The Pakistani state is pushing youth in Balochistan towards militancy

A protest march led by a young woman has once again brought Pakistan’s attention to the perennial issue of missing persons in its troubled Balochistan province. The 1600-mile long march that started from Quetta earlier this month ended in a brutal crackdown by authorities in Islamabad. Scores of protesters were arrested after the police used water cannons to stop their protest.

A large number of these protesters were women whose family members have either been missing for years or their tortured bodies were dumped after being picked up by security agencies. The main objective of the march was to draw attention towards growing state repression. But the authorities were not even willing to listen to their cries for justice.

What happened in Islamabad last week with Baloch protesters demonstrates that the state is not prepared to review its policy of repression; a policy that has created a very volatile situation in the restive province. The numbers of enforced disappearances and incidents of judicial killings is increasing as the state faces a growing separatist militancy. Human rights organizations say thousands of Baloch men are still missing.

It was the brutal killing of Balaach Mola Bakhsh in Turbat- a remote town in Balochistan- last month by the state’s counter terrorism force, that spurred the latest wave of protests that spread to large parts of the militancy ravaged province. The death of Baksh, a folk singer, has also led to the march to Islamabad.  According to reports, he was taken into custody on Oct. 29 for his alleged links with Baloch militants and was produced before a court a month later.

Authorities said Bakhsh was leading them to the militants’ hideout when he was killed in a shootout with insurgents. The claim was rejected by relatives and the local population. The family left his body out in the open for several days, refusing to bury him.  Following the incidents, the protesters marched to Islamabad, to draw attention to forced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in the militancy-ravaged province. The march is led by Mahrang Baloch, a young doctor from Turbat.

A firebrand speaker, Mahrang is one of the most prominent leaders of the Baloch Unity Committee, which has organized the march. Baloch began her activism following the 2009 abduction of her father. His body, bearing signs of torture, was found in 2011. The circumstances surrounding his disappearance remain unclear. The story of other protesters, mostly women, is not very different. In fact, the movement is now increasingly led by women.

The story of other protesters, mostly women, is not very different. In fact, the movement is now increasingly led by women.

Zahid Hussain

For many years, Balochistan has been in the grip of a low-intensity conflict, and has experienced four insurgencies since Pakistan’s creation in 1947. The latest phase of the conflict began around two decades ago, after a period of relative calm from 1980 to 1988 when civilian rule was restored, bringing Baloch nationalists back into the political mainstream.

With the return of military rule in 1999, that period of calm ended. As the new regime started tightening its federal control, tensions grew, coming to a head with the killing of Akbar Bugti in 2006 in an army operation. Once again unrest, which had always been simmering under the surface, spilled over leading to a fresh uprising.

For long, the Baloch people have had very genuine grievances, but instead of these being addressed, force has been deployed to suppress their protests. It is in these circumstances that many among the Baloch, who had lost hope in the political struggle, made the decision to join armed groups. No longer is the insurgency confined to the tribal areas; its centre of gravity lies in a region free of feudal and tribal hold. Extrajudicial killings and the illegal detention of political activists by Pakistan’s intelligence agencies have further fuelled alienation.

With little investment in the economic uplift of the population, the province remains the most underdeveloped region in the country despite being rich in natural wealth. That has provided militant groups with an enabling environment to attract disgruntled youth, giving a fresh impetus to militancy in the province. The state repression has the effect of pushing many moderates towards radical elements, as a result of which the province now stands dangerously polarized.

The use of brute force has further widened the distrust of an alienated population making it a conducive ground for external forces. In recent years, scores of Baloch students have been picked up by security agencies from various universities in the country. There is a fear that they will never come home alive. Such draconian measures have pushed many Baloch youth to militancy.  But the state cannot control the insurgency by resorting to judicial killings. It won’t work, and it must stop its repressive actions before it’s too late.

- Zahid Hussain is an award-winning journalist and author. He is a former scholar at Woodrow Wilson Centre and a visiting fellow at Wolfson College, University of Cambridge, and at the Stimson Center in DC. He is author of Frontline Pakistan: The struggle with Militant Islam and The Scorpion’s tail: The relentless rise of Islamic militants in Pakistan. Frontline Pakistan was the book of the year (2007) by the WSJ. His latest book ‘No-Win War’ was published this year. Twitter: @hidhussain