{"id":57248,"date":"2024-02-07T06:29:04","date_gmt":"2024-02-07T06:29:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/balochistan-stuck-in-a-time-warp-as-rolling-stones-rock-and-roll\/"},"modified":"2024-02-07T06:29:04","modified_gmt":"2024-02-07T06:29:04","slug":"balochistan-stuck-in-a-time-warp-as-rolling-stones-rock-and-roll","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/balochistan-stuck-in-a-time-warp-as-rolling-stones-rock-and-roll\/","title":{"rendered":"Balochistan stuck in a time warp as \u2018rolling stones\u2019 rock and roll"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<p>Observers say there is no difference between Balochistan-based and mainstream parties, thanks to the politics of electables.<\/p>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\n<p>DURING PML-N leader and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif\u2019s visit to Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan, Quetta\u2019s only four-star Serena Hotel was buzzing. Mr Sharif, who had been absent from Quetta for six years, returned to a warm welcome from over two dozen electables, including former Balochistan chief minister Jam Kamal Khan.<\/p>\n<p>Rumours were rife in Quetta\u2019s political circles that Nawaz and PML-N would form and lead the provincial government. Influential political figures from various parties, including the National Party (NP), Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI), Pakhtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), and Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), met with Nawaz Sharif, seeking his favour and support post-elections.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"media  sm:w-1\/2  w-full  media--right  media--embed  media--uneven\">\n<p>    <iframe class=\"nk-iframe\" onload=\"setInterval(()=&gt;{try{this.style.height=this.contentWindow.document.body.scrollHeight+'px';}catch{}}, 100)\" width=\"100%\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" style=\"height:400px;position:relative\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/card\/1807535\" sandbox=\"allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Before Mr Sharif\u2019s arrival, former president and PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari had been welcoming electables \u2014 called <em>lotas<\/em> (turncoats) \u2014 from south Punjab into the PPP.<\/p>\n<p>Over the months, notable Balochistan politicians, including former senator and MNA Sardar Fateh Mohammad Hassani and former MPA of BAP Saleem Khosa, joined the PPP. However, they soon defected to PML-N during Mr Sharif\u2019s visit, epitomising the fickleness of provincial politics.<\/p>\n<p>In Quetta, a joke circulates about these <em>lotas<\/em>: they change parties more often than their clothes. After Mr Sharif\u2019s visit, Mr Zardari also visited Quetta and Turbat, attracting figures like Sarfraz Bugti to the PPP.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"blockquote-level-1\">\n<p>Observers say there is no difference between Balochistan-based and mainstream parties, thanks to the politics of electables<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cThese are national assets,\u201d commented senior journalist and daily Intekhab editor Anwar Sajidi, sarcastically referring to Balochistan\u2019s turncoats. \u201cTheir owners (the establishment) transfer them bet\u00adween parties, mocking Balochis\u00adtan\u2019s political landscape.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"media  sm:w-1\/2  w-full  media--right  media--embed  media--uneven\">\n<p>    <iframe class=\"nk-iframe\" onload=\"setInterval(()=&gt;{try{this.style.height=this.contentWindow.document.body.scrollHeight+'px';}catch{}}, 100)\" width=\"100%\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" style=\"height:400px;position:relative\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/card\/1806299\" sandbox=\"allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Mr Sajidi candidly expressed to <em>Dawn<\/em> that these politicians prioritise personal gains over public service, contributing to Balochistan\u2019s lack of basic infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnfortunately, they only think of their people and their rights when they are in the opposition. There is now no difference between Balochistan-based and mainstream political parties,\u201d said Mr Sajidi. \u201cThese have their own invested interests. For Balochistan\u2019s turncoats, they are neither in the best interest of the state nor the people,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Mistrust palpable<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The locals\u2019 mistrust in politics is palpable. Conversations with tea shop customers, bazaar visitors and rickshaw drivers reveal a common sentiment: their votes don\u2019t matter in a system where the powerful manipulate outcomes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI will not vote this time. Those who come to the assembly continue to loot and plunder instead of doing anything for the people,\u201d Zabiullah, a rickshaw driver, told <em>Dawn<\/em>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"media  sm:w-1\/2  w-full  media--right  media--embed  media--uneven\">\n<p>    <iframe class=\"nk-iframe\" onload=\"setInterval(()=&gt;{try{this.style.height=this.contentWindow.document.body.scrollHeight+'px';}catch{}}, 100)\" width=\"100%\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" style=\"height:400px;position:relative\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/card\/1790457\" sandbox=\"allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Balochistan, grappling with its fifth insurgency, is deeply influenced by the security establishment\u2019s involvement in politics. This interference often leads to political instability and overnight changes in government alliances.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is crystal clear that Balochistan is not in the priority of mainstream political parties, which is why these have to rely on the rolling stones that go wherever the wind blows,\u201d said Muhammad Arif, assistant professor at the Department of International Relations, University of Balochistan.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor instance, among other things, a single mainstream party leader does not come to do a <em>jalsa<\/em> in Quetta or elsewhere in the province before the elections, like they do in Punjab and Sindh,\u201d Mr Arif said.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Diluting genuine politics<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The foundation of this political culture dates back to General Ziaul Haq\u2019s rule (1977-1988), when non-party-based elections in 1985 fostered a generation of opportunistic politicians.<\/p>\n<p>Mr Arif traces this trend even further to the 1970s, during the National Awami Party\u2019s (NAP) tenure in Balochistan.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDuring the NAP government in the 1970s, there was a number of anti-NAP politicians who were created against the NAP leadership in Balochistan,\u201d he told <em>Dawn<\/em>. \u201cEven Nawab Akbar Bugti was involved in the anti-NAP manoeuvrings, though he evolved later on.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"media  sm:w-1\/2  w-full  media--right  media--embed  media--uneven\">\n<p>    <iframe class=\"nk-iframe\" onload=\"setInterval(()=&gt;{try{this.style.height=this.contentWindow.document.body.scrollHeight+'px';}catch{}}, 100)\" width=\"100%\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" style=\"height:400px;position:relative\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/card\/1809070\" sandbox=\"allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Ghulam Nabi Marri, a senior politician with the BNP-M, views the emergence of \u201crolling stones\u201d as a strategy to dilute genuine, pro-people politics in the region.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese rolling stones are created to weaken the nationalism and genuine politics in Balochistan because we have a long history and a code of conduct,\u201d he told <em>Dawn<\/em>. \u201cThere has been grassroots politics in Balochistan, where women too have been participating.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He added, \u201cSo, this class of rolling stones that neither has the support of people nor the ideology are created to counter it too. Still, Balochistan has been struggling, which is why these do not have the backing except that of the state.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Published in Dawn, February 7th, 2024<\/em><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p><em>Header image: This photo taken on February 3, 2024, shows a street festooned with flags of political parties ahead of Pakistan\u2019s national elections, in Quetta. \u2014 AFP<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Observers say there is no difference between Balochistan-based and mainstream parties, thanks to the politics of electables. DURING PML-N leader and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif\u2019s visit to Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan, Quetta\u2019s only four-star Serena Hotel was buzzing. Mr Sharif, who had been absent from Quetta for six years, returned to a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":57249,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i.dawn.com\/large\/2024\/02\/0711191370026bf.jpg?r=112042","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-57248","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pakistan"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57248","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57248"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57248\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57249"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57248"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57248"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57248"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}