Is Baluchistan another Bengal?

The question is apt and pertinent especially in these times and days when speaking of Balochistan is a crime so heinous that you cannot speak of Balochistan openly and if you do you should be ready to be deemed a traitor. Yes the things are that bad however our mass media would not give coverage to the people of Balochistan because it does not serve the National Interest. But, whose national interest are we talking about here? That is the question everyone fails to answer and the ambiguity around it is only widening, giving way to questions more serious and more violent every day.

Well the readers know that Mean While in Pakistan is not about negativity but when we look at Balochistan there is nothing but negativity left. A fraction of mass media or mainstream media has been informing the citizens across Pakistan that there are over 8 international spy agencies working in Balochistan, all serving their own purpose at the same time. Our conventional enemy India has been deemed the number one enemy in Balochistan as well and so much so that our friendly neighbor Iran has also been accused of having interference in Balochistan. However, we forget that it was Iran who offered us the first and most important help that a country could receive, i.e they shifted their weaponry orders in favor of Pakistan since the brotherly Muslim nation was under an imminent threat i.e India.

Let’s forget about the International Agencies may that be RAW, Mosad, CIA, KGB or the likes how about people of Balochistan who came to Jinnah offering their own homeland to be a part of Pakistan? Whose interest would they be serving but their own? It is not secret that Balochistan does not only hold the largest natural resources reservoirs in the country it in turn also holds the key to Pakistan’s rapid economic development. Have we ever stopped and wondered; what kept the leaders of Pakistan all these years to develop those resources? So far the only resources developed in Balochistan are the military assets along with Coal, Marble and Gas industries. Is it too hard to see that Balochistan is suffering and bleeding the way West Pakistan or Bengal did back in the days? The Baloch tribal leaders have an equal share in the current crisis. They have not fulfilled their duty to serve their people. It is the responsibility of tribal families, Nawabs, Sardars and the government to unite in improving the state of the province, providing it’s people with overdue funding and development projects, introducing sustainability measures.

We are making the same mistake all over again that we made in the case of West Pakistan. Bengalis were the people who gave life to the Pakistan Movement and when they had served the purpose they felt betrayed not because they could not understand the central presence in East Pakistan out of necessity but the fact that they were deprived of the very rights they fought for in the first place. Balochistan did not see a time of prosperity due to a single most important reason, the people there joined Pakistan to avoid suppression and they want to avoid it all cost.

We believe it is still not too late to start a dialogue with the people of Balochistan at a grass root level instead of forcing them into further bloodshed. Cases such as missing person’s case should be answered and mistakes should be rectified not only for a better Balochistan but a better Pakistan. It is also high time that the separatists realize that nothing can be achieved by violence, every Pakistani should work for the rights of the people of Balochistan. Peaceful dialogues and efforts may seem a long route and tiring route but are more effective. The current political turmoil in Bangladesh is a perfect example of what happens if a nation plays at the hands of external forces. India’s involvement in Bangladesh has not give anything but created chaos for its people.

Sincere efforts should be made to promote education, to provide basic health facilities, employment opportunities and to eradicate poverty so the people of Balochistan can have benefits of prosperity. The building of Gwadar is a prime example of how the province’s resources can be utilized in a positive way and it is food for thought.