I was indeed shocked to read opinion of Syed Mansoor Hussain regarding Baloch in his piece, “All good things must come to an end” published 25th June 2012 in Daily Times. In it he says he never wasted ink on the topic of Balochistan and no one would have any objection on what a writer chooses to write or not to write about. It is his opinion about the issue that is truly perturbing, he says, “in my opinion if Jinnah and Liaqat as well as all succeeding governments in Pakistan could not make the Baloch happy, then perhaps the Baloch rather like their persistent state of unhappiness.”

An educated person and a doctor at that, says the Baloch probably like their dire circumstances, I wonder if that would be his opinion as well for a person in great misery due to some disease or condition and would he qualify for the doctor’s attention?.He then goes on to say, “More importantly, I find it hard to sympathise with the ethnic Baloch and their self-proclaimed misery; after all the total number of these people is probably much less than the population of any one of the bigger areas in Karachi.” He finds it hard to sympathize with ‘selfproclaimed misery’ of Baloch not on some moral or political grounds but simply because, ‘the total number of these people is probably much less than the population of any one of the bigger areas in Karachi.’  

So should that mean all countries with small populations should be deprived of their rights or should they be done away with simply because they number less than population of certain areas of Karachi? This indeed is blatant misanthropy. If Dr. Mansoor’s opinion is reflective of the mainstream educated Punjabis towards Baloch and their problem then much more bloodshed awaits Baloch not because their rights are suspect but because they number less than others. This opinion surely rings alarm bells for not only Baloch but all those who are in minority here.

In the end I’d like to say that ‘Daily Times’ is the only mainstream paper which devotes space to Baloch problem but instead of this being praised it is matter of grouse and complaint for Dr. Mansoor. I suppose he would be in favour of banning any write ups on Balochistan in the mainstream media. I’d however thank Dr. Mansoor for allowing us a peep into the mind of educated Punjabis’ opinion about the Baloch which goes quite a way to explain why the brutality by the FC sees no end in Balochistan.

Extract from Dr. Syed Mansoor Hussain’s Op-ed

“Here I must admit that over the last year or so the editorial pages have become much more pro-’Balochistan freedom’ than in the past. Interestingly, that is one topic I have never wasted any ‘ink’ on since in my opinion if Jinnah and Liaqat as well as all succeeding governments in Pakistan could not make the Baloch happy, then perhaps the Baloch rather like their persistent state of unhappiness. I also believe that if most people think that something is wrong with you then the chances are that something is indeed wrong. More importantly, I find it hard to sympathise with the ethnic Baloch and their self-proclaimed misery; after all the total number of these people is probably much less than the population of any one of the bigger areas in Karachi.”

Source: Mureed Bizenjo’s blog

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