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Posted by admin in Baloch Feudal Sardars, Balochistan - The Beautiful Heart of Pakistan, BALOCHISTAN IS PAKISTAN, BALOCHISTAN-THE HEART OF PAKISTAN, BALOCHISTAN=PAKISTAN, Ishaal Zehra on February 16th, 2018
Balochistan Is The Heart Of Pakistan: Speaker Balochistan Assembly
Switzerland has rejected the request of the exiled leader of the banned Baloch Republican Party (BRP) Brahumdagh Bugti to seek political asylum after more than seven years. A week earlier, she also imposed a lifetime entry ban on the prominent exiled Baloch leader and Bugti’s brother-in-law, Mehran Marri. A source in the Swiss government confirmed that Brahumdagh Bugti’s asylum application was turned down because of his links with the banned Baloch Republican Army (BRA). The rejection letter clearly illustrates these allegations with reference to the “incidents of terrorism, violence and militant activities”.
At the same time, some two hundred Baloch separatists, including 15 commanders, renounced violence and laid down their arms at the hands of Balochistan Chief Minister Abdul Quddus Bizenjo and Commander Southern Command Lt Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa at a ceremony held at FC Headquarters Turbat last month, taking the toll of those ‘shunning the violence’ and submitting to the writ of the state, to a high figure of eight thousand.
India has been lately obsessed with the idea of liberating Baluchistan. For the same, she is found supporting any and every source she can find. Though practically she knows she can’t, still by giving inflated hype to their paid agents like Naila Baloch and Mama Qadeer they try to diverge attention from their own misfortunate afflictions of on-going freedom movements of Khalistan, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Assam and specially Kashmir which has gained universal attention in the near past.
Bugti had been living in Afghanistan prior to leaving the country for a Middle Eastern state and from there he flew to Geneva. It was also reported that Bugti had, on September 19, 2016, formally asked the Indian government to grant him an asylum and Indian nationality so that he could live in India and move around the world to campaign against Pakistan.
The report was later denied by India and the BRP, but, just four days later, the news turned out to be correct and Bugti officially announced that he would apply for Indian citizenship for himself and his family.
To tell the truth, Modi cannot create an independent Baluchistan no matter how hard he tries. Maximum what India can do is to create some unrest with his spies from intelligence agency like Kulbhushan, who is already in Pakistani custody and is being prosecuted against the charges of fomenting terrorism and sabotage in Baluchistan. Ignoring all pieces of evidence, India, still maintains that Jhadav was kidnapped from Iran last year, however, Pakistan upholds the claim that the RAW agent was caught inside the boundary of the country and is found guilty of conducting espionage activities in Pakistan. To make her point India has propagated the interview of Mama Qadeer as an evidence, where he parroted that Kulbhushan was kidnapped from Iran by some criminal gang and later handed over to Pakistan. Interestingly, this Mama Qadeer himself was never deemed a patriot unlike most of the Baluch people, many of whom are the greatest patriots Pakistan has ever known.
Mama Qadeer Baloch is a Baloch separatist leader who rose to prominence in 2013 when he marched from Quetta to Islamabad to highlight disappearances in Balochistan and was in the news for a few years till around 2015. Ironically, his only achievement in life was also given an Indian perspective when he was referred to as the Gandhi of Baluchistan for this long march. Though he did not went missing like the people he did the effort for, however, he’s been unheard of since then. Living in a self-exile in Afghanistan, Mama Qadeer isn’t renowned or too well-known in Pakistan even. Sponsored by India, he is infamously acknowledged for bashing the government in his separatist speeches. He belongs to the sort of people who sell themselves to cheap popularity by doing about anything just to stay in the news.
What he and his controller, Modi, both have to realize is that Baluchistan is not East Pakistan, moreover, unlike East Pakistan, there’s no separatist movement in Baluchistan. Historically, a lot of things went horribly wrong in Baluchistan which we do understand. The royal Baloch tribes disapproved the ordinary Baloch population to progress in education, enlightenment and socio-economic uplift. The reason behind this cruel approach was the fear that education, enlightenment and economic progress would end their Sardari system, but that was the past. Today’s Baloch is broad-minded, intelligent and progressive. He loves education, he loves his country and he loves his country mates. Though there is a widespread discontentment, there is no popular support for the breakaway movement.
The chances of Baluchistan breaking away are slim for many reasons and CPEC is one of them. China has already invested heavily in Gwadar, while Russia also considers Gwadar as the channel to exert her influence in the Indian Ocean. With this international attention, the chances of Indian dream coming to reality becomes quite grim. The chief minister of Baluchistan best represented the desires of thousands of Baloch people when he said that “Citizens of Baluchistan do not want any more bloodshed. They are patriots and want development”. These historical words were said by him while addressing the ceremony organized by Baloch insurgents who laid down their arms in Turbat.
Every year on March 2, Baloch Cultural Day is being celebrated with the aim to highlight and promote the diversified and rich Balochi culture. The importance of this very day could be judged from the fact that it is being commemorated not only in various districts of the Balochistan province but also throughout the country besides in Iran, Afghanistan, Dubai, Muscat, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and India. The Visionary Group of Gwadar, involved in developing, construction and social services in Balochistan, has taken the initiative of highlighting and promoting Balochi culture and language beyond the borders of Pakistan.
Various shows including musical programmes are being organized in various cities and towns of
Balochistan, Sindh and Balochi speaking districts of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
On the occasion, various processions of youth, students and people from all walks of life would be taken out from various parts of the provincial capital of Balochistan with the distinctive Balochi dress, turban, and embroidered dresses.
A celebration of the said event started during 2011. Baloch community in Pakistan and abroad organizes various programmes to highlight different shades of Baloch culture/traditions. Appreciable media coverage of various programmes also gets coverage in local and domestic media.
The strong traditions and cultural values are important to Baloch people and have enabled them to keep their distinctive ancient cultural identity and way of life with little change to this day.
