Please pinpoint for us why the Baloch people feel discriminated against by the federal government.
How many tragedies do I have to count? The seeds of discontent lie in the fact that Balochistan, also called Kalat, was hesitant to accede to Pakistan right from the beginning. Unlike the other provinces, which had two choices before them – to join either India or Pakistan – we had a third: to remain independent. Balochistan, which had never been 'conquered' but had entered into a treaty with the British, opted for independence. Even though Mohammed Ali Jinnah had been an advocate for the Khan of Kalat, he chose to invade the territory, and coerced Balochistan to accede to Pakistan. Since then, every Baloch born is regarded as a 'traitor' in Pakistan. All of us are suspect. Conversely, the Pakistan Army in Balochistan is viewed as an occupying army, butchering the local people. This mutual distrust has given rise to eruptions every now and again, since 1972.
Meanwhile, our resources are being exploited, with no benefit to us. Employment-wise, all positions in Balochistan – from officers to sepoys – in the Secretariat, the police and the Frontier Corps, are filled up by outsiders. The local Baloch people are nowhere to be seen.
What are the practical ways in which the vast resources of Balochistan can best be utilised for the benefit of the Baloch people? What model of development do you envisage, and what inter-relationship with Islamabad?
We don't want favours. We demand that the resources of a province belong to that province. Islamabad has no right to stampede the people. As things stand, all revenue flows from the provinces to the federal government; and in the process, Balochistan is being robbed of its assets. This is because once the federal government has collected revenue, it re-distributes it in accordance with the population size. So, since we have a small population, we get just 3.7 percent of budget outlay. This, when we contribute billions of rupees in gas alone! We cannot visualise any workable relationship with a regime that views Balochistan as a receptacle of resources to be exploited.
Do you see rivalries between the various Baloch tribes as posing a serious obstacle to a unified Baloch resistance?
Tribal rivalries are not coming in the way of a united struggle. This is nothing but false propaganda to downplay the resistance. Even in other provinces – be it Sindh or Punjab – there are different tribes and clans, each with their own competing loyalties. Tribalism exists, of course, but the differences between tribes in Balochistan are blown out of proportion. The lack of unity is more due to not being organised at the national level. The struggle is widespread, however, and is gathering momentum.