STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan
We all live our lives with the face we are born with. It’s a fact of life you cannot argue with. At times one succeeds in concealing shortcomings or enhance some features, temporarily through make-up aids. Developments in technology does give some long–term respites like hair transplants for baldness. Those who can afford it, go for facial alterations, get do-overs that give great results like our CM Punjab. However, our inner eye always knows the truth and reality. We can expand this analogy to cover many other realities that one is born with. You have no control over where you are born, your religion at birth, your ethnicity, financial and social standing of your family. We labor through life trying to make a success out of all the intangibles one is born into.
That is true also for the Islamic Republic of Pakistan born on 14th August 1947. We were conceived and delivered through a democratic struggle as homeland for Muslims of the subcontinent. This August, we will be 78 years old, same as India. This is where the similarity ends. Pakistan was led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah under the banner of Muslim League. A brilliant, upright and honest leader who could have laid basis for democracy. He was diedprematurely due to TB. Muslim League had roots and organization in North India and Bengal. It could not translate into an effective party in West Pakistan. On the other hand, Indian Congress had a long history and deep roots and was ably led by stalwarts like Nehru, Patel and Gandhi.
Pakistan in its 77 years of history has been unable to resolve its fundamental issue. Are we going to exist as a democracy or a dictatorship? We have experimented with both and nothing seems to work. Unlike India that overcame colonial mindset very early, we have been dominated by it. Our white colonial masters departed only to be replaced by “brown sahibs”. Post independence,they were British trained bureaucrats who got overtaken by the generals who wield guns. They were predominantly Punjabi with some from KP and Urdu-speaking migrants. The ruling elite acted out their “sahib” role by looking at Bengal, Baluchistan, Tribal Belt and Northern Areas as their colonies.
Free-spirited Bengalis were the backbone for an independent Pakistan movement. They put up with this monstrous behavior for a while. In 1971 they chose the path of independence with Indian support with whom it had contiguous borders. We are seeing the same process being re-enacted in Baluchistan and other parts of Pakistan. Baluchistan constitutes 44% of our landmass. They are sparsely populated constituting about 6% of Pakistan’s population. Both the Baluch and Pashtoons living there are fiercely independent. Our Brown Sahibs have been trying to dominate them since 1948. Military action and Baluchistan have become synonymous. Starting with action against Khan of Kalat to Ayub Khan, Bhutto and Musharraf and continuing till today, our rulers have always relied on use of arms to dominate this province.
In the words of Akhtar Mengal, leader of one the largest Baluch tribes, Baluchistan’s “sahil aur wasail”, its coastline and mineral wealth have become its worst nightmare. Gwador coastline is a huge asset that can be the hub for any going North. Baluch deposits of copper, gold, rare minerals, oil and gas makes them one of the richest in the world. It can feed every Pakistani for generations. Yet work is stalled due to security concerns. What are the Baluchidemands? They want a fair share of the revenues to uplift the residents. Why has the State failed to negotiate a deal? Because the rulers are going about it the wrong way. They want to suppress Baluchis through guns using their touts amongst the local politicians.
Anyone who protests goes missing. A phenomenon that has been going on in Baluchistan for decades. Punjabis have experienced this in the last two years and come to realize the pain associated. The blockade in the whole process is our swinging pendulum between democracy and fascism. The generals have become all powerful and they have found political touts willing to dance to their tunes. They have failed to deliver on all fronts. They areattempting to make up for it through falsehoods promoted on Pakistan’s controlled media. In this age of social media facts cannot be suppressed, hence all the narratives expounded by this rogue regime are falling flat.
The recent train hijacking by BLA is a prime example. It is a humungous intelligence agencies failure. Why? Because all their capacities have been deployed in undoing PTI and its supporters. ISI, once a premium force recognized worldwide, have lost their focus. This distraction led to total failure in identifying movements of hundreds of BLA operatives. The statements by ISPR are full of holes. BLA and Indian media are propagating lop-sided versions. Objective observers are forming their opinion based on eye witnesses accounts and independent media like BBC and other credible outlets. The hurried conclusion of the entire insurgency has raised many more questions.
Speeches in parliament of Regime’s Touts, right upto the PM, are attempting to use this national tragedy to badmouth IK and PTI. The whole propaganda machine is being deployed to create chaos and confusion to blockade the will of the people. The country is on life-support in more ways than one and our myopic Generals don’t see beyond their nose. Allah bless Pakistan.
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