Last year, various musical, cultural and literary ceremonies were held in Quetta and other parts of Balochistan in connection with the Baloch Culture Day—ceremonies were also organized in other countries where Balochs are residing, including Iran, Afghanistan, Dubai, Muscat, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and India. In Quetta, a huge ceremony to mark Baloch Culture Day was held at Balochistan Arts Council which was attended by hundreds of people, including women and children dressed in the typical Balochi dress. Cultural and musical shows were held at Arts Council in which youngsters and children exhibited their talent by singing Balochi songs and performing a Balochi dance. “This is a big day for us. We are excited and proud of our culture and tradition which teach us, love, tolerance, and bravery”, said Ibrahim Rakhshani, a 28-year-old young man wearing a Balochi turban and trouser with typical Balochi shoes. Yar Muhammad Badini, a Baloch intellectual and researcher says, Balochi literature is the best way to understand Baloch people and their culture. “Balochi culture and language have its own uniqueness and richness which needs to be promoted in the country,” he stressed, adding, that Baloch people besides in Pakistan were also residing in different other countries particularly in Iran, Afghanistan, Oman, East Africa and Turkmenistan. “Baloch woman dress is also recognized as national woman dress of Oman,” he added. However, he does not seem satisfied with the efforts of the government to promote Balochi language and culture in the country. “Balochi language is one of those languages which is struggling hard for its survival and needs the immediate focus of government,” he added. Meanwhile, Baloch Culture Day was also celebrated in other towns of Balochistan, including Nushki, Turbat, Gwadar, Mastung, Chagai, Sibi, Naseerabad and Jaffarabad where different musical and cultural shows were organized to mark.
During this very day, it is also of particular attention that since the government of the Balochistan province announced general pardon and protection to the Baloch militants as part of reconciliation process, many insurgents and their leaders have surrendered their arms and decided to work for the development of Pakistan and the province, peace has been restored in the province.
But, it is the misfortune of Pakistan that foreign-based entities have again started terror attacks in the country, especially Balochistan. In this regard, at least 88 people were martyred and 343 were injured on February 16, this year when a suicide bomber attacked the crowded Sufi shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sehwan, Sindh province of Pakistan.
At least 13 people were killed on February 13, 2016, when a suicide bomber struck outside the Punjab Assembly on the Mall Road in the eastern city of Lahore during a peaceful protest of the chemists and pharmacists against a new law.
The affiliated faction of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Jamaat-ur-Ahrar (TTP-JA also known as JuA) took responsibility for the deadly suicide bombing in Lahore.
While, terror attack in Lahore coincided with the incident in Quetta-the provincial capital of Pakistan’s Balochistan province, where at least one policeman was killed and five people were injured on February 13, 2017, in an explosion occurred on Sariab road.
At least 65 people were killed when a blast struck at the shrine of the Sufi saint Shah Noorani in Balochistan’s Hub Tehsil on November 12, 2016. Terrorist organization, the Islamic State group (Also known as Daesh, ISIS, ISIL) claimed responsibility for the attack.
Besides other terror attacks of the recent past, earlier, the affiliated group of the TTP, TTP-JA took responsibility for a deadly suicide bombing in Quetta, which killed at least 74 people on August 8, 2016, in an assault at the government-run Civil Hospital.
In this respect, a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that senior Afghan diplomats were summoned to the General Headquarters (Of army) over the recent spate of terrorist attacks in Pakistan and asked to ensure that immediate action was taken against the Pakistani terrorists living in safe havens in their country.
The army, which took the lead in dealing with Afghanistan over the terrorist sanctuaries there, had announced the closure of the border crossings with Afghanistan citing security reasons.
According to the statement of the DG ISPR Major General Asif Ghafoor, on February 17, 2017, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa appealed to the nation to stay calm by saying, “our security forces shall not allow hostile powers to succeed…each drop of nation’s blood shall be avenged and avenged immediately…no more restraint for anyone.”Pakistanis do not forgive or forget, they get EVEN.
Gen. Javed Bajwa had called Gen John Nicholson, commander of the US’s Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan through a telephone call to protest continued acts of terrorism in Pakistan perpetrated from Afghanistan, saying that they were testing Pakistan’s policy of cross-border restraint.
Gen. Bajwa told Gen. Nicholson that recent incidents of terrorism in Pakistan had been claimed by terrorist organizations whose leadership is hiding in Afghanistan, and asked him to play his role in “disconnecting this planning, direction, coordination and financial support”.
In a terse message, during the conversation with Nicholson, Gen. Bajwa also informed him of the list of 76 “most wanted” terrorists handed over to Afghan authorities earlier—operating from Afghan territory or hand them over to Pakistan for trying them over their involvement in terrorism.
As regards the terror assault on the Police Training College in Quetta, IG FC Major General Sher Afgan had informed the press that the attackers acted on directions from Afghanistan and the initial investigation suggested that the terrorists were affiliated with the outlawed Lashkar-e- Jhangvi Al Ali militant group. He elaborated, “We came to know from the communication intercepts that there were three militants who were getting instructions from Afghanistan.”
Notably, as part of the dual strategy, CIA, RAW, and Mossad are in connivance with the Afghan intelligence agency, National Directorate of Security (NDS) and other terrorist groups. With the latest capture of six NDS supported terrorists in Balochistan, the number of NDS backed terrorists arrested and killed by Pakistani intelligence agencies has crossed over 126. These external secret agencies are particularly supporting the TTP which is hiding in Nuristan and Kunar provinces of Afghanistan. Reportedly, Mullah Fazlullah led TTP was being prepared to carry out a fresh wave of terror activities inside Pakistan, as the latter has become the center of the Great Game owing to the ideal location of Balochistan.
It is of particular attention that arrest of the Indian spy Kulbushan Yadav in Balochistan has exposed Indian undeclared war against Pakistan. While addressing a joint press conference with the then Federal Minister for Information Pervaiz Rasheeda and former Director General of ISPR Lt. Gen. Asim Saleem Bajwa said on March 29, 2016, “Kulbushan Yadav’s arrest is a rare case that does not happen very often.” He disclosed that Yadav was an active officer of the Indian Navy prior to his joining RAW. He also served as a scrap dealer and had a jewelry business in Chahbahar, Iran, after he joined RAW in 2013.
