ROUND THE
WORLD
New Delhi,
7 March 2006
Violence In Balochistan
Protest Against Military
Atrocities
By Dr. Chintamani Mahapatra
School of International Studies, JNU
Balochistan
is once again in the midst of a full-fledged insurgency. The arrest of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, leader
of Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) and former Governor of Balochistan, on February
1, has further inflamed the sentiments in a province that was already
tense. Nawab Bugti along with 11 others
have been charged with terrorism. The arrest elicited a strong response from
the Baloch nationalists. More than fifty rockets were fired on the Frontier
Corps (FC) fort in Dera Bugti on February 2, which was followed by mayhem the
very next day when over 270 rockets rained on the town of Dera Bugti from different sites, targeting
communication and Government installations.
The current
round of violence in Balochistan started with the movement of the security
forces in Kohlu district on December 18, last.
As the Army commenced its operations in Balochistan, it broke a tenuous
peace that had lasted for nine months since confrontation in Dera Bugti, which
had claimed over 60 lives including those of 33 Hindus.
The present
operations against Marri tribesmen in Kohlu district, ostensibly started in
response to December 14 rocket attacks on Kohlu town when President Pervez
Musharraf was to lay the foundation stone of one of the three new cantonments,
which are fiercely opposed by the Baloch nationalists. This was followed by machine-gun fire on an
Army helicopter carrying the Inspector-General, Frontier Corps (IGFC), Maj-Gen
Shujaat Zamir Dar, and his deputy Brig Saleem Nawaz, the next day. Both the officers sustained bullet wounds but
the pilot succeeded in landing the helicopter safely.
A careful
analysis of events, however, would indicate that this operation had been
planned much before any of these incidents had taken place. In fact, it had been long in the coming but
was delayed due to the earthquake. Nawab
Bugti had been saying for some time that the troops were being mobilised and
artillery and helicopter gunships were being moved with the purpose of
launching an operation in Balochistan.
The matter had also been raised by the opposition in Pakistani Parliament
but was denied by the Government.
When the
operations were launched, they were not in Dera Bugti district, the scene of
pitched battles in January and March, but in the neighbouring Kohlu district,
which is inhabited by the most belligerent of the Baloch tribes, the
Marris. Marris have been in the
forefront in past two insurgencies.
Their traditional Sardar, Nawab Khair Bux Marri, a fierce nationalist
and a self- proclaimed Marxist has had an uneasy relationship with the Government. Nawabzada Balaach Marri, the Moscow-educated
son of Nawabzada Marri, who played a major role in the insurgency in the
seventies, is believed to be leading the insurgent outfit, Balochistan
Liberation Army (BLA).
Despite
having started in Kohlu district, the conflict has engulfed most of Kohlu and
Dera Bugti districts. The insurgents
have, however, responded by challenging the writ of the state virtually across the entire length and breadth of Balochistan by
targeting railway lines, gas pipelines and electricity and communication
towers. Security forces supported by
helicopter gunships and artillery have been targeting the Baloch
strongholds. The situation is reported
to be worsening, with large-scale collateral damage.
Baloch
nationalists have claimed that indiscriminate firing by the security forces has
led to large scale death and destruction. A number of women and children have
been killed. Opposition parties in
Parliament have accused the Government of carrying out genocide of
"innocent citizens" in Balochistan, using helicopters in bombing
sorties and use of poisonous phosphorus gas against the
"people". They have also
deplored the way in which the air force was being utilized in the operation. Even Asma Jehangir, the Chairperson of Human
Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP)
was prevented from visiting Balochistan.
The HRCP has urged the Government to stop killing Balochis in Kohlu
under its military operation and ceasefire immediately to resolve the issue politically.
The current
insurgency in Balochistan underlines the fragility of Pakistani more than 58
years after its creation. At Partition,
the tribal areas of Balochistan were amongst the most backward parts of the sub-continent.
Almost six decades later, they are still there.
The tribesmen may have graduated to automatic Kalashnikov assault rifles from the antiquated Lee Enfield 303s,
but there has hardly been any development.
Since the
Afghan war, guns and drugs have flooded Pakistan, including the tribal belt
and the current conflict highlights the point; the Balochs have used missiles, anti-aircraft weapons and an array of modern
and very lethal arms. In fact, the army has suffered serious casualties in its
operations, and has been forced to use helicopter gunships to fight the Baloch.
Four times
since Pakistan’s creation,
the Baloch, who, like many Sindhis and Pathans, never wanted to be part of Pakistan, have rebelled, demanding greater
autonomy, or an independent state, which would reunite the five million Baloch
in Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan under one flag. Balochistan comprises 43 per cent of Pakistan’s area
but has only five per cent of its population.
It has immense natural resources and most of Pakistan’s energy resources. The
predominant Baloch state of Kalat was a princely state of British Balochistan
as against other princely states that were part of British India and its ruler
had therefore sought a status similar to that of Nepal and claimed that his bid was
supported by Jinnah, the legal advisor of the State.
After
independence both the houses of Parliament in Kalat had unanimously rejected
the proposal to merge with Pakistan. Yet, the areas of Balochistan that were
under direct British rule were merged with Pakistan after ratification by the
municipality of Quetta, a body overwhelmingly dominated by non-Baloch settlers. Subsequently, Khan of Kalat was forced to
sign the merger document and Kalat was annexed.
This triggered the first armed insurgency in 1948 led by Prince Karim,
the brother of Khan.
From then
the Baloch have risen in revolt thrice and have faced the security forces in
1958, 1963 to 69 and 1973 to 1977.
Baloch history has a saga of betrayals by the powers in Islamabad.
Though the insurgencies in the past have been crushed with a heavy hand,
they have left scars which are yet to heal.
Each insurgency has been more intense than the previous one and the
organizational capabilities and the popular support for the insurgents have
increased with each insurgency.
At the
height of insurgency in 1973, 55,000 insurgents faced 80,000 Pakistani troops
supported by Pakistani Air Force and Iranian Air force. More than 5,000 insurgents and over 3300
soldiers were killed in the violence that continued till 1977. Pakistani Armed Forces used brute force to
crush insurgency as they had to redeem their honour after their rout in Bangladesh.
The record
of Pakistani Army in dealing with internal disorders has been rather
abysmal. Besides Bangladesh, its
operations Sindh and Balochistan have created scars that are yet to heal. Recent operations in FATA have exhibited its
inefficiency. In fact the alienation of
population has only grown with the passage
of time. It has created a perpetual
problem in the tranquil heights of Northern Areas. The security forces in Pakistan at this point
of time are really overstretched and if violence in Balochistan intensifies,
Pakistani army will definitely be sucked into a war that will fester and bleed
Pakistan. ---INFA
(Copyright,
India News and Feature Alliance)
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