Fifth military operation in Baluchistan

Continuous military operations, killings and abduction of renowned Baloch leaders and activists by agencies as well as the taking over of provincial assets by federal government has created a sense of insecurity and discomfort among inhabitants of Balochistan, Abdul Rauf Mengal of the Balochistan National Party (BNP) told The News. They have been left with no other choice but to demand self-determination, he added.

Mengal, former National Assembly (NA) member, in an interview with The News, said that the assassination of renowned Baloch leader, Nawab Akbar Bughti, the recent Turbat incident (where three Baloch leaders were brutally killed by the agencies), missing persons issue and forcible occupation of provincial assets by the federal government are some of the reasons that have led the people of Balochistan to feel this way.

This is the fifth military operation in the province after the creation of Pakistan, while hundreds of people have reportedly gone missing. Mengal who resigned from his NA seat in protest of the assassination of Nawab Akbar Bughti in 2006, said that “the people of Balochistan are not interested in listening to government’s fake promises.” The federation has done nothing to restore confidence among locals, he added. There is no foreign hand involved in the Balochistan movement and such allegations are made by the government to defame the struggle of self-determination, Mengal said. “The government should provide proof to the media in this regard.

The policies adopted by the past and present governments have forced the people to opt for this,” he added. The Afghan immigrants brought weapons and sold it to various groups in Pakistan. The Baloch are using same weapons, he said. Mengal further said that the Balochs want control of provincial assets, a demand that has been turned down by every government, thus causing anger and resentment among the people.

“In 1951, natural gas was discovered in Sui, and supplied to every part of the country. But, ironically, the people of Sui have no gas connection and they use firewood for cooking,” he said adding that “Balochistan has 1,000km seashore and earns Rs60 million from the fisheries but all the income goes to the federal government. Same is the case with Sui Gas.”

Born on October 16, 1968, Mengal got a Bacehlor’s degree in Political Sciences and did his Master’s in Mass Communication from the Balochistan University. He joined the Balochistan Student Organisation (BSO) in mid 80s and served as the zonal and central member of the organisation in various capacities.

Mengal was an active member of the BSO. At the time, when the federal government dissolved the Balochistan government and barred the National Awami Party (NAP) from political activities, he launched the Balochistan National Youth Movement to fill the political cap.

Asked whether or not it is true that Sardars and the chiefs of Baloch tribes are in favour of providing standard education and health facilities to their people, Mengal said that this was just an allegation. They (the Sardars and chiefs) have provided free land for schools and hospitals in different areas, he added.

Atta Ullah Mengal and Mir Ghous Buksh Bezanjo served the province as chief minister and governor respectively while Mengal’s government was axed after nine months. However, during his regime, the medical college and university were there and functioning properly, he added.

Since then (30 years ago) there has been no university-level education institute in the province. Now, an engineering university is being setup in Khuzdar and 1,500 acres of land was provided free of cost for this purpose. In Makran division, there is no Sardari system but the situation is the same and there is dearth of education, he said. “Once I told the NA that there are 35,000 federal employees, only 19 of them Baloch and none of them are working as secretaries or deputy secretaries,” he added. Furthermore, in Balochistan House (Islamabad), there is only one Baloch among the 70 employees, while their salaries are drawn from the province, he added.

There is no concept of carpeted roads, standard medical and education system, and people use animal carts for commuting one place to another in the remote areas, he said. He demanded the United Nations to help the 0.15 million families to resettle in their homeland — these people are living in other provinces because of the law-and-order situation. Also, the Balochs need to be facilitated in recovering the missing people and the military operation against them must come to an immediate end, he added.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=174971