A video was also shown during the press conference in which Yadav confessed that he spied for India. Yadav admitted that he was assigned with the task to create unrest in Karachi and Balochistan by stating, “I supported the individuals who worked to destabilize Pakistan…I promoted the criminal mindset that was there in Balochistan.” Another task assigned to him was to target the Gwadar Port. Yadav also confessed—funding Baloch separatists along with other terrorists. During the investigation, RAW agent Yadav Gulbhushan admitted that during his stay, he contacted various Baloch separatist leaders and insurgents, including Dr. Allah Nazar Baloch, to execute the task to damage the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s security agencies uncovered another ring of Indian spies in the country, working as under covert agents, found involved in subversive activities to destabilize Pakistan. In this connection, on November 2, last year, Islamabad disclosed that five Indian diplomats who were serving at the Indian High Commission in Islamabad found to be part of the RAW spy network and were involved in subversive activities by facilitating and funding terrorism. They were declared as persona non grata and expelled from the country.
Undoubtedly, almost all the terrorists or terrorist groups and insurgency in Pakistan, especially Balochistan have their connection in Afghanistan. The porous border between Pakistan and Afghanistan is frequently used by human and drug traffickers, criminals and terrorists. Their easy access through unguarded porous border provides an opportunity to miscreants to cause havoc inside Pakistan and Afghanistan. For the effective counter-terrorism measures strong border, control management is vital at Pak-Afghan border. But, Afghan rulers are using delaying tactics in this respect.
Taking cognizance of the anti-Pakistan intruders, Pakistan’s army had decided to build a fence along the border and to control the border crossings. The strategic project of the 1,100-kilometre-long trench with the cost of Rs14 billion which was initiated along Pak-Afghan border in Balochistan by Frontier Corps in 2013 has been completed last year. In the next phase, the project will be extended to the entire long border with Afghanistan which had opposed this plan.
While, from time to time, controversy arises between Afghanistan and Pakistan when Afghan officials refused to recognize the Durand Line which is the 2640 kilometer long and porous border, situated between both the countries.
During his visit to Quetta, the former Army Chief Gen. Raheel Sharif on April 15, 15 warned foreign forces and spy agencies against destabilizing Pakistan by supporting insurgents in Balochistan. Gen. Raheel elaborated, “Army will continue supporting the Balochistan government till terrorism is wiped out…those found involved in funding and facilitating terrorists will be dealt with iron hands.”
Now, the Baloch people know about a foreign conspiracy against Balochistan. A majority of the Baloch persons have understood that Balochistan’s mineral resources and geo-strategic location with deep Gwadar seaport, connecting rest of the world with Central Asia have further annoyed the US and India because China has already invested billions of dollars in developing this seaport. It is due to multiple strategic designs that the US which signed a nuclear deal with India in 2008 seeks to dismember both Pakistan and Iran.
They are well aware of the fact that with the tactical support of American CIA and Israeli Mossad, Indian RAW has continuously been assisting the Baloch separatist groups and Baloch Sub Nationalists to conduct subversive acts—and using terrorist elements in Balochistan to threaten Chinese interest in the development of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. And, Afghanistan has become a hub from where external secret agencies have been funding and arranging subversive activities in other parts of Pakistan—particulrly in Balochistan through their affiliated militant groups at the cost of Pakistan, China and Iran. In the past few years, they abducted and killed many Chinese and Iranian nationals in Pakistan.
It is mentionable that as a result of the general elections 2013, the government led by the nationalist leader Chief Minister Balochistan Dr. Abdul Malik Baloch was established in Balochistan, while on December 7, 2013; local bodies elections were largely held in a peaceful manner in the province. These elections proved that majority of the Baloch are loyal to the federation and have rejected the case of separatists, being projected by foreign forces which are destabilizing Pakistan by supporting anti-state elements in Balochistan.
Notably, in the recent years, Pak Army has made strenuous efforts to develop the infrastructure in Balochistan by providing the people employment opportunities to bring the Balochis in the mainstream of the country. For this purpose, the army has not only established schools and colleges in Balochistan but also set up technical and industrial institutes in the province, besides giving military training to the youth.
Various development projects and progressive works, undertaken by Army in Balochistan are Military College SUI Balochistan, Balochistan Public School at SUI, Quetta Institute of Medical Sciences, Gwadar Institute of Technology, Chamalang Beneficiary Education Program, Balochistan Institute of Technical Education, Army Institute of Mineralogy, Assistance to Ministry of Education Balochistan, Baloch Youth Enrollment in Pakistan Army, Dera Bugti Development Projects, Development Projects Kohlu and Nasirabad Division, and Pakistan Army Assistance in Development of Road Networks including Assistance to Ministry of Education Balochistan, Provision of Free Gas & Water, Construction of 50 Bed Hospital at SUI, Chamalang, Musa Khel & Dukki Coal Mines, KASSA Hill Marble Project, Dates Farming at Panjgur, Garrison & Musa Sports Complex, Free Medical Camps, Earthquake 2008 and Pak Army Relief & Rehabilitation Efforts, Flood 2010 and Pak Army Relief & Rehabilitation Efforts, and many other similar projects and provision of services.
Nevertheless, army’s positive steps will increase the income of the Baloch youth and reduce their dependence on sardars who are working on the agenda of some foreign powers. Now patriot Balochis have come to know that Pak Army is neither mercenary nor occupying force; while external-backed insurgency has hampered the growth and development of the province. They also know that the province lacked engineers and skilled workers. In this respect, measures of Pak Army have been ensuring local enterprise, local manpower and local skill among the Balochis.
In 2011, I had visited Balochistan along with other journalists. I saw a number of institutes, set up by the army, and these were providing especially technical training to thousands of Balochis. I had also a trip to far-flung areas of the province and witnessed various mega projects and mineral sites. I was greatly surprised that no military operation is going on in Balochistan as propagated by the foreign elements. People told me that some subversive events are taking place by the minority separatist elements so as to create instability in the province.
