PARTLY FACETIOUS: The Balochistan conundrum

“Peace through strength.”

“Doesn’t always work. We have used strength to bring peace in Balochistan, but decades have come and gone and peace is more elusive than before.”

“Well that statement was not made by any Pakistani but by the British Prime Minister.”

“Be careful. That country still gives us money – I believe it is around 133 million pounds this year.”

“Right and as Shehbaz Sharif never tires of telling us, beggars can’t be choosers, besides the Sharifs own considerable property in the UK….”

“Hey, that country has laws.”

“Indeed they do, but don’t forget the Europeans have frozen more than 350 billion dollars of Russian apex bank’s money and…”

“Ah I forgot about that, anyway Keir Starmer made this statement in Paris, while attending the coalition of the willing with around 28 or 29 countries attending - there are twenty-seven countries in the European Union, and with UK that makes it 28 so not such a big deal; if you recall the phrase coalition of those willing evokes memories of Iraq – a country in shambles.”

“But the then coalition of the willing with overwhelming air power were the victors.”

“Well, the coalition of the willing this time around is backing the loser Ukraine, so....”

“So you reckon Ukraine may face the same fate as Iraq?”

“Yes, without the US, even the 28 or 29 combined do not present any military challenge to Russia. But anyway, isn’t one major lesson learnt from history is that peace through strength will only work when one is winning the war! In the first and second world wars the victors dictated the peace deal which did not favour the losers. And with Russia clearly winning the war….”

“Starmer never studied history, so he ain’t gonna go back for lessons learnt to the second World War – Iraq war he remembers.”

“You being facetious?”

“No, I am being serious.”

“But the institutions he heads or as his detractors say is led by have the memory…..”

“Institutional memory is only as good as…as….as”

“As good as its presentation, read narrative building. If the narrative is more ingrained than reality within an institution, then we can say if wishes were horses, beggars would fly.”

“Look over there, I see a beggar flying.”

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025