Balochistan.docx

BALOCHISTAN, the so-called strategic asset that is always seemingly bleeding, has been in the news for several reasons lately. There has been, of course, the global focus on it ever since Akhtar Mansour, the Afghan Taliban leader, was killed while travelling across Balochistan. Since then, the elevation of Haibatullah Akhund zada, allegedly an event that took place in Balochistan, has sustained the interest in Pakistan's geographica y largest province. Balochistan has also been in the spotlight because of aggressive new claims by the securityest ablishment and its allies that the province has been virtually over run by foreign spies, from Afghanistan, India and, for now, several unnamed countries. Yet, the original security problemthere a lowlevel Baloch insurgency that is now the longest inthe province's hi story continues. The outgoing month has beenespecially bloody, with l osses on both sides as militants haveclaimed bomb and gun attac ks and security forces theelimination of militants in firefights. Is th ere hope forBalochistan? Perhaps the first step that needs to be taken is for the country toc ome out of its denial over Balochistan. Political leaders likeBalochi stan Home Minister Sarfaraz Bugti may rail against theNDS and Afghan refugees, but the IED that killed two FCpersonnel in Awaran and the two dead bodies of governmente mployees recovered over the weekend from Kech occurred inarea s that are hardly Afghan stamping grounds. Meanwhile, thepolitica l government in Islamabad appears to have all but givenup on a p olitical settlement in Balochistan despite the PMLNhaving installed its own party's leader in the province as chiefmi nister. The overall media, too, by its lopsided coverage ofBalochis tan has exacerbated the national problem ofperceptions and unde rstanding of what ails the province. Withthe aggressive, almost hy sterical, coverage of claims of foreigninterference in Balochistan i n recent weeks, the disaffectedBaloch may well be wondering if they were

better served whentheir province was effectively under a national news blackout. More than ever, there is a yawning chasm betwee n what isalleged to be taking place in Balochistan and what the swathesof the Baloch populatio n are experiencing. Ultimately, if the Baloch insurgency is to be brought to an end, the lead will have to be taken by the political class. The securityestab lishment, now under three successive army chiefsspanning over a decade and a half, has demonstrated that it stillsees Balochistan f rom a regional security prism rather than as aprovince with legitim ate socioeconomic and political grievances. But is the political cla ss capable or willing to take lead onBalochistan?

so-called (what people commonly call a/not really a) strategic (related to a plan to reach a goal) asset valuable thing seemingly (appearing to be) several (more than two, but not a lot of) global worldwide allegedly (claimed to be) took place happened geographically (related to where mountains, rivers, cities, etc., are located) province area of control/area of land allies friends virtually almost insurgency revolution militants fighters Perhaps Maybe

rail against loudly complain about refugees (people who have run away from their own countries because of bad treatment) employees workers occurred happened despite (even though there is the existence of) lopsided (not level/one side higher than the other) exacerbated worsened ails sicknesses hysterical (very funny/wildly emotional) in recent weeks lately disaffected (unhappy against authority) blackout (no electrical power)/(no lights)/(no memory) chasm deep division alleged possible taking place happening

swathes wraps Ultimately (in the end) successive (one after the other) a decade ten years demonstrated (showed/shown or proved) regional (related to a large area) legitimate legal/real and true socioeconomic (how money affects people's lives) grievance complaint