How cheap they sell Baloch land 

The following tale of foolishness we have been hearing since childhood. It is said that a foolish man was cutting the very branch of the tree he was sitting on. A passer-bye notices him doing this and he cannot help warning him to stop otherwise he will fall and hurt himself, the foolish man replies you are not God who knows that I am going to fall. 

The passer-bye hadn’t walked even a few steps when the branch broke and the foolish man fell down he nearly broke his leg. He gets up and limps after the passer-bye. He falls to the passer-byes feet and says you right. 

The foolish man had really crossed the boundaries of foolishness, we all agree with it but it is a pity that instead of learning a lesson this centuries old tale we are repeating it today. 

The only difference is that the foolish man was cutting the branch he was sitting on whereas we the people of Gwader, Sarpaishkan and surrounding areas, are selling our ancestral sweet land in such a hurry as if Hazarat Israfeel is about to blowpipe and the Doomsday is around the corner. 

It can be judged from the fact that all of sudden a number of estate agencies have came into being in a small town of Gawader and their proprietors are rolling in millions and driving around in Mercedes and Parado Jeeps. 

They include would-be noble men and politicians who were talking about nationalism and merger of Baloch Nationalist parties for the struggle of Baloch Rights. But now overjoyed in selling their ancestral land by acres. 

Believe me witnessing this hypocrisy my heart sheds blood tears. There are some individuals who according to a poet, “saaf chupthay bhi nain saamnay aathay bhi nain”. (Neither they are hiding nor they can be seen). 

For the sake benefit what we have not done, in garb of bottle we have sold our faith, we weighed love and brotherhood in scales, decency and ethics were sold in bits and pieces and we even sold our souls. We tried selling every thing but all in vain. We did not gain anything from it but lost every thing and now in 2003 Mashallah did not learn anything from past we are selling our land. 

Recently a similar “Land Seller” tried persuading me “Look brother there is no shortage of land in Balochistan at all. You know we have a vast province and an extremely long coastline if we give some land out of it to our Pakistani or Western brothers so hell is not going to break out. Otherwise they might snatch it from us as they have been doing in the case of Gas and other resources. Thank God that this time they are generous and extremely generous, for these useless arid and barren lands they are paying us millions and millions.

So brother it will be a grave ingratitude on our part to kick this livelihood knocking on our door. So believe me and forget your morals and values and say BISMILLAH, do what I am doing because it is very profitable otherwise, neither you will be owner of your land nor will you be compensated.” (Na Khuda He Mela Na Wisal E Sanam) 

At this time my patience was overflowing and I said that these millions are like a slab of ice given in our hands, but to store it we have not been provided with an icebox. Now tell me how long are you going to benefit from this slab of ice how long are you going to hold it, your hand are going to freeze and you won’t even be able to wipe your tears. 

Now this is the situation here that even the beggar goes around asking for an acre or half an acre of land in the name of Allah. I shall not be wrong to say that many of us think of selling acres and earning millions even during prayers. And those who are landless keep on praying to God for land so they may also benefit from the ongoing race of.  

Believe it or not this is true and a bitter fact, recently a pious person had to knock on the door of a rich man for a piece of land in order to construct Allah’s house (Mosque) in Gwadar area, moreover some elders preach that this is God’s land but the irony is that there is no piece of free land available even for mosque. Because all the land even arid or barren has been allotted and has been transferred in their names by influential people in order to sell it. 

Now from a far-of corner I am hearing these voices “Mai Tursa Zameen Larsant” meaning “From our fear earth trembles”, look at the height of my ignorance that despite hectic efforts and quest since childhood I have been unable to comprehend the idea of the verse sung by emotional Baloch youth “Mai Tursa Zameen Larsant”. But now since the start of this era of “Land selling culture” It took no time for me to understand the meaning of the verse, because the ill-fated mother land under our feet is not only trembling but also quaking because she doesn’t know when, how, at what price, to whom and through which commission agent my son is going to sell me. 

Oh my gullible friends, sons of soil are dying, they are throwing themselves in front of tanks, dodging bullets and blowing themselves up to save an inch of their motherland from aggressors. And on the other hand we are such an ill fated that we are happy and rejoicing while squandering our ancestral lands. 

May the bliss not suit us, we should not forget that these lands are trust of our ancestors, they are the mementos of their remembrance, these are the same lands on which we were born and grew up, these lands are our bread and butter we have spent our lives and are supposed to enjoy eternal rest here but our descendents will not be willing to bury our useless bodies here. After death when such a soul goes to the heavens above and it will be received by a drunkard’s soul making a wry face and questioning our soul “ Kabar Kis Moon Jaon Ga Ghalib Sharam Tum Ko Magar Nai Aati” meaning “ With what face are you going to meet your creator aren’t you ashamed, after all that you have done” 

In the end I recall the same foolish man who fell from the tree, but now I am feeling envious of his fate, who ultimately fell but fortunate for him at least land to fall on, he got up cleaned his clothes chased the passer bye and succeeded in getting his God. But many regrets for the Baloch of Gwadar who are going to fall from the tree won’t have any land to fall upon, while getting God is a far cry. Daily Assap 18.8.03 

In Urdu Below

Daily Assap 18.8.03