Quetta: The cold-blooded murder of six construction workers from Southern Punjab in Balochistan’s remote district of Turbat is neither the first of its kind incident nor seems to be the last as Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) continues to challenge the writ of the Pakistani authorities all across the province.
The history of Balochistan insurrections against the Pakistani state dates back to 1948 but its intensity has fluctuated over the years. From launching of an army operation by the then civilian martial law administrator Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in 1973 to “iron fisted Army Operation” of the then army dictator Genernal Pervaiz Musharraf against Nawab Bugti in 2006, Baloch continue to view their fight as one against repression and for self-determination.
If Butto’s army-operation added fuel to the wounds of ethnically driven Baloch youth then Bugti’s engineered death by the army-backed dictator in 2006 helped to spread this simmering fire of separationists to spread within and beyond Balochistan borders. The ultimate result is that the fifth and thus far the longest-lasting phase of the insurgency in Balochistan since 2006, began in the rugged, mountainous region of Dera Bugti and Sui, and established a strong foothold in most of the Baloch districts, even the Makran Division, which was not directly involved in previous insurgency movements.
Interestingly, British, and Persian empires annexed part of this huge mass of land (once known as united Balochistan) for their strategic security concerns and that’s why Pakistani part of Balochistan is sandwiched between Iran (Seestan) and Afghanistan (a small portion of the Kandahar, Helmand, and Nimruz provinces). Crushed by Iran and Pakistan, this Baloch insurgency, however, has historically found some resting place on the Afghan side of the border, especially whenever Pakistani grip on Afghan affairs has mellowed down. The latest entry into this mix is of China, who is eyeing Balochistan as a dream venture to connect mainland China with the rest of the world via Gawadar sea port to materialize its golden goose plan of CPEC.
Nevertheless, Balochistan Liberation Army, a listed terrorist organization by Pakistan, United States, Britain and European Union, is claimed to have launched series of attacks against Pakistan armed forces and police, minorities (especially Hazara community practicing Shia sect of Islam), migrant construction workers from other provinces (Sindh and South Punjab in particular) and even school teachers (who are refusing to let students recite Baloch anthem in schools). BLA has claimed the responsibility of more than 500 killings since 2000 and latest being the six construction workers whose bodies have finally been flown back to their ancestral villages near Multan (South Punjab).
On the flip side, the real custodians of the Pakistan’s geographical and ideological frontiers believe that these acts of terrorism are backed by enemies of the state (referring mostly to India and sometimes to sympathetic elements in Afghanistan). Political governments over the year have been busy collecting these dead bodies and issuing statements of condemnations without ever thinking of seeking a political solution to a never-ending trouble which in fact is rising to some alarming proportions by any logical thinking.
A senior political analyst from Southern Punjab, Abdusttar Baloch said that this was not the first time that labourers from Seraiki area have been killed in Balochistan by these separatists. He disagreed with the BLA claim that Baloch resources are being robbed or they are not given due representation in the government saying that “A Baloch is currently serving as a caretaker prime minister and they have always been part of the federal and provincial governments. They also got a huge chunk of resources from the federal divisible pool after 2009 National Finance Commission Award.” He was of the view that the real issue beneath this veneer is an international game of “dog-fight” going on between China and US ever since the launching of Chinese Belt Road Initiative (BRI). The poor constructions workers are just becoming fodder for this international game being played on Baloch soil.
A senior university professor of International Relations (seeking anonymity due to sensitivity of the issue) from Balochistan echoed that this province is of international importance. Its geography makes it important for regional trade. The port of Gwadar has placed it at the centre of regional debate as China is making a huge contribution to its construction as an international port city.
Hassan believes that these international forces are employing all kinds of tactics, from trade to terrorism, to gain a strategic edge against each other. As far as BLA is concerned, it has long become a religious terrorist organization playing ball with the Taliban and some groups of Islamic State on both sides of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Therefore, to paint this massacre as ethnic or Baloch is an injustice to those who have paid a heavy price for the international dog fight.
Meanwhile, local media from South Punjab (print and TV) has criticised not just the PML-N leadership, but all the mainstream political parties for not even raising the issue at any level. The media believes that Jamaat-e-Islami, though, has comes forward to fill this gapby asking the provincial and federal government to not only look at this incident but also look beyond and above these killings to ensure that immigrant workers from Punjab and Sindh are given due protection in Balochistan.