AkhtSardar Akhtar Mengal, the chief of his eponymous Balochistan National Party (BNP), is a veteran politician who served as Balochistan chief minister during the second tenure of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government in the late 90s. Mengal is an advocate for the rights of the people of Balochistan, who, he believes, have been neglected by the successive governments. In an interview with Bol News, Mengal shares his views on provincial issues as well as national politics.
The Gwadar movement became a big issue. It is being said that a non-elected person led the protests and people accepted him as their leader. Have the Baloch nationalists missed an opportunity to lead?
SAM: As far as the protests for the rights in Gwadar are concerned, it is not just Gwadar but the whole of Balochistan is deprived of its rights. In fact, it won’t be wrong even to say that the entire Pakistan is deprived of rights. It is not a new thing. During Nawaz Sharif’s tenure when the foundation stone of Gwadar Port was being laid, we had questioned for whom it was being made because the local people of Gwadar lack even the basic facilities. This problem also continued during General Musharraf’s tenure and when Nawaz Sharif returned to power, we had called a huge conference on China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and asked them to enlighten us as to what benefits will this project provide to the local community. So frankly, now the patience of the people of Gwadar has run out as there are no job opportunities for the local people.
The CPEC was initiated with a plan for industrialisation of Gwadar and for Balochistan, but that plan has not been implemented. The source of income of people in Gwadar was fishing and border trade, which was also closed down. Now the government has made it mandatory for the fishermen to get permission if they want to go to sea for fishing. This has happened for the first time. You are well aware of how this country works. These fishermen don’t have an approach in the higher echelons of power to get the permit for fishing, and if someone has an approach, he gets a permit only once in a month. These restrictions have rendered thousands of fishermen jobless.
As far as the border trade is concerned, it is not a new thing either. The people of Balochistan were involved in border trade with Iran for centuries. It is not only in Pakistan, in fact across the globe, the places or provinces located on borders have jobs or source of income through border trade. But the government has sealed the border. So tell me, where would the people go?
There is no doubt that the nationalist parties of Balochistan are lagging behind in this movement because they could not reach there in time. However, we are with the people of Balochistan in their struggle. This movement started from the all parties’ conference, and all the political parties in Gwadar including the nationalists, religious parties and even the federal parties are participating in the protests. Our BNP colleagues also have taken up the issues of fishermen and the closure of borders at the floor of the house and also took a decision from the Balochistan High Court against the fencing in Gwadar. Yes, but the movement is being led by a Moulvi Sahib.
Do you think that this movement would expand. One of your MNAs has said that people from across Balochistan are coming out demanding their rights?
SAM: Let me tell you that this has been the nature of mankind. If you do not give them their valid rights and instead fire bullets and batons charge them, then they will not follow your law and constitution. When the government is not respecting them and solving their issues, why will they obey the government?
In Balochistan, the main criticism has been that the Sardars are very powerful and have made the province a hostage. You are a Sardar yourself. What do you think, has Balochistan been suffering due to the Sardari or Tribal system?
SAM: Please tell me the name of any sardar in Gwadar. There is no Sardar among the fishermen or the people involved in border trade and who buy a pick up on installments for carrying goods aren’t Sardars either. General Musharraf once said that 73 Sardars are with us and only three are against us. But now those three are not here anymore. So tell me, if all the other sardars are with the government, then why are the issues of Balochistan not being resolved? This propaganda has always been done to portray a bad image of Balochistan and manipulate the minds of the people. The whole of Balochistan is with you, whether they are elected representatives, sardars or nawabs, but you are not solving their problems. Go and visit Jhal Magsi, go and see Lasbela, Naseerabad or Sibbi. People there have remained with you even though they don’t have clean drinking water. It is a sorry state of affairs…people in Sibbi and other places are forced to obtain water from resources where animals drink water.
We recently witnessed that when the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) issue surfaced and violent protests ensued, the state said they will be dealt with an iron hand. But later an agreement was reached and the TLP demands were met. Why the unarmed protesters of Balochistan, including in Gwadar, apparently fail to draw attention?
SAM: Unfortunately, this has been the problem with our ruling class or those in power. They show their aggression to the weak, but bow down to the powerful. Whenever, whosoever became powerful in this country, the government and the powers that be held negotiations with them and accepted their demands. But the people who were weak were either snubbed or treated harshly. They have always given this message that if you are powerful then we will negotiate with you.
Let me tell you that the people of Gwadar in the entire Balochistan province remain the most peaceful ones. They never protested in the past. Even in the 1980s in Gevini, when straight bullets were fired at them for demanding water and an innocent child, Yasmeen, was killed, they never protested. But there’s a limit to someone’s patience…That’s exactly what is happening here in this province.
