A Call for Unity: BNP-M’s Disruption of Progress in Balochistan

In a time of growing challenges within and outside the shores of Pakistan, the country is at the crossroads. Pakistan needs to look towards unity and collective progress instead of division and conflict. However, the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) is apparently following the opposite direction. By insisting on protests and instigating undue political agitations in Balochistan, BNP-M is stoking tensions and derailing the smooth development the province has experienced in recent years.

The BNP-M’s call for province-wide protests on July 10 is founded on false charges of enforced disappearance, border blockades, and government actions that alienate the Baloch people. While any human rights issue is necessarily anxious, it is important to put these charges into a broader context, specifically the context of the martyrs of the military and the efforts of the state to address the issues of Balochistan.

In the recent years, development interventions from the government and the Pakistan Army have resolved to escalate decidedly, emphasizing the promise to make sure that Balochistan is developed. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has led crucial investments into energy and infrastructure projects, which are going to directly boost Balochistan’s economy. Ranging from new roads to power grids, all the projects are designed to link the entire region into the national mainstream, stimulating growth, providing jobs, and ensuring long-term economic development.

But whenever attempts have been made, BNP-M rhetoric has focused increasingly on characterizing the state and the army as the enemy, rather than an ally in development. “Enforced disappearances” and “state repression” are levelled routinely, but these are often allegations hiding the truth behind them. The Baloch militants who continue violence and targeting national security forces are part of a wider terrorist movement destabilizing the region. Pakistan’s armed forces have been tasked with ensuring peace and stopping these groups from undermining Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

There is no denying that the role played by the military towards security and stability has been priceless. Simultaneously, the armed forces have been in the forefront of rendering humanitarian aid, bringing development programs to remote regions and engaging with the inhabitants. The military role of supplying infrastructure in the CPEC and its role of supplying medical care and education cannot be overlooked. The ongoing commitment goes to serve as a reminder of the Pakistan Army’s leading role in nation-building in Balochistan.

The reality is that Balochistan has been devastated by violence and extremism motivated not only by local separatist groups but also by foreign elements who sought to destabilize Pakistan. One-sided demands of autonomy or freedom from Pakistan by BNP-M would further exacerbate the situation. Historically, previous separatist movements in Balochistan were manipulated by negative foreign forces that sought to destroy Pakistan’s oneness. It is no mystery that India has constantly tried to destabilize Pakistan, and Baloch separatist groups have sometimes been financed and equipped by external forces. BNP-M’s Pakistan-bashing risks falling directly into the hands of such destabilizing forces.

BNP-M’s stance in calling for street protests in the name of Baloch rights must be critically examined. The actual motive of such protests is now clear: BNP-M is trying to undermine the sovereignty of Pakistan. The polarizing politics of the party only has the effect of further intensifying the political polarization in the province and yields a climate more conducive to political instability as well as interference from abroad.

The Pakistan Army has been the pillar of national unity of Pakistan, and its efforts to guarantee Balochistan’s security against internal and external threats should be appreciated rather than rejected. The state security forces, rather than being labelled as enemies, deserve to be commended for ensuring Balochistan’s future and integrating the province into the country’s mainstream. The Pakistani state and army have gone ahead to boost Balochistan’s economic prosperity, from developing infrastructure to the expansion of healthcare and education access. All this cannot be dismissed, and the sole function that the BNP-M does is damaging Balochistan’s progress with the narrative of victimhood.

In brief, BNP-M agitations are an ill-advised attempt at derailing Balochistan’s march and politicizing issues that could be solved through national consensus and dialogue. The attempts of the Pakistan Army towards stabilizing Balochistan and allegiance to national progress have to be appreciated and respected. Balochistan’s future lies in Pakistan, and only through collaboration will the province receive the peace and prosperity it so richly deserves.