Baloch rebels go for the jugular, challenge Pakistan in Punjab(IN)
Pakistan’s Punjab has become a fixture with Baloch and Sindhi nationalists who accuse the Pakistani Punjabi elite of subjugating other communities…writes Rahul Kumar
As an unstable Pakistan totters, plagued by governance failure, burgeoning economic crisis and spiralling violence, the Baloch rebels have challenged the country’s powerful establishment in Punjab.
In a video released on Monday, Commander-in-Chief of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) Bashir Zaib has threatened the Pakistani army by attacking it in the heart of Pakistan – Punjab. In his trademark video, other videos also have the same landscape and gun-toting rebels behind him, Zaib says: “If our comrades can attack the Pakistani army camps and check posts, then they can also attack your markets and even the parliament in Punjab. But we do not want to take people’s lives”.
Threatening Pakistan directly, he says: “… however, that is what your army is doing in Balochistan – killing innocent children and women. We do not want to do what the Pakistani army is doing, but it is forcing us to take that direction”. Zaib adds that the “Punjabi army of Pakistan is compelling us to go to the mountains though we don’t want it…”.
The video was released barely three days after the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of Pakistan abducted Baloch nationalist Mahal Baloch and harassed the women folk including young girls in her family. The abduction was done on the suspicion that Mahal is a possible suicide bomber who was planning to undertake a mission.
Mahal does belong to a family of Baloch nationalists where almost all the women and men have taken up the cause of an independent Balochistan.
Some of the Baloch leaders have undermined the video by calling it an old video. However, the timing of the video coincides with the spike in violence – suicide bombers, gun and bomb attacks as well as the targeting of Pakistani army patrols through improvised explosive devices (IEDs) happening in some of the most important provinces of Pakistan – Punjab, Balochistan, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Geopolitical analyst Mark Kinra says, “the BLA leader’s recent threat should be looked at through a wider lens – one, that Pakistan’s security apparatus is getting weaker. The more the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) gets aggressive, BLA and other Baloch fighters also get a boost. Second, under international law civilians, mainly women and children, are not supposed to be targeted in war”.
Kinra adds that Mahal Baloch’s detention deeply affects the Baloch society which sees it as unfair harassment of Baloch women.
“The establishment has targeted Baloch underground workers and their families in the past as well. In Jan 2022, the BNA had claimed responsibility for Lahore’s Anarkali Market blast but the Mahal Baloch abduction by the security forces will give Baloch organizations fresh impetus”, says Kinra, adding that they may go to the extent of attacking civilians in Punjab.
Exactly one year back the BLA had stunned the world with its daring attack on the Pakistani Frontier Corps (FC) headquarters in Panjgur, Balochistan. It not only managed to storm the FC camp but also held it for nearly 40 hours in the face of a multi-force Pakistani military assault.
Pakistan’s Punjab has become a fixture with Baloch and Sindhi nationalists who accuse the Pakistani Punjabi elite of subjugating other communities in multi-ethnic Pakistan and unleashing discrimination and violence against them.
(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)
The cancer disease continues to spread in Balochistan and it has claimed scores of human lives during the last few years….reports Asian Lite News
The medical supply to CENAR Cancer Hospital in Balochistan has been stopped by the Pakistan administration for the last two months, Pakistan vernacular media, The Balochistan Post reported.
According to the reports, Balochistan’s only cancer hospital’s medical supply has been stopped due to the financial crisis in Pakistan. The medical supply was under the Balochistan Endowment Fund (BEF). Talking about the case, Dr Feroz Khan Achakzai, a senior doctor of the CENAR hospital said that more than a hundred cancer patients come to the hospital and return home with the frustration of not getting medicines. He said that currently, more than 2,000 cancer patients are under treatment at the Bolan Medical Complex Hospital and the CENAR hospital.
The cancer disease continues to spread in Balochistan and it has claimed scores of human lives during the last few years. In CENAR hospital, most of the patients belong to the downtrodden class since middle-class and elite-class people go to Karachi or the Shaukat Khanum memorial hospital in Lahore for medical treatment.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s health department officials have refused to talk to the media in this regard. Doctors and patients have no clue about the non-supply of medicines, vernacular media reported.
Earlier, The Express Tribune reported that the pharmaceutical industry in Pakistan is struggling to replenish its supplies amid a shortage of essential life-saving drugs and other surgical instruments.
The economic crisis faced by Pakistan is caused by a number of factors, including the refusal of commercial banks to issue new Letters of Credit (LCs) on account of a shortage of US dollars that have impacted drug companies, as per The Express Tribune report.
Pharmaceutical companies have been facing difficulty to maintain stocks of essential life-saving drugs. As experts have warned of the economy “sinking into near-paralysis”, top pharmaceutical firms are facing difficulty to get raw materials to manufacture drugs while being forced to reduce production as patients suffer in hospitals, The News International reported citing sources.
The crisis comes as Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves touched an eight-year low of USD 4.3 billion and talk with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) hang in balance.
Due to the ongoing economic crisis, Pakistan is unable to buy basic imports, including medicine and active pharmaceutical ingredients (API), several vaccines, and biological products for the treatment of cancer and other diseases, as per the news report. (ANI)
From the time Pakistan annexed Balochistan in 1948, it has been subjected to the worst form of human rights violations. Pakistan has on its hands the blood of tens of thousands of Baloch. Those who dare to raise their voice are abducted to remote locations, tortured and killed, and left on the roadsides as meals for animals … writes Dr Sakariya Kareem
Nuclear power Pakistan is surviving on life support. Its streets are a battleground; people fight every day over vegetables, wheat, and other basic necessities of life. In this challenging period, one can only imagine the alienated Balochistan situation. They have to face bias, loot of their natural resources, and the harsh rule of the Pakistan Army which perpetually tries to contain their resistance using extreme measures of force.
From the time Pakistan annexed Balochistan in 1948, it has been subjected to the worst form of human rights violations. Pakistan has on its hands the blood of tens of thousands of Baloch. Those who dare to raise their voice are abducted to remote locations, tortured and killed, and left on the roadsides as meals for animals.
The living condition of the Baloch is worse than the animals in shelters. This winter their stoves lay unlit. Food was prepared by burning paper, garbage, and wooden shavings. Abundant in gas, Balochistan has gas pipelines directly leading to Punjab where the administration and the Army use it to heat their swimming pools for a daily luxurious winter dip. But Balochis are refused the right over their own resource.
Extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances continue in Balochistan: rights body(IN)
Pakistan is also famous for murdering activists that speak the truth against the rogue nation. Two years ago Karima Baloch, a voice against Baloch atrocities in the international sphere was found murdered in Toronto. Her body was thrown into Lake Ontario and branded suicide. No judicial inquiry was initiated.
While across the world leaders try to contain sectarian violence and maintain peace, in Pakistan these issues are flamed further. When the late General Musharraf stated in an interview that enemies and dissidents of Pakistan should be killed just as other countries kill their dissidents overseas, three Baloch activists – Karima in Lake Ontario, Sajid Hussain in Sweden, and Saqib Karim in Azerbaijan – were found drowned to death. Baloch people are unsafe both in their country and abroad.
To shine a light on Pakistan’s brutalities in the region a documentary film Balochistan: Bangladesh 2.0 is being broadcasted by an Indian news platform based on its ground coverage of Balochistan. India has been supporting the Baloch cause since its illegal occupation by Pakistan more than seven decades ago. Pakistan has tried to block the broadcast of the documentary but Twitter has denied the request. It was anyway a high time to air Pakistan’s dirty laundry and uncover its filthy underbelly.
Balochistan has a per capita GDP of less than $1000 while being Pakistan’s treasure trove of minerals. Under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the China-Paksitan Economic Corridor (CPEC), China is excavating minerals worth their weight in gold and reaping billions of dollars worth of profit in the name of development. The locals are not even allowed to hover around the periphery of the excavation area. In 2021 alone a Chinese company mined precious metals and made a profit of $75 million, and that is after the operation obstacles caused by Covid.
The mines later lay unfilled and contribute to pollution, degrading health, and creating other safety hazards. Pakistan has signed a lease of 10 years with such Metallurgical companies, 50 per cent revenue of which will go to the company, 48 per cent to the Pakistan government, and a mere 2 per cent to Balochistan. The lease is in the process of being extended this year.
The conditions there are dreadful. People are committing suicide for not being able to buy a handful of flour. CPEC had promised employment to locals in its projects but later they brought in their own workers from China. It is very clear that Pakistan wants the Baloch to slowly wither away and fade. Pakistan promised them schools and quality education but the reality is that more than 100 government schools have been closed down in Las Bela and Hub districts due to a shortage of teachers and the education system is on the verge of collapse. Only 25 percent of the water is drinkable. The urban roads still are not motorable. And the list of their despairs goes on.
At the end of last month, Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves were reduced to a mere $3.7 billion dollars. Their internal situation is at a point of no return. The recent Peshawar mosque attack which took the lives of more than 100 people while in prayer, is proof of their urgent security concerns. As the house of cards that Pakistan is, shatters down, even worse times lay ahead for the discriminated and oppressed Balochistan. The repetition of 1971 truly seems inevitable for the Baloch survival.
The situation in Balochistan is so grim that the suicide rates are skyrocketing. The July 2022 floods forced 1.3 million out of their homes in the province alone…reports Asian Lite News
The increased Chinese footprint in the region and Pakistan’s lack of concern has brought not just Baloch activists and anti-regime radicals onto the streets, but teenagers as well. They are involved in coordinated terror attacks, reported International Forum for Right and Security (IFFRAS).
In fact, the first female suicide bomber ever known was affiliated with the Balochistan Liberation Army. This is the gravity of the resistance movement because Pakistan for more than 70 years has treated the Baloch as second-class citizens. Pakistani rich get richer from gas and mineral-rich Balochistan, while Balochis get poorer because they have no say over their own land!, reported IFFRAS.
Baloch activists are furious over Chinese aggression in their land. Pakistan army believes it can take whatever resources they want, and subjugate and silence the Baloch struggle with an iron fist. Pakistan has teamed with China to ransack Baloch resources.
Though CPEC is termed a “game-changer” it has been a disaster for Balochistan since its inception. People have lost all their sources of income. A humble fisherman cannot fish in Gwadar because the Chinese have it under their control under the guise of CPEC. How the people will earn their livelihood is not of any concern to the government, reported IFFRAS.
According to data, the Metallurgical Construction Company (MCC), a Chinese company that mines gold, silver, and copper in Balochistan singlehandedly made a profit of USD 75 million in 2021. The region is the quickest way for China to print money.
A percentage of the amount goes to the Pakistan establishment and Baloch is not given a single penny. Mined lands lay open for further deterioration of the area and the residents bear the environmental and safety hazards that come with it.
Mining has also polluted the outdated water supply channels leaving only 25 percent of water drinkable. Despite being aware of the situation, the Punjab government has never honored the 1991 water treaty on the distribution of water. While Punjabis have enough to refill their swimming pools daily, the Balochis are committing suicide over a glassful of it, reported IFFRAS.
The situation in Balochistan is so grim that the suicide rates are skyrocketing. The July 2022 floods forced 1.3 million out of their homes in the province alone. 64,000 houses were washed away and 185,000 are in dilapidated condition. Thousands of acres of cultivated land were destroyed and 500,000 livestock died.
While the Shahbaz Sharif-led government collects funds worldwide for this cause, local Baloch do not anticipate a single rupee coming their way. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is slowly pushing people into an abyss of absolute darkness.
Some compare the psychological damage of seven and a half decades of violence by the Pakistani Army in the region with the disastrous floods and have concluded that together the two have created a vortex of unending misery that will surely swallow Balochistan in 2023, reported IFFRAS.
They wouldn’t even let Balochistan buy wheat from somewhere else as in the last three months Balochistan has not received its share of PKR 11 billion from the National Finance Commission (NFC) for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of infrastructure. The government does not even try to hide its blatant discrimination against its people! (ANI)
Whatever is happening in Balochistan is comparable to the California Gold Rush (1848-1855). It not only destroyed the livelihoods of the locals but also led to their genocide which, many say was authorised by the authorities, writes Mark Kinra
Balochistan remains in the news for its separatist movements, the Pakistani Army’s human rights violations, and the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) but December 2022 was unusual as Reko Diq mines captured eyeballs across the world. After its inception in 1993, there was hardly any progress for the next 20 years because of a bitter legal dispute.
This article dwells on the history of the Reko Diq project, legal issues, Pakistani politics and whether it will benefit the Baloch people at all.
Troubled History of the Reko Diq Project
Reko Diq is located in Chagai district, Balochistan, close to the Iran-Afghanistan border. The trillion dollar mine was discovered in 1978 and is estimated to have large copper and gold reserves. In 1993, the Balochistan Development Authority (BDA) entered into a joint agreement with BHP Minerals Intermediate Exploration Inc. (BHP) jointly called the Chagai Hills Exploration Joint Venture Agreement (CHEJVA). Dispute resolution and jurisdiction under CHEJVA were stated as Pakistani law and Arbitration. CHEJVA involved the exploration and mining of minerals, specifically copper and gold with BHP getting 75 per cent, and the Balochistan Government getting 25 per cent on a joint investment basis with a 2 per cent royalty from the deal.
Big jolt for pakistan in Reko Diq mines case
In March 2000, the Balochistan Government and BHP signed the first Addendum to the CHEJVA which made BHP an Agent of the Province of Balochistan. In May 2000, BHP entered into an Option Agreement with Mincor Resources. The Agreement established an exploration alliance that gave Mincor the right to explore, develop, exploit, and acquire mineral resources on exploration licenses held by BHP. The Agreement also gave the sole and exclusive right to Mincor or its nominee to enter into Alliance with BHP to explore copper and gold in the region. Mincor nominated the Tethyan Copper Company (TCC) an Australian company under that provision.
In April 2006, the Balochistan Government, BHP, and TCC entered into a Novation Agreement. The agreement substituted BHP with TCC as a party to CHEJVA and further provided TCC with the rights and responsibilities of BHP under CHEJVA.
TCC was equally and jointly owned by Barrick Gold Corporation of Canada and Antofagasta plc of Chile.
In 2006, numerous third parties challenged the legality of CHEJVA in the Balochistan High Court. The High Court dismissed the petitions and found CHEJVA to be legal and valid.
In 2011, TCC had to stop operations as the Balochistan Government refused to grant a mining license. TCC challenged the refusal stating involvement in the project since 2006 and adding that TCC has invested more than $260 million on exploration and technical studies.
Both parties filed cases against the other – one against TCC in Pakistan’s Supreme Court and another filed by TCC in the ICSID tribunal. In Pakistan’s Supreme Court, petitioners argued that CHEJVA was executed contrary to the Pakistani statutes while TCC sought specific performance of contract and damages.
In 2013, Pakistan’s Supreme Court held that CHEJVA was void on several public policy grounds including corruption in making and executing CHEJVA. The court stated that because CHEJVA was void, therefore, all of the subsequent agreements were void including the Addendum, the Option Agreement, and the Novation Agreement.
TCC filed a case in ICSID under the Australia-Pakistan Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT). ICSID accepted TCC’s reasoning that the BIT covered investments accepted into the host state at the time of their establishment, not only legally established investments. Tribunal pointed out that Pakistan did not mention CHEJVA’s invalidity when negotiating the 2006 Novation Agreement and that the Pakistani Supreme Court decision was based on the Balochistan Government’s breach of its internal laws, not TCC’s actions. In 2019, ICSID ordered Pakistan to pay $5.9 billion in compensation, interest and legal costs to TCC for breaches of the Australia–Pakistan BIT.
Trouble started brewing for Pakistan when the British Virgin Islands Court passed the order to attach properties of Pakistan International Airlines Investment Ltd (PIAIL), a state-run company officially registered in the British Virgin Islands; properties included Roosevelt Hotel in New York and the Scribe Hotel in Paris. It was then that alarm bells started ringing in Pakistan as it would not just lose financial assets across the world but more worrisome was the reputational damage for current and potential investors in Pakistan. It was then Pakistan started to talk to TCC’s joint owners for settlement namely – Barrick Gold and Antofagasta.
Barrick Gold and Antofagasta reached an agreement with the Pakistan Government for the reconstitution of the Reko Diq project in Balochistan. Antofagasta decided to exit the agreement for consideration of $945 million and shares to be acquired by a consortium of Pakistani state-owned enterprises. The New Agreement has been devised with the stakeholders–Barrick Gold, Pakistan and Balochistan getting 50 per cent, 25 per cent and 25 per cent holding with 10 per cent as free-carried basis.
Has the Canadian gold miner bitten more than it can chew in Balochistan?(IN)
Legal Loopholes and Politics
From day one, the Reko Diq project was touted as a corrupt deal and the Pakistan Government fought against it. Even a decree was passed against the same in Pakistan’s Supreme Court. Under pressure of paying billions of dollars in compensation, the Pakistan Government had to reverse the same for which it took the help of executive and judiciary.
Pakistan passed the Foreign Investment (Protection and Promotion) Act, 2022 or FIPP Act, 2022 to safeguard Barrick Gold’s interest whereby various relaxations were provided under the Act. Further, the Pakistan Government took over the responsibilities of the Balochistan Government under this Act for the Reko Diq Project.
The idea of settlement and re-engagement over the Reko Diq project was challenged in Pakistan’s Supreme Court on two counts – i) whether the 2013 Judgement on Reko Diq prevents parties from entering into new agreements or affects validity? ii) Whether FIPP Act, 2022 is constitutionally valid?
On the first question, the Pakistan Supreme Court stated that the agreements are being signed by authorities which are competent to do so under the law. It also said that agreements have been put in place after due deliberation which is constitutional on the parameters and grounds spelt out in the 2013 Judgement on Reko Diq.
On the second question, the FIPP Act, 2022 gives powers to the federal government to enact laws which are under the jurisdiction of provincial assemblies like mines and mineral development (other than minerals used for nuclear energy). The Court stated that parliament will be competent to enact laws under provincial jurisdiction provided the draft resolutions are passed by the provincial assembly of Balochistan. The Supreme Court thus endorsed the settlement with Barrick Gold over Reko Diq mines as it is backed by law and is approved by the authorized representatives of Balochistan.
It is interesting to see how law and politics played their part. Legally speaking, the 18th Amendment to Pakistan’s 1973 Constitution took important steps towards devolution of authority and enhancing provincial autonomy. Before this amendment, legislative power of the centre and the provinces were enumerated under two lists: federal and concurrent, unlike India which has three lists: union, state and concurrent. Post the 18th Amendment, subjects under the concurrent list with a few exceptions have been transferred to the provinces in an implied manner as currently the Constitution only mentions the federal list.
While some autonomy was provided, the Constitution had other provisions wherein the federal government holds the upper hand. Articles 144 and 147 of the Constitution allow the federal government to take over the matter of the provinces and legislate on that subject, if a resolution has been passed on the same by the provincial assembly.
Politics played a big part in the Reko Diq Project and it wouldn’t have been possible without the provincial assembly’s resolution. Currently, the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) has the mandate and is running a coalition government with other parties in the province. On 10 December 2022, the Balochistan Assembly passed a resolution thereby granting executive authority to the Federal Government concerning the Reko Diq Project.
I spoke to several Pakistani legal experts to understand the constitutionality of the Reko Diq Project.
Dr Ahsan Rajput, UK-based Lawyer who represented TCC in 2013 and is currently an Advisor to the Pakistan Government on Legislative Reforms says: “Pakistan, in it’s true sense, became a confederation after the 18th Amendment. Articles 144 and 147 of the Constitution have rarely been utilized to take over the executive authority of the province by the federal government, therefore, I believe that the Reko Diq project’s reconstitution process has been carried out openly and carefully and in no way violates the Constitution or fundamental rights of the people”.
While Kachkol Ali Advocate, human rights lawyer, ex-opposition leader and former member of the Balochistan Assembly says: “according to Pakistan’s Constitution, if any matter does not find mention in the federal list then it is called ‘residuary power’ which is called provincial autonomy. Unfortunately, the Balochistan Assembly has itself eroded its constitutional right through a resolution and, empowered the federal government to legislate and act in the context of Reko Diq”.
Another Advocate whose identity is not disclosed for security reasons, practising in the Balochistan High Court and the Federal Shariat Court told India Narrative: “Mining has always been a provincial subject under the Constitution of Pakistan, 1973 but the federal government has always used its powers ultra vires. The Balochistan government is a rubber stamp and puppet at the hands of federal government, therefore, this 18th Amendment has brought no legal effect on Balochistan”.
Is it a Gain for Balochistan and common Baloch?
As per the new agreement, Balochistan’s share will be 25 per cent out of which 10 per cent will be on a free-carried basis. Dr Rajput says “percentage on a free-carried basis will be the net value of the gold extracted which will be calculated at the current market rate as determined by the independent commission”.
Coalition partners of the Federal Government, BNP(M) and JUI(F) which have major stakes in Balochistan were not pleased and sought displeasure to which the federal government promised to increase the share of Balochistan by 35 per cent. The federal government, however, hasn’t given details as to when this will be done and on what terms.
Kamal Baloch, Senior Joint Secretary, Baloch National Movement says: “BAP was formed just a few days ago from the 2018 election by scrambling politicians from different political parties who are close to the Establishment. Balochistan never really had a democratic government except for the National Awami Party in 1970. Every government formed in Balochistan is as per the wish of the Establishment”.
He further says: “BAP accepts whatever the Establishment says, be it mega projects that the Baloch are opposing like the Gwadar fishermen where protestors were arrested and curfew was imposed or the issue of enforced disappearances. Balochistan also doesn’t have strong Opposition, BNP(M) did protest against the Reko Diq project but it is well known that BNP(M) helped Abdul Quddus Bizenjo to become the Chief Minister of Balochistan which shows how BNP(M) is close to the Establishment. Fazl-ur-Rehman is the man of the Establishment, he is the one who led the fight against PTI Chief Imran Khan and is always close to the power corridors – be it federal or provincial. The common Baloch is not in favour of the Reko Diq Project, Establishment is running the show and these politicians are puppets”.
Barrick Gold like any other mining company is not a dove and has been in the news for numerous scandals from toxic spills to human rights abuses, polluting water and taking over indigenous lands, making these inhabitable for decades. The concern is increased when the host state is itself not ready to safeguard the interests of its people.
Pakistan has safeguarded its interest and saved its reputation by renegotiating with Barrick Gold for Reko Diq but the assets which are being leased belong to Balochistan and the losses, if any, will be of the Baloch people only.
Canada’s top firm reaches out to Baloch people with eye on rich gold, copper deposits(IN)
How the Law Favours Barrick Gold
FIPP Act, 2022 seems to have sold Reko Diq mines to Barrick Gold.
Section 3.10 states rights conferred to Barrick Gold by this Act shall continue to be available to such Investors even if this Act is repealed or amended.
Section 3.11 illustrates that the protected benefit as provided under various laws concerning tax, customs, duties etc. will continue to a maximum period of 30 years and cannot be withdrawn or modified or suspended in any manner that is disadvantaged to the Investor.
Section 3.6 and Section 3.7 enumerates that the Federal Government can provide additional incentives to the protected benefits by way of notification and once given cannot amend the same.
And lastly, Section 14 clearly states that in the event of any conflict between this Act and any other law whether enacted before or after this Act, FIPP Act, 2022 shall prevail.
Financial advisors to the government of Pakistan have stated that Balochistan will receive $32.7 billion over the lifetime of the mine which is worth $3 trillion. Other low estimates state that the mine is worth a minimum of $1 trillion. If we accept this calculation, then Balochistan will receive just 3.27 per cent in monetary terms in a best-case scenario.
Whatever is happening in Balochistan is comparable to the California Gold Rush (1848-1855). A period when gold miners from across the world came over to California to make their fortune. It contributed greatly to the American economy and brought statehood to California but had severe consequences for Native Americans. It not only destroyed the livelihoods of the locals but also led to their genocide which, many say was authorized by the authorities.
Similarly, Pakistan has sealed the fate of the indigenous Baloch by way of the FIPP Act, 2022 which cannot be undone. Pakistan, on the other hand, has saved itself from billions of dollars of penalties and by the time Reko Deq is exploited, nothing will be left for the local Baloch who are fighting for a separate nation.
Pakistan has largely adopted a colonial mindset towards the Baloch people where it has bombed them hundreds of times and used armed forces to crush any protest. Pakistan has unleashed “enforced disappearances” and death squads as a weapon to threaten the people.
A recent statement by XII Corps Commander Asif Ghafoor that anyone who protests in Gwadar will be put in jail clearly shows Pakistan is more interested in mega projects like CPEC or Reko Diq and will continue to subjugate and exploit the Baloch community. With all these factors, Balochistan is looking at the new California Gold Rush.
Thousands of people were left homeless by last year’s floods in 28 of the province’s 35 districts..reports Asian Lite News
Balochistan’s economic crisis only tends to get worse with every passing day as the province in the past three months has not received its share of for rehabilitation and reconstruction of infrastructure in flood-ravaged regions, the Dawn reported.
According to Chief Minister Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo and Finance Minister Zamrak Khan Piralizai, who have time and again drawn attention to the provincial crisis, Balochistan has not been receiving its share PKR 11 billion from the National Finance Commission (NFC) award. Moreover, the province’s spokesperson on Tuesday, Balochistan has been experiencing financial difficulties for the past three months as a result of not receiving its fair part of PKR 11 billion from the National Finance Commission (NFC) award.
Even for flood relief, the province has not received any funding from Islamabad.
Thousands of people were left homeless by last year’s floods in 28 of the province’s 35 districts.
A significant portion of the provincial government’s budget, according to the spokeswoman, is used to maintain peace and order, the Dawn reported.
Apart from bearing the brunt of terror attacks and terror-related activities in the country, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are also in the throes of a crippling economic crisis. (ANI)
Pakistan: Thousands protest against terrorism in South Waziristan
This is not the first time that Pakistan has been struggling with water shortages…reports Asian Lite News
Major parts of Balochistan province in Pakistan are suffering an acute shortage of drinking water as the filtration plants installed by the regime have gone out of order due to poor maintenance, The Express Tribune reported.
The report quoted a civil society member who said, “Only 25 per cent of Balochistan’s dwellers have access to clean drinking water.” Locals have urged the government to restore the non-functional water filtration plants so that they can have access to drinking water.
Earlier, Balochistan Chief Minister Abdul Quddus Bizenjo had ordered the authority concerned to repair the out-of-order filtration plants within a month.
Resolving the water issue was a top priority of the government as it had established water filtration plants in every district of the province to provide clean drinking water but they went out of order due to poor maintenance, Bizenjo had said.
This is not the first time that Pakistan has been struggling with water shortages.
Earlier, Jiye Sindh Quami Mahaz (JSQM) has taken out protest rallies against water shortage in the Sindh province.
The leaders while addressing the rally had alleged that Punjab province was conspiring to dry up Indus. They also bemoaned that the Punjab government has never gone by the 1991 water treaty on the distribution of water.
The protestors also said that the elites associated with Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in Sindh continue getting water, however, others who are without any influence and political connection, suffer.
The water shortage in Sindh has been a great issue. Not only Sindh province but also Punjab province is facing up to 75 per cent water shortage. The Punjab province supplied 53,100 cusecs of water against its needs of 1,27,800 cusecs. (ANI)
Protesters block highway leading to Gwadar port.(photo: mobile.twitter.com/mhidayatrehman)
The organisation called upon authorities in Balochistan to “immediately restore internet services and lift the ban on public gatherings”…reports Asian Lite News
Amnesty International South Asia on Tuesday decried the reported internet shutdown in the port city of Gwadar, which came after an emergency law was reportedly imposed as protests arose over illegal fishing in the region, media reports said.
“Such disruptions are neither necessary nor proportionate, and inhibits the ability of the people of Gwadar to communicate, access information, seek safety and work,” the organisation stated in a series of tweets, Express Tribune reported.
Amnesty International further said that the imposition of Section 144 in “the name of public security should not become a pretext for more human rights violations – especially if they prevent people from peacefully protesting”.
It expressed concern that both the reported internet ban and emergency law would serve as a springboard for further crackdown on people’s “fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, right to personal security and freedom from arbitrary detention”, Express Tribune reported.
The organisation called upon authorities in Balochistan to “immediately restore internet services and lift the ban on public gatherings”.
The statement comes shortly after days of protests and clashes, normalcy returned to the port city of Gwadar on Monday, as the port restarted operations, shopkeepers reopened their shops in the main bazaar and the authorities restored mobile phone service.
The Gwadar Rights Movement (GRM) activists have been protesting against the provincial government for more than two months over illegal fishing in the sea and unnecessary check posts. As a result, baton-wielding policemen had been deployed in various parts of the city to maintain order, Express Tribune reported.
QUETTA (PAKISTAN), May 5, 2018 (Xinhua) -- Workers sit outside a collapsed coal mine in Pir Ismail, Marwar area near Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan, southwestern Pakistan, on May 5, 2018. At least 18 people were killed, 13 others injured and about a dozen went missing as two coal mines collapsed in different areas of Pakistan's southwest province of Balochistan on Saturday, local media reported. (Xinhua/Stringer/IANS)
The participants of the public meeting also approved a resolution that said that the Reko Diq project bill passed by the parliament had ignored the will of the masses…reports Asian Lite News
Balochistan National Party-Mengal and National Party held separate demonstrations in Quetta and another part of Balochistan province against the bill passed on the Reko Diq Copper-gold project, Dawn reported.
The participants of the BNP-M rally marched on the streets with banners inscribed with their demands. The protesters chanted slogans against the deal and demanded the recognition of sovereignty and rights of the Baloch people over the coastline of Balochistan.
The participants of the public meeting also approved a resolution that said that the Reko Diq project bill passed by the parliament had ignored the will of the masses of the province which would not be accepted at any cost.
The resolution said that under the bill all powers of the Balochistan government had been given to the federal government bypassing the local people and this process was a clear violation of the country’s laws, Constitution, and the 18th amendment, according to Dawn.
The protesters said that defending every inch of Balochistan was part of “our national responsibility and duty because this land is our motherland and we will not allow our identity to be erased under any circumstances”.
They threatened that if the legislation passed in the dark of the night regarding Reko Diq was not withdrawn and Balochistan people were not considered as the heir of mineral and other resources of Balochistan then the BNP-M would take a tough decision in this regard.
Meanwhile, the National Party also held its rallies in Quetta and other parts of Balochistan separately but on the same issue opposing the agreement reached between federal and provincial governments with Canadian company Barrick Gold Corporation, as per the Dawn report.
Earlier, The JUI-F and the BNP-M members protested that they were not taken into confidence on the issue. The government, however, assured the members that their doubts were valid and would be addressed.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that the government of Pakistan would ensure the protection of the rights of investors in all the investment projects, including the Reko Diq project, and all the promises made to them would be fulfilled, according to a report in The Express Tribune.
The report said the cabinet was informed that a presidential reference was filed in the Supreme Court under Article 186 of the Constitution for a legal opinion on the final agreements. The court gave its opinion on December 9, saying that the restructuring process was transparent.
A five-member cabinet committee was formed to remove some legal obstacles and hold talks with the leaders of the coalition parties, to address their concerns. The committee comprised Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Commerce Minister Syed Naveed Qamar, Law Minister Azam Tarar, and Economic Affairs Minister Ayaz Sadiq. The committee decided that an amendment would be made in consultation with the concerned parties.
After a long discussion, the ministers approved the signing of the final agreements for restructuring the Reko Diq project on the recommendation of the Petroleum Division. The cabinet also approved the project funding plan passed by the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet, reported The Express Tribune. (ANI)
Extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances continue in Balochistan: rights body(IN)
Over the years, Pakistani forces have abducted thousands of Baloch, Pashtuns and Sindhis in a bid to quell nationalist sentiments among these ethnic groups. ..writes Rahul Kumar
The Europe-based Human Rights Council of Balochistan (HRCB) has said that 35 people became victims to “enforced disappearances” while 42 were killed in November, 2022 in continuing violence across Balochistan.
It attributed the extrajudicial killing of forty-two people to the trio of Frontier Corps (FC), targeted killings and honour killings. Of these, the HRCB says 22 people were killed in separate operations by the FC – a paramilitary force that operates in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa regions.
Regarding targeted killings, the report says: “14 cases of target killings were reported, the largest number of people killed in target killings in recent months.” It adds that three people were killed for honour and two mutilated dead bodies were found in the province.
Over 14,000 persons missing in Balochistan and the count is rising each day
The report says that a shepherd, Mohammad Gaus was detained during the military operation in the Bolan and was later shot dead. The Pakistani military had launched the Bolan operation to rescue two soldiers who had been abducted by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) on September 25. Their fate is still unknown despite fierce fighting.
On enforced disappearances, the HRCB says the “Frontier Corps abducted thirty-one people while the remaining four people were abducted by unknown gunmen.” It added that 13 people were released after detention but the whereabouts of the others is not known.
It highlights that the FC personnel kidnapped the Baloch people from Khuzdar, Panjgur, Quetta, Awaran, Kech and many more areas. Those abducted from Quetta were four students, of whom three were released but the whereabouts of Waheed Sakhi, a student from Kech, remains unknown.
On a positive note, the report mentions that five victims of enforced disappearances who had been abducted by Pakistan’s military forces earlier were released. This included well known publisher and human rights activist Faheem Baloch who had been kidnapped by the police from his shop on August 26.
Over the years, Pakistani forces have abducted thousands of Baloch, Pashtuns and Sindhis in a bid to quell nationalist sentiments among these ethnic groups. Even the Shias feels unsafe in Pakistan and have launched drives against enforced disappearances.
The Pakistani army has also killed the Baloch not just in Pakistan but also in other countries, notably Europe. Baloch journalists and activists were found dead in mysterious circumstances in Sweden, Canada and Azerbaijan.
As recently as October, hundreds of rotting bodies were found on the roof of Nishtar hospital in Punjab. At that time, the HRCB had asked the federal government to launch a thorough investigation into the mysterious deaths and establish the identities of the dead through DNA analysis.
Many human rights activists had alleged that the bodies belonged to the victims of enforced disappearances who had been tortured and killed in State captivity. While Islamabad brushed the incident under the carpet, the Pakistani media too has maintained silence over the matter.
(Rahul Kumar writes on international issues and is a keen watcher of South Asia, environment, urban development and NGOs.)
(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)
