• Pak-Iran relations
  
• Balochistan: The reality 

The Speaker of Iranian Majlis, Dr. Ghulam Ali Haddad Adal presenting a gift to
Chairman Senate, Mr. Muhammadmian Soomro at Islamabad.

The other day, a high-powered Iranian Parliamentary Delegation headed by Dr Ghulam Ali Haddad Adel, Speaker, Iranian Majlis (Parliament) visited Pakistan on the invitation of the Chairman, Senate of Pakistan, Mr. Muhammadmian Soomro. The delegation called on the President of Pakistan, General Pervaiz Musharraf who hoped that exchange of parliamentarians’ visits would further strengthen the bilateral relations. The Iranian Speaker appreciated the President’s endeavors for bringing sectarian harmony among Muslims, and his vision for peace, progress and prosperity in the Islamic world. The delegation also met the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mr. Shaukat Aziz. At a banquet hosted by him in the honour of the Speaker, Iranian Majlis and his delegation, the Senate Chairman said, “the relations between the two countries are deep-rooted, time-tested and beyond any self-interest” and stressed the need for enhancing exchange of visits by delegations of  businessmen, intellectuals and students for increasing people-to-people contact between Pakistan and Iran. A large number of parliamentarians and high government officials attended the dinner among other dignitaries. On this occasion, the Iranian Speaker said Pakistan is a great friend of Iran and every Iranian gives great respect to Pakistan. He said Iran wants to increase trade volume with its neighbouring countries up to $10 billion and hoped the mega gas pipeline project between Iran, Pakistan and India will bring prosperity in the region. The other dignitaries who spoke on the occasion on the Pak-Iran ties and prospects of future cooperation between the two countries, included the National Assembly Speaker, Ch. Amir Hussain, Deputy Chairman, Senate, Mir Jan Muhammad Khan Jamali, PML Secretary General, Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed, Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Senator Muhammad Ali Durrani, Minister for Women Development, Ms. Sumaira Malik and the ambassador of Iran to Pakistan. The visit of this delegation had a salutary effect on the Pak-Iran fraternity.

The Speaker of Iranian Majlis, Dr. Ghulam Ali Haddad Adel with
Chairman Senate, Mr. Muhammadmian Soomro on arrival at Chaklala Airbase.

Pakistan maintains good neighbourly and cordial relations with Iran. The two nations are linked together by the common bonds of history, culture and religion. The leaders of the two countries have been meeting regularly with a view to exchanging views and coordinating positions on regional and global issues. President Musharraf and Iranian President Dr. Mahmoud Ahmedinejad had a useful meeting in Havana in September 2006. Both the leaders also met on the sidelines of the SCO in Shanghai in June 2006. In Feb 2005, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz paid a fruitful visit to Iran and signed four documents on preferential trade, joint investment, fruit export and economic cooperation. He met the Iranian President on the sidelines of the ECO Summit in Baku on 4th May 2006 and the D-8 Summit in Bali on 12th May 2006. Iran’s First Vice President Dr. Pervaiz Davoudi and Foreign Minister Mr. Manouchehr Mottaki visited Pakistan in May 2006. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister visited Iran from 19 to 21 Dec. 2006 and held bilateral consultation with the leadership of Iran. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz sent greetings to the President and people of Iran on the eve of their National Day in Feb. 2007. As part of his Middle East Initiative, the President of Pakistan visited Tehran on 5th February 2007. He had talks with the Supreme Leader and the President of Iran. He has been in touch with the Iranian President on several occasions before. The Prime Minister of Pakistan has agreed to allow the Iranian Mahan Airlines 2-3 flights per week direct from Islamabad. 

The Speaker of Iranian Majlis, Dr. Ghulam Ali Haddad Adel and
Chairman Senate, Mr. Muhammadmian Soomro offering Fateha at the
Mazar of Allama Iqbal at Lahore.

