Bastobota without reality chara

Rich in natural and mineral resources, Baluchistan is the largest province of Pakistan but at the same time has a high illiteracy and unemployment rate, which indicates existence of faultiness in the system of utilizing its resources. Baluchistan stands as a strategically crucial province of Pakistan and recently been hit by the Pakistani Armed forces. Sadly this incident, arguably South Asia's one of the most violent conflict has got just a few ‘column-inches’ of print media and barely got a ‘few minutes of airtime’ on countless TV channels. Deployment of the army & the paramilitary Frontier Corps troops and their active involvement in military missions throughout the history of the province explains the failure of the successive governments. Natural and mineral resources including Sui gas have never benefited the people of Baluchistan. Majority are still living in the stone-age and people living close to the gas rich Sui in Baluchistan are still using wood to make fire in winter. The little amount of the resources transferred to Balochistan by Pakistani authorities, usually are handed to tribal leaders, as they are owners of all the land their respective tribes have. It becomes their responsibility to allacate to the population. They, in many cases, spend money on themselves or on their families, which starves the majority of the population.

Baluchistan and Bangladesh do have lot of things in common. For a start, both were (Baluchistan still is) oppressed by Pakistan. Pakistani Government is treating Baluchistan in the same way they treated Bangladesh in post ‘71. Political autonomy was refused to the nations even though both had general elections led and won by Awami League in Bangladesh and The National Awami Party in Baluchistan. Ironically Pakistan blames India for providing financial and military assistance to these nations, other side of the coin shows Pakistan is quite right. China conversely on both cases put its silent support on Pakistan’s shoulder. Differences between Islamabad and the Baloch nationalists existed since 1947 over larger allocation of central tax revenue & development funds and payment of inadequate royalty for the gas found in Baluchistan region, which are also somewhat similar what Bangladesh faced during its stays with Pakistan.

Controversies involving Baluchistan date back to the establishment of the Durand Line in 1893, which divided Pashtun and Baluch tribes living in Afghanistan from those living in what later became Pakistan. Baluchistan had its first elected body in 1972. The National Awami Party won the majority of the seats in Baluchistan and started making noises about state rights. Encouraged by the stand taken by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in Bangladesh, the Baloch and Pashtun nationalists demanded their ‘provincial rights’ from President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in exchange for approving the 1973 constitution consensually. In the same year Pakistan's ‘Inter Services Intelligence’ discovered a delivery of arms supposedly shipped by Iraqi Embassy to members of the Marri tribe in Balochistan. President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto quickly dismissed the provincial government and headed for a military operation as he could successfully mobilized domestic support for his drive against the Baloch; Baloch nationalists responded this by launching a full-scale revolt. Pakistan Army employed brutal methods and equipments, including Huey Cobra helicopter gun-ships, provided by Iran and in some cases flown by Iranian pilots. For the next five years, a 55,000 strong Baloch irregular force fought six strong Pakistan Army divisions, backed by successive air strikes. By the time the fighting ended, an estimated 5,000 insurgents and 3,000 soldiers died along with ten thousands of civilians. The insurgency however came to an end following the army coup of General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq against the civilian government of Bhutto. General Zia desensitized the Baloch and the Pashtun leadership by a multi-faceted strategy aimed at appointing the leaders into office of the federal government while providing jobs and funds to the insecure tribal middle class. He also created maximum political space for the mullah parties in the NWFP and Balochistan so that they could be used in the jihad against the than USSR in neighboring Afghanistan.

The civilian Governments headed by Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif made proposals to the Baloch nationalists and managed to convince them to some extent on giving up violence. But the differences between Islamabad and the Baloch nationalists existed over questions such as political autonomy, larger allocation of central tax revenue and development funds for Baluchistan and payment of inadequate royalty for the gas found in Baluchistan. The return of the Army to power of President-General Pervez Musharraf on October 1999, led to a gradual deterioration of the situation. Musharraf decided to create more cantonments in the province to counter the tribal insurgencies. This aggravated the feelings of anger of the Baloch nationalists who saw this as the preface to a determined military attempt to suppress them. Things started to boil again.

In January 2003, four Pakistan soldiers were alleged of raping a doctor at the Sui gas field. The authorities failed to file a case and Bugti tribesmen attacked the gas field in anger. Other tribes joined in latter, hitting the port at Gwadar as well as destroying railway lines and military facilities. Pakistani forces responded in strength, as what they are best of doing. At that time, Tribal leaders saw the conflict as a big opportunity to get what they considered a fair share of Balochistan's enormous gas resources. The Government saw the fighting as an intolerable challenge to its authority.

