The crisis in Balochistan
On May 25, the US Institute of Peace hosted an event entitled The Crisis in Balochistan. This event was meant to highlight the ongoing unrest in Balochistan, and provide information on the causes of the unrest.
Archived audio of the event can be found at the link above, which goes to the USIP page for the event. It is an mp3 file, about 16 Meg in size, and runs about 90 minutes.
The event was moderated by J Alexander Thier of the USIP.
The panelists were:
Some photos of the event can be found in a post at the Government of Balochistan in Exile blog.
Thier welcomed everybody. He said the focus of the event would be primarily on Pakistani Balochistan, which has been a place of "frequent and unresolved conflict." He brought up the old conundrum of whether this was a police action or military action, whether this was terrorism or a nationalist insurgency.
He brought up three strategic interests involving Balochistan that should concern us all. The first is the stability of Pakistan itself. The second is the stability of Afghanistan and the region. The third is the broader economic picture (ports, mineral wealth, etc...).
The first speaker was Senator Sanaullah Baloch, who spoke via a recorded video presentation. The Senator was awarded a National Endowment for Democracy fellowship, and had a visa to come to the US in March, awarded by the State Dept, but the visa was cancelled. (I hope that's not a statement of US support, or lack thereof, for Balochistan.)
The Senator said Pakistani pressure led to the cancellation of his visa. (Has anyone seen the State Dept's backbone?)
He started by talking about the forced merger of Balochistan with Pakistan. (For more on this, see here, here and here at GOB Exile.)
The Senator spoke about the poliics of the region. Balochistan is in between two nuclear states, Iran and Pakistan. He reviewed past and present military action in Balochistan. He spoke of natural resources in Balochistan, and how the province receives a small share of the benefits. For instance, much of the gas is piped elsewhere in Pakistan. Also, Pakistan's government has awarded some resource concessions to China. (And China is also developing the port of Gwadar, where the local population receives little benefit in terms of employment, etc...)
As an example, he cited a large mine in which Pakistan's government will get 48% of the benefits, the Chinese will get 50%, and Balochistan will get 2%.
He spoke about the extent of Pakistani military sites throughout Balochistan. But, he said there was little human resource development for the people of Balochistan.
He spoke about the role of political parties in the Balochistan issue. He said the Taliban active in Balochistan operate there against the wishes of Baloch parties.
He addressed the human rights violations in Balochistan. The Pakistani military seeks to intimidate activists in Balochistan. Pakistan has not signed various human rights standards.
The next speaker was Selig Harrison.
He noticed several Balochs in the audience.
He pointed out how Balochistan also includes parts of Afghanistan, and of Iran. He said Iranian forces in Iranian Balochistan have been bombing and strafing Baloch villages. Reasons include stepped up Baloch activity there, but also because Iran suspect the Balochs are cooperating with US Special Forces operating in Iran. He said 3,000 troops have been sent to the area.
He reviewed the brutality of past Pakistani oppression in Balochistan, and how it plays a role in the unrest today. (In the 1970s, Pakistan used Iranian helicopters, given to Iran by the US, and even used Iranian pilots. The Shah was fearful of Baloch unrest spreading to Iran.)
He said the Pakistani military doesn't officially acknowledge the operations in Balochistan, and keeps journalists out for the most part. Human Rights organizations report indiscriminate bombing and strafing. Some of this involves US-supplied helicopters which were meant to fight the Taliban.
He said the Bush Administration should call on the Musharraf government to start negotiations with Balochistan immediately. He said Pakistan is likely to become increasingly ungovernable if the unrest continues long-term without a political settlement. He said aid to Pakistan should be withheld until the military repression is stopped and negotiations are started.
He said the US should then support democratization efforts in Balochistan once the present crisis is diffused. (It would include autonomy for Sindhis and Pashtuns.)
The third speaker was Frederic Grare.
He said he would try to place the previous discussion into some context.
(His accent and sound level made him difficult to understand at times.)
He said there was no love lost between the fundamentalists in the Pashtun belt and the Baloch nationalists in the Baloch districts of Balochistan.
He said an independent Balochistan may not be viable if it has to depend largely on natural resource development. There must be other elements.
He, too, pointed out how natural resources are largely benefiting other regions of Pakistan. He said it's not that no natural resources should be used outside Balochistan, but what are the priorities.
He spoke about Gwadar, and how little of the development there benefits the Baloch population living in the area.
He spoke of how the presence of the Pakistani military combined with the lack of benefits from natural resources causes resentment in the Baloch people, and is a factor in the unrest.
He talked about the implications of an independent Balochistan. He said it might lead to another area of instability in the region, which doesn't need it. He said Balochistan doesn't currently have the human resources for its own development. Pakistan would feel the loss of natural resources.
He said there is a split between those who want a negotiated settlement, and those who want a military settlement.
The remainder of the time (about 40 minutes) was given over to a Q&A session.
Other accounts of this event can be found at the Daily Times, and at the Pakistan Christian Post.
