Category:Baloch Online Tonight

Comments by Usman Khalid on the Legacy of Akbar Bugti Posted on: 2006-09-04 12:05:08

I do not know who will inherit the mantle of Nawab Akbar Bugti - his son Talal, the sons of Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri or Akhtar Mengel? They are all together today but a Sardar always prefer to be No1 in a small place by right than to be No 2 or 3 in a big

However, the Sardar have been masquerading as representative of all Baloch because it is convenient for the media; the ordinary Baloch have never had a voice in the affairs or the tribe or their area.

The Dawn ( Karachi ) and The News ( Lahore ) who carry the cudgels of behalf of the Baloch Sardars, are not supporters of the Sardari System; they support the open disdain for Islam and Muslims that the three Sardars ? Mengel, Marri and Bugti - represent.

These Newspapers support the nationalists in other provinces for the same reason. The near unanimous outcry in the media against the murder of Nawab Akbar Bugti has everything to do with the politics of Pakistan but very little with the politics of Balochistan.

At this time, no one is thinking of the country and its future. The ruling party hopes the public outcry is temporary and the storm will pass. Perhaps it will ! But the storm will brew up again and reach its crescendo when General Musharraf tries to get re-elected from the present assemblies or announce the date of the general elections.

The dry run by the opposition on the death of Akbar Bugti has shown that the strength of the present set up is underpinned by the military and not the PML. Having completed his tenure of four years as the Chief of Staff, General Musharraf is now seen to be exploiting the trust the people have in the military. He is seen as a burden not an asset by the military.

A number of retired Army Officers most of them his good friends have told him so. He should now be more interested in safeguarding his legacy rather than his rule. His policy in Balochistan is among his good legacies. The Baloch people have been the principal victims of the excesses of Sardars who kept them poor and ignorant denying them education, communication and health care.

The ordinary Baloch knows that the end of the hold of the Sardars is good for him and his future generations but he is still unsure if the determination of the government provincial or federal will last. Their experience in the past has not been good.

After the rebellion by Mengel and Marri tribes against the administration of Late Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had been successfully put down, it was General Zia ul Haq who gave the system a new lease of life by reversing all the Bhutto reforms.

That the determination to end the Sardari system is sustained is a national priority. The political parties have not shown understanding of its importance. It means that in 2007 direct military rule (not democracy) will return; or the policy making would continue to be ?guided? by the National Security Council albeit under a new President.

That the nationalists in all provinces see in the death of Nawab Akbar Bugti an ?opportunity? provides an equally good opportunity to those loyal to the polity of Pakistan to defeat and liquidate them. The MMA has shocked its constituency by justifying the Baloch insurrection.

The ruling PML is uncertain which side to take. It is only the military that is sure and certain. But General Musharraf has hoisted his colours on the mast of the secularists who are opposed to the polity of Pakistan .

The Army and the country are not with him; the reason is obvious. He has been unsympathetic to the anxieties of the natural allies of Pakistan and has been helping the USA to strike and liquidate them. He is clearly having second thoughts but thoughts alone are not going to reverse policy or make allies of those he spurned in the past. At this moment in time, the policies of General Musharraf are good for Pakistan .

But he is perceived to need America more than they need him. It is at such times that America pulls the rug from under the feet of its friends. There is a huge constituency of support for Musharraf?s legacy but very little support for him. The dilemma is not unique but the decision is not easy. He must put his legacy before his person. In the long run we are all dead. But legacies do outlast persons. The grit and determination shown in deciding to build five dams and in liquidating the Indian inspired insurrection in Balochistan has earned a good name for him and for the institution of the armed forces.

He has a year to plan the exit strategy that guards his legacy and enhance the reputation of the armed forces.

Brigadier (R) Usman Khalid Director London Institute of South Asia www.lisauk.com