The recent military assault however was provoked by a rocket attack at a rally held by Gen. Musharraf in Kohlu in early December last year. A day later, tribal guerrillas opened fire at a military helicopter carrying the Inspector General of the Frontier Corps.  Soon after these attacks, on December 18, 2005, Frontier Corps paramilitary and regular Army units backed by helicopters launched full-scale attacks on the dissidents. Since than, Pakistan’s military has been hammering tribal insurgents using combat jets, helicopters and artillery. More than 600 military checkpoints had been established throughout Balochistan to control the movement of the Balochi people. Hundreds are believed to have died in the fighting reported several sources in Pakistan, tragically mostly civilians. The veteran Baloch leader Sardar Sherbaz Khan Mazari, mentioned that the situation is similar to that which preceded the 1971 Bangladesh war of liberation. Tribal politicians have appealed to human rights bodies and Amnesty International to intervene.

As far as India is concern, till 1977, the Indira Gandhi government actively worked for the democratic aspirations of the Baluchis and Pathans. Some reports suggested that Baluchi fighters were trained in the deserts of Rajasthan. India also provided them with financial and diplomatic assistance at that time which some suspects is still continuing. In a recent interview (December 2005) President Pervez Musharraf accused India of providing moral and material support to rebels in Balochistan. India as usual rejected these allegations and termed Mr. President’s allegation as "completely baseless and false".

General Pervez Musharraf apologized to Bangladesh for the Pakistan Army’s brutality in ’71 in a mild manner during one of his visits to Bangladesh. Some of the former Pakistani Army Generals also apologies informally to their Bangladeshi counterparts and on columns they write in the Pak dailies. Where else, one of their back yard is still dirty and bloody.

There are very few creatures around us including animals of Mirpur Zoo, as innocent as the COW, which is the first Bangali choice during Eid Ul Azha. After the meal, must we say, humm, Bah, Goru ta to besh moja chilo. At least this mush of appreciation the COW nation deserves from humans.

While Bangladeshis digest Hum-Bah meet daily, this is the only time of the year, they get anywhere 'close' to the creature. The Hum-Bah we decided to sacrifice this Qurbani is probably born and raised in a Hindu farmhouse in India. For a Hindu who loves "Mother Hum-Bah" and considers it God, does not want to kill it. Muslims do not trust Hindu's and vice versa. So eating Hindu’s mother seems something satisfactory to the hard core Muslims to be accurate! Price of Hum-Bahs go up year by year, yet fat fool rich people buy them on fat prices. A cow buys another cow, is another way of putting it. At an average of Taka 1000 per skin X 15 million - we are talking about billions going into Islamic charities. Our humble contribution to the terrorism? Perhaps.

We should ask ourselves whether we look up to the creature with LOVE, or do we half wonder and dribble in our mind how 'kofta, kalia' and other delicacies we shall surely be making out of its 'meat' taste? As we prepare to sacrifice the Hum-Bah this Eid, let us make a promise to 'put to death' our hate, anger, greed, and sins. And Hum-Bah? Yes that also.

Eid Mubarak

Subhan Choudhury

End of 2005; a drastic year comes to an end.
2005 has been rather a declarative year as honorable government finally realized that Islamic militants exist in Bangladesh. JMB declared their war against several institutions; AL declared their alliance for next step over to the Power seat, Jamaite Islami declared their unity with BNP will remain no matter what; Ershad declared he will join the alliance which gives the guarantee (no warranty by the way) to keep him as the President, I declared to have my own blog, Falu decleared to have more TV channels, ………..and the list goes on and on and on.

The year started with the assassination of former finance minister Sham AMS Kibria, and ended with JMB’s fear on our future for ever. As more information is coming up on Indian involvement with JMB’s acts, Bombs became less activated in exploded manner I guess. India sure will play a roll in 2006 in Bangladeshi politics and our beloved AL leader Hasina Apa will surely practice more visits to India.

3 important lessons I learnt in 2005:
All people smile in the same language (JMB, JI, BNP, AL etc.).

You can't change the past, but you can ruin the present by worrying over the future (and seat back to relax if you already realized we do not have any future).

The choice you make today will usually affect tomorrow.

Beginning of 2006; a lot needs to be changed socially and politically.
There came a DORBESH in our village last year. He looked like a saint but was quite modern in his approach. He used to sit with his followers in the evening and talked philosophy. During daytime, villagers came with their problems. He never claimed he could solve each and every problem; rather he gave directions and advices. Within a span of 6 months villagers could feel the change in them. A positive change. People from other villages started to came. His advises were proven quite accurate and predictions were right on target. Even the politicians came to his place for his ASHIRBAD which he never refused. He preached all in the light of humanity and carried out his days by giving answers to the questions.

Then the day came when a humble villager said “Baba, give me a TABIZ so that I can control my ill tempered wife”. DORBESH stood up and said, “Just this; I do not have any solution for this one. I left my GHOR BARI PORIBAR 24 years ago failing to control my ill tempered wife!”

All the politicians, social workers, Intellectuals seem to know everything except controlling few ill tempered elements of our daily life. Time goes on………………….

I wish everybody a happy and prosperous new year. Take care of yourselves.

Subhan

January 1, 2006