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National integration
By: Faiqa Abdul Haye
Balochistan is one of the largest and most important province due to its strategic location in the region .The province had been ruled by Britishers. They not only kept them poor, illiterate but also neglected them economically, politically and educationally. It was not merely a case of neglect, but what might be called purposeful sidetracking and suppression.
This served their interests because a prosperous and united Balochistan could become recalcitrant and forge relations with the principalities in the neighbourhood. Therefore, they followed a policy, the so-called "forward policy" which aimed to subjugate the Baloch and other native tribes to their will. For this purpose, the Britishers kept a string of garrisons deep in Baloch and Pathan territories.
A thumb rule was to keep the people backward and isolated since 1877, when the British established themselves. The Baloch were victimized in every sphere of life, be it education, judiciary or any other field. Their ignored position had been acknowledged by the founder of Pakistan when he pleaded before Britishers for introducing reforms in Balochistan, in his famous fourteen points in 1927.
Quaid-e-Azam has apologized to the people of Balochistan after independence when he said. "You will forgive me if I was not able to attend to the affairs of Balochistan as speedily as I would have wished. Let me assure you, however I have not for one moment allowed the affairs of Balochistan to slip out of my mind". On February 14, 1948 at the occasion of Delhi Darbar he announced token reforms even though there were some legal and constitutional difficulties.
The needs of the people are proper education, a better standard of life, due share in the government services under the changed circumstances whereas a 3.5% job quota at federal level is too less, as the population has increased manifold. For instance at federal level the province lacks adequate representation of its people.
Gwadar became formally a part of Pakistan in 1958. A town so important lacked the most basic necessity like electricity. There had been no uniform supply, but for the last 43 years the whole population lived in darkness. Electricity was supplied on alternate days, just for few hours. Is such a condition known anywhere in Punjab or NWFP? This is just one area of deprivation whereas the other important places like Turbat, Panjgur, Jiwani, Ormara suffer from similar poor facilities.
People of Balochistan possess a high morale of offering their services for the cause of the nation. The province’s Ras Koh hills in Chaghi district were chosen for nuclear explosion testing in 1998 while a magnificent ’Chaghi auditorium’ was constructed not in Chaghi district or Quetta but in Islamabad.
The federal government plans building cantonments in the areas of Turbat, Gwadar and Sui. It had been the practice of British government to build cantonment in order to safeguard their lines of communication whereas the local population was not allowed to move and reside along them. A conflicting situation is emerging in the province between the army and the native Baloch population.
After Pakistan’s independence, twice the military had gone to suppress the wave of insurgency once in 1958, then between 1974-1975. Had there been no such operations in the past, the Balochs would have responded differently to the cantonments issue.
The developmental process can be carried out by other peaceful means. In 1968 the federal government headed by President Ayub dealt with the Balochistan’s leaders from the same position of strength, which the present leadership aims now. The government of President Ayub in order to break the power of the tribal Sardars like Mr. Akbar Bugti, Attaullah Mengal and Mr. Khair Buksh Marri deposed them from their chieftainship.
The government appointed leaders of their choice, which were unaccepted when the nominated Sardars were slain. The government took this act seriously and army was used to quell the uprising. Such a step was not even taken by the British government who had a much powerful position.
Cantonment in Sui is strongly opposed by all the members of Bugti tribe. The other tribes oppose the plan if the government moves with the army in the area. No doubt the area has large reservoirs of natural gas and oil. The army has acquired 200 acres of land at Sui through provincial government. In Sui and Dera Bugti region there is no state land all owned by the tribe and their chief.
The government though acquired the land but the people are not willing to sell their land at any cost, as a result, no owner has filed the claim with the government, for money. It means they still consider it their belonging and no sale is valid unless it is by free consent. In the event of army’s march on Bugti area, there would be stiff resistance from Bugtis, who are known warriors by birth.
The people voice their dissatisfaction for their being exploited and the concern has some valid base. "The federal government makes discrimination to the people of Balochistan in all walks, in education, services and even in paying a just price of natural gas", alleged by the leaders. The federal government purchases one thousand cubic meter of natural gas from Punjab gas fields at the rate of Rs 250. The price paid to Sindh’s gas is Rs 128 but to Balochistan the rate paid is Rs 26 only. One wonders at such price discrimination.
