Revolt in Balochistan against savage state terror

The killing of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, a prominent 79 year old Balochi leader, with dozens of his supporters, in a Pakistan army action on August 26, has resulted in a storm of protests all over Pakistan. Strikes, bandhs and street protests have paralysed normal life in Quetta and other towns. The four legislators from the province have also resigned. People are particularly incensed over the fact that the air force and helicopter gunships were used to bomb the cave in which Bugti and his supporters were taking refuge, and that in a deliberate act of provocation, his body was not returned to his family. The ruthlessness with which the government of Gen. Pervez Musharraf went after Bugti shows its desperation to crush the Balochi nationalist movement, which has a long history. The crisis of Pakistan has intensified, with an array of political forces in that country condemning the barbaric use of military force by the Musharraf regime.

The people of Balochistan have always treasured their independence and have fought militantly against any attempt by outside forces to establish their dictate, whether it was the British colonialists, or later the rulers of Pakistan. However, due to the immense strategic importance of the region, as a bridge between Central, South and Western Asia, they have not been allowed to determine their own destiny. First, the British colonialists garrisoned the region which marked the border of their Indian empire in the West. After the formation of Pakistan, successive Pakistani regimes have denied the aspirations of the people of Balochistan. Major struggles took place in the region in the 1950s and 1970s. Following the Iranian revolution and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Balochistan assumed even more strategic importance for US, which backed Pakistani suppression of the rights of the Balochi people for its own geo political aims.

Following the US imperialists launching of “war against terror”, the strategic importance of Balochistan has further increased, resulting in greater joint US-Pakistani government efforts to completely dominate this area and stamp out any resistance. Balochistan was used as a base for launching the war against Afghanistan, despite the powerful opposition of the Balochi people who share historical ties with the Afghan people. The brutal occupation of Afghanistan has further incensed the Balochi people. The US backed puppet regime of Afghanistan has charged that opposition Taliban forces are taking refuge in Balochistan. Meanwhile, with US imperialism preparing for military action against Iran, the strategic importance of controlling Balochistan has increased for the US. It is in this context that the military assault by the Pakistani army against the Balochis needs to be seen.

Balochistan is rich in oil and natural gas. It is also the route through which the proposed pipeline by the US from the Central Asian Republics through Afghanistan passes, towards the Arabian sea. This has made it extremely important for the US imperialists. The Sui gas fields supply a major portion of the gas piped to different parts of Pakistan. The proposed Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline also has to pass through Balochistan. Balochistan also has a long coastline, and, with Chinese help, the Pakistan authorities are constructing a major port in Gwadar which is expected to be second only to Karachi, and more secure than Karachi because of its distance from India. Gwadar is expected to be a major outlet for oil and other goods from China and Central Asia to the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf region. The Pakistani ruling circles are therefore extremely keen to crush the aspirations of the Balochis and stamp out all resistance to their rule. There is great resentment among Balochis over the unfair economic treatment meted out to them. This includes inadequate royalty payments for the gas piped out of the region, the very apparent neglect of the economic development of the region as a whole, and the fact that contracts and jobs associated with the new projects have in the main gone to people from outside the region. There have been attacks on the gas piplines and on the Gwadar port in recent times.

Both in the name of ensuring security for its economic projects, and as part of its strategic operations in the region, the Pakistani army is in the process of establishing three new cantonments in the area. This has been vociferously opposed by the Balochi people.

Balochistan is seething with discontent. Just as is the case with other parts of South Asia, including India, the legacy of colonial rule, complete insensitivity on the part of the ruling circles to the national aspirations of the peoples, and the disturbing impact of imperialist geopolitics and rivalry, have brought this region to the brink. The people of the area are the biggest victims. Their resources have been exploited, and they have been placed under the jackboots of military forces. Without addressing the national and social aspirations of the Balochi people as well as all other peoples who constitute the present state of Pakistan, without opposing the ever growing US imperialist interference in the region, including the alliances of Pakistan and India with US imperialism, the crisis of Pakistan will only intensify.