The massacre in Turbat

Undoubtedly, the heinous crime of killing of 20 innocent labourers near Turbat is highly condemnable. The fact that these poor people, who had gone all the way from Punjab to Balochistan to earn for their families, were massacred in their sleep is preposterous. Although the attackers claim to be fighting for the rights of the oppressed, they have targeted helpless labourers who themselves are the oppressed ones in our society. It is so difficult to understand the motive behind the activities of these groups when they target innocent people. Through such acts, they are losing face in the eyes of the international community, which is now branding them as terror outfits rather than groups fighting for their rights.

A war is being waged in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. A war which is costing us many precious lives. This loss of innocent lives is detrimental to the existence of this country, and the government should think and try to explore other avenues to bring peace and stability. The Balochistan government has come under fire in the Senate, but before censuring the provincial government, one must gauge the extent to which it has authority over security issues in Balochistan. A lot of things are beyond the control of the provincial government lawmakers, who are mere spectators.

The National Party, despite being in the minority, was asked to form the provincial government in the hope that it would be able to bring the angered Baloch into the political mainstream. What was not considered was the extent to which the political government would be mandated to gather the trust of the angered Baloch within Balochistan and to bring those enjoying life in Europe to the negotiating table.

For resolving and permanently eliminating such crimes, it is necessary for those at the helm of affairs to go back in time to understand the grievances of the aggrieved. What is the driving force behind their behaviour? Why are they doing this? These and many more questions need to be answered before the situation can be understood and controlled. The problems of Balochistan cannot be solved by emotionally reacting and resorting to rampant aggression. For a long-term solution, the past and present need to be understood with equal clarity.

The Lahore Resolution of 1940 and the Quaid’s dream of what Pakistan was supposed be was never fulfilled. His untimely death brought in policies, which were quite contrary to his sayings and beliefs. Despite the fact that Pakistan was founded with fully autonomous federating units, One Unit was imposed, and all the revenue and wealth of the provinces were left at the mercy of the centre. This was the first step that aggravated the smaller provinces and made extremists out of ordinary people. A new law was then enacted where anyone speaking against the One Unit could be given a seven-year jail sentence and many did serve jail sentences as a result. Balochistan became the most neglected province and to date, despite its resources, it happens to be the most backward one.

Furthermore, the policy of the British patronising the sardars continues to this day. There seems to be no hope for accountability of the corrupt, who are plundering national wealth and are making the masses at the grassroots level the most deprived. This has created a wide disparity between the rich and the poor. Young boys out of universities can only get jobs if they have enough money to buy these jobs. Many such disappointed youth are left with no other recourse other than to take up arms and go to the mountains to become insurgents. Economic activity, rather than being promoted by the government, is being neglected, especially in the Baloch belt. The influx of undocumented migrants in Balochistan is another cause contributing towards the instability of the province. It is about time that emotions were kept aside for a while so that solutions for Balochistan could be looked into. Once identified, proper strategies should be formulated so that matters start moving in the right and positive direction, and innocent lives can be saved.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 24^th,  2015.

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