Pakistan is committed to the Iran-Pakistan-India Gas Pipeline Project by an MoU signed in July 2005. So far the three parties have held three trilateral meetings to negotiate the gas pricing, project structure and trilateral framework agreement in Tehran, Islamabad and New Delhi in March, May and August 2006 respectively. The gas price formula developed by the consultants M/s Gaffney, Cline and Associates was discussed at the fourth trilateral meeting on 26 January 2007 in Tehran where the Iranian side tended to accept the suggested rate of US$4.5 per MMBTU at current Brent Crude price of $50 per barrel. Going by the proceedings, a deal on this score appears likely by June 2007. Pakistan deeply appreciates Iran’s generous humanitarian assistance for earthquake victims. Iran has pledged US$200 million as credit for reconstruction of infrastructure in the affected areas. The volume of Pak-Iran trade is below its potential. The 16th  meeting of the Joint Economic Commission decided a target of $1 billion in May 2006 which we have not been able to achieve so far. However, from July 2005 to June 2006, the bilateral trade expanded by 61% from $389 million in 2004-5 with exports to and imports from Iran valued at $188 million and $450 million respectively. The two countries have agreed to set up a Joint Investment Company with an initial capital of $25 million to promote bilateral trade, investment and economic cooperation. To achieve this goal, Pakistan-Iran Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) has also been operational from September 2006. Under this agreement, Pakistan and Iran have granted tariff concessions on more than 600 items. Recently, Iran offered its trade corridor to Pakistan for exports to Russia and Central Asian Republics and sought a similar facility from Pakistan for its exports to China. Pakistan and Iran are exploring the possibility of Free Trade Agreement too.

The Speaker of Iranian Majlis, Dr. Ghulam Ali Haddad Adel photographed with
Chairman Senate, Mr. Muhammadmian Soomro and Mr. Shaukat Mazari,
Acting Speaker, Punjab Assembly at Allama Iqbal International Airport,
Lahore before his departure.

The United Nations Security Council on Dec. 23, 2006 unanimously adopted Resolution 1737 calling for suspension of Iran’s nuclear proliferation and a report on compliance within 60 days. The resolution directed all the States to prevent the supply and sale of items, goods and technology which could contribute to Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programme. It also authorized all the States to freeze all the financial assets of the people and entities linked to Iran’s nuclear and missile programme. On Iran’s non-compliance, the Security Council, on 24 March 2007, unanimously adopted Resolution 1747 which broadened the sanctions against Iran. While not calling for military action, the UNSCR 1747 banned all arms exports by Iran, froze the overseas assets of 28 additional officials and institutions related to Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missiles programme, restricted financial aid or fresh loans to Iran, set a fresh 60-day time limit for Iran’s compliance, offered suspension of sanctions upon International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)’s verification of Iran’s compliance and included a proposal by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany to find a negotiated solution. Pakistan respects Iran’s right to have peaceful nuclear technology as a signatory to Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). It is against the use of force and coercive measures against Iran. It sincerely believes in the dialogue among the parties, and advocates an amicable solution to the problem. There is no military solution to any of the global issues posing threat to the world peace. The Muslim Ummah is urged to avoid being influenced by the Western propaganda and stand firm to safeguard their interests. 

(Mr. Shams Soomro is DG (PR), Senate of Pakistan, Islamabad).

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Balochistan: The reality
By Mir Muhammad Ali Talpur

A sense of desperation and urgency seems to grip the Establishment in its policies regarding Balochistan. This is particularly evident in its militarization, its exploitation of resources and grabbing of the real estate there. Their urge is so overpowering that they have become heedless to the resentment and hostility that these policies generate among the people.

In Balochistan militarization and exploitation simply cannot be divorced. In fact resources are the reason behind all the confrontational policies that have been pursued and implemented since partition. The calamity has been aggravated by incompetence, corruption and downright knavery in all projects and ventures undertaken there.

Syed Fazl-e-Haider, a respected analyst, has this to say ”The Saindak saga is also a story of financial mismanagement and administrative mishandling by government planners and economic managers in Islamabad. A project originally estimated to cost Rs6 billion ended up costing more than Rs14 billion”.

This project was supposed to employ and train local youth but the required Rs1.5 billion working capital wasn’t provided by Centre so it failed. It has been revived under the Chinese with terms that are exceptionally unfavorable for Balochistan and its people.

They have a contract to run it in return for 50% of profits. The company MCC will pay $500,000 monthly to Pakistan over next 10 years plus 50% of total revenue from mineral sale, of this 48% will be pocketed by the federal government and only a measly 2% will go to Balochistan, it is anybody’s guess as to how much of this will be used for the benefit of people. Balochistan will receive only $0.7 million/ year as royalty. The contrast is indeed striking.

