Pages 91-100

Naomi Metelus

(Edited by Noelia Valero)

The summary mostly surrounds the life of Raza Hyder and his wife Bilquis. First we will start off with an explanation of the great gas fields found in Needle Valley that Hyder was sent to protect from the tribesmen on page 90. The same insurgency discussed t in the book may also be linked to ones that happened in Balochistan during the 1970's. In the 70's there were attacks made on Pakistan by the nationalist of Balochistan. They were very unhappy with how Pakistan and other surrounding countries were dictating and taking control of the welfare of Balochistan. The nationalists attacked on several different occasions only to be crushed by Pakistan's larger army.

Even though Rushdie does not fully state the real war is between Balochistan and Pakistan, through research you learn a little more truth. This gives a little insight as to how unfair Pakistan may have been even though it puts up a front of shamelessness. Then later as we read we learn a certain Maulana Dawood visits Hyder to tell him the very person who sent him to crush the nationalists was also responsible for foreign devilments occuring on the land he was trying to protect. Here Hyder learns he is not only fighting for oil and security of foreigners but also for the corruption they, the foreigners, are imposing on his country.
This is some valuable information from a website for further reading:
http://www.idsa.in/system/files/strategicanalysis_abansal_0605.pdf

*In the first two pages there is reference to a war over oil by tribesman and local authorities. The Baloch people of Balochistan have always wanted separation from its neighbours, including Pakistan. They have fought over issues as suggested in the book such as gas royalties, cantonments, and independence.
"Complaints relate to gas royalties, setting up of cantonments and development
projects, which deprive locals of the benefits while allowing carpetbaggers to
make a killing.

Baloch rebels have been hard at work – planting mines, firing
rockets, exploding bombs, and even ambushing military convoys. Their attacks
have led to deaths of close to a hundred security personnel. The Sui airport building
has been blown up, gas pipelines and electricity grids have been repeatedly hit, and
bomb explosions have taken place close to the official residences of the chief
minister as well as the governor.

A hitherto unknown organisation called the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for most of these acts of violence. Four times since Pakistan’s creation, the Baloch, who – like
many Sindhis and Pathans (Pakhtoons) – never wanted to be part of Pakistan,
have rebelled, demanding greater autonomy or even an independent state, which
would reunite the five million Baloch in Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan under one
flag.4"

"Since then, the Baloch have risen in revolt three times – in 1958, 1963-69 and
again in 1973-1977. Baloch history has been an unending saga of treachery by the
ruling elite in Islamabad. Though insurgencies have been crushed with a heavy
hand, they have left scars which are yet to heal. Each insurgency has been more
intense than its predecessor, with organisational capabilities and popular support
for the insurgents increasing with each successive insurgency. At the height of the
insurgency in 1973, 55,000 insurgents faced 80,000 Pakistani troops, supported
by the PAF as well as a team from the Iranian Air Force. More than 5,000 insurgents
and over 3,300 soldiers were killed in the insurgency that lasted till 1977.15 The
Pakistani armed forces used brute force to crush this insurgency as they had to
redeem their honor after their rout in Bangladesh. The insurgents were hoping for
Soviet intervention, which did not materialize."

Now going further with the summary, we have learned that Raza and Bilquis have moved to a Cantt station where they are surrounded by the foreigner lifestyle. Bilquis is falling in love with this because she is again surrounded by film and is feeling at home in some way. She spends many nights at the cinema where she falls in love with a fat lipped boy and later becomes pregnant by him. We also learn her daughter becomes very ill and in the process is paralyzed for life. She is somewhat brain dead.

The mentionings of Isky and Rani are very negative. Isky is cheating openly on his wife and she has become very introverted taking on to embroidering beautiful shawls in the process. I know Bilquis is frequently caught giving Rani advice on her misfortunes, but later in the chapters we will find she may need her own advice. We must not forget chapter 6 starts off with the saying, "the frog who croaks in the shaft of a well will be frightened by the booming of the voice of the giant frog who answers him". It may mean the ones who preach and act the purest are the most corrupt.

Here are a few definitions:

Shalwar is a traditional dress worn by both women and men in South Asia and Afghanistan/Central Asia . Shalwar or salwar are loose pajama-like trousers. The legs are wide at the top, and narrow at the ankle. The kameez is a long shirt or tunic. The side seams (known as the chaak), left open below the waist-line, give the wearer greater freedom of movement. 94
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shalwar_kameez)

kur·ta
Noun
A loose collarless shirt worn by people from the Indian subcontinent. 94

Chapatis- (Indian flatbread) - pg. 94

A zamindar or zemindar on the Indian subcontinent was an aristocrat, typically hereditary, who held enormous tracts of land and held control over his peasants, from whom the zamindars reserved the right to collect tax (often for military purposes). Over time, they took princely and royal titles such as Maharaja (Great King), Raja (King), Nawab (Lord), Mirza (Prince),Reddy (Ruler), Chowdhury (Lord) etc.
Although zamindars were considered to be equivalent to lords and barons[1] in some cases they were also seen as independent, sovereign Princes.[2]
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zamindar)

salaam aleikum- peace on you (pg. 97).