Islamabad, July 3 (IANS) The recent conviction of Baloch human rights activist Mahrang Baloch represents an inflection point in Balochistan's already strained relationship with Islamabad, carrying far-reaching implications for the restive province's fractured political and security landscape, a report has highlighted.
On June 22, a Pakistani anti-terrorism court sentenced four activists, including Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leader Mahrang Baloch, to life imprisonment in connection with a case relating to the killing of a Frontier Corps official.
Alongside Mahrang Baloch, the court also handed life sentences to Baloch Students Organisation (BSO) Chairman Balach Qadir, central leader Abu Bakr Kalanchi, and BYC leader Sibghatullah Shahji.
According to a report in the online magazine The Diplomat, while the Balochistan government maintains that the trial was fair and that the prosecution presented sufficient evidence to prove the charges against Mahrang, legal and human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, have described the verdict as a "sham," citing the in-camera proceedings.
The decision, the report said, underscores three fundamental realities confronting the Pakistani state in Balochistan.
Firstly, it said despite the Pakistani authorities' efforts to downplay the issue of enforced disappearances, the abuse remains the single most critical aspect of the Baloch conflict.
"No amount of obfuscation, media censorship, legal intimidation, and accompanying propaganda of terming the BYC as a foreign-sponsored entity will change the ground facts. In fact, such verdicts will make these troubling realities even more prominent. Instead of weakening the BYC’s movement, such counterproductive steps will further increase public anger in Balochistan,” the report added.
Secondly, the report argued that when force becomes the state's only instrument, every political grievance is viewed through a security lens. Mahrang's conviction, which is a “desperate attempt” to criminalise dissent and rights-based protests, lays bare Pakistan’s narrow security-centric approach to the challenges in Balochistan.
"By prosecuting rights protests under the anti-terrorism laws, the state is inadvertently blurring the line between peaceful dissent and insurgency. When the BYC gained traction in Balochistan, and the masses joined its rallies in large numbers, it strengthened the impression that a vast majority in the restive province was still invested in the constitutional framework and wanted to address the issue of enforced disappearances through peaceful means,” it detailed.
Thirdly, the report said that the verdict is likely to strengthen the Baloch Liberation Army’s (BLA) separatist narrative and advocacy of armed struggle, while weakening the political position of pro-federation Baloch nationalist parties.
For years, it said, Balochistan's political landscape has been shaped by an intense contest between pro-federation nationalists advocating constitutional politics and separatist groups championing secession.
Highlighting the wider implications of Pakistan’s sweeping crackdown on Baloch activists, the report said, “Balochistan’s population is overwhelmingly under the age of 30. The court verdict against Mahrang is going to deepen the frustration of this alienated demographic. It will ease the job of separatist groups to lure their vulnerable segments into their fold. In recent years, the participation of educated youth from middle-class backgrounds, including women, in insurgency points to creeping frustration among Baloch youth. The verdict against Mahrang will further strengthen that trend and contribute to separatist violence.”
--IANS
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