No doubt, army’s progressive role through numerous schemes and projects for the development of Balochistan will change the fortune of the Baloch people very soon, which is likely to castigate the foreign conspiracy against the province.
It is worth mentioning that Balochistan had been hit in the past by some phenomenally devastating calamities like floods of 1950, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1992, 2000, 2010, 2011 and 2012, the drought of 2000 and cyclone of 2007. The real saviors of people of Balochistan were Armed Forces and FC which quickly responded to the call of duty by extending helping hand to fellow countrymen, conducted exceptionally dangerous rescue missions and provided relief to the victims. Similarly, on September 24, 2013, Awaran district of Balochistan was hit by an earthquake. Pakistan Army and FC promptly acted as asked for by the government. Although FC personnel located in the area were equally struck by the earthquake, yet they were the first ones to respond to the situation. And the Army units hastily moved from Khuzdar and Karachi.
Nonetheless, the every Pakistani must celebrate the Baloch Culture Day with full zeal by giving importance to the Balochi traditions. The occasion must be utilized by highlighting positive developments taking place in Balochistan as a result of a harmonious relationship between political and military authorities vis-à-vis Baloch culture traditions.
Posted by admin in Baloch Feudal Sardars, BALOCHISTAN IS PAKISTAN, BALOCHISTAN-THE HEART OF PAKISTAN on August 19th, 2016
Asif Haroon Raja
Dr. Sadia Ali has timed her article titled “The poor daughter of Baluchistan” in The News dated August 17, 2016 with Narendra Modi’s diatribe on the occasion of India’s Independence Day on August 15. She has lent strength to Indian ongoing propaganda onslaught drumming up the sufferings of the people of Baluchistan who in their view are oppressed and given a raw deal by Baluchistan and Federal Governments. Dr. Sadia is a women’s rights activist and she works in Baluchistan. She has presented a depressing picture of Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR), child mortality, literacy rate, poverty and healthcare, asserting these are near absent in resource rich Baluchistan. She says that 83.4% children in the province suffer from malnourishment. She says the entire generation in Dera Bugti and in Baluchistan cannot afford a proper meal.
This article might have been read with interest in normal times since the theme of our writers has all along revolved around socio-economic grievances of people of Baluchistan, some being genuine and others self-perceived. Contents of Sadia’s article tend to validate the pronouncements of Modi and Indian propagandists duly reinforced by Pak media, NGOs and human rights activists on Baluchistan. This coincidence has certainly raised eyebrows about her hidden motive, whether she has written it to earn kudos from the people of Baluchistan for highlighting the miserable plight of the women, or to strengthen the case of India and please Modi. To make her story appear more appealing, she names the female patients who have suffered on account of lack of medical facilities while delivering a child.
Why can’t Sadia hear the shrieks of Kashmiri women gang raped in thousands, feel the pain of young widows, cries of half-widows who do not know whether their missing husbands are dead or alive, the anguish of mothers in whose arms their sons riddled with bullets breathe their last, sighs of grief stricken orphans and systematic elimination of the youth in fake encounters. I wish she had the moral courage to write an article on the suffering of Kashmiris at the hands of pitiless Indian security forces, devoid of basic rights and social facilities and the way the children are being killed or blinded with rubber pellets. There is curfew, complete media blackout, mobile services clamped and human rights activists disallowed to enter Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) since July 8. This is the 3rd generation of Kashmiris wading through blood filled streets in IOK. I am sure Sadia must have seen countless pictures of the injured victims whose faces and bodies are pock marked with pellets and well over 100 have lost their eyesight or are fast losing it. Tragically, India has rejected Pakistan’s offer to treat the injured since India doesn’t have facility to treat pellet wounds. While India keep parroting that IOK is integral part of India, it has deployed 7, 50000 security forces equipped with special powers to keep it integral by use of brute force.
Volcanic eruption of protest movement in IOK in the aftermath of brutal killing of freedom fighter Burhan Wani on July 8, and wholehearted love expressed by Kashmiris for Pakistan has dumbfounded Indian leaders. Pakistan’s principled moral, political and diplomatic support to the Kashmiris in distress has peeved them. Curt reply of Ch Nisar to visiting Indian Home Minister Jagnath Singh, expounding that Wani was a freedom fighter and not a terrorist, that resistance movement in IOK is a freedom movement and not terrorism, and that Kashmir issue is disputed and must be resolved in accordance with UN resolutions, further miffed them. As the world began to take notice of gross human rights violation in IOK and Indian deception to hide their crimes didn’t work, Modi lost his sense of balance.
He stated that people of Baluchistan, Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) had thanked him a lot in the last few days for “raising issue of atrocities against them, and it has given me great joy”. This was a skewwhiff response to the affectionate outpouring of the Kashmiris for Pakistan in the face of guns and bayonets and their hatred for India as was once again amply demonstrated on the occasions of Pakistan and India’s independence days on August 14 and 15 respectively. While former was celebrated with fervor, the latter was observed as black day in IOK.
In his exuberance, Modi let the cat out of the bag and further reinforced Pakistan’s claim that India’s RAW is fully involved in Baluchistan and is also behind Balwaristan movement in GB and is now trying to penetrate AJK where recently all political parties took part in fair and free elections and PML-N won comprehensively, and which acts as the base camp for freedom movement in IOK. Modi must not forget that large scale separatist movements in 14 States of India, of which the Naxalite movement, Kashmiri movement and Khalistan movement are the most dangerous, expectantly look toward outside help to rid them from the yoke of India. Hindu Dalits, treated as Maleechas (untouchables) by the Brahmans have also for the first time picked up courage to protest against inhuman treatment meted out to them.
Modi has come under severe criticism within India for his senseless prank which has damaged India’s stance on IOK as its integral part. This is the second time he has committed a blunder. Earlier on, he had made a confession in Dhaka last year that India had played a key role in liberating Bangladesh in 1971 by fully supporting the Mukti Bahini and that like many Indian soldiers, he had also physically participated in the insurgency.
