MUBARAK ALI BALOCH
With the surrender of bandit Ghulam Rasool alias Chotoo, alongwith his gang members; the media hype came to complete halt. Adulation should go to Pak army whose professional deterrence certainly left Chotoo with an option either to face the assault or to hand himself over. And the latter he chose. With this the safe recovery of around two dozen policemen held hostage by his gang could be ensured. Hailing from Bakrani sub-clan of Mazari Baloch tribe thirty eight years old Chotoo tended cattle in his early years, worked as tenant in agricultural field to help his family during his boyhood and for sometime did informer’s work for local police. The latter reportedly used to haunt his brother; allegedly being involved in some criminal activities and several times Chotoo was persecuted by police as a pressure tactics so that his brother might surrender. This is the known police strategy which law of land does not allow. On the other hand Chotoo as a tenant had faced the rough behaviour at the hands of landlord whose land he was cultivating. Prior to this he had reportedly also done as guard of Atif Mazari, a sitting legislator in Punjab Assembly. Being uneducated he found himself odd man in the job market also.
Unschooled soul with agitative mind haunted by the circumstances not created by him he badly traversed. Cumulative effect of circumstances made him deviant and he initially took to socially unacceptable behaviour. Subsequently criminal fang sprouted in him and he indulged in committing dacoities, robberies, kidnapping for ransom and thereby posed a challenge to local police in Punjab. His name notoriously surfaced when a Chinese engineer was kidnapped who was working with a Chinese construction firm engaged in construction work on Indus Highway. As a usual practice Chotoo would flee his hideout from Jamal Kacha and Moro Kacha (riverine) areas in Rojhan in order to avoid police hunt and would hide in Raunti and Khambbrra riverine islands, thickly forested areas in Tahsil Ubauro of district Ghoki where he used to be hosted by Sultu Shar, another gang leader of bandits in district Ghotki who is also a big challenge for local police. In fact districts Ghotki and Rahimyar Khan do as confluence for criminals from two provinces including some gangs from Balochistan. Abetting each other is common phenomenon. In May 2015 Chotoo had overpowered a strength of seven policemen including one Assistant Sub-Inspector of Gello Kosh police checkpoint of Machko police station of District Rahimyar Khan and held them as hostage in Raunti area till his demands were met by Punjab government with regard to release of few of his accomplices including one of his close relatives.
Banditry is not a new phenomenon throughout country. In 90s incidents of robberies, and kidnapping for ransom had become pervasive in Sindh compelling people not to venture out of homes after sunset. Thus army was requisitioned and operation was carried out against outlaws in Sindh particularly in riverine areas but post-operation re-emergence of bandits could not be checked. Situation had relapsed to bad law and order again. Operation had proved as symptomatic cure as the reasons which were predominantly causing individuals to adopt criminal way of life were not addressed. Probably the same exercise has now been replicated in riverine area of Punjab. Law enforcing agencies have certainly achieved success as the entire gang surrendered but this is not the cure of the ill howsoever alleviative it might look.
Going criminal is not spontaneous. It is mostly the lopsided system of governance or administration which generally prompts one to jump to extremities. Confrontational outlook developed in Sindh mainly due to the resistance promoting circumstances of past like pre-partition era Hur guerrilla war, MRD (Movement for Restoration of Democracy), anti-dacoit operations, and of course oft-occurring internecine tribal warfares etc. The cold war era brought the illegal weaponry within easy reach of the outlaws. Socio-tribal culture breeding tribal bad blood and animosities also played catalyst pushing people to challenge each other. Tribal lord in rural area of Sindh, Balochistan and in southern Punjab is ruling the roost as he exercises both political and tribal sway and is head of Jirga to sort out disputes and pass tribal decree. He manages to get deployed bureaucrats and technocrats of his choice to head different departments in district; a fact more visible in Sindh and Balochistan, and whom he uses to intimidate people challenging his absolute say in area. Layman sees to this ostentatious display of power and ultimately believes in the absoluteness of tribal lord.
Thus the feudal dominated society works at the whims and wishes of one individual that is feudo-tribal head. The latter is all in one like police, politician, legislator, bureaucrat, feudo-tribal lord, and judge to dispense justice following crude tribal codes. Tribal feuds are notoriously known being ruinous for the people. Trivial nature issues are mainly the root cause of long-drawn bloody feuds. Recently came to halt the fifteen years long-drawn tribal feud between Bhaya – Jakhrani tribes which devoured more than fifty three precious lives. Besides, a number of youngsters came in contact with criminals for being helped against the rival tribe and for procurement of weaponry. Last year after the damage was done the feudal lords of area brokered truce first followed with reconciliation between the warring tribes. And there was no assertive presence of institutions like judiciary, police and local administration to legally intervene. Youngsters interacted with criminals, during active hostility with rival tribe; could not completely wean themselves of. This is how one is drawn to criminal eddy.
There is serious need to review the existing socio-tribal culture and glaring perversion enveloping the institutions. Law enforcement agencies’ operations alone cannot address the reasons compelling people to take Chotoo’s way of life. Institution building and strengthening the same hardly took place in Pakistan. Continual inconsistency and instability in country badly hindered the institutional growth adversely affecting the governance. Failure of police to get hold of Chotoo gang reflects their inefficiency and lack of capacity building. Police as institution is weak and could not be strengthened to meet the challenges of law and order. Similarly other institutions are also faring poorly.
There is need to augment institutions making them people friendly and merit-oriented so that social injustice is done away with. Nobody is in fact born as criminal. Rather the unpromising circumstances proliferating largely due to glaring absence of institutional assertion push people to turn criminally deviant. Government should think beyond Chotoo gang and take steps for sound growth of institutions in country as a long term strategy so that good governance is ensured. Good governance generates optimism in a society and arrests the descent of people into tunnel depositing them to the vortex of crime. Poor institutional response turns people cynical and pessimistic tendencies proliferate. The surrender of Chotoo gang hasn’t brought the problem to end. Rather the episode highlighted the real challenge to government that is to strengthen and bolster the institutions ensuring social justice so that such Chotoos are not reborn.