These contracts are entirely to the disadvantage and dislike of Baloch people and that too on three counts, firstly they are robbed of their resources, and secondly they do not benefit in anyway and thirdly are left to live with environmental degradation. The government seems least bothered about the fate of the Balochistan people as long as it gets its pound of flesh.

It is pertinent to point out that the estimate of 412 million ton copper along with gold, silver, pyrite and magnetite all worth more than $4billion is based on a UN assisted study of 1970s when the price of copper was $1/lb. The prices have risen since. So deals based on old estimates make them doubly unfavorable.

There is a more objectionable and sinister aspect to this deal. Syed Fazl-e-Haider says ”Higher-than-anticipated production of blister copper at the site in the Chaghi district may reduce the estimated 19-year life of the mine. If the rate of mining continues unchecked, the Chinese contractors will exploit all the resource within the 10-year lease period, leaving no copper or gold for Pakistan to mine from Saindak after the lease contract comes to an end. (Italics mine)

The Saindak project was based on estimated ore reserves of 412 million tons containing on average 0.5 gram of gold per ton and 1.5 grams of silver per ton. The mine is reported to have produced about 50,000 tons since October 2003. According to official estimates, the project has the capacity to produce 15,800 tons of blister copper annually, containing 1.5 tons of gold and 2.8 tons of silver. The reported production results, however, have generally remained on average more than 2,000 tons per month, which means that more than production of 24,000 tons per year has been taking place . (Italics mine)

At present, two non-executive directors of the Saindak board are responsible for monitoring activities. As they are based in Islamabad however, it is not practical for them to monitor the project.

The Saindak project produced about $70 million worth of copper during the last financial year and contributed about $10 million to Islamabad in export and royalty earnings. It was earlier estimated that the project would generate annual revenue of about $65 million”. (Italics mine)

The Chinese have been given a carte blanche to exploit the resources. Copper is crucial to China’s development, its present consumption of 16% of world copper production is the highest in the world; it outstripped US in 2002 and it will be consuming 23% in 2008.

It may interest the reader to know the difference in the price of blister copper (99.5% pure) in US $2.4952/ton and China, $3.2446/ton. Copper prices can only rise; the Cathode copper, its purest form, saw an increase of 45% in 2006 and touched $10,775 a ton on May 15 2006 in China. It will import 880,000 tons this year to plug the shortfall. So the richer others become the poorer Balochistan becomes.

According to Fazl-e-Haider, ”Government of Pakistan has also signed a MoU with China Metallurgical Construction Company (MCC), on March 22 2002 for the Duddhar Lead-Zinc Project in Balochistan. The lead-zinc deposits at Duddar are located in Lasbela. Under the agreement, the company is committed to investing up to $ 80 million there. The lead-zinc deposits are estimated at over 17 million tons.

The Duddar project has mining and concentrating capacity of 660,000 tons a year. Once completed, the mine will be able to enhance its production to 100,354 tons of zinc concentrate and 32,584 tons of lead concentrates annually. The project will commence production by the end of 2007”.

The contract terms are unknown but one can only expect the worst. The lead and zinc prices stand at $1779.00/ton and $3455.25/ton respectively. Balochistan has proverbial goldmines but they do not benefit Baloch. There is a truth in the statement ’that a Baloch child may be born without socks on his feet, but when he grows up, every step he takes is on gold’. The government however ensures he remains barefooted.

This project too will suffer fate of Saindak, leaving the people all the more poorer and suffering the consequences of the environmental degradation combined with the deadly effects of the chemicals used for smelting and extracting ores. While State coffers and pockets of disgustingly corrupt officials and politicians are filled it is the people who suffer.

The absolute disregard for the lives and welfare of the people considered to be the children of a lesser god comes across poignantly and harshly as symbolized by the fate of radioactivity ravaged people of Baghalchur, D.G. Khan. It should be reasserted here that it was unjustly made a part of Punjab but it being a Baloch majority region suffers similar treatment that Balochistan does.

’Clear and Present Danger” an article by Zofeen T. Ebrahim stated.

”From 1978 to 2000 Baghalchur provided the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) with the ”yellow cake” it needed for its nuclear programme, the success of which was dramatically announced to the world in 1998, through a series of tests.

