QUETTA: Balochistan’s former chief minister and Balochistan National Party (BNP) President Sardar Akhtar Mengal says even if Gwadar is taken out of Balochistan, the province remains the most resource-rich in the subcontinent — a fact that has been kept hidden from the people by the state.
In an open letter posted on X on Monday, addressed to everyone, who claims to have an understanding of Balochistan, he said Pakistan was nothing without Balochistan.
He said it was ironic that many people thought Balochistan was limited to Gwadar. “It is a region where gold and copper lie buried in the lands of Reko Diq, worth trillions of dollars. Had these resources been in the hands of Baloch people, they would have been among the wealthiest in the world today.”
He also mentioned the treasures being extracted from the Saindak mines, but the people of the area remain deprived of basic necessities.
Balochistan, he added, was a land that gave Pakistan natural gas, fueling the entire country’s industries and economy, but many homes in Balochistan still suffer from darkness, with stoves cold and children freezing to death in winter.
He also emphasized that Balochistan gave Pakistan its access to the sea, the port of Gwadar, and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which benefits the entire country’s business community. However, the fishermen of Gwadar still need permits to fish, struggling to earn a living.
“Balochistan gave everything but has always suffered hunger, deprivation, and enforced disappearances,” he said. “How is it just that the land that gave everything to the country now sees its people thirsty for a drop of water?”
“No home is left without a missing person, not even my own home,” he shared, questioning the injustice faced by the Baloch families.
He asked, “Sure, they are all agents, but my father? The first chief minister of Balochistan, who took an oath on your constitution, believed in democracy, and fought against unconstitutional powers? The chief of the Mengal tribe? His son is also missing, and still it’s Balochistan that’s wrong?”
When they seek justice, he says, what do they receive? Sympathy? Regret? No! Instead, the question is asked, “Do you consider yourself Pakistani?”
He continued, “And, with all due respect, equality only comes here when there is condemnation over the blood of a Punjabi. But no one believes in the cries of a Baloch, thinking they are not citizens of the same country.”
He concluded by stating, “This country has always ignored their cries, called them traitors, and now it says, ‘We need you’. Whether you are happy or angry, I must say Pakistan is nothing without Balochistan.”
He pray to Allah Almighty to instill enough empathy in the people’s hearts to understand why today’s Baloch youth was unwilling to engage. A significant reason, he said, was the arrogance that refuses to give them their rightful place.