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Settlers’ organisation condemns target killings in
Balochistan
* Member says attacks on settlers a conspiracy to destabilise Quetta
and fan ethnic strife
QUETTA: The Organisation of Settlers in Balochistan (OSB) on
Thursday expressed concern over the continuous cycle of target
killings in Quetta against the non-locals for political reasons.
A statement issued by the OSB strongly condemned the killing of
three settlers within 24 hours in Balochistan and expressed concern
over the safety of others, saying the government has not taken
action against the perpetrators of the target killings in the
provincial capital. A meeting of the OSB organising committee on
Thursday termed the killed men as innocent and expressed shock and
grief over their 'brutal killings'.
Conspiracy: "Attacks on settlers are a conspiracy to destabilise the
provincial capital and fan ethnic strife. Those who are targeting
innocent citizens are morally and ideologically shallow and will not
be able to impose their ideology on the others by using brute force
and violence," said a member of the committee, requesting anonymity
for fear of his own security, adding, "the settlers in Balochistan
stand for the unity of all ethnic communities. The government should
take notice of the target killings occurring in Quetta as such
terrorist attacks are disrupting Balochistan province and its
government".
The OSB member added that those being killed had come from other
provinces to work either as barbers or wage workers, and “would be
compelled to leave Balochistan” if the target killings did not stop.
Humayun Jogazai, the capital city police officer, said the police
had taken suspected men into custody and were investigating
regarding their involvement in the killings. Baloch militant
organisations striving for an 'independent Balochistan' have
accepted responsibility for the target killings of settlers from
Punjab as they want them to quit Balochistan. staff report
Source:Daily Times :Friday, November 21, 2008
Mr. Bugti has died in an encounter, so shall be remembered for his
bravery and commitment to his cause. Though his cause had little to
do with the welfare of his people and more to do with his personal
prestige and powerful position, yet his death has been resulted in
generating more sympathies for the cause of Baloch people.
It is necessary that we must investigate the cause of Economic and
educational backwardness of Baloch people. These are my feelings as
being a Punjabi. On the other hand, Mr. Irshad Ahmed Haqqani, in his
column, has copied a letter of a Punjabi who is resident of
Balochistan. Punjabi people are the victim of target killing and
Robbery in Balochistan province. There is general environment of
hatred for Punjabis among the Baloch people, or at least among the
‘nationalist’ Balochis. The slogan of Balochi ‘nationalists’ is:
“Balochistan – the graveyard of Punjabis”. It is important to
mention that if Baloch people are poor or backward, then so is the
case with those Punjabi victims of target killing … because mostly
they also happened to be poor labour class people. So they are
becoming victim of a blind form of hatred. It is also important to
mention that Punjabis do not hate Balochis or any other in this type
of manner or any other manner whatsoever.
Rights of Balochistan have to do with the affairs of federal
government and not with the people of Punjab. But indirect role of
Punjab does come because of such reasons as: (i) More representation
of Punjabis in federal government, (ii) Economic prosperity of
common Punjabi as compared to common Balochi. etc.
Federal government allocates resources to different provinces on the
basis of population data alone. As being a Punjabi, in my honest
assessment, this is a wrong policy. Balochistan is the largest
province of country in terms of its area but smallest in terms of
population. While allocating the resources to this province, federal
government takes decision solely on the basis of population data and
simply ignores the implications of vast land area of this province.
The simple implication of such vast land area is that it gives the
result of very high per capita infrastructure cost. With the view to
provide the facility of lets say, a road to less number of people, a
long road of many hundred kilometers would be required. So the per
capita infrastructure cost has to be very much high in this province
as compared to lets say Punjab where far more number of people get
the benefit of relatively very short road. So first of all in my
opinion, resources should be allocated not just on the basis of
population data but should be allocated on the basis of per capita
infrastructure cost. Representation of Baloch people also should be
increased in federal government due to similar reasons.
Punjabis are generally well off because they have been gifted by
nature with five big rivers and fertile agriculture land. Punjabi
people are lucky in the sense that they can exercise their
proprietary rights over the fertile lands of the province. It means
that Punjabi people are lucky because they can exercise proprietary
rights over the naturally occurring natural resources of their
province.
Balochi people have been unlucky because they have been deprived off
to exercise their proprietary rights over the natural resources
(natural gas) of their province. Bugti’s assassination has diverted
our attention (Punjabi’s attention) towards this form of injustice
as well. Balochistan is poor in water resources and fertility of
land but it is rich in other form of natural resources as natural
gas. If Punjab has the right to take full benefit of its natural
resources, then Balochistan also should have full right to take
benefits of its natural resources. But just like Punjabi people take
the benefit of their natural resources, so it should be the Baloch
people who should take the benefit of their natural resources and
this benefit should not go in the pockets of their Sardars.
It is also important to mention that Punjabis do not act as parasite
for Baloch people in any sense. They make payment for the gas, which
they use. This payment however should go to provincial government of
Balochistan for the benefit of Baloch people, and should not go to
federal government or even the personal treasures of Baloch Sardars.
Federal government should take just her taxation out of this income
and nothing more.
It is also necessary that constitutional set up should be like a
federation with the greatest possible autonomy to Provinces. There
should not be any form of injustice by any province towards any
other. People of one province should not hate with people of other
province on just baseless things like that since Punjabis take
‘electricity’ out of waters of rivers so the water which reaches to
next province would lack some important ingredient which is crucial
for agriculture etc. etc. If people of other provinces hate with
Punjabis on the basis of this type of reasons, then they are also
committing injustice towards Punjabis.
( source wordpress Written by Khurram Rafique Babar: September 01,
2006)
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