faisal6309
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A warning on Balochistan
Monday, October 21, 2013 - We are fast running out of time on Balochistan. The powers that be need to stop regurgitating useless rhetoric and take effective action to ameliorate the situation in the province. The insurgents are only a miniscule minority and are the mercenaries of foreign powers. But the fact remains that gross injustices have been inflicted on the people of Balochistan and all their political and economic grievances need to be assuaged speedily.
Let us admit and understand that all our major existential problems are of our own making. Blaming foreign powers would not do; they only exploit the weakness presented to them. We need to discriminate between the previous and present insurgencies in Balochistan. The previous insurgencies were mainly based on the genuine grievances of the people of Balochistan; with culpability resting both with the ruling government and the tribal sardars where a limited support was accorded by the neighboring or regional powers. Those grievances have yet to be addressed seriously by the ruling dispensation, which have just been spewing vaporous rhetoric.
But the insurgency at present is qualitatively different. It has now been established that it is being planned, funded and supported by the US and its junior partners UK, India and Israel. The US think-tanks, Senate members and former officials have on record owned it. The death of Bugti, which is being hyped to high heavens; was the wages of ambition to be anointed as the president of the Greater Balochistan; a geographical entity to be constructed by lumping together the Pakistani province of Balochistan, Iranian province and Baloch dominated parts of Herat, Afghanistan. The idea was further supported by a resolution passed by the US Congress last year to divide Pakistan and carve out an independent Balochistan. Its corollary may well be a humanitarian intervention a la Libya.
The US efforts to destabilize Iranian Balochistan started simultaneously with the 9/11 drama. An Iran-specific terrorist organization, Jundallah was raised for the purpose. Recruitment is being done by the Israeli Mossad and training imparted by the CIA, according to a report published recently. The aim of Greater Balochistan (GB) is to fulfill the high-stake geopolitical agenda of the US, including the objectives: (a) Separate Balochistan from Pakistan (46% of its territory, colossal mineral wealth and the strategic port of Gwadar); (b) Balkanize Pakistan, so as to force it to give up its nuclear arsenal; (c) Establish Indian hegemony over Pakistan; (d) Leftover US forces in Afghanistan (post-2014) to control GB to exercise control over multiple regions; (e) US controlled GB to link up oil & gas pipelines from Central Asia with Gwadar and the Indian Ocean; (f) Delink Pakistan and Iran, and preclude oil & gas pipelines from Iran to South Asia; (g) GB will be a preeminent US-Israeli base for a potential war with Iran; (h) Block Pak-Russia collaboration by blocking Gazprom; (i) GB would be a prelude in creating a Greater Kurdistan; (j) Establish and reinforce US hegemony over the Gulf; (k) Block the Chinese access to the Gulf energy resources and use of Gwadar as a naval base by the latter; and (l) Use Gwadar to interfere in the Saudi Arabian peninsula.
Another aspect worth noting is the disappeared persons. The fact needs to understand that there is a foreign supported insurgency under way in Balochistan and in such violent, combat military situations the battle-lines are not well-defined; rather pretty amorphous. And insurgents do not wear uniforms; so it is specious to impute that mere innocent civilians are lifted and disappeared by the law enforcement agencies. Remember, the 1973-77-insurgency was a result of democrat Bhuttos arbitrary sacking of NAP in Balochistan; and also that it was ended by the military dictatorship of Ziaul Haq.
In the 1973-insurgency the army was used and the insurgency was quelled and peace established in troubled areas. However Zia reinstated the Sardars later and it is these Sardars and their sons or grandsons who are again in the revolt. Another group that of Dr Allah Nazar, which is south based has nothing to do with the Sardars, is also active this time. The water has been further muddied by groups like Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, which is purely a sectarian group and kills Shias. The killing of Hazaras is reportedly done by this group.
As General Kayani rightly claims the army is in the cantonments and is not being used despite demands by the people. It is mainly the FC which is bearing the brunt and laying down lives despite continuous pressure by the Chief Justice of Pakistan for producing missing persons. It may be noted that a lot of missing persons have been reported to be fighting with insurgents and some were brought back from Karachi and other places where they had gone in search of work. Despite this pressure the FC so far fights on. In words of a former military general who happened to be in the federal cabinet, the situation needs careful watch and analysis for if the insurgency goes on gaining strength but the army is not called in, it may become too late. The solution must be quickly found but if all efforts fail, the army must be moved in before our enemies succeed in their design.
Shahid Ali Khan Baloch, a concerned Qalandarani tribe citizen, stressed the need to read the writing on the wall that requires us to open our minds and eyes to see the changing political circumstances in Balochistan and acknowledge and appreciate the role of new stakeholders in the Balochistan issue. Our national security and ground realities demand to re-think re-visit and re-formulate our understanding of the Balochistan conflict by keeping in mind these new dynamics for a sustainable conflict-resolution. It is need of the hour to give due respect and consideration to all forces in Balochistan to strike a pragmatic balance among different stakeholders. Just holding talks with foreign-funded elements and pushing in isolation the patriotic factions in Balochistan on one hand will not serve the purpose and on the other hand will turn the things from bad to worse. It would simply mean that we have given our national fate, destiny and pride in hands of those who, in collusion with their foreign masters want to destabilize Pakistan. If such mindset persists and continues to flourish, there will be a time when no one from Balochistan will dare to take name of Pakistan, let alone standing against its enemies.
The writer is freelance columnist.
