Waqas ur Rehman
The province of Balochistan constituting 44 percent of the total Pakistani landmass, remained disturbed for many years due to poor governance, lack of development and low literacy rate coupled with regional and international conspiracies. The Baloch people were unaware of the fact that they were being exploited by the enemies of Pakistan. The anti-Pakistan foreign elements sponsor the Baloch insurgent leaders to further their foul agenda through violent activities. This misleading campaign continued for couple of years until the Baloch people realized these comprehensive conspiracies. In the recent years, there has been a visible change in the outlook of the province. The masses have started rejecting the anti-state narratives, which misled them and kept them backward for decades. The people of the province are now more vigilant and futuristic about their future and socio-economic development. The betrayed masses seriously regret their past practices at the behest of their foreign sponsors.
Many armed groups have surrendered their activities after they publically laid down their arms, denouncing the militancy. This realization has been felt from the top to the bottom. Sincere local and international Baloch leaders have always expressed their concerns about the Indian sponsored insurgency in Balochistan. In this regard, it is worth mentioning that Dr Jumma Khan, a self-exiled Baloch nationalist leader and intellectual has recently parted ways from the Baloch separatist elements like Brahamdagh Bugti, Harbiyar Marri and Mehran Marri accusing them of being completely controlled by the Indian intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). One of the main reasons for Dr Jumma Khan’s changed stance is the exposure of India in support of the Baloch unrest. Lately, revelations from chairman of the American Friends of Balochistan (AFB), Ahmar Musti Khan have caused real embarrassment to those fighting the Pakistani state in Balochistan. As a matter of fact, the startling revelations by Ahmar Musti Khan have exposed the entire game plan of the RAW hatched since 2001 to stage terrorism in Balochistan.
It has come to notice that the RAW is lifting its hands off the Baloch insurgent leaders considering them useless and ineffective. The leaders of the Baloch insurgent groups have failed to satisfy their masters about their usefulness. There are reports that the RAW is now focusing on young generation and opting for soft revolutions. The Baloch people have clearly understood that the so called Baloch insurgent leaders sitting and enjoying their life abroad are sincere to none other but their personal interests. Those chanting slogans of ‘Free Balochistan’ are paid for each slogan and each poster. Those playing in hands of the RAW also need to lay down arms and join the national mainstream like Dr Jumma Khan for development of the province.
One can see a remarkable change in the province with return of normalcy; a wind of peace, stability, awareness and economic prosperity. The farsighted patriotic Baloch people get the credit of this change; after all, nothing could have been possible without their willingness, since they rejected the militancy and the RAW’s sponsored centrifugal forces. Nevertheless, the Federal and Provincial governments have played their due roles for promoting peace and stability in the province. It is important to mention here that this wave of positive change in the province could not have been possible without the dedicated and hectic efforts of the Law-Enforcement Agencies (LEAs). The local populace was misled over the years through various misperceptions created against the state and its military through vested interests. The Balochistan province has remained center of the foreign conspiracies soon after the birth of Pakistan. In order to counter these misperceptions, the military started a holistic campaign of awareness among the local masses through education and socio-economic development. The awareness campaign was followed by mainstreaming of the masses particularly of those having militant trends.
The awareness campaign led the people linked with militancy to surrender their arms and join the mainstreaming. The much needed aspect was the promotion of basic education and health facilities among the rural people of the province. The Pakistani armed forces established various educational institutions with boarding and lodging facilities. With initiation of the Gwadar Port and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, the Baloch people will surely be benefitted. The CPEC will pave ways for the establishment of various industries. The local people will be connected to other parts of the country through various highways and motorways. The CPEC will be accompanied by development of the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) which will ensure employment opportunities for the Baloch youth. Involvement of the local educated and skilled manpower would further address the provincial grievances. The needs of the energy-hungry province will be catered through various energy projects especially installations of solar panel projects. The Chinese also have established Chinese-language institutes in Balochistan which will enable the Baloch students to acquire higher education in China through various cultural-exchange scholarships. In short, the CPEC will bring a beacon of hope for the deprived Balochs. Let us hope that the few leftover betrayed self-exiled leaders will join back the province in order to play a constructive role for the bright future of their province.
