It is a sad reality that George Orwell’s novel 1984Published in 1949, it is still relevant in the current global environmental environment in which the authoritarian states have created their own ministries of truth, ironically appointed by not protecting the truth, but destroying it to protect the interests of the ruling elite and the older brother.
The result is the intellectual stages, and what the Nobel Prize Czeslaw Milosz called a ‘logocracy’, or a society where the narrative is manipulated to adapt to the propaganda of the regime. Problematic people, inconvenient facts and uncomfortable aspects of journalistic research should be eliminated from public life. In such dispensations, the deep state makes decisions.
After years of seeing Pakistan “suffocating under the weight of his democratic collapse,” I have come to understand what the former United States ambassador felt in Hungary David Pressman. He said that “the real danger of a strong man is not his tactic; this is how others, especially those with power, justify his acquiescence.”
A flexible silence prevails in the halls of power. Some even regret the fact that our democracy is too fragile to resist a strong man. Institutions such as Parliament, the Judiciary, the Bureaucracy and the Police have capitulated, tacitly admitting that they cannot maintain their independence or remain above the fray. Even a large section of the media, which is supposed to tell the government, has been silent.
Many politicians, including former self -identified defenders of civil supremacy, are bordering their moral responsibility to assume the position of democratic principles. Some have even aligned and praised the hybrid governance paradigm. Unfortunately, it is a “self -grandond myth and a powerful self -deception tool.”
Metaphorically, they could not overcome the fox and have ended up welcoming their chicken coop. They think it is an intelligent appeasement strategy. They are wrong. The story has the unpleasant habit of repeating itself. Subjugation can eventually cause humiliation.
The Revolution of the Black Carton remained defeated the day when the bold position of some judges of the Superior Court of Islamabad (IHC) against the machinations of the powers that were not supported by their elders in the Apex court, and the lawyers, in general, chose the path of the lowest resistance. That choice, unfortunately, strengthened the autocratic state machinery that uses fear to suppress dissent. This is the climate of the threat that prevails.
Now that we have celebrated the 78th anniversary of our independence, it is time for us to reflect on the follies of our successive military and civil rulers and decided to “choose the hardest instead of the easiest evil.” The hardest right is never easy. Baluchistan is a case in question.
Last year, after my annual visit to Quetta, I had written an article for this document on August 24, stating that the State was quickly losing its written by vast stripes of its unisposed areas and that Dr. Mahrang Baloch had captured the imagination of young Baloch who felt alienated and ignored by federal and provincial governments.
It was time to genuinely repair their complaints related to the issue of missing persons, and give them their political, social and economic rights, creating, above all, a sense of property in the future of Pakistan as a federation. That article proved to be a cry in the desert. No one in the halls of power realized.
It is time for us to make the decision to “choose the hardest correct instead of the easiest evil.”
Last month, I visited Quetta again and returned deeply disappointed and disappointed since the situation in the province is completely gloomy and dejected. Security agencies have arrested Baloch activists, including Mahrang and some of their classmates.
While I was there, it was produced in the Anti -Terrorist Court, Quetta, for the extension of his physical custody. She addressed the judge calmly and, with a smile, asked him to announce the decision issued by the powers they are. She accepted her new remission of custody and moved away calmly. His sister, along with other young activists from the Baloch Jakjehti Committee (Byc), are once again in Islamabad, seeking justice and legal remedies suitable for the issue of missing persons.
The State has resorted to the last insult to the Baloch honor code, showing lack of respect and stopping its daughters. This type of indignity evokes a deep anger and disaffection against the State. It could have been avoided. What’s the score? Public transport is not allowed to leave at night in the vast road network of the province, since the threat of militant attacks is very large. Even daytime trips for pilgrims who go to Iran and Iraq have been discontinued by Road.
My feelings are backed by a recent HRCP Research Report on Baluchistan’s trusted crisis. In the light of their findings, 13 key recommendations have been made to the State “to address human rights, governance and political challenges that are currently facing Baluchistan.”
While all recommendations are important, the following need urgent attention. One, “demilitarize the province and create conditions conducive to a significant dialogue with all genuine political interested parties to rebuild public trust …”. Reconciliation was a key point of the National Action Plan against Terrorism, originally launched in 2015 and reinforced in 2021.
Although relentless kinetic measures can be taken against proscribing militant organizations such as BLA, including the Majeed brigade and the bra and the BLF, the Government must undertake a constructive commitment to the byc that represents the youth of Baloch angry. They should not be deprived of their political, social, economic and legal rights.
Two, “immediately cease the practice of forced disappearances.” The question of missing persons must be resolved in the light of the recommendations made by the commission designated by IHC headed by Akhtar Mengal. A constitutional and legal framework under ATA 1997 is a viable way to cure this support wound in the political body of the province.
Three, “guarantee transparency, equity and responsibility in all electoral processes.” Only a legitimate and truly representative government can gain the confidence of the public and deal effectively with militancy.
Four, end “dependence on paramilitary forces for the application of civil law.” Highly professional surveillance, responsible and compatible with rights is essential to obtain public confidence. Above all, give respect to Baloch: they can break but they will not bend.
The writer is the former Inspector General of the Baluchistan Police.
Posted in Dawn, August 15, 2025
