Why Baloch cannot benefit from their natural resources?

By, I.Baloch

Pakistan occupied Balochistan’s total area is 347,190 km (134,051 square miles). According to government figures 2009 estimates, Balochistan has a population of nearly 10 million this, however, is a guesstimate because there has been no proper consensus in Balochistan. The Baloch homeland is bordered with Iran in the west, Afghanistan and the North West Frontier Province to the North, Punjab and Sindh in the East. South of Balochistan is bordered with the Arabian Sea. There are 32 districts in Balochistan which include 1. Awaran. 2, Barkhan. 3, Bolan. 4, Chagai. 5, Dera Bugti. 6, Gwader. 7, Harnai. 8, Jafarabad. 9, Jhal Magsi. 10, Kalat. 11, Kech. 12, Kharan. 13, Khuzdar. 14, Kohlu. 15, Lasbela. 16, Loralai. 17, Mastung. 18, Mashkel. 19 Naseerabad. 20, Nushki. 21, Panjgur. 22, Pishin. 23, Qilla Abdullah. 24, Qilla Saifullah. 25, Quetta. 26, Sheerani. 27, Sibi. 28, Washuk. 29, Zhob. 30, Ziarat, 31, Lehri. 32, Sobhatpur and Balochistan’s Capital Quetta.  The spoken languages in Balochistan are Balochi, Brahui, Pashto, Hazaragi and several other languages. Balochi language also have many different dialects.

Balochistan is one of resource rich states in the Central Asia.  Nearly $1 trillion worth of mineral deposits have been estimated including, Gold, Copper, Black pearl, Oil, Valuable Stone,  Coal, Chromite, barite, Sulphur, Marble, Iron Ore, Quartzite, Limestone, Sulphor, & Natural Gas.  Additionally Balochistan has a huge coastal belt which stretches to the Straits of Hormuz, world’s most important oil route.

Balochistan’s resources could potentially support the population of Balochistan and bring prosperity to the region.  An independent Balochistan will not need financial support from any other nations in fact Balochistan will positively contribute to stabilize world economy because of the untapped natural resources.

At the time of British departure from Balochistan they recognised Balochistan as an independent state on 11^th August 1947. Balochistan was one of the wealthy nations, compared to many Middle Eastern (Arab Countries) but eight months after its independence, Balochistan was again occupied and forcefully annexed by Pakistan.

After the occupation of Balochistan Pakistan started looting Balochistan’s natural wealth and spending it for the benefit of Punjab and selling it to international companies for peanuts. Pakistan systematically kept the Baloch people backward and deprived them of basic facilities such as schools, hospitals and clean drinking water. Balochistan’s natural gas was not even provided to its inhabitants – the Baloch people.

Pakistan military has carried out at least five major military offensives in Balochistan to crush the Baloch resistance movement against illegal occupation. The Baloch in the first year of their occupation (1948) stated resistance against foreign Pakistani invading forces. The first war of liberation was led by Agha Abdul Karim Baloch the brother of Khan Kalat, the then ruler of Balochistan.  Agha Abdul Karim fought bravely and almost brought occupying Pakistani forces to their knees. As cunning as it is – Pakistan – finally  used some local tribal leaders and parliamentary elements to deceive Prince Karim to accept a so called negotiation offer.

The Pakistani government and its stooges took oath on holy Quran and assured Agha Karim that his demands will be met and the issue will be resolved peacefully but as soon as he came down from the mountains, the Pakistan forces attacked them at Harboi area of Balochistan near Kalat and killed several Baloch fighters and arrested Prince Karim along with many others. The Prince and many of his comrades were imprisoned. Hence Agha Abdul Karim spent most of his life in Prison.

The war of liberation continued even after arrest of Prince Abdul Karim Baloch and continues to this day. On the other hand the Pakistani government continues looting Balochistan’s natural resources.   The Baloch people rightly say that Pakistan needs Balochistan excluding the Baloch people.

The resource rich Asian state of Balochistan which have trillions of dollar worth of Gold and natural gas but the Baloch people are deprived of the basic right to liberty, schools and clean drinking water.  In most areas of Baloch people still depend on rain water and the places made to store water are used by both animals and human. Due drinking such dirty water every year hundreds of Baloch children died. The infant mortality rate continue to grow in Balochistan because of the lack of basic facilities and medication.

Even though the Baloch leadership tried to find peaceful solution of Balochistan issue and wanted to co-exist with Pakistan as peaceful neighbors but Pakistan’s Punjabi military always pushed Baloch people toward the edge and forced them to resort to armed struggle for their rights and freedom.  On 26 August 2006 Pakistani forces killed veteran Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Bugti the chief of Bugti tribe in Balochistan. The killing of Nawab Bugti further confirms the Baloch people’s belief that Baloch and Pakistan cannot co-exist and the only solution to Balochistan’s issue is independence.

Pakistani occupying forces claim to develop the Gawadar area of Balochistan by building the Gawader Port but all local Baloch in surrounding areas of Gawadar are being expelled to facilitate China, its engineers and heavy machinery. The military general have also already allotted large part of lands in Gawadar to their names in an effort to get rich at the cost of Baloch people. China and Pakistan are hand in glove in looting and plundering the natural resources of Baloch and human rights violations against Baloch people.

The Sui area of Dera Bugti Balochistan is extremely rich in gas resources but it’s shocking to see that these resources do not benefit the local inhabitants of Dera Bugti.  Instead the gas is exported to other provinces like Punjab, KPK, and Sindh.  But Baloch people still use wood fire to make their houses warm and cook food. In past 67 years, Pakistan has been benefiting from Balochistan’s natural resources, while the Baloch people face perpetual suffering, death, and killings.

It is time for Baloch leadership to unite and intensify the struggle for national liberation. The world will not recognize Baloch national struggle and Balochistan as a viable state to support the national liberation struggle unless the Baloch unite to prove their strength like their cousins – the Kurds. Today the world is supporting the Kurds because they have realized that if Kurdistan become independent the Kurdish people can sustain and protect their state. Unfortunately the Baloch still lack that strength and capability.