VIEW: Balochistan bleeds —Zeeshan Noel Christopher

Habib Jalib was a secessionist at heart but always argued on the strategy of the liberation movement and was fully aware of the pros and cons of the armed struggle. He chose the way of a peaceful struggle for securing the rights of Balochistan

The killing of Comrade Habib Jalib Baloch, a Baloch nationalist leader and secretary general of Balochistan National Party-Mengal ((BNP-M), is being condemned all over the country with an undying pain and justified anger. After Maula Bukhsh Dashti, another nationalist leader and former chairman of Balochistan Students Organisation (BSO), Habib Jalib’s death demonstrates that peaceful and democratic struggle for the rights of all people in the country would be undermined. This seems to be the most high profile political murder in Balochistan after the killings of Nawab Bugti and Balaach Marri, and its aftermath would aggravate the feeling of alienation of the Baloch people, who are perpetually denied their fundamental rights besides access to resources, economic and educational opportunities and, above all, a life with dignity.

I was grieved to hear this news for two reasons: one, that I was Jalib’s host in Lahore when he came to participate in a conference last year and had an opportunity to witness his commitment to democracy, secularism and nationalism; two, for the distress and agony of my Baloch friends whom I called just after knowing about this incident. After talking to these friends, it was obvious that it would be very hard to persuade the people of Balochistan that Jalib was not murdered for advocating the rights of Balochistan. While speculations were rife about the murderers, the Baloch Hal, an online newspaper initiated by a few committed Baloch journalists, came up with the news that the Baloch Musalha Defai Tanzeem has claimed responsibility for this murder. Interestingly, this is an underground anti-nationalist group, which is disappointed by the nationalist movement and considers nationalist forces responsible for their plight. This news was followed by the Baloch Republican Party’s (BRP’s) denouncing of this killing. As far as I know from my own experience and talking to his party mates and friends, Habib Jalib was a secessionist at heart but always argued on the strategy of the liberation movement and was fully aware of the pros and cons of the armed struggle. He chose the way of a peaceful struggle for securing the rights of Balochistan, but with his killing it is becoming more obvious that the moderate and democratic voices are being silenced, whereas the longstanding issues are seldom resolved.

There is a deep hurt and anger among the people of Balochistan for being isolated from power and the denial of opportunities to develop and prosper. What the federation could offer Balochistan in so many years was extreme poverty and hunger accompanied by successive military operations and police interventions — beginning from the Kalat operation in 1948 to the present one — in the name of restoring law and order, disappearances of political activists and the killing of tribesmen or their elders who ask for their legitimate rights. We have also witnessed that apology to the Baloch, NFC Award, Balochistan Package and even the 18th Amendment could not make any breakthrough. The situation is getting bleaker by the day and the issue is becoming more like ‘Baloch versus the army’ instead of ‘Baloch versus Punjab’. Even the PPP Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Raisani is on record as having said that the Frontier Corps (FC) has established a parallel government in the province and certain issues are out of his control. Now even those who are interested to sort out issues within the framework of Pakistan are increasingly disappointed. After the killing of both Jalib and Dashti, the leadership of the respective moderate parties is alleging that the security agencies are responsible for these murders. The Baloch are not ready to accept any offer of reconciliation unless the FC stops roaming about the towns and cities of Balochistan.

The silence from the rest of Pakistan, particularly from Punjab, cannot be tolerated any more. I hardly saw a few statements on these killings from the political leadership of the parties who have majority support in Punjab. We are living in a state where there is deafening silence on the killing of 100 Ahmedi Pakistanis but thousands of Lahorites would come out on the roads on the killings of 10 flotilla passengers. Although there is an increased consciousness about Balochistan’s issues in Punjab, but still there is a considerable number of the Punjabi elite who considers the Baloch as semi-civilised and backward in the manner their ancestors used to slander Bengalis for their smaller stature, darker complexion and different eating habits. Also, giving the excuse of sardari system for the uneven development in the country would not work any more, as the existence and writ of the state should be questioned in an area if such forces hinder the process of development.

We are fast approaching the time when there will be no point of return. The end of military interventions in the province and pulling out of the army and sending it back to the barracks is the essential first step. The honour of the Baloch people should be restored and recognised. While proposing these solutions, one must also understand the fragility of this present government, particularly in Balochistan and in terms of army-related issues, as it seems quite helpless and disturbed. There is a need to carefully craft a roadmap to solve these issues wherein the backing out of the army should be the first step. The sooner this roadmap comes, the better it would be because those who are ready to address the grievances within the framework of Pakistan are increasingly outnumbered by believers in ‘without Pakistan’. The killing of innocent Punjabi residents of Balochistan who are miners, menial workers, barbers, tailors, small shopkeepers or teachers is also deplorable. However, it is only the state that can be held responsible for bringing things to such a deplorable state since the killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti, who was buried by remote relatives and tribesmen in a locked coffin.

Zeeshan Noel Christopher is a political activist and rights campaigner based in Lahore. He can be reached at zeeshannoel@gmail.com