The Battle for Balochistan The government's attempts to woo the Baloch Sardars to facilitate its oil and gas exploration drive meets with resistance. The federal Government recently launched a diplomatic offensive with Balochistan's tribal chief- tail1s in keeping with its proposed oil and gas exploration drive in the areas over which the sardars hold sway. If the strategy fails and the chieftains refuse to cooperate, there is report- edlya contingency plan: the use of force. Surveys conducted in the area indicate that three main areas in Balochistan have been earmarked by the government vis a vis the search for indigenous energy sources. These include Theobove the Zainkoh range in Dera Bugti tribal Agency, the Jandran area of Kholu in the Marri Tribal Agency, and Sarooria of the Khuzdar district. Balochistan Governor, (R) Amir UI Mulk Mengal was asked to take the initia- tive and engage the services of influential ministers to kick off the process of dialogue by approaching the tribal  elders, The governor selected two ministers, Agha Abdul Qadir Baloch, ostensibly the senior member of the cabinet, and Malik Mohammad Naeem, for the job, Baloch, who hails from Khuzdar , was assigned the task of establishing contact with Sardar Akhtar Mengal, the former chief minister of Balochistan, while Malik Naeem, who was with the Jamhoori Watan Party until his induction in the cabinet, was asked to approach his ex-party chief, Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti. The senior minister decided to talk to Sardar Attaullah Mengal, who is currently in the United Kingdom, rather than his son, When the government nodded approval, Baloch flew to Britain and held extensive discussions with Mengal, From the outset Mengal made it clear that any negotiations with the government would be subject to certain conditions: firstly, the unconditional release of Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri, the veteran Baloch nationalist who has been in jail for the last one-and-a-half years, charged with the murder of Justice Mir Mohammad Nawaz Marri and some Marri tribesmen, Justice Marri, a senior judge of the Balochistan High Court, was gunned down by unidentified assailants on his way to office a few days before his elevation to chief justice of the province. Subsequently some Marri tribesmen were shot dead in a dispute between members of the Marri and Luni tribes over control of the coalmines in the Kohlu and Loralai areas. Sardar Khair Bakhsh Marri was accused of orchestrating the killings. Mengal also demanded employment for the locals of the area in companies conducting the oil and gas exploration, in addition to certain economic pack - ages for the development of the area. Said Agha Qadir Baloch, "Sardar Attaullah Mengal demanded a development package for the area and recruitment of the locals in exchange for a guarantee of security for the oil companies' personnel working in the area. He also stressed that the companies should help develop the area, and the nature of this help should be determined by a committee of tribal notables.” However, when contacted in London, Sardar Mengal stated: "Needless to say, the government of Pakistan badly needs an economic boost to save the country and there appears to be no source of income to supplement its resources except the underground wealth of Balochistan. It is unfortunate that the Sardar Mengal stated "Needless to say, the government of Pakistan badly needs an economic boost to save the country and there appears to be no source of income to supplement its resources except the underground wealth of Balochistan. It is unfortunate that the government and the future of the people of Balochistan have come in direct conflict with each other. 1t is not possible for both of them to survive; one of them will have to survive at the cost of the other. Naturally, the people of Balochistan being the weaker element, will end up paying the price." government and the future of the people of Balochistan have come in direct conflict with each other. It is not possible for both of them to survive; one of them will have to survive at the cost of the other. Naturally, the people of Balochistan being the weaker element, will end up paying the price." Since the people in Dera Bugti have long been at war with the gas companies on the issue of jobs and workers' demands, and this has resulted in sporadic attacks on gas installations in the area by the locals, the government has decided to attempt to settle this problem area before embarking on any exploration project. Minister Malik Naeem, along with the federal secretary, petroleum, and certain civil and military officials held a series of meetings with Nawab Akbar Bugti in Dera Bugti in this connection. Nawab Bugti conveyed to the delegation members the government's poor credibility rating with the locals of the province on account of its failure to implement even a single agreement reached with the latter vis a vis job opportunities, workers' demands etc. He stressed upon the government representatives the need to build confidence by honouring all written agreements before venturing forth with its exploration plans. "We discussed the prevailing situation in Sui, and the peoples' problems. I