Pakistan has already provided tons of proofs of RAW’s subversive activities in the three conflict zones inflamed by foreign agencies to the UN. Arrest of Indian serving Naval Commander Kalbhushan Yadav in Baluchistan last March and his startling revelations that he had been operating RAW network from his base in Chahbahar since 2003 to destabilize Baluchistan and Karachi has left no doubt about RAW’s deep rooted involvement. RAW has been making use of the soils of Afghanistan and Iran to indulge in proxy war in Pakistan and utilizing its proxies in the form of TTP in northwest Pakistan, BLA, BRA and BLF in Baluchistan and MQM in Karachi.
India complements its covert operations with propaganda war and psychological operations to undermine and discredit Pakistan. With regard to Baluchistan, aim of Indian propagandists is to not only equate Baluchistan insurgency with Kashmir freedom movement, but also to portray former as freedom movement launched by the Baloch against oppression and deprivation of their rights, and the latter as terrorism. A willful campaign was launched to discredit the Frontier Corps by blaming them for missing persons, mutilated bodies and mass graveyards. Pak security forces fighting the foreign paid terrorists in Baluchistan are projected as ‘repressive occupation Army’. Destabilised Baluchistan helps in scuttling Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project and Gwadar seaport.
There is no comparison between the two since Baluchistan is integral part of Pakistan and is open to all. About a dozen of rebellious Baloch leaders are stationed abroad and are puppets in the hands of host countries. They are highly unpopular in Baluchistan and cannot face their respective tribes since they have sought the intervention of India, US and UN to make Baluchistan independent. Great majority of people of Baluchistan including the Baloch are highly patriotic, they love Pakistan, Army and paramilitary forces, and have full confidence in the provincial government. Conversely, Kashmir is an unfinished agenda of Partition, it is jugular vein of Pakistan, and is under illegal occupation of India since October 1947 and the dispute is awaiting resolution by the UN since 1948. IOK is barricaded and has been turned into an open prison, where no outsider or investigating team is allowed to enter. Right of self-determination has been given to the Kashmiris by the UN but denied by India. The entire political leadership of Kashmiris is based in Kashmir and they love Pakistan.
I will not disagree with Sadia that Baluchistan is way behind other provinces in terms of development and education, and that successive governments didn’t pay desired attention to remove its genuine complaints. But none can deny that the Baloch Sardars who have been in the driving seat took little interest since they are anti-development. They remained more immersed in retaining perverse Sardari system by converting 90% of territory into B Area where the police has no writ, and only 10% as A Area. They have been misruling the province, mostly engaged in inter-tribal rivalry, pocketing development funds to enrich their coffers and denying education to keep the people illiterate and enslaved. Incidence of women buried alive and fed to dogs have occurred. With regard to Dera Bugti, why does Sadia feel shy of mentioning the historical facts as to what the so-called popular leader Nawab Akbar Bugti had done for his home town? Was he not a tyrant and an exploiter? Was he not maintaining an armed militia and private jails and had he not expelled the whole lot of Kalpar and Masouri tribes from Dera Nawab and now the two tribes have been fully resettled and rehabilitated? Were the people of this area better off then or now?
Sadia must not forget that while great majority of Baloch are patriotic and love Pakistan, a small disgruntled segment in Baluchistan is prone to rebellion and has been picking up arms against the state to gain independence since 1948. These misled Baloch rebels have always been provided safe haven and support by Afghanistan, former Soviet Union and India. This trend is still continuing and needs elimination.
When Gen Musharraf tried to remove the inequities of Baluchistan by way of launching mega projects including Gwadar port and construction of road infrastructure in the interior, improving education and healthcare, the Sardars of Bugti, Marri and Mengal tribes ganged up and at the behest of foreign powers started an insurgency in 2004 which later on turned into a separatist movement.
Development of Gwadar port by China was unacceptable to USA and India and hence the insurgency was stoked to scare away the Chinese. Despite the insurgency, development works in Baluchistan continued and the current nationalist government backed by federal government is making sincere efforts to defeat foreign abetted terrorism and improve the education and socio-economic conditions of the province. Back of the separatist movement has been broken and hundreds of rebels have come down from the hills and have surrendered arms. Completion of dozens of dams, Gwadar port, opening up technical and cadet schools/colleges and CPEC will surely change the complexion of Baluchistan.
However, Sadia says that Baluchistan is constantly sliding down in all human development indicators. She measures its development from the yardstick of MMR only and compares it with war torn Somalia and Liberia. She conveniently overlooks India, which prompted her to write this article, endowed with worst human development indicators including MMR but keeps harping that India is shining. Sadia and her ilk never talk of weak areas of India but leave no stone unturned to glorify it and shame Pakistan. This sort of article which adds fuel to the injured feelings of dissatisfied segment in Baluchistan helps India and others in their propaganda war. Can anyone in India dare write such an article highlighting pathetic conditions of minorities in India?
Sadia laments the lavish arrangements made on the occasion of Independence Day celebrations in Baluchistan and gives a sad touch to it saying that music, and the noise (Pakistan Zindabad chants) was so loud that it muffled the cries and anguish of the women in labor pain. She tantalizingly repeats “resource rich Baluchistan”, but doesn’t mention that foreign powers eying at these resources have led the handful of greedy Sardars up the garden path that resources will be theirs. Their eyes have not opened even after seeing the plunder of mineral resources of Iraq and Libya. After passage of 18th Amendment and grant of provincial autonomy to the provinces, the oft repeated allegation of exploitation by the Centre or Punjab is no more applicable.
Sadia go the extent of saying that socio-economic indictors of war torn Afghanistan are better than Pakistan. She and her well-read types are the ones who fan misgivings, frustration, despair and hatred among the people of smaller provinces. The so-called intellectuals and secular writers at the behest of RAW had played a big role in feeding fictitious statistics, in making false comparisons between the two wings of Pakistan and in inciting hatred among the Bengalis against West Pakistanis. Even now, there are quite a few toadies of India in Pakistan ever ready to sell their souls for money and to augment Indian propaganda against Pakistan and to cover the crimes of India in IOK and several parts of India and to glorify the cause of separatists in Baluchistan. One example of this is Hamid Mir’s TV program on Geo soon after Modi’s rants. He posed a question to the guest speakers whether the Baloch insurgents were terrorists or freedom fighters.