In 2000, by PAEC’s own admission, ”mining was stopped on the exhaustion of uranium”. But that was when the villagers’ troubles began because the site was then converted into a storage and disposal site for radioactive uranium waste.

And now, Baghalchur is back in the headlines  this time as an embarrassment to the PAEC. The local people have gone to the Supreme Court with a complaint that nuclear waste dumped in the area had contaminated the environment and affected the health of both humans and animals.

Affected are some 50,000 people who live in hamlets scattered around Baghalchur and the 500,000-strong population of nearby Dera Ghazi Khan town. The area is dominated by Balochi tribes. (Italics mine)

”The safety and environmental problems that uranium mining brings, as in the case of Baghalchur, are of two kinds,” says Hoodbhoy. ”On the one hand dangerous chemical poisons (such as arsenic, uranium, molybdenum, and other heavy metals) find their way into the soil, air, and water. But still more threatening is the radon gas and its various radioactive products.

”Near uranium mines, there are tiny dust particles containing various radionuclides. Easily spread by the wind, this dust creates cancers and genetic damage.”

Nuclear power cannot be produced without risk, says Prof Khalid Rashid is a former PAEC employee. ”Radioactive waste will be produced and there is always the possibility of an accident. The radioactive dirt will stay on for thousands of years. The nuclear lobby is bankrupt and more interested in business than the welfare of the people.” (Italics mine)

Now spare a moment for Chagai and just try to imagine the devastation of environment and the ill effects on the people that must have been caused by the nuclear bombs there. The perpetrators suffer no ill effects so they bother not a whit.

All the above facts give substance to the justified protests by the people against the unbridled exploitation of resources of Balochistan. There remains no doubt that only the people of Balochistan can be trusted to usefully employ the resources for purposes benefiting the people because the resources are theirs and they should decide how they are used.

Baloch people would never agree to these exploitative contracts but unfortunately they are not the ones who decide their destiny. The decisions rest with those who are oblivious to the wishes and needs of Baloch people.

Thanks to the arrogant, avaricious and short-sighted policies of the rulers, Balochistan has been perpetually blighted by colossal problems of a very serious nature; making it a bottomless pit of deprivation and destitution laced with menacing despotism for the people.

Ironically those responsible for these ills have expediently chosen to blame the people and their leaders for the same. This blaming of the people and their leaders is absolutely malicious and fraudulent because the reality there not only contradicts their claims but also brands them as the guilty party.

”The allotment of land in Gwadar has been made in violation of the policies formulated by the government itself. The discretionary power has been exercised in an arbitrary and capricious manner which has been cited as a clear example of abuse of authority and misuse of power. Nobody knows how the settled land owned by the state has been transferred to private sector, that too on peanut price which depicts lack of transparency and mismanagement”.(Emphasis mine)

No, this is not a Baloch nationalist leader lamenting the injustices that cover the entire spectrum of economic, political, cultural, social and civil rights of the people in Balochistan. Nor are these words of an aggrieved land owner robbed of his birth-right by the powerful land mafia. This statement is a part of the judgement that Justice Javed Iqbal and Justice Raja Fayyaz Ahmed the two-member Supreme Court, Quetta bench gave in their decision in October 2006.

It also observed that ’every allotment, sale and disposed of land appears to have been made in a dubious and suspicious manner.’(Emphasis mine)

It ordered cancellation of allotment of residential and industrial plots in Gwadar. It observed that the Balochistan government is not competent to allocate land quota for politicians, ministers, elected representatives, high civil officials and provincial judiciary without having a proper legislation on the subject.

It said, ”The allotment must be made in a transparent, judicious and fair manner by adopting the procedure of open auction for industrial plots and balloting system for housing projects.”

This judgment totally exposes the pretentious bogus claims of transparency by the government. It proves that in absolute disregard for the rights and wishes of people unscrupulous grabbing of real estate and doling out of concessions, privileges and franchises to friends, factotums and functionaries is rife and rampant in Balochistan.

With the 40 year tax exemption of Port and the building of a huge airbase nearby, the already pathetic conditions are bound to be accentuated. The people there might as well put their dreams of prosperity indefinitely on hold.