Archived audio of the event can be found at the link above, which goes to the USIP page for the event. It is an mp3 file, about 16 Meg in size, and runs about 90 minutes.
The event was moderated by J Alexander Thier of the USIP.
The panelists were:
- Senator Sanaullah Baloch, (via video)
Senate of Pakistan - Frederic Grare
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace - Selig Harrison
Center for International Policy
Some photos of the event can be found in a post at the Government of Balochistan in Exile blog.
Thier welcomed everybody. He said the focus of the event would be primarily on Pakistani Balochistan, which has been a place of "frequent and unresolved conflict." He brought up the old conundrum of whether this was a police action or military action, whether this was terrorism or a nationalist insurgency.
He brought up three strategic interests involving Balochistan that should concern us all. The first is the stability of Pakistan itself. The second is the stability of Afghanistan and the region. The third is the broader economic picture (ports, mineral wealth, etc...).
The first speaker was Senator Sanaullah Baloch, who spoke via a recorded video presentation. The Senator was awarded a National Endowment for Democracy fellowship, and had a visa to come to the US in March, awarded by the State Dept, but the visa was cancelled. (I hope that's not a statement of US support, or lack thereof, for Balochistan.)
The Senator said Pakistani pressure led to the cancellation of his visa. (Has anyone seen the State Dept's backbone?)
He started by talking about the forced merger of Balochistan with Pakistan. (For more on this, see here, here and here at GOB Exile.)
The Senator spoke about the poliics of the region. Balochistan is in between two nuclear states, Iran and Pakistan. He reviewed past and present military action in Balochistan. He spoke of natural resources in Balochistan, and how the province receives a small share of the benefits. For instance, much of the gas is piped elsewhere in Pakistan. Also, Pakistan's government has awarded some resource concessions to China. (And China is also developing the port of Gwadar, where the local population receives little benefit in terms of employment, etc...)
As an example, he cited a large mine in which Pakistan's government will get 48% of the benefits, the Chinese will get 50%, and Balochistan will get 2%.
He spoke about the extent of Pakistani military sites throughout Balochistan. But, he said there was little human resource development for the people of Balochistan.
He spoke about the role of political parties in the Balochistan issue. He said the Taliban active in Balochistan operate there against the wishes of Baloch parties.
He addressed the human rights violations in Balochistan. The Pakistani military seeks to intimidate activists in Balochistan. Pakistan has not signed various human rights standards.
The next speaker was Selig Harrison.
He noticed several Balochs in the audience.
He pointed out how Balochistan also includes parts of Afghanistan, and of Iran. He said Iranian forces in Iranian Balochistan have been bombing and strafing Baloch villages. Reasons include stepped up Baloch activity there, but also because Iran suspect the Balochs are cooperating with US Special Forces operating in Iran. He said 3,000 troops have been sent to the area.
He reviewed the brutality of past Pakistani oppression in Balochistan, and how it plays a role in the unrest today. (In the 1970s, Pakistan used Iranian helicopters, given to Iran by the US, and even used Iranian pilots. The Shah was fearful of Baloch unrest spreading to Iran.)
He said the Pakistani military doesn't officially acknowledge the operations in Balochistan, and keeps journalists out for the most part. Human Rights organizations report indiscriminate bombing and strafing. Some of this involves US-supplied helicopters which were meant to fight the Taliban.
He said the Bush Administration should call on the Musharraf government to start negotiations with Balochistan immediately. He said Pakistan is likely to become increasingly ungovernable if the unrest continues long-term without a political settlement. He said aid to Pakistan should be withheld until the military repression is stopped and negotiations are started.
He said the US should then support democratization efforts in Balochistan once the present crisis is diffused. (It would include autonomy for Sindhis and Pashtuns.)
The third speaker was Frederic Grare.
He said he would try to place the previous discussion into some context.
(His accent and sound level made him difficult to understand at times.)
He said there was no love lost between the fundamentalists in the Pashtun belt and the Baloch nationalists in the Baloch districts of Balochistan.
He said an independent Balochistan may not be viable if it has to depend largely on natural resource development. There must be other elements.
He, too, pointed out how natural resources are largely benefiting other regions of Pakistan. He said it's not that no natural resources should be used outside Balochistan, but what are the priorities.
He spoke about Gwadar, and how little of the development there benefits the Baloch population living in the area.
He spoke of how the presence of the Pakistani military combined with the lack of benefits from natural resources causes resentment in the Baloch people, and is a factor in the unrest.
He talked about the implications of an independent Balochistan. He said it might lead to another area of instability in the region, which doesn't need it. He said Balochistan doesn't currently have the human resources for its own development. Pakistan would feel the loss of natural resources.
He said there is a split between those who want a negotiated settlement, and those who want a military settlement.
The remainder of the time (about 40 minutes) was given over to a Q&A session.
Other accounts of this event can be found at the Daily Times, and at the Pakistan Christian Post.
1 Comments:
At Thu Jun 01, 02:46:00 AM, C.S. Scott said…
Excellent post Jeff...both interesting and informative.
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