THE state’s efforts to stifle political activity in Balochistan are unlikely to improve the situation, and instead may further enflame matters. After the authorities placed obstacles in the way of the BNP-M’s ‘long march’, Akhtar Mengal’s party has warned that it will march on Quetta today.
The Baloch leader had originally launched a long march from Wadh to the provincial capital on March 28, calling for the release of Mahrang Baloch and other detained women activists.
However, unable to reach Quetta due to obstructions placed by the state, the party transformed the procession into a protest sit-in. Negotiations with the state have failed to end the impasse, though the provincial government’s spokesperson said on Saturday the BNP-M may be allowed to march to Quetta, but not to the red zone.
In a related move, the provincial head of the JWP has also been detained. Meanwhile, political parties in Balochistan have called on the state to lift restrictions on political activities in the province.
Peaceful protest is the democratic right of all citizens, and the state should not be creating hindrances in the exercise of this right. In the context of Balochistan, where political expression has been severely curtailed, the need to protect this right is even greater. Rather than trying to stop the protests, the government should ponder over why Balochistan’s people have taken to the streets.
Akhtar Mengal’s demands to release women activists should seriously be considered. What is needed in Balochistan is sagacity and vision, not the colonial-style methods that have been employed for the past several decades, which have failed to address the situation in the province or neutralise the insurgency. Political activity should not be equated with ‘political opportunism’, and the state needs to make a clear distinction between terrorists and peaceful political activists.
Defending the right to assemble and express oneself is not the same as expressing sympathy with terrorists. If the state shuts all avenues of political expression, then the volcano of disaffection in Balochistan is likely to explode with even greater ferocity. That is why Akhtar Mengal and other moderate nationalists and rights activists should be engaged and listened to.
The militarised approach may bring temporary quiet to Balochistan, but it will not address the long-standing grievances militants tap into to fuel the insurgency. The state, therefore, must handle the situation with wisdom.
Published in Dawn, April 6th, 2025
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