| by Faiz Mohammad
( January 02, Balochistan, Sri Lanka Guardian) The Baloch are facing the state oppression since the forceful annexation of Balochistan, back on 27th March 1948 against the will of its inhabitants. They have been deliberately kept deprived from education, health and other basic necessities, so that they could never be able to compete with rest of Pakistan. On the other hand the state is plundering the natural resources of Balochistan, such as gas, coal, copper, gold etc., while the sons of soils live under poverty line.
The Baloch national movement is not a new factor. The Baloch nation had fought the Turks, Portuguese, Mongols and British, before the birth of Pakistan. There is always a possibility to change the future but it is impossible to change the written pages of history. Prior to the British departure from the region, Balochistan was declared as an Independent country on 11th august 1947. But soon after that Pakistan invaded Balochistan and snatched the liberty of people. Today Pakistani rulers are trying hard to hide their injustices and crimes committed in Balochistan, and for saving their faces, labeling the genuine struggle as foreign funded, but they have never been able to produce any evidence of foreign involvement.
We still remember Pakistani apologies to Nawab Babu Nauroz Khan his betrayal in the name of holy Quran.
In 1973, the drama of Arms discovery in the Iraqi Embassy was situated in Islamabad. Soon after that Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s government ordered to start military operation in Balochistan with the co-operation of Shah-e-Iran, Raza Shah Pahlavi, to crush the Baloch uprising in 1973-77. The Shah of Iran provided Pakistan with cobra helicopters, Iranian pilots and $700 million dollar in cash. In this deadly operation thousands of Baloch were killed.
Every ruler after coming in power had apologized to the Baloch people for the wrong doing of the government that were in power before them, in order fool the world by offering so called developmental projects. However, their intentions have never been good.
The Dictator Pervez Musharaf’s era was not so different than the previous ones. He too apologized but later came up with a much brutal policy. Musharaf started the military operation in Marri-Bugti areas of Balochistan. On 17th March 2005, Pakistan's military forces started shelling the town of Dera Bugti, more than 60 Civilians were killed in this indiscriminate bombardment, among them 33 were Hindus worshipers including 19 were children.
On 17 December 2005, paramilitary forces began aerial bombardment at Kohlu town of Balochistan. By mid-June 2006, about 400 to 500 innocent Baloch people were killed in the army operations and air raids in Balochistan. Around 85 percent of Dera Bugti’s population was forced to leave the town. In this ruthless military offense about 350,000 to 400,000 people were displaced, and till today they have not been rehabilitated.
The Baloch nation has not forgotten how Pakistani military martyred their beloved leader Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti along with his companions. Nawab Bugti had refused to bow down in front of the dictator till his last breath and acted upon his own famous quote, “Instead of a slow death in bed, I would rather prefer death come to me while I am fighting for a purpose.’’ Obviously the purpose of Akbar Khan was nothing other than a sovereign Balochistan.
The nation also have not forgotten martyr Balach Marri who spread the liberation struggle from Kohlu to Gwadar in a short period of time, and introduced new dimensions in Baloch struggle. He is now remembered as an icon of modern resistance movement. Many remember him as the Che Guevara of Balochistan.
The military disappeared thousands of people from Balochistan. The former federal Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao also accepted that his government was detaining at least 4000 Baloch.
The current PPP led government soon after apologizing, announced a hollow package of ‘’Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan’ ’and implemented the package in a short time by starting the new wave of disappearances and introduced the new fashion of kill and dump policy throughout Balochistan. The Frontier Corps and secret agencies from different parts of Balochistan abducted Hundreds of more Baloch youth. Since the Pakistani interior minister Rehman Malik has adopted the “Danda Policy” for Balochistan.
After his announcement of use of force, in other words giving the license to kill to the FC, MI and their civilian death squads, they started killing Baloch abducted activists under-custody. Tortured bullet riddled bodies of missing persons have started appearing on daily basis from desolated areas across Balochistan. This new trend of killed and dump started since July 2010 and continues till this day. Over 350 decomposed bodies of Baloch youth have been found so far. The Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Asian Human Rights Commission and Human Rights Commission of Pakistan have extensively reported on the gross human right violations in Balochistan. The reputable human rights Organisations have blamed Pakistani security forces for abducting and killing innocent Baloch activists.
The PMLN leader Nawaz Shareef’s recent meeting with Balochistan National Party’s leader Sardar Atta Ullah Mengal should not be as a sincere effort because it was to vanguard the interest of the Punjab. Since Pakistan is quickly losing its grip over Balochistan they once again trying make fools out of Baloch leadership. The Punjab who always claims to be the ‘’Big Brother’’ cannot sustain itself without the natural resources of Balochistan. If Nawaz was really worried about the Baloch sufferings, then he would have stood long ago against the military and asked to end the genocidal policy in Balochistan like he stood for reinstating the judges. Instead of point scoring and making photo shots for headlines Nawaz Shareef should first visit the area where he conducted the nuclear test on 28th May 1998. After exploding the dirty bomb on the soil of Balochistan he never looked back or thought for a second about the aftermaths of his disastrous and inhuman act. The numbers of birth disabilities have been reported, while mysterious skin diseases are spreading at large scale in the entire region after the nuclear tests.
Balochistan is not different than a musical chair game for the Pakistani politicians. Everyone wants a chance like the toddlers in kindergarten. Now a new emerging party which claims to bring a change in Pakistan that consist some old faces who once were the crime partner of Musharaf’s government in Balochistan. PTI leader Imran Khan has also apologized to the people of Balochistan in a public meeting on 25th December in Karachi. With knowing the difference between Baloch & Balochi Imran Khan said ‘’I apologies to my Balochi brothers,’’ he further said, “We have treated Balochistan like a colony.’’ This is a historical fact that Balochistan was a free country, but it was forcefully annexed by Pakistan, and now it is treating the Baloch the way a colonizers treat the colonized people.
Imran Khan’s PTI had protested number of times for Aafia Siddiqui, but Imran khan never uttered a single word for 150 Baloch women, including Zarina Marri and Haneefa Bugti, illegally kept in Pakistan’s military cells. Imran Khan’s PTI was on forefront against the drone strikes in tribal areas but remained silent on Pakistan military bombardment in Kohlu, Naseerabad, Mashkay and Mand towns of Balochistan. How many times PTI bothered to announce a rally for recovery of 1000’s of Baloch missing persons or ever protested on recovery of 100’s of bullet riddled bodies of Baloch youths? Even on his “massive” public meeting Imran Khan did not dare to utter a single word against ISI and Army for their offensives in Balochistan.
This hollow apology game is nothing other than a tool to engage the minds of Baloch to counter the freedom struggle. Now the Baloch nation is not in a position to accept the apologies of anyone, to betray the great martyrs, who did not sacrifice their lives asking for an apology from the rulers. They sacrificed their precious lives for an independent Balochistan. A straight and bitter message for all those who think that Baloch are hopeless: “Hopelessness is a sin but hoping from Pakistan is the greatest sin’’.
The writer is a member of BSO-Azad. He tweets at http://twitter.com/FaizBaluch
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