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| Indian reaction to unrest in Balochistan | | editorial | |
Indian reaction to the killing by Pakistan army, through missile
attack, of Nawab Akbar Bugti, a top leader of resistance movement in
Balochistan, has been quite guarded and restrained. Although in this
hour of crisis faced by Pakistan over uprising in the Baloch
territory, India could take advantage of and pay tit for tat to
Pakistan for its blatant interference in the internal affairs of this
country by abetting, actively assisting, rather engineering militant
insurgency in Kashmir, even with infiltrating a large number of
Pakistani nationals, trained in handling of arms and in the art of
sabotage and subversion, equipped with latest sophisticated weapons,
supplied by Pakistan, into Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of the
country, with the objective to dismember J&K from India. Yet,
exercising restraint India has only express regret over the ruthless
Pak action in suppressing the discontent in Balochistan and has only
advised Pakistan that the situation should have been handled through
negotiations to find political solution, rather than military action.
The forcible accession of formerly autonomous princely tribal area of
Balochistan, under overall British sovereignty by Pakistan in 1948 has
all through remained a subject of controversy and simmering discontent
among the Baloch tribes. The Baloch have been demanding restoration of
autonomy and self rule as they enjoyed under the British over lordship
before 1947 and higher share of natural resources, including the oil
wealth and minerals in the area, which Pakistan has since been
exploiting at the cost of the local inhabitants. Against this the
accession of J&K to India had been legally and constitutionally
effected by Maharaja Hari Singh, the only constitutional authority
with whom the power vested in the matter and was endorsed by Sheikh
Mohammad Adhullah, the acknowledged representative of the Kashmiris
then. If Pakistan exercises the option to extend moral, political and
diplomatic support to a section of people in a part of J&K who are not
reconciled to the state's accession with India and even goes to the
extent of providing them the armed assistance, India too can pay
Pakistan in the same coin and provide all the needed assistance to
Balochs in their struggle against the authoritarian rule of Pakistan
and worst sort of repression let loose against them. Indian concern
over instability in the region is also justified on account of threat
to its own security in case of chaos and anarchy prevailing in its
neighborhood. Yet India has avoided fishing in the trouble waters of
Pakistan and so far has distanced itself from the trouble brewing from
Pakistan from within its own territory. From strategic point also it
could well suit India to keep Pakistan more engaged in overcoming its
trouble within its frontiers, where it will be required to deploy its
resources, including the armed forces, so that it was forced to spare
meddling in India's internal affairs in Jammu and Kashmir. Yet India
has not done anything of the sort.
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