A warning on Balochistan
Monday, October 21, 2013 - We are fast running out of time on Balochistan. The powers that be need to stop regurgitating useless rhetoric and take effective action to ameliorate the situation in the province. The insurgents are only a miniscule minority and are the mercenaries of foreign powers. But the fact remains that gross injustices have been inflicted on the people of Balochistan and all their political and economic grievances need to be assuaged speedily.
Let us admit and understand that all our major existential problems are of our own making. Blaming foreign powers would not do; they only exploit the weakness presented to them. We need to discriminate between the previous and present insurgencies in Balochistan. The previous insurgencies were mainly based on the genuine grievances of the people of Balochistan; with culpability resting both with the ruling government and the tribal sardars where a limited support was accorded by the neighboring or regional powers. Those grievances have yet to be addressed seriously by the ruling dispensation, which have just been spewing vaporous rhetoric.
But the insurgency at present is qualitatively different. It has now been established that it is being planned, funded and supported by the US and its junior partners UK, India and Israel. The US think-tanks, Senate members and former officials have on record owned it. The death of Bugti, which is being hyped to high heavens; was the wages of ambition to be anointed as the president of the Greater Balochistan; a geographical entity to be constructed by lumping together the Pakistani province of Balochistan, Iranian province and Baloch dominated parts of Herat, Afghanistan. The idea was further supported by a resolution passed by the US Congress last year to divide Pakistan and carve out an independent Balochistan. Its corollary may well be a humanitarian intervention a la Libya.
The US efforts to destabilize Iranian Balochistan started simultaneously with the 9/11 drama. An Iran-specific terrorist organization, Jundallah was raised for the purpose. Recruitment is being done by the Israeli Mossad and training imparted by the CIA, according to a report published recently. The aim of Greater Balochistan (GB) is to fulfill the high-stake geopolitical agenda of the US, including the objectives: (a) Separate Balochistan from Pakistan (46% of its territory, colossal mineral wealth and the strategic port of Gwadar); (b) Balkanize Pakistan, so as to force it to give up its nuclear arsenal; (c) Establish Indian hegemony over Pakistan; (d) Leftover US forces in Afghanistan (post-2014) to control GB to exercise control over multiple regions; (e) US controlled GB to link up oil & gas pipelines from Central Asia with Gwadar and the Indian Ocean; (f) Delink Pakistan and Iran, and preclude oil & gas pipelines from Iran to South Asia; (g) GB will be a preeminent US-Israeli base for a potential war with Iran; (h) Block Pak-Russia collaboration by blocking Gazprom; (i) GB would be a prelude in creating a Greater Kurdistan; (j) Establish and reinforce US hegemony over the Gulf; (k) Block the Chinese access to the Gulf energy resources and use of Gwadar as a naval base by the latter; and (l) Use Gwadar to interfere in the Saudi Arabian peninsula.
Another aspect worth noting is the disappeared persons. The fact needs to understand that there is a foreign supported insurgency under way in Balochistan and in such violent, combat military situations the battle-lines are not well-defined; rather pretty amorphous. And insurgents do not wear uniforms; so it is specious to impute that mere innocent civilians are lifted and disappeared by the law enforcement agencies. Remember, the 1973-77-insurgency was a result of democrat Bhuttos arbitrary sacking of NAP in Balochistan; and also that it was ended by the military dictatorship of Ziaul Haq.
In the 1973-insurgency the army was used and the insurgency was quelled and peace established in troubled areas. However Zia reinstated the Sardars later and it is these Sardars and their sons or grandsons who are again in the revolt. Another group that of Dr Allah Nazar, which is south based has nothing to do with the Sardars, is also active this time. The water has been further muddied by groups like Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, which is purely a sectarian group and kills Shias. The killing of Hazaras is reportedly done by this group.
As General Kayani rightly claims the army is in the cantonments and is not being used despite demands by the people. It is mainly the FC which is bearing the brunt and laying down lives despite continuous pressure by the Chief Justice of Pakistan for producing missing persons. It may be noted that a lot of missing persons have been reported to be fighting with insurgents and some were brought back from Karachi and other places where they had gone in search of work. Despite this pressure the FC so far fights on. In words of a former military general who happened to be in the federal cabinet, the situation needs careful watch and analysis for if the insurgency goes on gaining strength but the army is not called in, it may become too late. The solution must be quickly found but if all efforts fail, the army must be moved in before our enemies succeed in their design.
Shahid Ali Khan Baloch, a concerned Qalandarani tribe citizen, stressed the need to read the writing on the wall that requires us to open our minds and eyes to see the changing political circumstances in Balochistan and acknowledge and appreciate the role of new stakeholders in the Balochistan issue. Our national security and ground realities demand to re-think re-visit and re-formulate our understanding of the Balochistan conflict by keeping in mind these new dynamics for a sustainable conflict-resolution. It is need of the hour to give due respect and consideration to all forces in Balochistan to strike a pragmatic balance among different stakeholders. Just holding talks with foreign-funded elements and pushing in isolation the patriotic factions in Balochistan on one hand will not serve the purpose and on the other hand will turn the things from bad to worse. It would simply mean that we have given our national fate, destiny and pride in hands of those who, in collusion with their foreign masters want to destabilize Pakistan. If such mindset persists and continues to flourish, there will be a time when no one from Balochistan will dare to take name of Pakistan, let alone standing against its enemies.
The writer is freelance columnist.
A warning on Balochistan