It is now a well-established fact that Baluchistan is a target and Indo-US-Afghan-US nexus has been conjointly working since 2002 to destabilize, secularize, denuclearize and balkanize Pakistan. Map of Balkanized Pakistan published by US/western think tanks and Lt Col Ralph Peters indicated Baluchistan and Pushtunistan as separate states. India has targeted Baluchistan so as to use it as a card to checkmate Pakistan in Kashmir. Indian defence minister had stated last year that in case Pakistan doesn’t lay its hands off IOK, it should be prepared to lose Baluchistan. He has now termed Pakistan as hell and accused it of violating human rights violations in Baluchistan. The fact is that the wale of Kashmir popularly known as paradise on earth has virtually been turned into hell.
If Baluchistan suffers from inequalities, which part of Pakistan doesn’t? Is whole of Punjab prosperous? May I ask learned Sadia as to which country in the world is free of inequities and which country has equally developed states/provinces? In USA, 99% people are poor and only 1% are dirty rich. 22 States of the US want to go their way because of socio-economic grievances and wrong policies of the state. In India, 37 insurgencies are raging in different parts of the country and there are separatist movements in 14 states, all suffering from injustices and socio-economic deprivations and fed up of four-fold caste system.
The writer is retired Brig, defence and security analyst, columnist, author of 5 books, Director Measac Research Centre and Director Thinkers Forum Pakistan. He delivers talks and takes part in TV talk shows. [email protected]
Posted by admin in Baloch Feudal Sardars, BALOCHISTAN IS PAKISTAN, BALOCHISTAN-THE HEART OF PAKISTAN, BALOCHISTAN=PAKISTAN on July 23rd, 2014
Chief Minister Balochistan Dr. Malik Baloch made a statement while talking to the newsmen in Islamabad that he had failed to bring estranged nationalist leaders to the negotiating table, but vowed to continue his reconciliation efforts, his forlorn statement affirms that there is no vivid phantasm of the Balochistan government and appears to be just up to completion of it’s tenure. Through out the Histroy of Pakistan, Baloch Sardars and Nawabs have been at war with the establishment for control over the natural resources and provincial autonomy in particular, but whenever these Sardars and Nawabs achieve their end and enthrone themselves in the government, they forget their so called Independence and provincial autonomy. The unfortunate Baloch wearing turbans and fighting in caves never knew their fate but were used as a tool for Baloch’ dukes in order to gain a political momentum. Likewise Sardar Akhter Mengal failed to win election on 11 May 2013, He had come up with a new plan to enthrone himself as a chief minister of Balochistan, lamentably his failure once again turned him towards U Turn with self-style denunciation game. Unfortunately, there is no body loyal to this country, if their desires are met with failure they begin to press Pakistani establishment for being involved in enforced disappearance Drilling and mutilated bodies of Baloch nationalists. The uprising in Balochistan was a part of Kao-Plan prepared by Indian Intelligence Agency soon after Indra Gandhi was elected in the late 60s, According to Daily mails findings, the Report says “When Indira Gandhi took over as Prime Minister of India in the late 60s, among her basic priorities was to undo the division of India that created a new State, Pakistan which was highly irritating the Indian leaders since its birth. In that particular era, India’s all intelligence related matters, both internally and externally were managed by only one intelligence agency of the country that was the Intelligence Bureau (IB). The Daily Mail’s research indicates that when Mrs. Gandhi assumed the charge of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) at New Delhi, she ordered the IB to prepare comprehensive plans to destabilize Pakistan and to transform into a failed State and to negate the 2-Nation Theory which was the foundation of the creation of Pakistan. The Daily Mail’s research indicates that in 1968, the then head of IB’s External Division Wing and the founder of Directorate General of Security, commonly known as DG(S) in India, Rameshwar Nath Kao, a confidante of Indira Gandhi and her late father as he was cleared of falling to any honey trap because of being a gay, presented a very comprehensive plan to fulfill Indira Gandhi’s wishes regarding Pakistan. This, around 240-page plan, which is still known as The Kao Plan in India’s clandestine community had three different operations to destabilize Pakistan. The Kao Plan, which is described as a three-pronged strategy by the Indian officials, had three different operations to eliminate Pakistan. The first, known as Kao’s Bangla Plan(KBP) was chalked out to start an insurgency movement in East Pakistan and transform the Eastern part of Pakistan into a new State. The 2 nd plan, known as Kao’s Balochistan Plan (KBP-II) was architected to create a similar scenario in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, while the 3 rd one was relating to organize a separation movement in the then North Western Frontier Province(NWFP) and now Khyber Pakhtun Khowah to establish an independent State there and this one is known as the Kao’s Pakhtoonistan Plan (KPP).”
