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Habibullah Sarbazi

Akbar Turkhan, the senior advisor to the President and Secretary of the Coordination Council for Free Trade-Industrial Zones, announced in an interview with Tabnak that the government’s plan is to increase the population by at least 2.5 million and settle the new population on the coasts of Makran in southern Balochistan in the month of March 2016.

The upcoming article discusses the development plan for the Makran coasts, including plans and programs, concerns and hopes.

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It has been a few mornings that Iranian media have been enthusiastically discussing the “Sustainable Development of Makran Coasts” plan. Government and military officials each speak about the importance of “Makran Coasts” in different ways, tones, and literary styles. The leader of Iran has referred to this region as a “forgotten treasure” and has issued strong orders for the presence of armed forces and the use of the strategic position of this region. After that, the Revolutionary Guards and the Army’s Navy were stationed in the area. The internal security of Sistan and Baluchestan was entrusted to the Revolutionary Guards by the decision of the National Security Commission of the Parliament, and the Army’s Navy established its largest naval base in the border town of Pasabandar with Pakistan and established two other naval points. During this time, a flood of security forces poured into Baluchestan due to the increase in population in Makran coasts. Tasnim News Agency wrote that Hab

The Revolutionary Guards have also deployed thousands of their personnel to Balochistan (official statistics are not announced). All other military forces, such as law enforcement and subordinate branches, the Ministry of Intelligence, etc., including thousands of officers and soldiers – who in the most optimistic scenario are more than 90% non-native forces – have also been stationed in Balochistan.

Armed forces-affiliated companies have become active in Balochistan; Naji Poushesh Company, which is now considered the main producer of military clothing in the country, was established in Zahedan. Border trade has become monopolized by the armed forces. Valuable lands in Balochistan, in the coasts of Makran and other areas, have been purchased by organizations and military personnel and entered into various activities. However, not only has the buying and selling of drugs not decreased, but it has also seen an upward trend, and according to Commander Rahimi, the commander of the law enforcement forces in an interview with ISNA, the border of Saravan, of which 300 kilometers is officially under the control of the Revolutionary Guards, has the highest rate of drug trafficking in the province. And as a result, illegal behavior among the armed forces has increased. The statistics of harassment and persecution of Sunni Baloch people under the name of “fighting against smuggling” has

Jan Kalam means: a society with hundreds of military forces who do not answer to anyone, and people who 52% of their total population live in villages. Read the detailed story yourself from this summary.

Where is Makran?

The Makran region extends from the east of Hormozgan province to the east of Sistan and Baluchestan province (although its coverage reaches to Balochistan, Pakistan) and includes various coastal counties such as Sirik, Jask, Konarak, and Chabahar.

The residents of this region, with an approximate population of one and a half million people, are from the Baloch ethnic group and are Sunni Muslims.

What is sustainable development?

It is necessary to pay attention that “sustainable development” is an organized and balanced development that promotes a systemic perspective in all fields. Sustainable development aims to eradicate poverty, create balance between countries, and promote peaceful coexistence, emphasizing peace and better use of resources, especially renewable resources. In other words, sustainable development strives to improve quality of life, proper utilization of natural and human resources, and preservation of resources for the present and future, in order to bring stability to the region.

The main tools of sustainable development include: promoting education and awareness, disseminating knowledge, skills and traditional knowledge, institutionalizing health, security and full employment.

What do we know about the “Makran Coastal Development Plan”?

What is known as the “Makran Development Plan” actually includes a region from Minab in the area of Bandar Tiab to the Gulf of Gwadar. In this plan, Jask and Chabahar, due to their prominent geographical location, play a central role.

Year 1387: Ayatollah Khamenei emphasizes the use of the “treasure of the pristine coasts of the Sea of Oman”.

In the year 1390, Ayatollah Khamenei’s visit to the region emphasized the development of Makran’s coasts.

Year 1391: Resolution 551 of the Supreme National Security Council regarding the formation of a task force for the development of Makran coasts.

Year 1392: President’s visit to the port of Jask and emphasis on “development of Makran coasts”.

Year 1393: The resolution of the Supreme Council of Urban Planning and Architecture regarding the necessity of preparing a special plan for the development and construction of Makran.

In the general policies of the Sixth Development Plan of the country (1395-1399), which includes economic, social, and cultural development, with an emphasis on “leadership attention”, the development of Makran coasts was considered a priority and a central program.

A team called “Makran Coastal Development Headquarters” has been formed under the leadership of Eshaq Jahangiri, the first deputy of the President of Iran.

The “Makran Coastal Development Organization” is established as a corporate entity for planning, implementation, and monitoring of development programs in the Makran coast region, within the cities of Minab, Sirik, Jask, Chabahar, and Konarak.

