No lessons learnt
Rashed Rahman
The Pakistani state seems incapable of learning anything from the past. That means it is trapped in what Einstein described as “Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” The great scientist called this insanity. How else to see what the state has been doing, and continues to do, in Balochistan? Never mind all the other mindless examples of such practice one can quote from our history. Today, let us focus (once again) on happenings in the largest in area, smallest in population and poorest of the poor provinces of the federation.
On July 27, 2024, a peaceful march of the Baloch Yakjehti (Unity) Committee (BYC), a platform agitating against the cruel practice of enforced disappearances and kill-and-dump that the deep state has been using in Balochistan for the last two decades (if not earlier), was fired upon by the security forces in Mastung. Fourteen people were wounded. The BYC accused the security forces of opening fire on their peaceful march to Gwadar to attend a rally on July 28, 2024 in order to prevent them from reaching their destination. On the other hand (no surprise), the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Kalat in a press note stated that the participants of the BYC march attacked a Levies checkpoint near Mastung. In other words, peaceful protestors, unarmed, attacked a Levies checkpost without the DC deigning to give any explanation why the marchers would risk being unable to proceed to Gwadar by ‘attacking’ an armed Levies checkpost. The mind fairly boggles.
The truth can be ascertained by perusing the account of the incident by BYC leader Bebarg Baloch. He said personnel of “a law enforcement agency opened fire on our supporters” in Mastung when they were heading for the Quetta-Karachi highway. He further revealed that the convoy was stopped at the Thana Sona Khan area and baton-charged and tear gassed to prevent them moving towards Mastung. When this appears not to have sufficed to stop the marchers reaching the Quetta-Karachi highway, the security forces opened fire at the protestors. Of the 14 wounded, five are in critical condition in hospital. Another BYC leader, Dr Mahrang Baloch, who had also led the march to Islamabad where too they were set upon by the security forces, said over 200 people bound for Gwadar were arrested by the security forces. Of course, the Balochistan government spokesman, Shahid Rind, as expected, denied that the security forces opened fire, without taking the trouble to explain how then the 14 people were wounded and five are fighting for their life in hospital. Again as usual, his following words were so familiar, parroting similar statements by his government for longer than one can remember. “Some elements,” he pontificated, “are trying to create a law and order situation.” Of course, it is the security forces who are carrying out this holy task, because the peaceful marchers are by definition, not. He went on to spin things further: the intention behind holding demonstrations in Gwadar “are clear”. Really?! Then why, Mr Rind, did you fail to spell out what is so ‘clear’? One may suggest that you did not venture onto that terrain since you would have found it difficult to delineate a coherent argument.
As though in knee-jerk reaction, the Quetta administration has imposed a ban on all types of gatherings, processions and rallies, imposed Section 144 and sealed all roads leading to the Red Zone (one of our interesting state creations) by parking containers on all the major zones. Unless the government/s have a huge stock of containers, those they are rented from must be enjoying huge profits, given the propensity of parking containers everywhere there is even the hint of a procession or rally. This is not all. All roads leading to Gwadar have been blocked too. A fearful and panicky state even arrested Human Rights Commission of Pakistan chairman Asad Butt to prevent him travelling to Gwadar to attend the rally. Mercifully, he was released later, but the objective was achieved.
On July 28, 2024, three people were killed and several injured in various parts of Balochistan after security forces’ further efforts to quell the gathering in Gwadar. Despite their best efforts, a large number of people managed to make their way from across the province to Gwadar’s Marine Drive for the Baloch Rajee Muchi (Baloch National Gathering). Addressing the gathering, Dr Mahrang Baloch, this brave daughter of her people, vowed not to abandon their struggle for the rights of the Baloch people and the protection of the province’s resources. That constitutes a pretty good summing up of the issue agitating the Baloch.
The Pakistani state has dealt with Balochistan and its people with an iron hand dipped in blood since Pakistan came into being. This pushed the Baloch into mounting armed resistance in 1948, 1958-62, 1963-69, and 1973-77. The present armed resistance, which broke out in 2022, is therefore the fifth Baloch armed resistance in our history. Repressing the peaceful, lawful voice of the families of the disappeared and extra-judicially murdered will only serve to swell the ranks of the nationalist insurgency. Relying on force alone to suppress the insurgency will only embroil the state in protracted, never ending turmoil. Doing the same thing…?
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