Recently Baloch people in large numbers gathered near Gwadar port city for the Baloch National Gathering organised by Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) meaning Baloch Unity Committee. BYC, an ethno-nationalistic rights movement is campaigning against unlawful enforced disappearances, human rights violations and extrajudicial killings by the Pakistani security forces in Balochistan. To disrupt this mass gathering Pakistani authorities tried all the hard tactics. Major highways in Balochistan were blocked by the military using containers, heavy stones, and large trucks to prevent people from joining the Gwadar gathering. Transporters and passenger bus operators were threatened and ordered not to transport attendees.
Protesters and activists traveling to Gwadar from different parts of Pakistan including within Balochistan were blocked from traveling, faced violence, arrests and threats of arrest. To get more ground information I spoke to Riaz Baloch a Human right and political activist from Balochistan currently living in exile. He mentioned that BYC has mass support on the ground and Baloch people in thousands came to attend meeting but at many places they faced security forces brutality especially at Mustang and Kund Malir. He also advised that still at many places sit-in protests are continuing. Baloch further added that at this point in time Dr Mahrang Baloch is the most popular leader of Baloch civil movement as oppressed and discriminated people of Balochistan see her and her campaign as last ray of hope.
Late last year, BYC led a 1,600-kilometer march from Turbat, Balochistan to Islamabad with families awaiting the return of their loved ones gone missing, most probably picked up by the security forces. Protesters faced severe police action as they tried to enter the Pakistani capital. It should be noted that BYC is totally a social and civil organization and uses only the democratic measures to pursue their just demands. But still they are subjected to brutal state violence. Ironically despite this major upheaval in the largest province of the country virtually there is no coverage in mainstream Pakistani media.
This similar strategy was practiced by Pakistan’s deep state in 1970-71 to crush the Bengali nationalist movement led by Sheikh Mujeeb Ur Rehman’s Awami League. We all are aware about the outcome of mishandling of the Bengali movement five decades back. It led to the disintegration of Pakistan and creation of Bangladesh. But supposedly GHQ, Rawalpindi didn’t take any lesson from the past as they again resorted to strong arm practices to curb a peaceful popular civil movement.
As violence has escalated in the province because of the new wave of insurgency which aims only for freedom. The Pakistan military establishment is trying to deal with it through a very heavy hand. The authorities launched a new campaign of forced disappearance a decade ago in which anyone who is even remotely connected to the Baloch Nationalist Movement is targeted. This has resulted in the disappearance of a large number of separatist activists, students, suspected militants, protest leaders, and intellectuals.
Amnesty International has described this campaign as a “Kill and Dump” policy. Pakistan’s notorious intelligence agency ISI, military intelligence, and the Frontier Corps (a federal paramilitary force) are running this campaign. They use the “Kill and Dump” policy as an instrument of state terror to break the morale of Balochs. But despite this terror campaign of the mighty Pakistan army, this struggle seems to have spread deeper into Baloch society than ever before. Anti-Pakistan sentiments have gripped the entire province.
The current civil movement led by BYC distinguishes itself through its peaceful approach and the prominent role of women and the middle-class. The movement’s defining element was last year’s long march. This peaceful, women-led long march from Turbat to Islamabad holds great significance in Balochistan’s political landscape as it distanced itself from the conventional acts of rebellion and showcased remarkable resilience in the face of state-sponsored brutality. Pakistani Generals have no idea how to tackle this civil movement and are only relying on their core competency of crushing any voice of discontent through force. The harsh response by the state towards the ongoing Baloch protests will only alienate people further and deepen the existing crisis.
It was the state’s repressive response that has radicalized most elements of the Baloch nationalist movement. The conflict now demonstrates the absurdity of repression that is reinforcing the very threat it is intended to eliminate. Pakistan’s political and military leadership have to understand that there is no military solution to the Baloch issue. Military responses have been previously tried many times like in 1958, another one in 1973, and yet another one in 2006. These military operations only slow down the insurgency in the short term but can’t assure that it won’t resurface with more intensity.
Balochistan requires a political solution that has a multidimensional approach. There is an immediate need to establish confidence and mutual trust among Balochs in order to resolve the issues of insecurity, antagonism, and anger among them. Failure to a prudent approach for Balochistan reconciliation process in a fair and just manner would only alienate the Baloch people from the Pakistani state and as a result more and more people will find armed struggle as the only option left for them.
(The author is a columnist and geopolitical analyst for Middle-East and Af-Pak region and can be reached at: manishraiva@gmail.com)