Pakistan was rocked last week due to the targeted terror attacks in its Balochistan province. Rough estimate tells us that nearly 75 people lost their lives when a separatist militants attacked police and federal paramilitary station, railway lines and passenger buses. The Baloch Liberation Army [LBA] has accepted responsibility for these attacks. The BLA spokesperson called this ‘Haruf’ which simply means ‘dark windy storm’.
It were a series of attacks that began on the night of Sunday, 25th August when armed men blocked a highway in Balochistan, marched passengers off vehicles, and shot them post-checking their identity cards. The militants have been targeting workers from Pakistan’s eastern province of Punjab. These Punjabi workers, who are regarded as ‘outsiders’ are seen exploiting the natural resources of Balochistan. Quite often the militants also attack Chinese interests and citizens in the province. China, for quite some time, has been running the deep-water port at Gwadar.
The BLA is the biggest of several ethnic insurgent groups battling the federal government of Pakistan. They insist that the federal government unfairly exploits gas and mineral resources in the province, which has been suffering high level of poverty. This is why the BLA has been demanding independence of Balochistan. The BLA chose Sunday and Monday for these deadly attacks because Monday was the anniversary of the death of Baloch nationalist leader Akbar Bugti who was killed by Pakistan’s security forces in 2006.
Balochistan, the largest province in Pakistan, has been witnessing separatist movement right from the birth of Pakistan in August 1947. There were insurgencies in 1948-50, 1958-60, 1962-63 and 1973-77. The separatists base their arguments on poverty and marginalization of Baloch people. Like many part of South Asia, this too was dominated by the British whose influence in the area was total by 1869. And like many parts, the anti-colonial movements began in the early decades of 20th century. The Baloch natinalists began Anjuman-e-Ittehad-e-Balochstan in 1931. On the other side, the Muslim League led by Jinnah too was active here. Though some leaders supported demand for Pakistan, they harboured dreams of independence. Finally these leaders were coerced into joining Pakistan on 25th March 1948. Since then, it has been an uncomfortable situation. Scholar often describe this as ‘conflict of nationalist/self-determination’.
This is not only an ethnic conflict but of economic progress too. Balochistan, accounting for 44% of the country’s landmass-with significant natural resources such as copper, gold, coal and natural gas-continues to be one of the most backward regions of Pakistan. And significantly, the exploitation of natural resources has not in substantive economic benefits for the local population. This is 2018-19 UNDP report which shows that Balochistan accounted only for 4.5% of Pakistan’s GDP, 14% of national road network and only 4% of its national electricity consumption. Despite long coastline, this poverty has been fuelling disappointment against the Federal government of Pakistan.
Till a few decades ago, the Baloch insurgency was regarded as ‘internal matter’ of Pakistan. Not in the age of globalization, global investment and its strategic location. Today, China is a major player in the region. Then there is the ‘China-Pakistan Economic Corridor [CPEC]’ which connects the Gwadar Port with China’s Kashgar city. Now Gwadar has assumed enormous strategic and economic significance thanks to its proximity to the Strait of Hormuz, a shipping route that witnesses substantive oil transportation. It should be recalled that Gwadar often figured even during the days of Cold War.
The Baloch militants often target Chinese nationals working in Balochistan simply because a Chinese firm has taken the Gwadar port on a 40-year lease and is involved in constructing and operating it. Though Pakistan insists that Gwadar port will always be a commercial port, there are apprehensions that sooner or later, it will be used for military purposes. This adds to the fears of the locals.
Perhaps the percolation of economic benefits to ordinary Baloch would have blunted the edge of ethnic nationalism of the Baloch. Unfortunately this has not taken place. Despite the CPEC being a decade old, there have no tangible gains for the Baloch people. In fact now there is a new anxiety that worried the Baloch people. It is popularly known as ‘population invasion’. There is growing anxiety that the demography of the province is changing fast where the non-locals are controlling the levers of power. This is why now the insurgents target Chinese and Punbaji Pakistanis.
This is also why there has been a steady uptick in the attacks by Baloch groups on security forces and CPEC projects. Pakistan’s reactions are predictable: doubling the security arrangements. This will never be adequate. It should talk to locals and address their genuine worries. Pakistan should revisit its development model of big ticket infrastructure projects with external involvement where the locals have no stake and say.
In addition to these modern worries, Pakistan has to negotiate its old challenge: creating a modern nation-state based on religion! Like it faced in Bangladesh in the 1970s, in Balochistan too, Pakistan is facing a violent ethnic movement. Sooner Pakistan wakes up to this reality, better it will be.
(The author, Avinash Kolhe, is a Mumbai-based retired professor of Political Science.)
