What does the west gain from helping us?
By Nohan Zainudini
As I watch political debates throughout the world, it becomes clear that we Baloch are not the only one to seek the support of western nations in gaining freedom, peace and independence. Nuer, Kurds and Palestinians alike are as, if not more, prolific than we are in demanding the unconditional support of the west for gaining freedom from tyranny or warfare. And so, what we have today is a marketplace of independence-struggle. Namely, with the limited resources, and limited working power of the US and the EU, they are confronted with the question of which people to support: It then becomes a matter of deciding whose independence would be most beneficial to them.
And so, as we Baloch stand in this market of human rights activism, displaying pictures of our dead brothers alongside tens of other ethnicities from all around the world, it becomes clear that speaking to the morals of the West won’t be enough for us Baloch to gain the support we need. But rather, we have a real need to show them why they should help us; what will they gain from once again meddling in Middle Eastern politics, which historically has only wrought more terrorism?
Here, we must fore mostly let it be known, not only that we are a naturally secular and democratic people and that they could use such an ally as us, but that our vast resources, both our military and natural resources, will be at their disposal. Therefore, when informing the world of our plight, when protesting on the streets of Europe and America, and when meeting with Western officials, we must let it be known that freeing Balochistan is not only a matter of saving a foreign people; it is also a matter of expanding Western power and prosperity. In helping Balochistan, we must ensure them that we will become a staunch ally of theirs, a Western military base in the Middle East, and a crucial trade-partner.
A deal must thus be made ready to be implemented, if and when the moment comes for a western nation to intervene and support our struggle for freedom. This entails a contract to let them have an exclusive access to portions of our vast amounts of valuable oil and minerals during the first few years of our independence. The Western nations involved will be obliged to build factories, populate these with their own engineers, and to, at the same time, support us in educating the new generation of Baloch engineers. The western nations involved will be in charge of the upkeep and income of these industries, until enough natives have been educated for us to lead our oil wells and factories. This would benefit us as we will face, after independence, the challenge of actually finding competent people to help start our oil industry, as the brutal oppression of Pakistan and Iran has left our people largely uneducated. Receiving help to overcome this difficulty, for the price of letting the West, for a limited period, have a piece of our natural resources, would be a great way to strike a fair and society-building deal with our future allies. They would also gain from getting a foot in on future trade-agreements with our resource-rich Balochistan.
And of course, the strategically crucial ports of Chahbahar and Gwadar will be at their disposal, as will any military base on land that they wish to erect. This ensures not only that the West gains tactical advantages, but that an independent Balochistan, similar to Israel, will be backed by the Western world, and therefore we will be in no need of cooperating with nearby regimes more than we have to. This will protect our nation from the Islamist elements surrounding our lands, and will ensure our survival in face of being a lone secular democracy in the general region. Such an attitude, backed by a substantial portion of Baloch politicians, will ensure that Western officials see the opportunity for expansion and growth in helping Balochistan. This will make our struggle for freedom stand out when Westerners are faced with the choice of which people’s cause to support.
The Author is a Blogger at The Times of Israel and founder of the Organization of Baloch Youth in Europe
