The mention of Balochistan at Sharm-al- Sheikh
Prashant Dikshit
Former Deputy Director IPCS
e-mail: prashantindelhi@gmail.com
The mention of Balochistan in the Indo-Pak joint statement issued by the two Prime Ministers at Sharm-al-Sheikh has convulsed the political scene in both the countries for different reasons.
In India, the potency of the reaction, apparently stemmed from the notion that by allowing the mention of Balochistan, the Prime Minister has somehow implicitly accepted the charge of Indian complicity and India has thus lost it’s high moral ground. Although, Dr Manmohan Singh, has more than once tried to eradicate this impression by unequivocally registering his government’s faith in the continued stability of Pakistan and stated that “we have nothing to hide”. The strongest diatribe in India however, has come from the erstwhile minions of the country’s foreign office establishment, including those in the opposition, who are terribly fearful that Pakistan will use that as a stick to beat India with during discussions and conferences in future. That will be a situation which the present incumbents will have to contend with. A similar reaction has also come forth from commentators who were part of the country’s intelligence establishment during their careers. The government has successfully hushed these voices including those of the media interlocutors by closing its ranks.
On the other hand, outside the public domain many among the Indian populace whilst living with the belief that India is unlikely to engage in any covert action against Pakistan, would not hesitate to genuinely espouse such steps. They are essentially driven by entrenched memories and experiences of various bomb blasts and acts of terror unleashed by forces in Pakistan. Over the years, the unfriendly acts sponsored by the ISI have all surfaced in their consciousness. For this section of the Indian population, it would seem that if the allegations of Indian intervention in Balochistan were true, it would constitute an apt answer to years of violence perpetrated by Pakistan. The scholarly among them even invoke the spirit of Hans Morgenthau, the early 20th century international relations scholar who had absolved the leaders of nation states of all wrong doing in as far as their actions were in the national interest. There is an acknowledgement that great powers routinely engaged in such activities and perhaps continue to do so with the blessing of their leaders, in their country’s interests. The singular advice coming forth was that the nation must be focused in its covert actions and objectives, within the framework of “plausible deniability”- a well established global practice.
From Pakistan, the cry about Indian interference in Balochistan is nothing new. As recently as January , 2008 Pakistan's Information Minister Nisar A Memon had alleged that agents of India and like-minded forces were spreading disinformation and “ cited the presence of more than a dozen Indian information centres based in Afghanistan as the source of trouble for Pakistan”. It was not the first time that Pakistan has held India, along with Afghanistan, responsible for the ongoing insurgency in Balochistan. The Baloch nationalists, who seek a greater share in national resources and more internal political and administrative autonomy, dispel such allegations and maintain that the Baloch people have always felt offended whenever their struggle was linked with 'external forces that (allegedly) try to destabilise Pakistan'. According to a senior Baloch political analyst, "Each time Islamabad accuses the Baloch of getting external assistance, it amounts to questioning Baloch loyalties to the State and that the Pakistani establishment has always given the impression that those coming from Punjab are the true 'patriots' of the land”.
At the heart of the issue is the Baloch fear that they are being left out of development processes in their own country. In the present dispensation for the development of the Gwadar port, they would be colonized and the economic benefits of the project will not accrue to them as government has consistently ignored the local youth while granting jobs at the port. These among other issues have not yet been addressed by the Pakistani state. As is apparent, these long standing grievances are an entirely internal matter for Pakistan and the Indian Prime Minister said so. One would conclude that India, if at all it was to involve itself in the imbroglio, cannot gain substantially by any action except to send a message.
Days after the euphoria of the supposed diplomatic successes against India settled down, there is a quiet realization amongst the Pakistani administration that having brought up the issue of Balochistan, they would now be required to discuss their internal issues with the Indian government. If one were to take a Machiavellian view of the situation, this is extremely suave diplomatic move the credit for which can only go to Dr Manmohan Singh.
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