The cost of being a Baloch nationalist 75 years old and in frail health, Nawab khair Baksh Marri languishes in a Quetta jail as the state drags its feet over what to do with him. In complete contrast to the quick trials of the corrupt being conducted in Balochistan, the government's handling of the most significant case in the province leaves much to be desired. In fact, serious questions are being raised about the military government's motives in arresting and trying Nawab Khair Baksh Marri, a veteran politician and an aged tribal chief. Even after 12 months of captivity, there are still no signs of his release. After the murder of Justice Nawaz Marri, the Balochistan High Court's senior puisne judge, in Quetta on January 7,2000, several raids on the Marri camp in Quetta and the arrest of over 100 tribesmen, the authorities finally arrested Nawab Khair Baksh Marri on January 14. Nawab Marri's lawyers have expressed the fear that the government is trying to force Marri’s into giving a confessional statement. They point to the arrest of over a hundred tribesmen from the Marri camp in Quetta and the disappearance of several others. "While most of these Marri’s have been released, there are still 14 or 15 missing and no one knows where they are," says Sajid, a lawyer for the Nawab. "My fear is that the government wants to force them into giving statements against the Nawab," Of course, this version of events becomes even more credible when one considers the fact that, despite the orders of the Balochistan High Court, the government has tailed to produce the Marri tribesmen in question. The health of the 75-year-old Baloch Nationalist confined in jail is another cause of concern for his family and friends. Since September, he has been complaining of severe kidney and prostate problems. A government-constituted medical board examined the aging Nawab Marri and prescribed some medicines. But after a month and a half, the problems resurfaced. The government then constituted a medical board in early November. The board, comprising urologists Dr. Sadaat Khan, Dr. Tariq Iqbal Khoso, Dr. Jamilur Rehman and Dr. Azizur Rehman, examined Nawab Marri in jail and recommended cystoscopy to be performed under general anaesthesia. The board said that this operation was not possible in jail and suggested that Nawab Marri be transferred to a hospital. The government has offered treatment at any hospital in the country, but Nawab Marri has refused the offer so far. In the meantime, his lawyers have again moved an application in the local court for his release on the grounds of health and age. The most surprising thing about the whole issue is the unannounced ban on the media. During initial hearings held at sessions court in Quetta, the government made sure that newsmen remained far away from the accused. Probably to keep him away from public gaze and tile media, the Nawab Marri’s trial was shifted to the central jail in Quetta after three initial hearings in the sessions court. Despite it being referred to as an open trial, no media personnel have been allowed to attend the court proceedings. A few of the Nawab Marri’s statements, however, did appear in the press, courtesy his lawyers. To further add insult to injury , not many people have been given permission to meet him in jail. His relatives and friends complain of harassment at the hands of government officials and a complicated permission process to deter them from meeting him. A government spokesman promptly denied any such restrictions and issued a list of persons, including politicians and human rights activists who have met the veteran Baloch nationalist leader in jail so far. However, apart from former chairperson HRCP, Asma Jahangir, and her team, Marri has hardly been allowed any visitors of note. Nawab Marri is not just facing a trial for Justice Nawaz Marri's assassination. Proceedings in another case, involving the abduction of a former Afghan commander, are also in progress in court. Apart from these two cases in Quetta, three cases have been constituted in his native Kohlu district for his alleged involvement in blowing up and attacking coal laden trucks bound for the Punjab. Nawab Marri's lawyers believe all these cases were engineered. "The government wishes to keep Nawab Marri behind bars for as long as it takes,“ argues Sajid Tareen. “Despite several requests, no challan has been filed against Nawab Marri in the Kohlu cases. These cases were registered over a year ago. This means that the government wants to keep these cases pending to keep an old man behind bars, in case he is granted bail in any of the cases ongoing in Quetta.“ Independent observers in the province strongly believe the veteran politician is being targeted due to his political beliefs. Nawab Marri, much like Mir Ghous Bux Bizenjo, Nawab Akbar Bugti and Sardar Attaullah Mengal, is committed to the objective of an autonomous Baloch area within Pakistan and, failing that, independence. He also believes that Balochistan's natural resources should be left to the Baloch. If Nawab Marri's incarceration is seen in the light of these beliefs, the attitude of the military government immediately begins to make sense. General Musharraf announced in December last year that the government intends to begin exploration work in the province at the earliest possible. However, different events, including Justice Nawaz's gruesome murder, have made this very difficult for the government. Jehangir Bashar, a spokesman for the ministry of petroleum and natural resources has recently said that efforts to restart oil and gas exploration in Balochistan were being resisted by “certain elements”. Marri clearly is one of these elements. On the other hand, several Baloch politicians, including former chief minister Sardar Akhtar Mengal, have been blaming the intelligence agencies for the murder of Justice Nawaz Marri and the subsequent arrest of Nawab Marri. “They killed two birds with one stone. They prevented a Baloch from becoming Chief justice of the Balochistan High Court and put another behind bars to open up his native Kohlu for oil and gas exploration,” alleges Mengal. Meanwhile, a 75-year-old respected politician languishes in prison. His crimes are indeterminate and his health frail. And Balochistan watches on. By Haroon Rashid Herald Dec.2000