FROM A RINGSIDE SEAT

The proceedings in the Senate on Thursday were almost exclusively devoted to the situation in Balochistan, and one person who dominated the debate in the House was Sanaullah Baloch. Such was the spellbinding presentation of the nationalists' case against the military action that he made that even the otherwise compulsive interrupters on the treasury benches heard him in pin-drop silence.
Could be that the treasury members do not support the government handling of the Sui imbroglio, or perhaps it was a case of showing deference to a superior mind. Of course there was the exception: PML's Gulshan Saeed, the lone defender of the government cause, who put up a heroic, albeit quixotic, fight.
Chairman Mohammadmian Soomro arrived in the house on the dot, but the proceedings could not be started for another 25 minutes. Being a private members day there was no question hour. Without any loss of time the chair asked Mohim Khan Baloch, a government senator, to speak on Balochistan situation. Last night, the House had begun debating leader of opposition Raza Rabbani's motion on Balochistan.
Mohim Khan Baloch drew a parallel between the current scene situation in Balochistan and pre-secession East Pakistan and poignantly noted that the Pakistan Army had to surrender because it lost the support of the people of that region. The people of Balochistan are being told 'we don't need you, we need your territory'. The issues should be resolved through dialogue, in a political way. That is why when Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain as interim prime minister set up a committee to tackle the Balochistan grievances he was welcomed, he said, wondering how a whole division of force was dispatched to the Sui area in a matter of 24 hours. "As long as army would be there the pain in the hearts of people would not abate."
"The people of Balochistan are being driven to a state of hopelessness, that's my conviction. Pull back the troops... I appeal to the people of Punjab not to leave the Baloch people alone." Pointing out the lack of opportunity offered to the locals in developing Gwadar Port, he said the National Finance Commission award on Sui gas is also unjust. As for the alleged rape of the lady doctor at Sui gas complex it was some thing wrong. The law of the land should have been allowed to take its course.
Rehmat Khan Kakar (MMA), speaking next reminded the House that "Balochistan is crying." "One military action and East Pakistan disappeared from the map of the world. Now military action in Balochistan is being contemplated". But he refused to hold the people of Punjab responsible for this mess, where too no economic miracle has taken place and even today there "the men, and dogs and cats drink water from the same pond". Nothing can be resolved at gunpoint, he said hoping the leadership would take all parties in confidence.
No war is going on in Balochistan, declared Gulshan Saeed. "One lady doctor was raped and there is so much noise while thousands get raped every day." The current tension is the creation of Baloch sardars, she opined. She was not even prepared to concede that Gwadar is part of Balochistan because "it was taken from Oman". And, then she concluded: Were the Baloch those poor as the opposition tries to portray then from where they get all these bombs.
BNM (H) Senator Aslam Buledi spoke with conviction that his province has been denied its share of royalty from the Sui gas and its purchase rates are also very low as compared to other fields in other provinces. He termed the so-called mega projects the 'mega-eaters' of Balochistan resources to benefit 'non-Baloch'. Buledi demanded that all these projects be handed over to the provincial government and run by the people of his province. He said the Mirani Dam is being built to water lands given to the settlers; entire land of Gwadar district has been taken over by non-residents and housing schemes are for the accommodation of the outsiders. All this points to a conspiracy to destroy the civilisation of the people of Balochistan, "but we will resist whatever the cost".
Buledi came hard on 493 check-posts where the Baloch are stripped of their dignity and honour. That was the kind of treatment meted out to Bengalis, he said. "We don't want cantonments...If these could give prosperity to the people then Khuzdar would have been Singapore and if these were the guarantees of peace then Quetta would have been the most peaceful city of Balochistan".
He also talked about the rape incident, which is "of great sensitivity for us". An incident like this in the yore had triggered an intra-Baloch war lasting 30 years, which also caused the disintegration of the Baloch sultanate extending from Zahidan to Rajanpur. "This is an unpardonable offence."
He said if Pakistan has any geo-political value it is because of Balochistan, adding that a country under a military dictator is always under the threat of disintegration. See what happened to Soviet Union and Yugoslavia: Their huge arsenals could not save them, he said. "If you want to save this country establish the rule of law...We want solution to the problems on the negotiating table. We will not talk at the gunpoint or in the backdrop of a roar of a tank". Speaking next the treasury senator Sarwar Kakar too expressed annoyance at the mounting deprivation of the people of Balochistan, but he asked the opposition to accept the government's offer of talks.
Sanaullah Baloch spoke with great conviction and authority. He said his people want peace and would like to resolve issues peacefully but if sacrifices were demanded nobody would find them lacking. He rejected the under-study constitutional package and said natural resources should be given to the provinces.
He challenged President Musharraf to undertake military action against the Balochi people who fought 120 battles against the British imperial forces. Besides Tipo Sultan it was only a Baloch sardar who challenged the British colonists and gave his life, he recalled.
He demanded withdrawal of the troops, compliance with 62 resolutions passed by the Balochistan Assembly against setting up cantonments and winding up of check-posts--only then the Baloch sardars would accept the offer of talks.
Others who spoke on the motion included Naseer Khan Mengal, Liaquat Ali Banglzai, Rukhsana Zuberi, Naeem Hussain Chattha and Professor Ibrahim. The Senate will resume the debate on Balochistan on Friday in the morning.