Fifteen years of insurgency and its impacts on Baloch society, has concerned Prince Mohiuddin Ahmedzai Baloch, a member of Kalat royal family and former federal minister in General Zia regime. While addressing a press conference here at Karachi Press Club (KPC) on Monday, he said that the Baloch masses were completely helpless as insurgents and security forces controlled different areas. He added that if he was taken into confidence, he would play his due role in pacifying things.
"I have been sent here by neither party. However, I believe in democracy and after 12 years of silence, I think that the time has come to address the grievances of people democratically, as the outcome of insurgency appeared to be unproductive," he said.
He accused the establishment of treating Balochs as what he called second-class citizens and said that the Baloch case had never been addressed properly by any sort of government, be it democratic or dictatorship, resulting in insurgency. "Unfortunately, the establishment has a fixed mindset which treats Balochs as second-class citizens. However, Baloch people, due to their simple values and customs, can easily be taken into confidence," he remarked.
He recalled his memories of an operation in Kalat in October 6, 1958 when the army personnel allegedly barged into Kalat Palace and arrested Khan of Kalat on sedition charges. "I was a teenager and I witnessed all those moments by myself, which triggered another insurgency in Balochistan by Nawab Noroz Khan Barakzai, who later died in Hyderabad jail and five of his relatives, including his son, were sentenced to death," he added.
Following the second insurgency, the third was the most brutal and bloodiest back in 1973-77, triggered by the dismissal of National Awami Party (NAP) government. However, Balochistan under General Zia-ul-Haque's dictatorship was peaceful, he said. He further said that due to his policies as a minister, the economy of Balochistan was stable and people were indulged in productive work. Regarding Baloch sentiments, he said that Balochs could never tolerate insult and the establishment had never treated Baloch people fairly.
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