Our largest province by area has been plagued by unrest for decades, with its people experiencing a profound sense of deprivation. We have never genuinely attempted to understand the root causes of this deprivation. If we do not know or choose to ignore its real causes, how can we ever hope to address it? We have consistently tried to address it in the wrong manner, while our perennial enemy, which keeps a close watch on our weaknesses, has made efforts to further incite the people’s sense of deprivation.
Recently, several incidents of innocent people being killed have occurred, and it seems that the situation in the province is now spiraling out of control. There was a time when similar incidents of violence and targeted killings were common in Karachi, where daily killings of ten to twelve individuals had become a norm. However, we managed to tackle this issue through an operation and achieved some success. But Karachi and Balochistan are vastly different. In Karachi, a single party was orchestrating the violence, and we managed to remove its leadership from the party. In contrast, the violence in Balochistan is not controlled by any single party; these are guerrilla-style attacks with no clear patron, although some specific groups are carrying out these acts with external support.
We all know that our CPEC project connects Gwadar to China, which has been unacceptable to certain international powers from day one. They want to sabotage this project by fueling the sense of deprivation in the province. Additionally, forced disappearances and missing persons in the region have further exacerbated this sense of deprivation. The discovery of mutilated bodies of the missing has also added to the unrest.
We have yet to find a solution to this issue. Since the time of Ayub Khan, operations have been used to address the problem. After Ayub Khan, the first civilian government was not allowed to function by the Zulfikar Ali Bhutto administration. While the other three provinces enjoyed the benefits of democracy, Balochistan was deprived. It is disheartening to note that the tribal leaders of Balochistan also took money from the federal government and remained silent. They could have stopped the government from taking such actions, but personal interests prevented them from doing so.
The governments that followed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto did not make any real efforts to alleviate the sense of deprivation in Balochistan, offering only verbal statements. The killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti intensified this sense of deprivation. Since that day, Balochistan has continued to burn. The political leaders of the other three provinces are only concerned with their own interests, knowing that losing Balochistan’s government will not affect their health or well-being. Their goal is to control Punjab, which is why the political party with the majority in Punjab forms the federal government.
Balochistan shares borders with Iran and Afghanistan, making it easy for individuals to move between these countries. Consequently, smuggling into our country often originates from here. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa also faces similar issues, with separatist forces frequently emerging. The activities of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan also originate from this province, and we know that terrorism in the country often starts here. We are currently dealing with uncertainty in two crucial provinces.
On one hand, terrorism is being carried out openly from foreign borders, while on the other, violence is occurring within Balochistan. We are continuously trying to rectify matters through successive operations, but the situation remains unchanged, and stability eludes the country. Our weakness is evident: while no other country is willing to support us, China has extended its hand during our difficult times, investing heavily in us. Yet, we are unable to protect its engineers, and China continues to support us despite the constant transfer of bodies of its people.
In many areas of Balochistan, people cannot safely pass through even during the day. Why has such a dangerous situation arisen? If missing persons are involved in terrorist activities, they should be brought before civil courts instead of being disappeared. Forced disappearances will not resolve the issue but rather exacerbate it. Even if Akbar Bugti was a criminal, he should have been brought before the nation. It is not right to kill an 80-year-old and silence him.
We do not know when we will overcome this terrorism. Until peace is established here, no country will invest in us. All dreams of sovereignty and self-reliance will remain unfulfilled. A solution must be found to establish peace in Balochistan that does not further demoralize or distress the people. Simply disappearing individuals will not solve the problem but may instead lead to further unrest. Those who do not support terrorists today may join them tomorrow if the situation does not improve.