Pakistan: Baloch
Dissent or Revolt
A serious
constitutional crisis seems to be brewing in Pakistan’s troubled Balochistan
province with the speaker summoning a session of the provincial assembly on a
requisition signed by 19 legislators.
The immediate
response is that Speaker Syed Matiullah Agha has summoned the session disregarding
the fact that the province is under Governor’s Rule.
Some
constitutional and legal experts are perplexed and are exploring, does the
assembly want to play the role of a parallel government against the one headed
by Governor Zulfiqar Ali Magsi?
Reportedly
former speaker Aslam Bhootani and some experts are of the view that when the
president imposes Governor’s Rule under Article 234 any required legislation
may be done by parliament.
However, Baz
Mohammad Kakar, former chief of the Baloch Bar Association said that
requisitioning the session under the current circumstances was unlawful.
To
understand the potential confrontation in Balochistan, it is necessary to peep
into the history. In a nut shell neither the elected nor the dictatorial rule
in Pakistan has enjoyed cordial relationship with the Baloch tribal chiefs.
Some of the
basic point of confrontation include from too much interference from federation
to usurping rights of Balochs and from too little developmental funds to
federation taking over key mineral assets.
This sense
of deprivation is deep rooted and the first resentment emerged because for decades
residents of Balochistan didn’t get access to natural gas produced in the
province.
Over the
years many of the tribal chiefs have been living in self exile for and asking
their tribes to fight with the law enforcing agencies, including Pakistan Army. Having been frustrated with the regimes in
Pakistan, they even started demanding for an independent Balochistan.
It becomes
egg or chicken first situation as Baloch tribal chiefs are demanding removal of
cantonments but Army is not willing to do this without restoration of complete
law and order situation.
One of the allegations
is that tribal chiefs got billions of rupees from the federal government, which
they pocketed mostly and hardly bothered to spend it on the welfare of their own
people.
However, to
save themselves from any potential fallout they kept on playing the mantra that
federal government was not giving enough funds and asking tribesmen to opt for
armed confrontation.
It is on
record that no major industries could be established in the province and its
sole source of income remained royalty received on oil and gas produced in the
province, bulk of which was pocketed by tribal chiefs.
Over the
years at least three industrial estates were established in the province to
lure investment, which also came but soon sponsors were forced to close down
enterprises, even at Hub in close proximity with Karachi.
The biggest
allegation was that representatives of tribal chiefs demanded booty and
insisted on employing locals. Hiring locals was not a big issue as long as they
were willing to work according to their qualification and experience.
However, a
serious problem emerged when local chiefs started demanding very high wages for
these workers and insisted on receiving the payment and paying paltry amounts
to workers.
It is on
record that Gaddani ship breaking yard was at one time the largest in the world
but now it has been reduced to a junkyard.
It is also
on record that once Balochistan has the largest share in gas production but now
Sindh has nearly 75% share in total gas produced in the country.
All this is
the outcome of precarious law and order situation for which no one except Baloch
tribal chiefs can be held responsible. One of their favorite pastime is blowing
up electricity and gas transmission lines.
Baloch
tribal chiefs are demanding handing over Gwadar deep sea port to the provincial
government but just don’t understand the point that they don’t have the
expertise.
They also
don’t understand the strategic importance of this port, managing a modern sea
port is not like managing a fish harbor. This port has been constructed to
handle transit trade of Afghanistan and Central Asia.
The fight
between Balochistan provincial and federal government has provided India an
opportunity to construct Chabahar port in Iran. Once fully functional will
severely undermine Pakistan’s importance.
However, the
entire world knows that Pakistan offers the shortest and most efficient route
to Central Asia via Afghanistan and wish they could use Gwadar port. Now it is
the choice Baloch tribal chiefs to exploit this opportunity or let Chabahar
become the next maritime hub.
Pakistan’s leading English newspaper dawn has reported few minutes back that a session of Balochistan Assembly was held on Monday, led by Speaker Matiullah Agha despite a lack of quorum. Only 14 members were present in the Assembly against 17 as required by the rules to maintain the quorum. A requisition was made by a bloc comprising members from parties which have dismissed the proclamation of Governor’s Rule and termed it an attempt by the establishment to impose its writ on the province after removing what it saw as a “recalcitrant government” of Chief Minister Aslam Raisani.
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