In Gwadar, a distant glow
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In the otherwise dismally predictable political landscape of Pakistan, the recent local bodies elections in Balochistan come as a welcome surprise. Held after a gap of a decade and in the backdrop of a violent insurgency, the polls not only went off peacefully but also saw not only a significant number of people standing for election (over 17,000 candidates contested some 4,556 seats) but a heartening voter turnout as well. Turbat division, for example, boasted a voter turnout of 61%.
Conventional wisdom has it that by and large the population of Balochistan has become alienated from the political process, a casualty of the ‘engineering’ and politics of patronage that, while more or less a norm across the country, traditionally finds its worst manifestation in Pakistan’s largest and most underdeveloped province.
This is true, but it is not the only truth; indeed, one often finds that several – sometimes contradictory – truths can and do exist simultaneously. One such truth is that the people of Balochistan are hungry for change and representative leadership and, given the chance, would choose leaders they feel have their best interests at heart and who are connected to the pulse of the people. The corollary is that if they are deprived of that chance, the results can only be disastrous. Thankfully we saw that in these elections, the spectre of ‘management’ was nowhere to be seen and that the polls were indeed largely free and fair. And the people responded. Granted, in the aftermath of recent high-profile attacks in Balochistan there were whispers that the Powers That Be had finally realized that the controlling tactics of the past had badly backfired. If the manner in which the elections were conducted is a sign that future polls will not be manoeuvred and stage-managed that that can only be a good thing. However, experience does teach us to be cautious on this note. One swallow does not make for spring, after all.
The most interesting result was in Gwadar, where Maulana Hidayat-ur-rehman’s “Gwadar ko haq do Tehreek’s” supported candidates swept the polls by bagging 27 out of 39 seats on which polls were conducted. This is incredibly impressive for a man who only truly emerged on the political scene a few years back as the leading light and figurehead of the newly minted aforementioned Tehreek. This isn’t to say that Rehman was a political nobody prior to this; a member of the Jamaat-e-Islami who has been involved in Gwadar politics since at least 2013, he has previously unsuccessfully contested provincial and national assembly elections as well.
Initially, it seemed to not just catch the local administration but also local political parties by surprise. Both tried to ignore the movement, only responding when it became clear that this was no flash in the pan.
Zarrar Khuhro
But he came to national attention when massive peaceful protests swept the port city of Gwadar, reaching their peak in late 2021. These protests were apolitical in the sense that they were not borne out of the temporary grievances of a political party, but instead tapped into the genuine needs and fears of the local population. The demands were simple: water, power and the right to make a living wage for those locals who have not seen the benefits of much-trumpeted development trickle down to them. Gwadar may be billed as the crown jewel of CPEC and may appear to glitter from a distance but I can personally assure you that when you see it on the ground, this jewel doesn’t exactly shine.
The protests were also remarkable for the number of women that participated in the rallies and for the fact that there was not a single untoward incident in all the gatherings that took place. Initially, it seemed to not just catch the local administration but also local political parties by surprise. Both tried to ignore the movement, only responding when it became clear that this was no flash in the pan. The administration ended up acknowledging his demands, perhaps in the hope that their promises would soon be forgotten, but Rehman kept up the pressure. Some mainstream parties did try and join in as an afterthought but never came close to co-opting the movement and dark muttering by some nationalists that the Maulana was a Trojan Horse of some kind were clearly ignored by the people of Gwadar.
And now Rehman has pulled off another rare feat by transforming a protest movement into an effective political force, something that the PTM, for example, has been unable to do.
But a greater challenge awaits as winning an election is one thing while delivering on promises made is quite another. In this, the movement is likely to be hindered by the fact that local bodies, while empowered on paper, are effectively at the mercy of the provincial government which, like all governments, is loath to cede power and authority. This is one of the great tragedies of Pakistan’s political system, where all parties wax eloquent about the need for empowered local bodies, but are generally loath to actually empower said bodies. Ironically, if not surprisingly, even the architects and greatest proponents of the 18th amendment are happy with power being devolved to the provinces, just so long as the buck stops there. It’s a short-sighted and frankly defeatist attitude because local bodies are the nursery of genuine political leaders and workers, the very leaders and workers that provide the muscles and sinews that a party needs to survive and thrive, especially in bad times. Without that cadre, a political party is like a high-rise tower built on a foundation of sand: it will always swing in the breeze and be toppled by a gust.
– Zarrar Khuhro is a Pakistani journalist who has worked extensively in both the print and electronic media industry. He is currently hosting a talk show on Dawn News.
Twitter: @ZarrarKhuhro
