaw Balochistan yourself Mr. Jamil "Baloch".
Please stop all this non sense,,we luv Pakistan..our own sardars are responsible for this condition, now they are playing on the other side in blaming others. we have been respected by Pakistanies, military and all other institution,,,Pakistaan Zindabad,,,and we are with Pak Army, to throw these terrrorists out of balochistan.
Favourite escape goat for Pakistani rural population, GOP and its bureacuracy to shun its responsibility - Sardars / Nawabs / Khans.
It amazes me when I hear the govt agencies and civil population face difficulty and threat moving around Balochistan - Former President and Army Chief told us the Balochistan will be safer and prosperous after killing Nawab Sb. ???
Can we please leave these people alone, after the medical and emergency evacuation, the army, along with every one else shall leave these people by them self, the people of area are perhaps the most resilient in this part of the world, and I'm sure they would come up with some genuine method of survival one more time, they would even educate their children, would send their girls to schools, with out us telling them how to do it. Though they don't live in amazon and are not disconnected as such but I'm assured of their resilience and the ability to survive. I just about had it enough to turn the people of Awaran district turn in to poster of poverty for aid agencies or the government.
Can we please these people alone, after the medical and emergency evacuation, the army, along with every one else shall leave these people by them self, the people of area are perhaps the most resilient in this part of the world, and I'm sure they would come up with some genuine method of survival one more time, they would even educate their children, would send their girls to schools, with out us telling them how to do it. Though they don't live in amazon and are not disconnected as such but I'm assured of their resilience and the ability to survive. I just about had it enough to turn the people of Awaran district turn in to poster of poverty for aid agencies or the government.
@Ali Baloch: Thanks for pointing these facts out. I am always amazed how little the rest of Pakistan knows about its "Baloch brothers", but still comment they must!
@Ahmad Shaikh: Good God another one! I'll do the honors myself according to the Govt of Musharraf Nawab Sahab received 12 corror PKRs every year (he started with 6 million and then gradually it turned to 12 corror and after Nawab Sahebs death kept raising the price) Now the Bugti tribe constitutes to about 300,000 people excluding the Bugtis of Sindh. Divided 12 corror Rs to 300,000 people and the grand total is 400 Rupees per Bugti per year. and if you raise the price to lets say 1 Billion 20 corror it amounts to 4000 Rs per Bugti per year. Now I'm no mathematician but I fail to understand how 4000 Rs would turn these poor souls into the Sheikhs of Dubai, but I do know that Nawab Bugti paid each single Bugti 3000 per month and a family consisting of 4 people 5000 per month and a family bigger then 4 people 7000 and would make sure that Bugti tribes men were hired by the gas companies as Drivers, Malis and Khansamas and Chowkidars who by the way remained on probation even when they had been working for many years. Once again I'm no mathematician but I fail to understand why can't the population of Pakistan refuse to acknowledge that they messed up big time and accept that they have wronged the Baloch people?.
@Touseef: LOL you must be the dumbest person ever to grace ET. His stint in power included 11 months as Governor and 1 and a half year as CM and for 1 and a half year as minister of Defence in Feroz Khan Noon's cabinet. Can you please explain by what accounts does this amount to 15 years???
Baloch leaders have to shoulder the blame for keeping their own people backward and exploited. These sardars are the foremost exploiters of their own people. The goverment must release the figures of the paymet made to Bugti each year and people would draw their own conclsion. I have yet to see a poor Baloch Sardar. It is time that Pakistani civil society exerts pressure that the local sardars will never do to improve the lot of the Baloch people.
@usman786: There are no Sardars in the Entire Mokran Devision. Please come up with a better exucse!
Akbar Bugti Remained in power for more than 15 years what did he do for the betterment of Balochistan?
Freedon loving Baloch People are not stupid. They will take help from anyone (in fact prosperity of the rest of Pakistan by Balochistan's money). But they always dream exploitation free Balochistan.
no development is the result of sardari system and poor governance. what MPA/MNAs did with development funds and where r the royalties?