Do you think the biggest problem of Balochistan remains that of missing persons? Are there any other issues which need to be resolved on a war footing?
SAM: If you talk about the problems of Balochistan, one problem is bigger than the other. But the missing persons issue is unbearable. One knows that if a person goes missing, he will surely be in some sort of a torture cell. Even if they are being kept in solitary confinement, it’s still be a mental torture. The families of such missing people also go through constant mental torture and suffer from fear, sorrow and grief every moment of their lives. Some have lost their fathers, some have lost their children. This is terrible.
Balochistan is also a place where humans live and so, the missing persons’ problem takes precedence over all the other issues. As far as our issue with the government is concerned, yes the missing persons’ problem was the core of our 6-point agreement. We provided them a list of 5,148 people out of which only around 450 have been recovered and in the meantime around 1500 more people have been abducted. Isn’t this madness and when will it stop?
Is it the reason you left the government?
SAM: Yes, absolutely. The process of their release or return has been stopped. Although we have left the government, wasn’t it the responsibility of the government to release the abducted people? Were they only being released because of our agreement with the government?
The abductors have adopted another strategy now. While previously they used to throw the bodies on the roads and in deserts, they have now set up a department called Counter Terrorism Department, which stages a drama in the name of raids and kill people in the garb of encounters. Recently, as many as19 bodies were recovered from a single place on the roadside. It was said they were killed in an encounter and that heavy weaponry was recovered from them. I want to ask what sort of encounter was this where not a pane of glass belonging to the government was broken or any car damaged. And why was any among the dead caught alive or in an injured condition? What sort of heavy weaponry they had which they couldn’t use to protect themselves?
You might be aware of the conversation of the Islamabad High Court Chief Justice with the Attorney General. He said that if millions of people take to the streets then maybe the problem will be solved. Can political parties like the BNP motivate the millions?
SAM: With due apologies, the major political parties do not prioritize this issue because it is related to the smaller provinces and, unfortunately, we neither could bring anyone into power nor put anyone out of it. Our large political parties’ priority is to get more votes through whatever means they could. Yes, the people of Balochistan, who left the province in the past will come out on the streets, but they won’t be allowed to protest either.
Do you think that the recent Supreme Court remarks give any hope that the country’s courts will do something solid in the missing persons’ case?
SAM: In the past too, people used to say that courts are independent in Pakistan, especially when Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry was the chief justice and the cases on this issue were being heard in his supervision. I also appeared in this case in 2012. We provided the complete list of missing persons and the number was low at that time. But what happened to him (chief justice)? He hasn’t broken the constitution. He gave some verdict with reference to the missing persons that also carried remarks about the implementation of constitutional clauses. So what happened to him (Chaudhry)? History is witness to the whole incident. I pray and hope that our courts take a stand on this issue and show sympathy to those mothers, daughters and sisters who have lost their loved ones.
You joined the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) after quitting the government. But it seems that PDM has failed in its efforts to oust Imran Khan. Are you satisfied with the PDM’s agenda?
SAM: When the BNP joined the PDM, we said in clear words that the government’s ouster is not our priority. Our priority is the restoration of democratic system and (press for the) non-interference of the state institutions in politics.
We told them that we are ready to support you and there were talks about resolving issues and forming governments. But that was not the fundamental agenda of the PDM. The opportunities did arrive for the PDM such as the move to pass the no confidence motion against chairman senate or staging no confidence motions in provinces, but they were not part of the PDM’s agenda.
In my opinion, the reasons behind the formation of the PDM have not been achieved even five percent. We were not able to become a wall in front of those institutions that are a threat to political setup and democracy in Pakistan. We never managed to build enough pressure on the government. What happened is that because the PDM failed to take timely measures, it is facing lack of unity and disillusionment within its ranks –, some parties have already left the alliance.
As far as the no confidence motion and taking votes of Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) members was concerned, we have seen in Balochistan that you brought an in-house change in alliance with the BAP and that too from their party.
SAM: As far as Balochistan is concerned, our parties which were part of the PDM had a consensus after which we brought the no confidence motion in the Balochistan Assembly and this issue was discussed at the PDM meeting as well. But as far as the Chairman Senate issue is concerned, the consensus was not as to who will be the leader of the opposition, which caused a lot of bad blood.
What will be your suggestion for the PDM now as it plans a long march next year?
SAM: This has been the bad luck of this country that parties make deals under the table and damage such alliances. If this time it happens again and the PDM continues to give priority to coming to power, compromising the supremacy of democracy, then it will be the biggest nightmare for this country and the political parties will be responsible for the consequences.
