WASHINGTON DC: June 3, 2012. (By Ahmar Mustikhan) Veteran Baloch leader and former chief minister Sardar Ataullah Mengal is strongly in favor of Baloch political parties taking part in the forthcoming general elections to defend the basic democratic rights of his people from further onslaughts from Islamabad. The decision to participate in the elections would be taken at a meeting of the party's central committee at a yet to be announced date. Mengal is the patron in chief of one the largest political parties, Balochistan National Party. His eldest son Asadullah Mengal was among the first victims of enforced disappearances in Balochistan way back in the 1970s. The party itself has lost at least three dozen key leaders, organizers and activists in the ongoing violence in Balochistan. "There are so many problems that people face, from drinking water to jobs," one party source said from Pakistan Saturday on condition of not being named. "All of them look at us with a degree of expectations," he added. Area wise largest, Balochistan is rich in natural resources, that include gas and presumably oil, but the area also suffers from the highest infant mortality and malnutrition rates anywhere in the world. However, Pakistan military's crackdown on militant groups and their supporters have created an atmosphere of despondency in Balochistan. "There is not a single town in Balochistan which has not lost a son," says Obaidullah Baloch, brother of former Baloch senator Sanaullah Baloch. Toronto-based Zaffar Baloch, a former card-holding member of the Communist Party of Pakistan, openly rejects the views of Sardar Mengal. "Had the electoral process and democracy offered a solution, Bangladesh would not have become a free country," he argues. Mr. Baloch, during an interview with producer Tahir Gora, contended Sardar Mengal's views lacks sound rationale. He said practically speaking political solution was not possible within Pakistan. In spite of such rejection, sober elements in North America believe that the veteran politician is right and his stand must be supported. These pro-democracy elements point out that it was through a democratic struggle that the Awami League got political legitimacy in Bangladesh and say those who blame democracy for Balochistan's woes are barking at the wrong tree. "The field must not be left open for anti-people forces," says the founder of the DC-based American Friends of Balochistan and called for a show of respect for the political processes, democratic struggle and veteran leaders. "Bolstering democracy and securing the right to self-determination for Balochistan must go hand in hand, notwithstanding the tears in Baloch eyes and the pain in Baloch hearts," he said. Independent observers says Pakistan intelligence services do not allow free and fair elections in Balochistan and the chief election commissioner had said on record that during the previous 2008 elections more than 80,000 bogus votes were detected. Still they believe anti-Baloch forces should not get a clean walkover on the political turf. "It would be stupid to leave the field open for the anti-people forces. If parties like Balochistan National Party, National Party or Baloch Republican Party stay away from polling booths, they will become obsolete and redundant," the A.F.B. founder warns. Swiss-based Kashmiri leader Sardar Shaukat Kashmiri, who is fondly called "Dada" and who has many friends among the Baloch, said the real issue is not whether the Baloch should participate in the elections or not but whether the Pakistani establishment is willing to allow them space in the political setup. "In the absence of guarantees of free and fair elections, if the I.S.I. decides to turn their victory into defeat, then their participation would be an exercise in futility," he said on phone from Bern Saturday. Pakistani secret agencies have a long history of changing election results in Balochistan.