The Role of Leadership in Achieving goals

By Shahdad Baloch

 Aristotle advised Alexander the great, to work to master his emotions and train himself to think ahead. Alexander after conquering the known world said, “This action will advance me towards my goal and this one will lead me nowhere.”  A leader needs to be patient enough to plot several steps ahead. The path to your goal may be indirect; your actions may be strange to other people, but so much the better: the less the enemies understand you, the easier they are to deceive, manipulate and seduce.

There is another perspective of leadership by Olympian – the father of Alexander who used to go to direct battles but he lost his hold on the tribes in Thebes and Athens and got separated from other mortals. Running a war as a general is not leadership but politics and political manoeuvring is the major art of leadership. Alexander in his war with Persia, despite winning several battles, did not consider direct war with Darius the king of Persia. Instead, he focused on winning the hearts and minds of the people who were under the Persian empires. Napoleon Bonaparte said about Alexander, “What I particularly admire in Alexander is not so much of his campaigns but his political sense. He possessed the art of winning the affection of the people. “

The leadership perspective seemed to be working on two different ways of thinking. One way of thinking starts with a whole, takes everything as a whole and proceeds while the other thinking starts with parts, divides complex matter into components and then deals with them one by one with an emphasis on analysis and logical reason. So is the leadership in Balochistan freedom struggle. The nation will never achieve its ultimate goal in the contemporary era with battles only but what matter is a political roadmap.

On August, 25 2021 Taliban toppled the Afghan government since then they are not being recognized by any judicious country because they only fought and build an image before their people that the future of the Afghan people is in the hands of these narrow minded religious fundamentalists who this round pretend have a nationalistic element in their approach. In Baloch struggle the approach of being least political and more fanatical is frequently harming the movement because winning the hearts and minds of people needs a concrete roadmap and its implementation.

The success of the black revolution came up with political thought and a charter namely the Freedom Charter by African National Congress (ANC). In 1955, the ANC sent out 50,000 volunteers into townships and the countryside to collect “freedom demands” from the people of South Africa. This system was designed to give all South Africans equal rights. The charter also calls for democracy and human rights, land reform, labour rights, and nationalisation. This came after about a decade of multi-faceted resistance to white minority Apartheid rule and in the wake of the Defiance Campaign of 1952; the work to create the Freedom Charter was in part a response to an increasingly repressive government that was bent on stamping out extra-parliamentary dissent.

Likewise, after decades of resistance and struggle without a clear road map the Baloch pro-freedom parties must endorse the Balochistan Liberation Charter. In my opinion statesmanship and leadership in Baloch freedom movement emerged when the Balochistan Liberation charter was presented before the world that what would be Balochistan after gaining freedom from both Iran and Pakistan. Mr Hyrbyair Marri fulfilled the true essence of leadership by winning the hearts and minds of the Baloch people. The regional politics amid the changing paradigm shift of politics from one pole to the other and the situation in Afghanistan is demanding Baloch leadership to come up with a clear roadmap.

The political history across Balochistan has never been satisfactory before the world because of countries like Pakistan, Iran and now Afghanistan, amid this without a clear roadmap how could the world muster up coverage to support a freedom movement in the turmoil region? Some rival groups or even countries might support some groups in Balochistan only to keep Pakistan, Iran or Afghanistan unstable but this doesn’t count as supporting the Baloch national liberation struggle.

 There is no leadership crisis in the Baloch freedom movement but a deterrent factor in endorsing the Balochistan Liberation Charter for which all political and military wings of Balochistan are responsible to answer before the Baloch nation.

Sadly, some Baloch freedom seekers have compromised on Iranian occupied Balochistan and such attitudes are frequently maligning the movement because if a party or a leader is it not clear to the political cause then how would they expect the world to support the Baloch liberation struggle? Frequent use of social media to blame international organizations and the civilized world will never help us out but a single charter with a unanimous approach would turn the paradigm of global politics in favour of the Baloch freedom movement.

Both Iran and Pakistan are rampant in indiscriminate killing of Baloch people regardless of their age, gender, social or political status.  The Baloch movement has entered now into its third decade but without any significant progress. Whether the Baloch leadership has pondered on this? The answer is affirmative when we speak about Mr Hyrbyair Marri because he is the only leader who took stands for unity multiple times in fact FBM’s attempt for unity or coordination is currently ongoing.

On a lighter note, the rest of the pro-freedom parties has contributed nothing but watched suppression in silence.

Moreover, keeping aside the national interests few segments within the Baloch movement started backdoor talks with neighbouring countries such actions can serve personal interests for time being but not add any value to the cause for which the nation is ahead. This fragmented approach has to some extent discouraged Balochistan’s neighbouring countries to raise the Baloch cause on international forums.

In the Baloch freedom struggle, only war is not the pathway that could get the success. But a clear roadmap is required which is the Balochistan Liberation Charter but there are personal interests that are barriers before endorsing it. The international community give their ears and voice when Baloch national leaders came up with a strategy and roadmap. It is all about responsibility but with our conduct we are not ready to face the world, if this is the issue then those who claim leadership are politicians because a leader leads the nation and help for achieving the goal.

For two decades the Baloch nation has been observing that amongst all political parties and leadership Hyrbyair Marri and his party Free Balochistan Movement’s stand is uncompromising in serving the national interests. Hyrbyair Marri has faced the nation multiple times via webinars and answered the questions of the nation. The Baloch nation expects the same from other parties and leaders that which is the reason that despite decades we are lagging in terms of progress toward achieving the ultimate goal. For the sake of the Baloch nation, the parties and leaders have to emerge and break the ice by the accepting their mistakes and strive to rectify those.

Once the addresser is common then obviously the international community and neighbouring countries will listen to our cause. Leaders should represent Balochistan’s all three part as one nation and one country, not only a portion of land to give preference to their personal benefits over the national interests of Baloch people. The struggle is not about winning small battles but the war that could lead us to achieve our goal of becoming a free and independent nation once again.