Balochistan, Pakistan, Politics, Sindh, Sindhi

Opinion- Let’s not forget that Sindhis are friends of Balouchs

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Balouch Mindset..
by Zulfiqar Halepoto, Hyderabad, Sindh
The writer can be reached at zhalepoto@yahoo.com
.. I would like to draw an attention to some facts, which are important to understand at the time when we claim that both Sindhi and Balouchs are coming closer to each other but the mindset of Balouch intellectuals are still hostile towards Sindhis… In post Benazir Bhutto Pakistan, the political complications to run the state as a viable polity, are increasing day by day. The internal contradictions of the state are reached at a point where no adhoc remedy or daily wages approach to run the affairs, are further widening the contradictions.
In this situation any kind of rift between any suppressed nation and especially between Sindhis and Balouchs will harm the cause of the right of political and fiscal sovereignty of the oppressed nations within Pakistani territories… and Sindhi politician, nationalist, writer, intellectual and pressman always support the cause of Balouch. The Quetta based Sindhi media friends of Kawish, KTN, daily Ibrat, Sindh TV and other media houses used to support the just cause of downtrodden people of Balochistan. Many of us know that during Musharraf’s naked fascist regime there were curbs on media and ISPR used to directly monitor media coverage especially during Akbar Bugti Shaheed’s fight with the establishment. Lot of pressure came on the shoulders of those brave Sindhi journalists who were working in Balochistan at that time. But they refused to carry out the dictation of agencies. They were on good terms with Shaheed Bugti, Mir Balach and others.


When a delegation of SDF visited Quetta to offer fateha on the Shahadat of Bugti, we stayed for couple of in that city which was under curfew like situation. Sindh’s two prominent writers and political analyst Abrar Kazi and Javed Kazi were there. We met with Baloch political activists, journalists and academia to develop a civil society liaison of both sides. On the contrary, some of our Balouch friends supported MQM panel in the last Karachi press club elections.
Sindh cried when the Balouch leadership was hijacked / trapped by right wing forces under the leadership of APDM and we were of the view that our friends have lost the chance to be in the mainstream of internationally accepted forums of assemblies. Hammed Gul doctrine pushed them to the wall.
We forget when on a Sindhi channel interview (Sindh TV anchor was Javed Kazi) Attaullah Khan replied to a question and said he has a regret that why Bhutto was hanged why was not he killed by him (Balouch). It was a harsh reply but Sindhis have tolerated it.
During the days of Bugti’s fight with Musharraf.. Many of the present proclaimed leaders were not with Bugti and they were waiting for another martyr to settle their political scores.
During the CM ship of Akhtar Mengal, Gawadar Port was launched; people still can see the inaugural/foundation stone singed by Mian Nawaz Sharif and CM Akhtar Mengal.
When Sindhis were fighting with Musharraf’s fascist supporters in Karachi, many of our Balouch leaders were arguing with Sindhis that MQM is a reality and it can be a future partner. Here I can quote (being an eye-witness account of some of London based meetings) lots of statements of Balouch leaders, who at one stage came closer to MQM, but Sindhis never mind it, and call it a freedom of Balouch leaders to choose their future political allies and partners.
Sindhi Diaspora living in UK, Europe and North America never issued a single stamen or organise a protest in which Balouch presence or the cause of Balouch were not been promoted. On the assassination of Bugti, the entire Sindh was under full shutter down for couple of days. More than 1000 articles, editor, columns and especial editions were issued by the Sindhi print media and TV channels screened especial prgrammes and documentaries.
Overseas Sindhi organizations, SANA, WSI and WSC always link Sindh’s struggle with Balouch, in Pakistan Sindhi political leadership never done a single activity without having Balochistan on agenda. WSI is the forum which gave space and jobs to some of our civil society Balouch friends to capitalize their case…

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