The basic features of Kao plan were to launch a Psychological Warfare operation in East Pakistan; to communicate with East Pakistani politicians, mainly those belonging to Awami League; they portrayed Pakistan’s Army as the mother of all evils, the primary goal of plan was to make a sense of deprivation among the Bengalis. The Plan instigated the political circles of Bengal, resultantly, the media and press was used to defame Pakistan. After successful conspiracy in accordance with the (KBP-I) plan that not only portrayed Pakistan’s role as a occupiers of Bengal but also portrayed them as the worst violators of the human rights violations. After 1971, When Pakistan lost Bangladesh, Rameshwar Nath Kao put proposal to initiate (KBP-II) to separate Balochistan from Pakistan, at that time, India couldn’t execute the plan owing to US involvement in Pakistan during the cold war, while India also had no direct link to Balochistan , Similarly, some amendments were made in the plan and it was pursued from another direction, India could never find a safer place than Afghanistan to pursue (KBP-II). RAW had already started contacting Baloch leaders through social activities in foreign countries and a PSYWAR was launched amongst the Balochistani people with a crystal clear reference to what happened in East Pakistan and how India helped East Balochis to have a spate, independent country. In the meantime RAW also sought agency-to-agency help from its counterpart in former Soviet Union and KGB. However, KGB couldn’t take a longer part into Balochistan’s game due to cold war with the united states of America. But soon After the former USSR’s invasion in Afghanistan that captured Afghanistan, The reports suggest that KGB played the major role in training the Baloch militants, given to RAW by certain Baloch tribal leaders, to use the arms and weapons shipped by RAW through sea routes to Balochistan over the years. The reports also indicate that it was not possible for RAW to successfully form the militant outfits in Balochistan without the strong help and assistance of KGB as both RAW and KGB managed to install militant forces like the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) etc. there were comprehensive training facilities for these militants by KGB in adjoining Afghanistan and loads of money for their mentors by RAW. After the fall of soviet, The research indicates that it was only after the 9/11 tragedy that RAW started getting very positive response from America’s CIA to make life miserable for Pakistan and its ISI. The research shows clearly that as the CIA, RAW ties started deepening owing to common interest of both the agencies; the things in Balochistan started getting worst, day by day. The RAW-CIA fulcrum once again got a formal approval of launching the Kao plan in Balochistan after the Congress government came into power in 2004. The Kao plan was initiated in Balochistan formally in 2004-2005 and within one year of its formal launching things got drastically changed across the province. The Kao plan made veteran Baloch leader Akbar Bugti and his like minded tribal leaders of the province defiant towards the federal government and they bent upon initiating an insurgency movement in the province and even brought a name for the new Independent country as Islamic Emirates of Balochistan. After the assassination of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti in 2006, The Baloch uprising started taking place. The groups formed in Afghanistan BLA, BLF, etc. amplified their covert attacks on security forces, government installations, gas pipelines, power pylons, railway tracks and passenger buses particularly damaged Chinese development projects. On the other hand, sectarian violence, target killing of settlers, educationists, lawyers and teachers continued as a part of destabilization. In the here now, Balochistan’s coalition government need to clarify their stance over Baloch Maneuver because at one hand, Afghanistan is frequently supplying weapons to the terrorists while on the other hand the failure of coalition governemnt had already made it unblemished that Balochistan will continue to be suffered at the hands of sponsored terrorists. Unfortunately, there is not a single strong Baloch leadership which could bring exiled leaders at the same page even these exiled baloch are being played at the hands of their masters. Baloch leadership is marked by acute failure owing to forget the real cause of insurgency. This is not only a single time, but in fact during Aslam Raisani’s led government too, kidnapping for ransom incidents increased alarmingly in Balochistan during the tenure of Nawab Raisani while the alleged involvement of some ministers in kidnappings for ransom was also echoed in the sessions of the Balochistan Assembly and Supreme Court hearings in missing persons’ case. At the moment, The people of Balochistan doesn’t get what development is being made in regard to bring the province at the par, no strategy is being proposed to bring exiled baloch leaders through inter-pol or negotiation tables, while Afghanistan has become a hub of terrorists trainers, the government need to take serious steps to curb Indian and Afghan’s involvement in Balochistan in order to regain peace and eliminate external terrorists from history.
The Writer is a Freelance Journalist based in Balochistan
Posted by admin in Baloch Feudal Sardars, BALOCHISTAN IS PAKISTAN, BALOCHISTAN-THE HEART OF PAKISTAN, BALOCHISTAN=PAKISTAN on January 31st, 2014
Countering Iranian Allegations & Removing Misunderstanding
By
Sajjad Shaukat
Being a neighbouring and brotherly country, Pakistan always respects Iran’s sovereignty, system of governance and its socio-political developments. But, some external elements misguide Iran through false propaganda by manipulating various terror-incidents which take place inside Iran, especially its province of Iranian Sistan-Baluchistan and Pakistan’s province of Balochistan.
It could be judged from the latest incident of October 25 when 14 Iranian border guards lost their lives and six others were wounded in a shoot-out with terrorists in the border region of Saravan in Iran’s southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan. In this regard, Iranian lawmakers accused that the US and Pakistani intelligence services lead the Pakistan-based Jaish-ul-Adl terrorist group responsible for the recent deadly attack on Iranian border guards. While raising false allegations, Iran’s Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee member Javad Karimi Qoddusi said, “The key point in this case is role played by US spy agency by means of Pakistan’s Services Intelligence (ISI) in conducting such terrorist attacks…the ISI’s control over such terrorist like Jaish-ul-Adl Group has been authenticated.”
On the other side, Islamabad denied the charges as baseless, while Pakistan Charged Affairs in Iran, Sohail Siddiqui stated that Iranian government urged Pakistan to further investigate the issue. Pakistan’s government assured that that the country would investigate the issue and would fully cooperate with Iranian officials in arresting and handing the terrorists.
Earlier, an Iranian deputy foreign minister pointed out that the country was weighing plans to dispatch a delegation to Pakistan to probe the recent terrorist attack in southeastern Iran. But, it is regrettable that instead of grasping reality in order to remove the misunderstanding, Iranian lawmakers, analysts and the TV channel leveled self-created allegations against Pakistan and involvement of ISI in terrorist attack on Iranian border guards. They must better observe prudence by knowing the real conspirators who are not only behind this terror attack, but also other subversive events which have continuously been taking place in Pakistani side of Balochistan, and from time to time, in Iran’s Sistan-Balochistan.
Notably, although the whole of Islamic world is target of Indo-Israeli plot, yet the same has intensified in case of Pakistan and Iran. In this regard, US-led some western countries have also been supporting the Indo-Israeli nexus against Islamabad and Tehran overtly or covertly.
However, we cannot blame India and Israel including US regarding the conspiracy against Pakistan and Iran without some concrete evidence. In this context, in his interview, published in the Indian weekly Outlook on February 18, 2008, Israel’s ambassador to India, Mark Sofer explained regarding India’s defence arrangements with Israel by disclosing, “We do have a defence relationship with India, which is no secret” and “with all due respect, the secret part will remain a secret.” In reply to a question, Sofer replied, “Certain issues need to remain under wraps for whatever reason.”
