The sardars and their henchmen have indulged in
incessant propaganda that the government is prejudicial towards the people of
Balochistan and purposely keeps the Baloch youth out of provincial and federal
services. Figures quoted by them are Balochistan Constabulary that is 33000
strong, has 32100 Pathans and only 900 Baloch jawans. Police is overwhelmingly
Pushtun. The 12000 strong Coast Guards have only 90 Baloch on its rolls. There
is hardly any Baloch Officer or soldier in the famous Baloch Regiment of
Pakistan Army. This may be due to their own inhibition as Baluchi people
otherwise there is no administrative, legal or political bar on their joining
the services. None of them who wished to join these services was ever rejected.
The Baloch nationalists and sardars are of the view
that the mega projects, now being launched by the government, will benefit the
outsiders md not the Baloch people. This impression is also loaded with
sinister motives. This is how they manage to create anti-state feelings in the
province. If there are no industries to provide employment they are themselves
to blame. They oppose the development of economic projects including
installation of industries and thus the Balochis are made to suffer from sense
of neglect, injustice and deprivation to make the province a fertile ground for
the nationalists and sardars to exploit the masses and blackmail the
authorities. They themselves are responsible for the misery of their people.
The extent of the mineral wealth that awaits
exploitation and the provision of the infrastructure that the province must be
equipped with are monumental in magnitude. The insignificantly small population
locally available, which the sardars have purposely kept uneducated and
unskilled, even if employed hundred percent will hardly be able to handle a
fraction of these gigantic tasks. What they should realize is that throughout
the world, countries with vast economic resources and smaller populations
follow emigration policies under which they attract skilled and unskilled
labour, highly educated persons, technocrats and talent of every kind by
offering attractive remunerations. Balochistan is part of the federation, as
other provinces are. Just as Balochis are free to move to other parts of the
country in search of employment, have the right to acquire and own property,
similarly the people from the other three provinces should not be barred from
entering Balochistan, Rather in their own interests the Balochis should welcome
their Pakistani brethren for developing their virgin resources.
Even within Pakistan there are ample examples of
migration of population from one region to the other for reclamation and
rehabilitation of deserts and uncultivable lands. Naturally people will move
from high density areas to .the sparsely populated regions for development
purposes. In the wake of opening up of a canal network in Bahawalpur State in
the 20th century the Nawab generously welcomed people from all over the country
to own and develop lands without any limitations or encumbrances. Every one
could acquire land at dirt price or for a few rupees per acre and in many cases
the lands were given free of cost. Similarly with, the availability of
irrigation facilities in Sind people reached there from every nook and coiner
of the country. They worked hard and turned arid lands and sandy deserts into
regions where green crops could be seen lustily waving in the gentle winds from
horizon to horizon. Saraikis in Bahawalpur and Sindhis in Sind would have felt
sense of gratitude to the people from the other provinces, mainly Punjab. They
had left their hearths and homes, laboured day in and day out to bring
prosperity to their lands which should have promoted national integration.
However, their small time leaders lit the fires of provincial prejudices by
telling their people that the outsiders had exploited and usurped their rights.
Prejudices are part of human nature and can be very easily stirred by any one
who may look for short cut to leadership.
In view of the above the option with Baloch
regionalists (so called nationalists) is either to let the enormous, wealth of
the province remain unexploited, as it has been in the past, or welcome with
open arms their bretheren from other provinces, act as their hosts in the
brilliant Baloch traditions and work with them hand in hand for the greatness
of their people and people of Pakistan. But this is easier said than done. No
one would be prepared to heed this advice. In view of this, therefore, some
ingenious strategy should be adopted to achieve the desired objective, which
roughly could be on the following lines: