EDITORIAL: Akhtar Mengal’s resignation has turned the spotlight on Balochistan alright, but not in a way that would do any justice to his sacrifice of falling on his own sword once he was convinced that his seat in the National Assembly could do nothing about the pain of his people; the voters that got him there to represent them.
Who tosses away one of these seats in this Islamic republic, after all, where the perks and privileges alone compel so, so many rich and powerful people to go through the motions of pretending to want to represent their constituencies in the House?
All this ought to prompt a very serious rethink and reset in Islamabad. Mengal was not just an ordinary, disgruntled leader that walked away in frustration, he represented perhaps the state’s last chance to genuinely connect with the people of Balochistan all the way to the grass root, since his push for the democratic route – dialogue instead of dissent – was the only thing still giving some hope to a people who have long lost all faith in this formula.
Yet, try as he might, it turned out that his people faced not just terrible violence and denial of their rights, but also insulting disapproval from the state every time they tried to make their case. His lament, that even women and children who braved harsh weather and literally walked hundreds of miles to have their voices heard were instead frowned upon and mistreated, will haunt the country’s leadership and echo every time they make hollow, politically correct statements about the greater good, national cohesion, etc.
It is shocking that no administration in charge of the country over the last few decades ever realised that Balochistan had become a ticking time bomb. Worse still, all of them kept up with policies that continued to marginalise its people.
In most other market-based democracies, a whole province sitting on a goldmine of natural resources would have been attracting foreign investment like a magnet and leading the whole country forward. But here it has become synonymous with rebellion, insurgency, repression, sectarian violence, missing people – the list goes on and on. This is shameful.
Granted, Mengal’s resignation was an expression of sheer helplessness. Yet he must still reconsider his decision; even if, for now, he can do nothing to advance the cause of his people. Who is to say that the void he’s left behind will not be filled by elements less sympathetic to, or even appreciative of, all the problems of the Baloch.
It is now up to the government to decide its response. So far, there’s little to suggest that it is even open to the kind of root-and-branch overhaul that its Baloch policy requires. Yet that is precisely what needs to be done, starting with giving the people a genuine ear.
Surely, everybody, especially the establishment, realises the unprecedented wider fragility of the present moment. The country is at a make-or-break crossroads in almost all realms – political, security and economic. This is the time to heal and close old wounds, especially self-inflicted ones that have taken a terrible toll on the people the government is meant to serve.
Mengal’s political hara-kiri could well be the state’s last wakeup call. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, after all, and making and leaving one province weak will never enable the rest of the country to march forward. Therefore, it is in everybody’s interest to line up and give Balochistan the attention it deserves. But first it would be a good idea to stop at Mengal’s door, this time everybody urging him to take back the resignation.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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