Waqas ur Rehman
The enemies of Pakistan have been constantly engaged in destabilizing it especially targeting Balochistan, which will serve as a nerve center in the coming days for connecting Pak-China bilateral trade and beyond. The anti-Pakistan elements are sponsoring the terrorists for conducting attacks on the Law-Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) which resulted in the martyrdom of many police officials including SP Mohammad Ilyas and DIG Hamid Shakeel in Balochistan. These enemy tactics are meant to demoralize the security forces in Balochistan. Pakistan’s archrival India has started a proxy war against it, evident by the capture of Commander Kulbhushan Jadhav from Balochistan. Obviously, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is the main target, which India perceives as a future challenge to its economy. India has started a destabilization campaign with the aim to disrupt Pakistan’s economic activities and scare the Chinese away from it. Fortunately, the enemy does not realize the fact that China comprehensively understands the prospective challenges in way of the CPEC and Gwadar Port. Thus, Chinese involvement remains intact and the development projects are moving ahead with pace.
The Federal and Provincial governments have been trying to woo the self-exiled Baloch leaders. Recently, Gazain Marri, son of Marri tribe’s former chief Khair Bakhsh Marri, returned to Quetta with an aim to join the mainstream politics in Pakistan. However, he is in detention of security agencies due to multiple cases, including alleged involvement in the murder of a high court judge. It is unfortunate that few of the Baloch leaders including Brahamdagh Bugti, Harbiyar Marri, Allah Nazar and Naila Baloch have been playing in the dirty hands of India. They don’t realize the fact that India is not doing any favor to the Baloch tribe; rather it is misusing them for its vested political and strategic interests in the region. The Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) of India has been facilitating and sponsoring these leaders in arranging seminars and conferences in the US and India. The establishment of the Hind-Baloch Forum is evident of this fact.
Media is also facing threats in the province. The Baloch Liberation Front (BLF) and the Baloch Liberation Army (BRA) have halted the distribution of local newspapers in several districts of Balochistan. The Baloch separatists argue that the local newspapers only publish the government stance, without giving them space to present their views. However, as a matter of fact, no single country allows publishing views of the anti-state elements. It is an open secret that the Baloch leaders have been instigated by India, and they issue statements on Indian behest. This will only lead to disrupting the national integrity of the country. Their views will subvert the patriotic Baloch as well. The nefarious political goals of India can be seen by the anti-Pakistan advertisement campaign in Europe, meant to paint Pakistan in a negative light. The government of Pakistan instantly responded by protesting with the Swiss and British governments for allowing such malicious campaign in their cities.
Another major issue facing the province is the funds mismanagement. The case of a former finance secretary caught with 700 million rupees of liquid cash piled in his house is a foremost example. Analysts argue that this is just the tip of a massive iceberg. Similarly, the government sector jobs are being sold out by demanding huge bribes from the local community. To make matters worse, the issues of smuggling and organized crime across the Afghan and Iranian border have been playing the role of termites in the province. In this backdrop, Pakistan is compelled to start fencing its entire border with Afghanistan. The project comprising of forts and security check posts, will be completed in 2018.
The current situation of Balochistan requires a holistic civil-military strategy. It is necessary to counter the motivated anti-Pakistan campaign at the global level. It requires efficient strategic communications network accompanied by good governance. Illegal action against alleged or suspected Baloch activists is another gray area that overshadows the good work of the LEAs. The enemy propaganda needs to be dealt smartly. Comprehensive efforts should be made to improve the service delivery and focus on addressing peoples’ grievances, instead of serving the elites. Balochistan’s woes and wounds need to heal through a political strategy accompanied by inter-provincial harmony. The local elite need to focus on improving governance, instead of using Balochistan as a milking cow.
