It has been the passage of 52 years now since Pakistan has witnessed the cataclysmic schism of East Pakistan into the formation of a new state, Bangladesh. The fact that history pages had been kept dark from then, and till now, reverberates even a further sense of denialism that pervades our national consciousness to unravel the patterns that led to the separation of our, once, stalwart companions. But, as a nation we moved on, bereft of an honest national debate on this issue needed to forestall our repeated mistakes of the past.
And just by there, the actions of the state which should’ve been demurred by the people of this country to protect their integrity were snubbed, giving the state, impunity to unleash its despotism further. Perhaps, our gloomed history of separation of our Eastern wing has showed the state no ropes to take stock of their mistakes, the heralds of which have been speculated in Pakistan’s most alienated province, Balochistan.
If a segment of people rallies for their rights, they don’t have any animosity against the state, they are demanding what the constitution and state have pledged to them.
The eventuality that this province has been the subject of state’s ire and excoriation holds water because of their fundamental rights, being spurned like no other citizens of any province. Though not of much light, but if sometimes, Balochistan actually mentions this country’s airwaves, it is always on the bestial receiving of state’s circumscribing. The illustrative case of their denial of rights accentuated when the peaceful caravan of Balochistan protestors, from Turbat was violently cordoned off, to an entry in their country’s own capital, Islamabad. To clear the smoke, this capital has been the limelight for many protests and “dharnas” in the recent times, where every political leader finds it a cakewalk to block the capital for the state to capitulate, whether peacefully or not. But it is the people of Balochistan for whom the capital, where this country’s decisive moves are mapped, finds no room to lead a fair protest, just to seek the attention of the state, which in Balochistan they never get.
And to their demands, what had been much extravagant regarding their plea? A question from the state to ensure their basic citizen rights? To put an end to the brazen “enforced disappearances” of their loved ones and to apprise the families of the extrajudicial killings of their beloved, forget about the justifications of those killings. But to the state’s chagrin, the citizens of this country must be docile to the state, and raising demands isn’t their prerogative, as this was all too much to be asked from the loyal citizens, to their state. Hence, the protestors would be no less than some traitors, promoting an agenda, and the state is bound to quell any public salvo against the integrity of this nation.
But what is the state actually meant for, if demanding your constitutionally allocated fundamental rights, becomes outlawed and seeking justice becomes a taboo in a state. Or it is specifically for the people of Balochistan, that they have to stick into their pipe and smoke the fact that this country is being run by some untouchables, who yield the power as they want to, with the exoneration of any law of constitution that could hold them accountable. Eventually, if the state reneges from its promise of obliging his social contract, it is more or less provoking an opportunity to the citizens for violence and protests, which has been the history of East Pakistan.
The matter of fact is that we as a nation, and as a state as well, have never looked back to our history to veneer it with a better future. Perhaps, the debacles of the past are ought to be learned, if the conflicts of the present are considered, significant enough, to be mutually resolved. But the prevailing situation doesn’t imply any positives of the scenario. The state is deploying its machinery to trivialize the people of Balochistan, making them succumb to compromise their prerogatives. Indeed, the state needs to look out of his obsolete playbook now. If a segment of people rallies for their rights, they don’t have any animosity against the state, they are demanding what the constitution and state have pledged to them. For all one knows, the East Pakistan was labelled as traitors, but the time is changed now, Balochistan won’t be. The sooner the untouchables realize this, the better would be the future of Pakistan.