Indo-Israeli plot remained under wraps till 2003, when Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon visited India to officially reveal it. In this respect, Indian ‘The Tribune’ wrote on September 10, 2003, “India and Israel took giant leaps forward in bolstering the existing strategic ties and forging new ones” and Tel Aviv has “agreed to share its expertise with India in various fields as anti-fidayeen operations, surveillance satellites, intelligence sharing and space exploration.” Next day, ‘Indian Express’, disclosed, “From anti-missile systems to hi-tech radars, from sky drones to night-vision equipment, Indo-Israeli defense cooperation has known no bounds in recent times.”
As regards the American tactical backing to Indo-Israeli relationship, on September 5, 2003, American Wall Street Journal pointed out, “The U.S. finally gave its approval to Israel’s delivery of Phalcon Airborne Warning & Controlling Systems (AWACS) to India.”
Now, the matter is not confined to purchasing of military equipments only, Indo-Israeli overt and covert links are part of a dangerous strategic game. In the aftermath of 9/11, as to how this strategic game is being played can be judged from some developments. For example, on October 18, 2009, a deadliest suicide attack killed dozens of officers including the deputy commander for the Revolutionary Guards, Brigadier General Nour Ali Shoushtari and the provincial commander, Brigadier Rajab Ali Mohammadzadeh in the Sistan-Baluchistan. Jundullah (God’s soldiers), a Sunni militant group which is pro-active against the Iranians, claimed responsibility for the incident.
The Revolutionary Guard released a statement after the attack, revealing that there was “no doubt that this violent and inhumane act was part of the strategy of foreigners and enemies of the regime.” Afterwards, Iran directly accused US and Britain for their alleged patronage and funding of such type of terrorist attacks for creating instability within Iran. Parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani blamed the US, saying, “We consider the recent terrorist attack to be the result of the US action. This is the sign of America’s animosity against our country.”
Tehran also lodged a strong protest with Islamabad over the failure of its law enforcement agencies to dismantle the Jundullah network in its part of Balochistan, while remarking that plan was prepared in Pakistan. Some reports suggest that in confusion, even some Iranian leaders expressed apprehension on some of Pakistan’s officials in cooperation with the Jundulluh regarding that suicide attack. This is what the US, India and Israeli wanted.
While condemning the terrorist attack, the former President Asif Ali Zardari assured the then President Ahmadinejad that Government of Pakistan would provide all out assistance in arresting all those responsible for the attack, if they are found on Pakistani soil. Afterwards, Islamabad ensured a visiting Iranian delegation for an appropriate investigation in relation to the mayhem. Nevertheless, misunderstanding against Islamabad and Tehran was eliminated.
In this context, the former Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Shah Mehmood Qureshi had stated, “It is obvious that the same forces which are working in Pakistani Balochistan are also working in Iranian Sistan.” While, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei had indicated, “The bloody actions being committed in Iraq, Pakistan and Iran are aimed at creating a division between the Shias and Sunnis…those who carry out these terrorist actions are directly or indirectly foreign agents.”
It is mentionable that on February 8, 2012, the hearing of the US Congress Committee on Foreign Affairs, chaired by Dana Rohrabacher favoured an independent Balochistan. And military scholar Lt. Col. Ralph Peters, while writing in the June 2006 issue of The Armed Forces Journal of the US had suggested Washington about the creation of a “Greater Balochistan” which would integrate the Baloch areas of Pakistan with those of Iran—and the Frontier Province should be incorporated into Afghanistan.
Nevertheless, it would be a good sign that besides Pakistan, Iranian rulers and media must also understand that it is a collective plot of the US, India and Israeli to sabotage Pak-Iranian ties, and is part of their secret strategic game against the Islamic countries.
In fact, America, India and Israel have been backing the Baloch separatists of Pakistan through their secret agencies CIA, RAW and Mossad respectively as witnessed by a perennial wave of subversive acts such as destruction of gas pipelines, attacks on the government buildings and murder of political leaders. They are covertly supporting the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Baloch nationalist leaders who have been fighting for secession of the province.
As regards Jundullah, in past few years, the group has conducted multiple terrorist activities like kidnapping and killing of a number of Iranian nationals including suicide attacks in Pakistan’s side of Balochistan and that of the Iran. Its agents are also behind sectarian violence. On many occasions, BLA and Jundullah claimed responsibility for terrorist acts.
According to some reliable sources, Jundullah is a small group which does not have potential to inflict more than small attacks on security forces in Pakistan and Iran. Like BLA, this militant group is also supported by RAW and Mossad with the technical help of CIA. Now, both BLA and Jundullah have links with each other. And their militants are getting arms and ammunition from Afghanistan where US-led India and Israel have established their secret network not only to create lawlessness in Pakistan and Iran, but also to sabotage good relationship of these countries. Notably, Afghanistan shares a common border with Pakistan and Iran, so it has become easy for these foreign elements to achieve their sinister anti-Pak-Iranian aims.
It is notable that Jewish-Hindu lobbies are collectively working in America and other European countries to exploit the double standards of the west in relation to terrorism and human rights vis-a-vis Pakistan and Iran. They also accuse Tehran and Islamabad of sponsoring cross-border terrorism in the related regions of South Asia and the Middle East.
It is worth-mentioning that US-India nuclear agreement is part of American desire to make India a major power to counterbalance the rising influence of China in Asia and control Iran. In this context, on May 22, 2013, Islamabad and Tehran signed the gas pipeline project without waiting for New Delhi’s participation because the latter was tilted towards Washington, using delaying tactics in this connection.
Moreover, it is owing to the ideal geo-strategic location of Balochistan with Gwadar seaport which could prove to be Pakistan’s key junction, connecting rest of the world with Central Asia and further strengthening Pak-Iranian strategic position that America has also become a part of Indo-Israeli plot in creating instability in Pakistan and Iran so as to complete the hidden agenda.
Nonetheless, instead of leveling baseless allegations against Pakistan and ISI in relation to the recent terror-attack on the Iranian border guards, Iran’s top officials, lawmakers and political experts must better show realistic approach by taking note of the foreign conspirators which have been creating misunderstanding between Islamabad and Tehran.
Sajjad Shaukat writes on international affairs and is author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Relations
Email: [email protected]
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