Politics of Election in Balochistan

موضوع: Politics of Election in Balochistan 2007-09-12, 11:04 am

Dear all,
Discussions going on, on various websites and political circles whether Baloch nationalists’ parties should take part in coming elections are not. The pro-election people say that:

Election process provides an opportunity to mobilize people and explains their point of view to them and to explain the real situation, regarding kidnapping and killings of Baloch by official intelligence agencies.

The elected parliamentarians can raise their voice in the assemblies against injustices. Once elected they have the weight of being peoples representatives and can go to Media and their saying and statements gets full weight as being Baloch representatives.

If they do not participate the government will bring in agents and puppets and they can play havoc with Baloch and their cause and the outside world and people of Pakistan will also believe that such members represent Balochistan and thus consider them Baloch representatives.

In the present situation Baloch political parties are at least holding some seats like Marri and Bugti Jhalawan and some in Mekran. If they do not participate the people will go to polls and cast their vote and the nationalists will loose the public support.

They give the examples of Awami League of Bengla Desh in 1970 elections where Awami league got the mandate of Bengali people and got the independence.

They say that BNP got only a few seats in assemblies but when they resigned in protest it was a great event and if they were not in the assemblies, they would not have resigned and thus the Baloch would have lost the moral edge they got.

They further argue that:
If they do not participate then they should be in a position to block the political process and ensure by force that no body should participate in the election. They argue that they have no power to stop the process therefore it is useless to clear the field open for government and their agencies.
As regards BLA it has failed to check the Baloch agents working openly with ISI and MI. The best BLA has did was the killing of Rariq Bugti or a few others while a lot are still active in various fields and working with the state agencies. They say that unless the filed is cleared of agents and collaborators it is useless not to participate in the elections. They argue that Nawabzada Balach Marri is not vacating the seat precisely for same reasons because some Bijjaranis or some Mubabath Khans etc will take over and claim representations.

Therefore the Baloch nationalists parties should participate in the elections and should not clear the filed for anti-Baloch forces.

On the other hand it is argued by anti-election people including BLA that:

Participating in election process will give full legitimacy to Pakistani rule and inhuman atrocities in Balochistan.

The election will weaken the Baloch liberation movement and its cause and divert the people attention from Baloch nationalism to pity contracts and privileges etc provided by the Government. .

The parliamentary representation of Baloch is negligible in the Parliament and even in the provincial assembly of Balochistan Baloch representation is not more than 50%. Therefore the elections can not provide any remedy to the Baloch miseries. This experience of Parliament for the last 60 years is bitter.

Provincial assembly of Balochistan is nothing but a forum for offering Fateha for people like Raziq Bugti and its recommendations and decision have never been implemented.

Balochistan assembly has no decision powers. It has no financial powers.

Similarly in Federal parliament Baloch representation is less twenty members out of 342 members. How Baloch voice is heard in such a parliament.

Therefore the Baloch should boycott the elections and concentrate on armed struggle.

It is therefore requested that the members of the group should participate in the discussion in a serious manner. Emotions should be kept aside and discussions should be in the real context of Balochistan without condemning any political party or leaders.
Sincerely,
Shakeel Baloch:BSO: