Normal method of governance in Baluchistan since annexation
of Baluchistan (in the March of 1948) into Pakistan has been exploitation of the
Baluch tribal divisions. Continuous Punjabi dominated government in Islamabad have
made alliances with the groups of the Baluch tribes chiefs against the Baluch
nation. All the governments in Pakistan from military to elected civilian have
used one or more tribal groups in Baluchistan to control the Baluch.
The Punjabi’s control over the Baluch population and
Baluchistan has resembled the account of how the British had controlled various
colonies in Africa and Asia including Baluchistan. The British colonisation of India, Baluchistan
ended in 1947 but collaborators and tribal chiefs saw nothing new upon the arrival
of new Punjabi and Muslim Indian migrant’s colonisers into Baluchistan and
treated them as new masters to be conformed as new masters.
The Punjabi have involved themselves at the local level of
politic in Baluchistan in order to manipulate and arbitrate the tribal, social groupings
competition and conflicts, in the main time the Pakistan forces have withdrawn
from internal Baluch tribal conflicts in order to maintain conflicts among the
Baluch.
It seem that the traditional system of chieftain rules where
chief acted as a police and judge, preserved traditional form of governance and
maintained stability in the part of Baluchistan, in other word Punjabi has been ruling over the Baluch and
controlling the Baluchistan natural resources through indirect rule through the
tribal chiefs.
The Punjabi elite’s rules through tribal chiefs in
Baluchistan have not been without its difficulty where the tribal chiefs claim the
ownerships of the tribal communal land and prevented Punjabi’s to obtain land
for oil and gas exploration in their tribal communal lands.
Not all collaborators and tribal chiefs activities under Punjabi
dominate regime can be regarded as nationalism. Nationalism is a movement
strive to take over Baluchistan on behalf of the Baluch nation, contrary to
nationalism the collaborators elites in Baluchistan struggle to take over the
power of undivided state to preserve themselves and their class interest.
The Punjabi elites have penetrated deep into the Baluch
nation to extend its direct rule on Baluchistan has by passed some mediatory tribal chiefs, such
extension of penetration has challenged traditional Baluch society.
Deep unmediated Punjabi penetration;
Pakistan has new
technologies which enable Punjabi elites to expand their domination to the mediators
in Baluchistan in the way that was not possible before, the power structure of
Pakistan is extraordinary; in sense no despotic regime ever had this type of
infiltration before.
As far as relation of domination is concern what we can see
a massive shift to material resources from local tribal chiefs to Punjabi dominated
centre government and therefore one has the concentration not only means of
production but means of the domination to Punjab. A shift of symbolic means of
resource from the local chiefs, local political leaders to Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad,
the concentration of one would say means of persuasion also shift from the
tribal chiefs and local leaders to Lahore and Islamabad.
The Punjabi elites are seeking deep unmediated
penetration into the Baluch societies, the linkage of ruler and the ruled that
is not mediated via feudal groupings or Baluch leaders. The National party and
Baluchistan national party have been useful instrument in transforming Punjabi mediated
rules to Punjabi direct unmediated rule.
The Baluch nationalist ideology
The Baluch nationalist ideology
Nationalism is poorly developed within some groups in Baluchistan.
Appeal to the Baluch national sentiment for votes in Punjabi staged false
elections and lack of action by National party and Baluchistan national party will
damage nationalist ideology.
The Baluch nationalist ideology has brought together the
ideals of the Baluch as a nation and Baluchistan as a sovereign state. The Baluch
national struggle for liberation has been able to coordinate drives the Baluch
communities all over the world and gain mass support in the nationalist terms. The
movement for the Baluch national liberation become the expression of the Baluch
nation as whole.
Religious party and some tribal chiefs in Baluchistan have
been opposed to the Idea of nationalist ideas but the religious party in
Baluchistan never been serious challenge to nationalist yet. Evidently the National
party and Baluchistan national party are internally challenging and opposing the
struggle for the Baluch national struggle for an independent Baluchistan.
M. Sarjov is a Baluch political activist based in London,
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