Nawab Brahumdagh Bugti, president of the Baloch Republican Party, has accused Pakistan of grave human rights violations. He is the grandson of former Balochistan governor Nawab Akbar Bugti, who was killed in a military operation in Dera Bugti in 2006.
Speaking exclusively to THE WEEK from Switzerland, where he has been in exile since 2010, Brahumdagh sought India's intervention to solve the Balochistan crisis. Excerpts from an interview:
Can you describe the current situation in Balochistan?
The situation in Balochistan is critical, especially concerning human rights violations. Military operations, enforced disappearances, torture and killing of Baloch political activists and civilians have become the norm.
Not a day passes without a village being attacked, civilians being harassed and targeted, youth being abducted and tortured or the bullet-riddled body of an abducted Baloch political activist being dumped in a deserted place.
How many people are missing or killed in Balochistan at the moment?
The number is rising daily. As a result of complete media blackout and [with] no access to the independent human rights organisations, information about the actual number of victims is hard to get. Pakistani human rights groups put the number of abducted at around 5,000 and those killed at 2,000. According to our research, in the last 15 years more than 20,000 have gone missing after being abducted by Pakistani forces and at least 8,000 have been killed.
Why do you think Pakistan army is unleashing atrocities on the Baloch people?
The aim of the Pakistan Army is very simple in Balochistan: To get rid of the Baloch people and occupy their land and natural resources. The Balochis have become victims of such gross atrocities because they have been demanding the right to own their land and control their own resources. The state reacted to these demands with brute force and aggression. Basically, the Pakistani state and its Army wants Balochistan, but without the Baloch people.
Is the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor a concern?
It is an illegal project because it aims to exploit the resources of Balochistan. It does not include the wishes and consent of the Baloch people. The increasing Chinese influence is also dangerous for the region and neighbouring countries.
The influx of Chinese and people from other parts of Pakistan without any regulation is aimed at reducing the Baloch people to a minority and looting their resources. The Baloch will not allow such a project to happen.
Is Gwadar port an area of concern?
The Chinese and Pakistanis are snatching the land of local Balochis and building hotels and plazas. The locals do not have drinking water and are not even allowed to fish, which is the main source of income for many households. The locals require special permission to enter Gwadar, while the Pakistanis and Chinese control business and trade there. CPEC and the plans of the Sino-Pak nexus threaten the very existence of the Baloch people.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the Balochistan issue during his Independence Day speech in 2017. Has there been any progress?
The Balochistan issue was internationalised after the speech. The late Sushma Swaraj-ji highlighted the Balochistan issue at the UN, while India has raised it at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC). [But] there is still much more to be done and India should seriously consider including Balochistan in its foreign relations and use its international diplomatic approach to help resolve the issue.
What are your expectations from the Indian government?
As a good neighbour and as the largest democracy of the world, India and its government should play its role to end the atrocities against the Baloch people. The Indian government should provide political, diplomatic and moral support to the Baloch people in their struggle. It is the legal and moral duty of India and all civilized nations to support the Baloch people and their struggle with all means possible.
You are living in exile. Have you applied for Indian citizenship?
No, I have not applied for indian citizenship.
What is the civilian government in Pakistan doing to address your concerns?
There is no such thing as "civilian government" in Pakistan today. In fact, there has never been any civilian rule in Pakistan since the country's inception. The real ruler has always been the Army and the military establishment of the country. Whenever the civilian leadership tried to take the state affairs in their hand, the military has overthrown them, put them behind bars, hanged them or assassinated them.
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It is hard to say if there will ever be a civilian government in Pakistan but the current and previous so-called civilian governments were not elected by the Pakistani people through elections but were instead "selected" by the Pakistan army to serve their interests as puppets.
What kind of support are you getting from western countries like the US?
We are not getting any support from the US, but we have been trying to reach out [to it]. The US can play the most effective role in resolving the Balochistan issue as it is the sole superpower and has the most influence in the region.
It is in the interest of the United States to support the Baloch as we are the only secular and pro-West people in the region, which is full of religious extremism and terrorism and where countries like Pakistan have been supporting and exporting terrorism to not only neighbouring countries but to the entire world.
What role can the global community play to help the Baloch people?
The global community must end its silence on the situation in Balochistan and question Pakistan on the heinous crimes against humanity and terrible human rights violations that the Pakistani army is committing in Balochistan. Then, they should play their role to open Balochistan for the world media and human rights group to see the ground situation and the way the Balochi people have been treated by the state. Next, the international community should make sure that the Baloch people are given the right to choose their future. They should be given the right to self-determination and self-rule as enshrined in international law.
Is it correct to compare Kashmir problem to Balochistan?
Without going into the debate of it being right or wrong, [abrogation of Article 370] is still legal and constitutional. In Balochistan, Pakistan does not even apply its own so-called laws and constitution. I am not saying there is no issue in Kashmir. It cannot simply be compared with Balochistan, where a human tragedy is taking place. Extrajudicial killings and the use of fighter jets and gunships to bombard villages cannot be compared with curfew and the use of pellet guns.