Balochistan Diary: Trust deficit keeps growing

By Saeed Minhas

A growing gap between the government and the strategic battalions of Balochistan is resulting in further alienating the stigmatised ruling elite from the brewing mainstream sentiments of a province, which according to many locals is fast becoming a hub of a youngsters-led rebellion.

Failing to tend to development or even the basic needs of the massive population, especially the youth, which now forms more than 57 percent of the total population of the province, political bigwigs and revolutionaries of the past are finding themselves useless in the face of aggressive, jobless and neglected youths. Many seasoned politicians, who consider themselves champions of Baloch rights and are known for holding the flag of rights-struggle since partition days, expressed concerns at development in a post-Bugti scenario.

Talking to some media commanders, short of bursting into tears, many of them lowered their egoistic guards to admit their failure, saying, “After witnessing the annexation, one unit, break-up into a fourth federating unit and then the military operation during Bhutto’s era, we realised that the Mirs, Nawabs and Sardars need to be wooed not only to bring socio-economic development, but also to avoid a repeat of another mili-operation.”

However, with pain in their voice and concerned faces, they said none of our pro-nationalist and pro-people approaches worked, as neither the chieftains nor the establishment shunned dirty games, as everyone can see the results that “the youth is not listening to any of us old guys anymore”. “The use of force under these circumstances would certainly flare it up and the disgruntled elements, who may be in hundreds now, might swell their ranks to thousands,” one of the revolutionaries remarked.

The military commanders, with boots on ground and huge sums of money generated from natural resources of the province at their disposal, have given just another anti-establishment mantra to the province’s youth. They were already fed up of the ruling political elite, who they think have done nothing but built their bank balances by looting local resources, federal grants and foreign aids, just to keep development at bay. Increased federal grants, the programme for Balochistan’s rights or any other development project by the federal or provincial government or by the army is considered an aberration by these young platoons, they added.

The elders agreed that ethnicity has never been an issue for Baloch nationalists, but when locals are picked up in the middle of the night and thrown into dungeons, when courts fail to provide justice and when the government is just busy making money, these youngsters act without any remorse, which in this case are the Punjabis who are settled here for decades.

“A point has come that the army’s good acts are being taken negatively by these rebellious groups,” commented one of them. Citing the Chamalang project, he said even that is being considered exploitation of resources by the army, whereas the fact is that despite several ambushes, harassment and looting of transporters and migrant labourers, the army has kept this project running, thus giving hope not only to the Marris and Lunis, but the entire region. They said there is nothing wrong if negotiations take place under the army’s umbrella and bring some economic as well as social welfare to the locals.

“But, for God’s sake, please tell the ruling political elite to at least wake up and listen to the young marching platoons, otherwise it will be too late and even the army won’t be able to do anything,” they said. They added that when some army officers consider them “Mr Perfect” and start pushing the political elite – no matter how corrupt and short-sighted they may be – they are not doing any favour to themselves, the country or to the pro-Pakistan Baloch. “Army officers, in charge of funds and with troops at their disposal have to take politicians on board and avoid adventurism, otherwise, it might become worse than Bangladesh,” they added.

Brief encounters with the army and FC officials revealed that there exists not only a trust deficit between them and the political elite, but they also seem to have several reasons to be wary of the judicial system, which they consider is playing in the hands of few separatists.

Sitting in a volatile province, many of the serving officers rubbished the notion that another Bangladesh-like scenario is emerging. The army being the only institution, which has the luxury of sticking to the basic norms of an institutional structure in the country, seems to have learnt a lot from the mistakes of 1971, but preferring a solo flight over a pluralistic approach is still indigestible by many senior officers.

Will this approach help us or not cannot be argued, because the facts remain as obscure today as they were in the 70s, commented a senior journalist accompanying us at a dinner in the Quetta Club. (Courtesy: Daily Times)