think the government should fulfil its promises first and only then discuss the issue of exploration," said Nawab Bugti. He stated that any project of the nature proposed by the government would have to be part of a uniform policy for the whole of Balochistan. He also told the official delegation that he would first like to consult with the other tribal heads of the areas with rich oil and gas reserves, particularly those of the neighbouring Marri tribe, before making any commitment. The commander of the Sibi division Brigadier Enayat Wali, stated that the government had not been able to make any headway with regard to talks over the issue of oil exploration in the Kohlu agency because the Marri chief was not prepared to even enter a dialogue. Bugti responded, "He is imprisoned; how do you expect him to talk to you? Set him free and then see if he doesn't talk to us." Government representatives have tried their level best to persuade Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri to enter negotiations with them, engaging the services of assorted relatives, spiritual personalities and Baloch bureaucrats to reinforce this effort. The authorities have even offered Marri his freedom in exchange for his cooperation, but he has refused to yield even an inch. Serious consideration is reportedly now being given to afford Marri bail. To date bail applications and subsequent appeals by Marri have been rejected right up to the Supreme Court. Marri told Newsline, "On the one hand I have been behind bars for one-and-a-half years on alleged murder charges, and on the other, the government is trying to enlist my help for its exploration initiatives -going so far as to offer me an unconditional release. Are the people of Balochistan and myself then not justified in thinking that I am being penalised for reasons other than what I have been accused of?" It is unfortunate for the government that the largest oil and gas deposits in the province lie in areas under the control of the three Sardars, Mengal, Marri and Bugti who have traditionally been fiercely anti- establishment. There are indications that these three tribal heads, who have their own internal feuds with each other, are now establishing contacts with one another through mutual friends to adopt a joint stand in regard to the government's exploration proposal. Certainly, up till now the prosecution in the case against Marri has not been able to produce a single piece of evidence to establish his involvement in the murder. Said Marri, " A few development projects or a few hundred job opportunities as payment for Balochistan's resources is a very, very cheap bargain. I don't think the Baloch should fall prey to the government's machinations. Instead, they should struggle to become masters of their own resources." It is unfortunate for the government that the largest oil and  gas deposits in the province lie in areas under the control of the three Sardars, Mengal, Marri and Bugti, who have traditionally been fiercely anti-establishment. There are indications that these three tribal heads, who have their own internal feuds with each other are now establishing contacts with one another through mutual friends to adopt a joint stand in regard to the government's exploration proposal. The people of Balochistan mean while, are firmly opposed to allowing the government to launch any new project in the province. They cite the grave injustice committed by the federal government against the local people of Dera Bugti agency in the matter of Sui gas. The first natural gas deposit was discovered in 1953 in Sui; but Balochistan did not receive any gas even while it was distributed throughout the rest of the country. Even the provincial capital Quetta, only got this facility in 1980, while Over 80 percent of the population, including Sui town, are still deprived of it. Nor has Balochistan got its due share of the gas revenue despite repeated appeals. Similarly, the Baloch people give the example of the six billion-rupee subsidy given to the fertiliser industry annually, of which the Balochistan farming community does not receive one paisa. In yet another instance, three farmers were recently killed by the police while protesting against WAPDA which had withdrawn the facility of subsidised power rates for agriculture consumers. If Islamabad wants the cooperation of the Baloch, it will have to make amends by way of earnest long-term  development of the province to bring it at par with the other provinces. Short term, stop-gap measures and patently politically expedient promises of con- cessi9ns for the province ring hollow, and there is now too much water under the bridge for any quick rapprochements. If the government fails to bring the people and their Sardar’s around and decides to explore the alternative -yet another military operation against the province, as reports emanating from Islamabad suggest -the situation is likely to reach the point of no return and the portents are ominous. In the new ground reality, post the Afghan war, the tribes are armed to the teeth and equipped with sophisticated means of communication: Any hasty and aggressive action could engender a long and costly civil war. 15.8.01 Newsline By: Shazada Zulfiqar