The website of the Makran Coast Development Headquarters has written about the development of this region: “The mission of the Makran Coast Development Task Force is to formulate policies and guide sustainable development of the Makran coast, and to effectively utilize the region’s capacities and capabilities in line with the overall regional policies.”

The overall plan for the construction of the Neghin Makran Petrochemical Project, the establishment of the Makran Steel Complex, and the development and expansion of loading and unloading docks and industrial towns from Konarak to Jask have been put on the agenda.

Akbar Turkhan, the senior advisor to the President and secretary of the Free Trade-Industrial Zones Coordination Council (January 20, 2017), announced the government’s plan to increase the population to 5 million and settle new people on the coasts of the Persian Gulf and Makran. Among them, at least 2.5 million people will be settled on the coasts of Makran, the home of the Baloch people.

Isaac Jahangiri, the first deputy of the president, announced the plan to create new cities from Pasabandar to Jask for housing and population injection.

Abbas Akhoundi, the Minister of Roads and Urban Development, said at the AURA meeting: “Sistan and Baluchestan has a good capacity for population growth, and with the actions taken in the fields of roads and urban development, including the establishment of new cities, we are confident that a good population will be attracted to this province” (ISNA).

Officials have spoken about the construction of a cultural hub in Makran, which will reflect the influence of religion on civilization.

Hossein Dehghan, commander of various ranks of the Revolutionary Guards and Minister of Defense in Rouhani’s government, has been appointed as the Secretary of the Makran Coast Development Headquarters.

What we don’t know about the Makran coastline development plan.

Why should a new population of millions be injected?

Where do these people disperse from and where do they find accommodation? And how will the situation of the native people be after becoming a minority in their own geography?

How is the planning and budgeting for the development of Makran coasts?

How are investment institutions predicted in different sectors?

What is the role of indigenous people in decision-making and implementation of development plans?

Has there been any planning for training and employment of Baloch people in industries such as petrochemicals, steel, and other projects due to the lack of local workforce?

Why is there not much presence for the development of Makran coasts by the natives?

Does the plan to divide the province of Sistan and Baluchestan come into play after the settlement of the population in Balochistan and the minority status of the Baloch people?

Is this plan solely for the use of the government’s strategic position on the Makran coast, or will the Baloch people benefit from it? And will this benefit be a drop in the ocean or will it be significant, taking into account the depth of deprivation in the region?

And…

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Makran Coasts

In fact, the answer to the above questions and questions of this nature is very difficult, because the “Makran Coastal Development Plan” is mostly discussed in media buzz and seminars in a general form, through the language of relevant officials. However, by carefully examining the current situation and the few references to existing policies and the generalities of the plans that have been expressed, a new depth of discrimination and the overwhelming impact of injustices can be understood.

The biggest concern of the Baloch people in this plan is the same deep-rooted and constant issue; how, with the government’s “security” and “distrust” towards the Baloch people, which has made Balochistan the most deprived region in the country for years, will the development plan for the Makran coasts benefit the people?

In fact, this concern is very serious and unfortunately, with a general review of the plan, a bright future for the indigenous people is not envisioned. This is because the fundamental view of “distrust” and “security” still exists and has not changed, and the slogans of “sustainable development” for the Makran coasts are not just a passage for the goals of the ruling authorities. This is because there is no mechanism in this plan to consider the occupations that the indigenous people are involved in. Agriculture, fishing, and border trade are the three main sources of income for the indigenous people, all of which are facing serious problems.

In the agriculture sector, water shortage is one of the most serious problems, and water scarcity in Sistan and Baluchestan has exceeded the crisis threshold. The workforce in this sector suffers from a lack of facilities and attention, and their products, land, and labor are not insured, and there is no serious effort to advance this industry.

Fishermen also continue to fish in an anticipatory manner, and the constraints of the environment and the use of traditional tools have created various pressures on fishing boats and vessels, lack of organization and support for this group has caused many problems, and there has not been much attention paid to development in this sector.

Furthermore, the situation at the border is very tragic. Either the border markets are inactive or the trades there are completely monopolized and under the control of armed institutions; forces that become millionaires after a year of activity at the border, but the local people see no significant changes in their lives with various struggles.

On the other hand, the lack of capable and efficient human resources, financial weakness, inability to invest in government projects, and lack of incentives in this sector have also contributed to the problem, and there is no serious intention to train and organize local forces to improve their situation.

And of course – as mentioned before – the government, through the development plan of Makran coasts, aims to gain control over the economy and security of the free waters of the region, which is considered the best opportunity for achieving this goal. However, there is no sign of any support for the local forces.

It is believed that if these plans and programs are pursued seriously, in 30 years we will see very large industrial towns consisting of thousands of non-native, wealthy individuals, of which 10% will be Baloch, but on the outskirts of these industrial areas, the “marginalized Baloch” will live in mud and straw houses, in a state similar to the Stone Age, and the media will occasionally report on their dire situation. We can see this same situation currently in Zahedan and Chabahar. The Chabahar Free Trade Zone is under the control of large companies from Tehran, Isfahan, and others, and the Baloch people in Komb-e Moradabad live in the worst possible conditions; if we go 20 kilometers away from the center of Zahedan, we see people living with amenities from 200 years ago.

“در این تصویر، یک مرد در حال خواندن کتاب در حیاط خانه است.”

“In this image, a man is reading a book in the backyard of a house.”
Kapri School in Sistan and Baluchestan Province – Photo of Mehr.

In the past, the mobile engine of development has been “education”, which Balochistan, especially in the southern region, has the worst educational situation in the country. According to Hassan Norouzi, the deputy director general and head of education in Chabahar, in an interview with ISNA on February 21st of last year, Sistan and Balochistan has a shortage of more than 12,600 teachers. In Chabahar alone, there are more than 20 schools in ruins and in surrounding villages, if there is a school, more than 70% of them are made of mud, clay, and non-standard materials. In such a situation, how can “sustainable development” be achieved?

Many see the development plans for Balochistan’s coasts similar to the oil-rich Khuzestan, where despite development, the indigenous people have been pushed to the margins and are facing increased suffering and pressure due to the disappearance of their language, culture, and Arab signs and symbols. Or the Baloch people who have now become a very small and weak minority in areas like “Karachi” and “Hub Chowki”, even though they number over 2 million.

Is there any meaning to the fact that officials speak about the population capacity in a national and cultural region, which is considered a national minority within the geographical and cultural scope of Iran? And which concept of development and progress can justify or interpret this issue?

If we pay attention, we can see that currently in Zahedan, Iranshahr, and Chabahar, despite the special ethnic and cultural situation in the region, the population has been completely engineered towards a specific direction. We should remember that at one point, the number of non-native residents – who are highly respected by us – did not exceed the fingers of a hand, but now they make up a large portion of the population in these cities and most of them are well-off. How was this population engineered? And did it have a positive impact on the situation of the natives? The answer to this question will undoubtedly be negative; because the natives have been pushed further away from managing the province, they are less employed in government offices, deprived of scholarships, and priorities have been given to non-natives.

“Abdullah Amiriyan, the head of the Chabahar Department of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare, stated in an interview with IRNA on January 5, 2016: “Out of the total number of employees in the Makran Petrochemical Complex, 280 are native and 170 are non-native.” When nearly 40% of the petrochemical workers have been recruited from outside the province despite poverty and deprivation, what a promising future should be expected for the management, engineers, and specialists in this sector!”

Currently, in the “Makran Coastal Development” project, there is concern about the dispersal of hundreds of engineers, experts, and workers to advance major economic projects that are currently being implemented, and the lack of attention to educating the people of the region to take advantage of these opportunities is a serious concern that graduates are facing.

Mohammad Naeim Aminifard, representative of Iran Shahr and soldier in the Islamic Consultative Assembly, also expressed his concerns in an interview with ISNA, saying: “We know that there may not be enough specialized technical workforce in the region, but there are many technically literate individuals who are unemployed. Therefore, the request of the representatives of Sistan and Baluchestan province is for the officials of Negin Makran Petrochemical Company to utilize local workforce in this major project.”

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I will conclude this essay with the opinion of one of the educated and cultural individuals of the province.

Considering the mentioned points, the flaw in this investment has been that before addressing chronic deprivations, which are part of the identity and birth certificate of these people and province, or utilizing local talents and reducing poverty, the planners or goal setters have mostly focused on the acceptance of the population and have provided an open platform for investment to host populations outside the province.

Dear Minister, do not take us to a position of necessity where we have to say that do not empty the national and cultural land under our feet for the sake of your own cheap development. Development should not be achieved at the expense of our national, religious, and cultural identity, with all its glory and temptation; because then there will be no real development and no investments will bring any profit. What arises in such land are the painful rifts of national and cultural identity, and the signs of it around us serve as a good lesson.

And finally, all the elders and those who have placed their hope in the developments of Chabahar, should not overlook this issue of “population capacity” and consider it as a serious concern for the national and cultural identity of this region, so that they do not become a marginalized and identity-less minority in their own geography. Development is nothing but empowering the capacities of each region through people’s participation and accepting their identity and capacities. Anything other than that is a flaw that will turn the population against the owners of that region, and by the time we realize it, it will be too late (K. Bashandeh).