Militarization of Balochistan

By Mir Muhammad Ali Talpur

The Baloch people cannot simply be wished away and their voice must be heard on all issues pertaining to Balochistan. Continued disregard of their justified demands and fears can only strengthen the increasing disaffection and distrust engendered by a history of unceasing injustices and affronts. Any state that chooses to ignore the wishes of people does so at its own peril.

The Pakistani government contrary to its protestation and claims that it is not interested in physically subjugating Balochistan with its military muscle is in fact busy accomplishing that mission with indecent haste and as evidence shows seemingly with a deadline in mind.

New cantonments are planned at Kohlu, Khuzdar and Dera Bugti although there are already four major cantonments and 59 mini-cantonments along with approximately 600 check posts in the province. The PAF has 6 bases while the PN has 3 bases.

These are the physical aspects of the policy of militarily subjugating the Baloch and of the effort to crush any resistance to the unjust exploitation and expansion. Sadly no one heeds the protests of Baloch people against this unjust build up.

Plans for new port and airport at Gwadar have to a large extent been executed and are the main subject of this article. Gwadar, located on the southwestern coast of Pakistan, close to the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf through which more than 13 million barrels of oil pass daily, is the object of government's attention because of its importance towards achievement of its military objectives.

In 1783 the Khan of Kalat had granted Gwadar to the defeated Sultan Taimur of Muscat. In 1958, the Gwadar enclave was transferred to mother province after payment of £3 million.

There must be regret in corridors of power at not having then made it part of federally administered areas or of Sindh, in the same way that British Administered Balochistan area of DG Khan was misappropriated by Punjab in 1950. The Tumandars had signed the agreement under threat of forsaking their large land holdings if they didn't opt for Punjab. A monument to that injustice stands at Fort Munro, 6470 feet above sea level.

The strategically located Gwadar port is intended to handle transit trade with landlocked Central Asia, Afghanistan and western China. The 14.5-metre deep draft there would be able to berth fifth generation ships and super-sized aircraft carriers etc. It is expected to be inaugurated in March this year.

A news report on 17th January mentioned the uproar in the Senate regarding the construction of the new Gwadar airport which is being built 26 km away to the northeast of the existing airport towards Pasni. It was disclosed that disregarding the normal procedure the Rs.1.05 billion for 6500 acres were released to the Military Estate Officer (MEO) in Quetta instead of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

This land has now been acquired by the Military Land and Cantonments (MLC) and this makes it the property of Pakistan Army. This fact thoroughly exposes the claim that Gwadar is being developed as a commercial project

The area of land being acquired is by itself of importance and exposes the ulterior motives. It would surprise the readers to know that the JFK airport New York one of the largest in world covers only 4930 acres. There in November 2006 alone the total number of flights there were 34,361 and the number of passengers 3,484,448.

Gwadar airport will be more than twice the size of London's Heathrow (2965 acres) where a plane lands or takes off every 46 seconds at peak time and it handled 128 million passengers in year 2005. The volume of air traffic at Gwadar can easily be calculated, this oversized place is obviously required for other objectives.

Apparently the only purpose for acquiring so much land for the Army can only be to build a mammoth airbase not only for its air force but also Cruise missile carrying planes and B52s of its allies. Strengthening its role as henchman of Washington's neo cons; moreover using it for purpose of subjugating the Baloch even more methodically and harshly.

The bases in this country are definitely used for clandestine purposes as well because on 25th January Senators quizzed Defence Secretary Lt.Gen. (r) Tariq Waseem Ghazi about the use of Pakistani airbases by US forces and the money earned from leasing them, termed as blood money by some Senators because US air force is used for strikes in Afghanistan and Bajaur. The gentleman simply preferred to stonewall although the people have a right to know if their lives are being endangered for measly dollars.An equally important aspect of Gwadar projects with equally adverse consequences is the increase in number of non-locals. The population there is around 160,000 people while the work of building the airport and the deep sea port will require many times more people. Note, that the number of people being used to build the 5th Terminal on 260 acres at Heathrow was expected to be over 60000 people requiring 37 million manhours. That is a work conscious environment and has fully mechanized work force. The number of people required here would, even at a conservative estimate, be at least the double of the existing population of Gwadar.

The federal authorities had initially envisaged inducting 2.5 million people from outside the province but the increase in size and scope of the projects and the military purpose that they will serve this has now climbed to 5 million. This massive influx will naturally deprive the Baloch of their rights. The promises that they will not be allowed to vote are simply eye wash. Here all promises are given to be flouted and violated, remember the uniform?

These projects are serving the twofold purpose of militarizing the province and relegating the local population to a minority status.The burgeoning population of non-locals here has soured the already touchy relations of Baloch people with Centre. The ratio of non-locals is set to increase with expansion of projects. This only adds fuel to the fire by reinforcing the sense of estrangement and alienation.

Unfortunately the Establishment has not only been indiscriminately militarizing the Province but is also culpable of nuclearizing it by establishing 3 nuclear testing sites and 6 missile testing ranges there without even bothering about the consent of the people who will suffer. Any conflict with an enemy of some reckoning would entail a response, nuclear or conventional, against these installations and endanger the already sketchy existence of the people of those areas.

Chagai was used as the nuclear test site. Soviet Union used Kazakhstan as its nuclear testing ground and they suffer from the after effects as do the area of US nuclear testing areas of Bikini Atoll and the Nevada Desert. These areas are far away from the chosen ones and only the children of lesser gods are made to suffer

When France was carrying out nuclear tests on the Marurua Atoll and claiming they were entirely safe, the people of South Seas said then they should be safely carried out near Paris. The people of Balochistan too have similar viewpoint.

The powerful vested interests prefer to ignore the appalling effects their ill-advised projects, experiments and adventures wreak on the people whose feelings and locations are too remote to arouse their sensitivity or sensibility. To them they are for all means and purposes as expendable as the endangered houbara bustards are for the spineless authorities here who suck up to those fancy Sheikhs and Emirs of the Gulf with a lot of unearned income at their disposal and know how to use it for quite unsavoury practices of hunting and other sordid activities when in the Land of Pure.

Tail Piece: United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan conferred his country's highest award on Musharraf. This left me wondering because in spite of my best efforts I couldn't remember any of his services for the Ummah or the country.

Then I remembered the January 7th report in a national daily “Dignitaries from Gulf get permits to hunt protected houbara”. The report listed the areas where which Sheikh or Emir got the permission to make houbaras suffer Dodo's fate.

The only privileged hunter who had been allowed to hunt in three provinces of this God forsaken country was the UAE President. Now! That service does deserve the highest award.

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