Foreign involvement in Balochistan: A cause for proxy wars BY ADMIN – OCTOBER 27, 2014POSTED IN: FEATURED STORIES, NEWS ALERTS, SECURITY, TERRORISM Share It!00000Balochistan, situated in the south west of Pakistan, is becoming increasingly important when evaluating the regional affairs. With the discovery of vast fields of natural gas in 1952, along […] Balochistan, situated in the south west of Pakistan, is becoming increasingly important when evaluating the regional affairs. With the discovery of vast fields of natural gas in 1952, along with various valuable minerals, the province is experiencing enhanced interest from foreign investors and developers. Its strategic and prime location opens up development junctures such as roads, railways, and pipelines to connect the Middle East, Central Asia, and South Asia. Energy related issues not only in South Asia, but in Europe, Russia and China, have invited an increase in interest in Balochistan,too. This indicates that as global economies expand into various markets and the competition intensifies, Balochistan due to its location and resources not only stands out as a region to be exploited, but gets caught in the cross fire of multiple agendas. Ultimately, Pakistan harboring a province of such great luxury, views Baluchistan as an area that is to invigorate the Pakistan economy. However, Pakistan’s own agenda is curbed by numerous Balochi uprisings against the state, in the hope that they will be able to seek independence from the Pakistani state. Three interesting elements stem from the Balochistan issue. One, is why the international world cares so much about Balochistan and whether their intentions are solely based on economic interests, secondly how the Pakistani State-despite militant resistance- is venturing out into new projects in the region, and third: How the Balochis are fuelling their separatist movements as a result from the neglect of the Pakistani state. All, which highlight the fact that Balochistan is heading towards becoming the next ground for proxy wars. As mentioned earlier, neighboring countries view Balochistan as a gateway through which resources can be quickly and cheaply transferred; highlighting the fact that there is ample investment opportunity within the province. As Central Asia, the Middle East and South Asia continue to develop economically; there will be a parallel interest in getting their goods to global markets efficiently. With the energy crisis mounting, the need for surplus energy flow between the regions highlights Balochistan’s importance in terms of international commerce and economics. In theory the international interest has been limited to economic and financial interest only. However, that assumption is portrayed rather naively once putting Iran and India’s motives into question. A Sunni militant group Jand Ullah originates from Iranian Balochistan and has picked the Pakistani side as its terrain to fight the Iranian State in which hyped border skirmishes then occur, posing a threat to Pakistan and Iran’s relationship. Radical militant groups such as LeJ join in to destabilize Balochistan as their target killings are central to the Hazara Shi’ite population, who then, as a result conjure Iran’s sympathy. This narrative concedes that Balochistan is becoming the next terrain for proxy wars not only between the Baloch separatist movements and the State, but of Iran and Pakistan as well; another burden that the Pakistani state, despite wanting to reap economic benefits from the region has to face and take into account. The mutual mistrust between India and the Pakistani State has lead Pakistan to iterate and provide substantial evidence on India’s involvement in Balochistan. India has been accused of funding the Baloch separatist movements against the state of Pakistan, so it could remain-as many analysts portray- on its agenda for destabilizing Pakistan. For India, Pakistan remains the troubled ‘bad boy’ of South Asia that has been in league with radical Islamist forces and has relied on “mercenaries to stoke trouble in Kashmir.” This can further be cemented by the latest revelation in which the former Indian army chief General VK Singh created a Technical Services Division (TSD) for covert operations in Pakistan- going after the alleged mastermind of the Mumbai terrorist attacks and Jamaadtud Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed. A Hindustan Times report chronicled this venture and quoted a former TSD officer as saying: “our main task was to combat the rising trend of state-sponsored terrorism by the ISI and we had developed contacts across the line of Control in a bid to infiltrate Hafiz Saeed’s inner circle.” An incident of such nature reveals that India will take into account any opportunity to exploit a region that has already taken up arms against the State; and in this case, what better option than collaborating with Balochi separatist movements, who as mentioned earlier, are inclined towards seeking independence as a whole. The recent venture of Gawader port is another reason of foreign interest. The port, located near the entrance to the Straits of Hormuz, is expected to become a major hub for international trade in and around the Indian Ocean as well as a major gateway to Central Asia, especially for the export of Central Asian natural gas and oil. The port is also strategically located to serve as a shipping site for Pakistani natural gas, which is mostly located in Balochistan. With the planned influx of foreign direct investment (FDI) into the area, Pakistan could become a major world conduit for petro-chemical trade and greatly stimulate its economic growth. An enterprise of this nature, has led to intense competition amongst the regional countries that possess easy access to world markets through their deep-water ports. Hypothetically, if Pakistan did not face fierce resistance from the Baloch nationalist movements, this sort of venture seems ideal in hailing Pakistan as a key regional player which would in turn threaten India’s dominance in the region. As a result, the economic viability of Balochistan will always remain troublesome for Pakistan. The international involvement within Balochistan provides two possible outcomes. With the ‘economic interests’ narrative, it seems that countries in the Middle East, Central Asia, Russia and China are keen on signing up contracts with the Pakistani state. No doubt, if all is to run smoothly, the Pakistani State is in a position to reap maximum benefits from the province, with all its natural resources available in abundance. However, with the nationalist movements funded by foreign elements resisting the State and on the other hand border skirmishes with Iran plans to execute economic development in Balochistan seem to be challenging. Evidence of proving that Balochistan can be the next turf in which international proxy wars can take place are becoming increasingly prominent. With the growing security concern and hostile attitude of the Balochis towards the Pakistani state, international workers in the region will always be at a threat. If foreign personnel are targeted by the militants, it can open up the gates for Balochistan becoming the epicenter of another conflict that Pakistan cannot afford.
Posted on: Fri, 31 Oct 2014 05:39:50 +0000