At the sacred altar of Chinese
interests in Balochistan Pakistan military slaughtered more than nine prominent
Baloch political workers under detention and dumped their tortured bodies on
different location cross Balochistan during Chinese premier, Wen Jiabao’s three
days visit to Islamabad after India on December 17, 2010. And surprisingly the
state controlled private media was vigorously giving coverage to these massacres
right after every bet of news of Chinese premier activities in Islamabad. The
motive behind it was to show the Chinese that Pakistan is doing everything to
protect the Chinese interests in Balochistan even if it has to flow the river of
blood in Balochistan. Mehboob Wadhela and Master Arif were among the prominent
bulwarks that stood against the Chinese imperialistic interests in Gwadar
embraced the martyrdom.
The very image of Pakistan, in Balochistan and outer world, is that of a
mysterious serial killer that abducts, kills and dumps the bests of Baloch
youths. Pakistani state relationship with Baloch People is painted with red
blood. So far more than 360 activists have been killed under custody of Pak
Army. And thousands of political workers are missing. Their fates are not known
what have happened to them. All have been registered in the trusted books of
world human rights organizations.
Balochistan was an independent Baloch sovereign state. Pakistan invaded it on
March 27th, 1948 at the behest of the then British Raj and forcefully annexed it
against the will of Baloch People. Being left alone at the mercy of
Fundamentalist Pakistani military, world community never paid any attention to
the atrocities Pakistan inflicted upon Baloch nation ever since. However, being
a diehard nation it never disheartened them from seeking their lost
independence.
But what Pakistan doesn’t understand is that Baloch is a diehard secular natured
nation. Even if it has deprived them of education for centuries, but politically
Baloch are more matured and conscious than any nation in the neighborhood. This
has unified them in the resistance movement. Despite spending rupees in billions
in establishing Madrassas (religious schools) in Balochistan Pakistan failed to
radicalize Baloch into a religious extremist society necessary to subscribe to
Pakistani national ideology of two nations theory. Ideologically Baloch People
believe that Pakistan is a fundamentalist state biased towards other religions
and cultures. It always suppresses religious minorities and never tolerates
cultural diversity, Therefore Baloch nation has become its cultural victim.
How far Balochistan has moved away from Pakistani state clutch is evident from
the fact that if one read the articles written by Pakistani writers in the last
three weeks regarding Balochistan crisis, one won’t fail to detect their fear
and comprehension about how volatile the situation is in Balochistan.
Baloch are more interested in seeing how much Pakistan is suffering from gas
energy crisis and isolated from international community than the political and
judicial quarrels in Islamabad. The constant attacks on Gas pipelines have
generated ripple effects on Pakistan economy. One cannot simply ignore the
social unrest in Punjab cities without linking it Baloch national insurgency.
Being highly organized, the armed organizations of Baloch Sarmachars, the
freedom fighters, namely Baloch Liberation Army, Baloch liberation front, Baloch
Republican Army, have utterly paralyzed Pakistani ground troop’s movement in
Balochistan in isolated camps and check posts. They are overstretched in the
vicious terrain of Balochistan. Being a foreign force, it is totally alienated
from general society of Balochistan. Their fighting morale is depleted by being
constantly high alert against guerilla attacks. They are extremely vulnerable
and exposed to guerrilla attacks because their enforcement capacity is hampered
by long distances. Pakistani ground troops would capitulate to Baloch Sarmachars,
the Freedom Fighters, within weeks if not within days if aerial support from
international community was rendered to them like they did in Libya against
tyrant Gaddafi forces. In An interview with BBC, the field commander of Baloch
liberation Front, Dr Alla Nizer said they call for international support and
added that their forces could be merged into a single entity whenever the
circumstances allowed them.
Now that Baloch national struggle for freedom has reached to new heights. In
International media our voice is being heard. We have a just cause to pursue;
that is the freedom of Balochistan from the unjust occupation by Pakistan. In
the foreseeable future, we can see that the conflict between Baloch and Pakistan
is going to intensify.
So far Baloch Sarmachars have confined their operation and actions within
Balochistan geography targeting Pakistani armed forces, the state’s institutions
and installations of railways and gas pipelines and every sign that shows the
existence of Pakistan on Baloch soil and the ISI agents spying for Pak Army,
whether they are settlers or locals.
If the situation was allowed to linger on like this and no intervention took
place from world powers on the legitimate appeal of Baloch leaders, the human
catastrophe will be highly extensive. And two things are likely to happen:
first, being on edge, Baloch armed guerrilla leaders did not rule out the
possibility of stepping out of Baluchistan’s geographic boundaries to carry out
lethal actions against Punjab’s major cities such as Lahore and Rawalpindi. Even
suicidal attacks could be an option, as BLA recently carried out it against
Pakistani intelligence officers.
The second, Pakistan all along has been putting the blame on India that Baloch
insurgency is being abetted by India. Now given the near future events,
Pakistan’s frustration will grow to a limit where it, out of sheer frustrations,
starts harming Indian interests in different Place and time.
It is a mystery why Baloch freedom movement is not being supported or opposed by
world powers, despite the fact that Pakistan is committing vicious crimes
against humanity in Balochistan, enough to prosecute it in Hague. So much so
that it has wiped out an entire generation of Baloch leadership.
The nagging question is how much American has compromised on Balochistan issue
with Pakistan during heyday of their good relationship on terrorism?
In Baloch political society and media it’s widely believed that the world powers
would themselves intervene and come to Baloch aid at their own convenience,
arguing that world powers are still disentangling themselves from Pakistani
blackmails.
Pakistani military and political establishment is more interested in courtship
of a super power. During cold war Pakistan sought American courtship and
exploited geostrategic situation of the region and suppressed Baloch and Pushton
dissent voices. Our fear is that the same is going to be repeated here again,
albeit with new Partners. With new geostrategic partnership Pakistan has started
to seek defense pact with China and Iran. At the core of this new triangle
strategic alignment lays the fear of Baloch freedom movement which has, all
along, been calling for help from international community. Under Chinese
strategic objectives Gwadar Deep Sea port is being prepared to establish bases
for Chinese Naval ships.
Under the disguise of Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, Chinese
exploitation of Baloch resources sees no limits in Balochistan, from Gwadar
coast to gold and copper rich Chaghi region, from oil and gas rich areas of Dera
Bugti and kohlu to the beautiful mountains of Jahlawan for marble extraction.
Pakistan has allowed China open access to exploitation of Baloch resources.
According to a prominent Baloch research scholar, Sana Baloch “The resources
here are being extracted by a Chinese company, without any independent
monitoring for the past seven years. According to official reports copper-gold
worth $633.573m were produced during 2004-08. The Balochistan government
receives a paltry two per cent share, while half the profits go to Beijing and
48 per cent to Islamabad. The fortified Saindak project is a no-go area for the
Baloch people”.
Last word: Baloch deserve the right to know why the managers of world affairs
are apathetic about Baloch crisis. Is it a tacit consent to Chinese exploitation
of Baloch natural resources and an affirmative nod to Pakistani atrocities
against the secular Baloch people?