The construction of cantonment would require according to an estimate Rs 80 billion. It would be judicious to spend the same amount of money on building roads, schools, colleges, hospitals and other facilities for the people of the area, who have long been ignored by the governments since independence.
http://www.nation.com.pk/daily/apr-2005/22/columns4.php
By: Faiqa Abdul Haye
Balochistan is one of the largest and most important province due to its strategic location in the region .The province had been ruled by Britishers. They not only kept them poor, illiterate but also neglected them economically, politically and educationally. It was not merely a case of neglect, but what might be called purposeful sidetracking and suppression.
This served their interests because a prosperous and united Balochistan could become recalcitrant and forge relations with the principalities in the neighbourhood. Therefore, they followed a policy, the so-called "forward policy" which aimed to subjugate the Baloch and other native tribes to their will. For this purpose, the Britishers kept a string of garrisons deep in Baloch and Pathan territories.
A thumb rule was to keep the people backward and isolated since 1877, when the British established themselves. The Baloch were victimized in every sphere of life, be it education, judiciary or any other field. Their ignored position had been acknowledged by the founder of Pakistan when he pleaded before Britishers for introducing reforms in Balochistan, in his famous fourteen points in 1927.
Quaid-e-Azam has apologized to the people of Balochistan after independence when he said. "You will forgive me if I was not able to attend to the affairs of Balochistan as speedily as I would have wished. Let me assure you, however I have not for one moment allowed the affairs of Balochistan to slip out of my mind". On February 14, 1948 at the occasion of Delhi Darbar he announced token reforms even though there were some legal and constitutional difficulties.
The needs of the people are proper education, a better standard of life, due share in the government services under the changed circumstances whereas a 3.5% job quota at federal level is too less, as the population has increased manifold. For instance at federal level the province lacks adequate representation of its people.
Gwadar became formally a part of Pakistan in 1958. A town so important lacked the most basic necessity like electricity. There had been no uniform supply, but for the last 43 years the whole population lived in darkness. Electricity was supplied on alternate days, just for few hours. Is such a condition known anywhere in Punjab or NWFP? This is just one area of deprivation whereas the other important places like Turbat, Panjgur, Jiwani, Ormara suffer from similar poor facilities.
People of Balochistan possess a high morale of offering their services for the cause of the nation. The province’s Ras Koh hills in Chaghi district were chosen for nuclear explosion testing in 1998 while a magnificent ’Chaghi auditorium’ was constructed not in Chaghi district or Quetta but in Islamabad.
The federal government plans building cantonments in the areas of Turbat, Gwadar and Sui. It had been the practice of British government to build cantonment in order to safeguard their lines of communication whereas the local population was not allowed to move and reside along them. A conflicting situation is emerging in the province between the army and the native Baloch population.
After Pakistan’s independence, twice the military had gone to suppress the wave of insurgency once in 1958, then between 1974-1975. Had there been no such operations in the past, the Balochs would have responded differently to the cantonments issue.
The developmental process can be carried out by other peaceful means. In 1968 the federal government headed by President Ayub dealt with the Balochistan’s leaders from the same position of strength, which the present leadership aims now. The government of President Ayub in order to break the power of the tribal Sardars like Mr. Akbar Bugti, Attaullah Mengal and Mr. Khair Buksh Marri deposed them from their chieftainship.
The government appointed leaders of their choice, which were unaccepted when the nominated Sardars were slain. The government took this act seriously and army was used to quell the uprising. Such a step was not even taken by the British government who had a much powerful position.
Cantonment in Sui is strongly opposed by all the members of Bugti tribe. The other tribes oppose the plan if the government moves with the army in the area. No doubt the area has large reservoirs of natural gas and oil. The army has acquired 200 acres of land at Sui through provincial government. In Sui and Dera Bugti region there is no state land all owned by the tribe and their chief.
The government though acquired the land but the people are not willing to sell their land at any cost, as a result, no owner has filed the claim with the government, for money. It means they still consider it their belonging and no sale is valid unless it is by free consent. In the event of army’s march on Bugti area, there would be stiff resistance from Bugtis, who are known warriors by birth.
The people voice their dissatisfaction for their being exploited and the concern has some valid base. "The federal government makes discrimination to the people of Balochistan in all walks, in education, services and even in paying a just price of natural gas", alleged by the leaders. The federal government purchases one thousand cubic meter of natural gas from Punjab gas fields at the rate of Rs 250. The price paid to Sindh’s gas is Rs 128 but to Balochistan the rate paid is Rs 26 only. One wonders at such price discrimination.
The construction of cantonment would require according to an estimate Rs 80 billion. It would be judicious to spend the same amount of money on building roads, schools, colleges, hospitals and other facilities for the people of the area, who have long been ignored by the governments since independence.
http://www.nation.com.pk/daily/apr-2005/22/columns4.php | 
