Javed Jabbar Vs. Pervez Hoodbhoy: Round 9 – Balochistan

Former Senator Javed Jabbar, with his unsubstantiated arguments, fails to refute Prof. Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy’s viewpoint regarding the unrest prevailing in Balochistan.

By Anjum Altaf

Pervez Hoodbhoy: If Muslims could always live in peace together, you would not have the separatist movement in Balochistan, which again no body is allowed to mention.

Javed Jabbar: 99 percent of them, if not more, want to remain part of Pakistan. They want the fulfillment of their rights, which we owe to them, make all possible efforts to make sure they obtain their due rights. We launched a new book on Balochistan, self-critical, by a serving Major General of the Pakistan Army. So there is no restriction on freedom of expression on Balochistan. As for a secessionist movement, this is a problem many nation-states face. States in North-East India have been wanting to secede. Scotland wants to break away from the United Kingdom. In Spain, the Basques and the Catalonians want to secede from Spain. It is not unique to Balochistan. It is a challenge for us to reconcile and to give them their due rights and everyone wants that to be settled peacefully.

Analysis

Dr. Hoodbhoy’s statements are completely unambiguous. It is a straightforward application of logic to say that “If Muslims can always live in peace together you would not have a separatist movement in Balochistan.” No one can disagree with the logic of the statement.

It is also just a slight exaggeration to say that “no body” is allowed to mention Balochistan. There are very clear constraints in place on the discourse related to the province. As a former dean at LUMS, I am personally aware that a discussion on the topic was disallowed at the university.

Mr. Jabbar begins his response with an assertion — “99 percent of them [Balochis], if not more, want to remain part of Pakistan.” If this is indeed true, it is wonderful news but what is the evidence on the basis of which this statement is made? Is it a survey that is available for others to see?

Mr. Jabbar says that Balochis want their due rights which we owe them and we should make all possible efforts that they obtain them. The obvious question comes to mind: If these are their due rights and we owe them, then what has prevented us from giving them the rights till today?

As for limits on freedom of expression on Balochistan, Mr. Jabbar claims they don’t exist because a serving Major General has written a self-critical book on Balochistan. Dr. Hoodbhoy is likely to argue that this supports his contention — the army can have its say but many others can’t.

Continue reading here.

(This is part of the series of articles, a detailed analysis of former Minister and Senator Javed Jabbar’s video he had released in response to a speech of Prof. Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy at a literary festival in Karachi. The Preamble of the analysis can be read by clicking here. For rest of the rounds, click here.)

Source: Sindh Courier

The writer has PhD from Stanford University. He was a Dean at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) and Provost at Habib University in Karachi.