The exploitation and misuse of gas has been one of the most contentious issues because like land it is intimately related to the Baloch national rights question. The 70% of Pakistan natural gas needs come from Balochistan and although it is 70% more efficient than the gas found in other provinces it is paid only Rs. 47/cu ft while Punjab gets Rs 222/ cu ft. The royalty there is well-head based while Punjab and Sindh get royalty based on market value.

Columnist Naseer Memon says, ”natural gas deposits, which turned the fate of the country in the early 1950s, benefiting the whole country except Balochistan. The 10,000 feet deep gas reserve was estimated as 10.78 trillion cubic feet. Over the past 55 years the country has consumed 8.14 TCF leaving 2.63 TCF behind, sufficient for another two decades. In 2004-05 it produced about 920 million TCF per day, yielding annually 336,493 million TCF. Providing fuel to the national economy for years, gas reached Balochistan after 25 years when Quetta first received LPG in 1976. Six decades are gone, but even today Balochistan has only 3.4 percent of gas consumers as compared to 51 percent from Punjab alone, which contributes only 4.75 percent gas. The province contributes Rs 85 billion per year through gas revenues but receives only Rs 7 billion from the federal government. What Dera Bugti received in return for the wealth it generated is evident from the UNDP Human Development Report 2003, which ranked Dera Bugti last among the 91 districts of the country on the Human Development Index.”

These facts speak out loudly and bluntly, they present the stark reality. The people there live in hopeless deprivation in spite of great natural wealth and that this precious resource is being depleted at an incredibly fast pace without a thought for the future of Baloch people.

Some people lament the low gas consumption and meagre royalty but that is not the answer to the demands of people of Balochistan because they aren’t demanding the right to burn the gas, they are demanding the right over the where, how and why of its utilization.

Let us briefly touch the marine wealth question. Fishing forms an integral part of economic and social life support system of people along the coast, even the word Makran has come from the Persian word Mahi Khoran which means fish eaters. It is a source of livelihood of a great many people along the 770km coastline but unjust policies keep them in deprivation.

The building of naval bases along the coast has dispossessed the people of the natural harbors and physically hindered the fishing. The table below gives an idea of how much the people of Balochistan are losing out on this front. Of this catch too 80,000 tons is caught by trawlers from Sindh.

Fish catch off coast of Balochistan & Sindh. Year 2004

With the influx of the moneyed classes the fishing business like real estate will also fall into their hands if it hasn’t already. The people who have respectably lived off their own labors for centuries will be reduced to position of menial servants and lose irreparably on economical, political and cultural fronts.

The government doesn’t seem to tire of pledging the opportunities that mega-projects will create. They erroneously suppose menial jobs alone will satisfy the aspirations of the people who are demanding control over their own destiny. The Baloch are demanding the right to be the masters of their own fate and not an opportunity to be menial servants. This it fails to comprehend. History is replete with examples for those who chose to not to learn and the fate they suffered.

Marie Antoinette (November 2nd, 1755  October 16th 1793) the daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Francis I and Maria Theresa of Austria and the wife of French king Louis XVI was surprised to see people rioting for bread in the French city Reims, where French kings were crowned, at the time of their coronation in year 1774. She is reported to have said ”If they have no bread, then let them eat cake!” (”S’ils n’ont plus de pain, qu’ils mangent de la brioche”. )

While saying this she was neither being naïve nor trying to be funny. She said exactly what she should have said for she had never seen want or hunger. She had no inkling how people lived and neither do our Marie Antoinettes (not intended to be gender specific).

Our Marie Antoinettes, the denizens of local Versailles aka Islamabad, will never comprehend the peoples’ natural indignation and wrath at being deprived of their birth-rights until it is too late for them as it was for many others before them.

They are oblivious to the aspirations, dreams, desires, promises, visions and expectations that the people hold in their hearts for themselves and their younger generations’ present and future.

The people see all their yearnings being trampled upon, shattered and crushed arbitarily and heartlessly. They see them sold as franchises and concessions to the highest bidders and all in the name of ’national interest’ by these Marie Antionettes. Naturally this makes the people angry and resentful in the same way as the people of France were in 1789.

The fall of Bastille on July 14th 1789 had heralded the French Revolution and Louis XVI was gullotined January 18th 1793 while Marie Antionette died by gullotine on October 16th 1793.  

(Concluded)

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