Balochistan home department report: Separatist

outfits singled out as culprits behind violence

By Zahid Gishkori

Sectarian, ethnic, or otherwise, a Balochistan home department report has largely

placed the blame for incidents of violence across the province on Baloch
separatist groups, including the Balochistan Liberation Army, the Balochistan
Republican Army, the Baloch United Liberation Front, and Baloch Liberation Front
– who, the report has it, work in tandem with banned religious outfits.
A total of 1,493 innocent citizens have been killed and 3,313 injured in 1,718
incidents, mostly in target killings and sectarian attacks during the period from
2007 to February 15 2012.  According to the findings of the home department, a
nexus between separatist outfits and ‘external forces’ enables such sustained
violence.
“This nexus gave substance to the sectarian killings in the province. Balochistan
Liberation Army, Balochistan Republican Army, Baloch United Liberation Front,
Baloch Liberation Front and other criminal gangs have developed this nexus
from 2007 to 2011 … There is a strong probability that some outside forces are
actively patronising the activity,” added the report.
A breakdown of the figures show that in this time, attacks targeted 227
policemen, 250 FC personnel, 259 settlers, 256 sectarian targets and 201
categorised merely as ‘others’.
So what’s missing?
What stands out in the home department’s report is that the increasing
incidents of missing persons, many of whose bodies are found dumped around
the province, were not deemed sufficient for a separate category. The ‘kill and
dump’ operations were simply categorised by the home department under the
sectarian category and the wide-ranging target killing categories. In spite of
widespread allegations that intelligence and security agencies are behind such
killings, there is no specific mention of any culprits behind the violence except
the Baloch separatist organisations already mentioned, and the ‘external
helpers’.
According to the report the members of these banned organisations were
trained in Afghanistan. Interior Minister Rehman Malik, meanwhile, confided to
the media on Sunday that Kabul had closed down a number of camps run by
Baloch nationalist groups, where some 5,000 people were being trained.
Some categories of people who were specifically targeted were the Shia
community, Frontier Constabulary personnel and policemen. Other categories of
victims widely written about have, however, not found a mention in the report,
such as political and human rights activists, and journalists. In the list of reasons
for convictions, while kidnapping for ransom is mentioned specifically,
abductions which do not call for ransom are not.
Most-wanted list
Meanwhile, the government of Balochistan has announced Rs14.5 million as
head money for the 13 most wanted terrorists involved in target and sectarian
killings in the province. Usman Saifullah Kurd, alias Gul Muhammad, is the head
of one such gang and his head money is Rs2.5 million. The Balochistan Police
said that Usman, and another criminal Shafiq, had escaped from prison in
Quetta in 2008 and were hardened sectarian criminals.
Others that the home department has identified as terrorists trained in
Afghanistan are: Attaullah alias Bomber Khan, Zia-ul-Haq alias Abdullah, Ghulam
Farooq, Naseerabad, Dilshad Bangulzai, Muhammad Jan, Asghar Ali alias Juma,
Naseer alias Sajjad Ali, Hafeez Wazir Ahmed alias Hakeem, Abdul Rehman alias
Abid Ali, Sodanis and Khudaidad alias Karbalai.
The police have also arrested Hafiz Muhammad Usman, identified as being
involved in different sectarian cases. Accused Dawood Badeeni, Abdul Jalil
Ababkki, Shafiq Rind, Habibullah Shamim Ahmed, Haidar Khan, Mohammad Jan,
Abdul Waheed, Mohammad Qasim, Shoukat Ali and Abdul Hakeem have also
been put in jails for trial. Over 985 people have also been convicted in cases
related to crime and terrorism while 875 cases are under trial in the province.

Baloch separatists not to be backed, Pakistan assured

ISLAMABAD: As the insurgency in Balochistan gets into international limelight,
several foreign governments have assured Pakistan of steps to curb activities of
Baloch separatists on their soil.
“We have been assured that their respective territories would not be used for anti-Pakistan
activities,” Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit said on Friday while responding to a question
about enhanced activities of expatriate Baloch activists, who have been rejuvenated by the US
Congressional hearing and tabling of a resolution on Balochistan.

The spokesman said that taking notice of those activities, the foreign ministry “made demarches to
the relevant governments”.

The Embassy of Switzerland was the latest one to get such a protest note last week.s

Many Baloch leaders and activists have taken refuge in European countries from where they have
been actively promoting their cause.

Pakistan has on several occasions unsuccessfully tried to block the rebel leaders from getting
asylum in those countries.

Western governments have been generally sympathetic to Baloch separatists and some of them are
allegedly patronising them indirectly.The spokesman said Balochistan was an ‘internal matter’ which
would be dealt with in “our own constitutional political way”.
Replying to a question about Kashmir, he said normalisation of relations with India depended on
resolution of the Kashmir issue.

Covert US Support For Baloch Separatists Exposed

 

On the one hand, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has declared 2012 the ‘Year of
Balochistan’, while on the other, the US Congress Committee on Foreign Affairs has convened
unprecedented hearing on February 8 this year, and discussed situation of Balochistan.

The Committee’s hearing was attended by the supporters of Baloch separtism and American scholars
including human rights activists. It was chaired by Dana Rohrabacher who said, “Balochistan is a
turbulent land marred by human rights violations”, requiring urgent attention. Recently,
Rohrabacher has also co-authored an article with Congressman Louie Gohmert, and favoured an
independent Balochistan. 

On February 9, Pakistan’s Foreign Office Spokesman Abdul Basit said, “We have conveyed our
concern to the US Embassy in Islamabad and Washington on the issue of discussion on
Balochistan by US Senate Foreign Relations’s Committee and expressed our feelings.”

Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, Sherry Rehman has stated, “It is deeply regrettable
that the legislature of a country that calls itself a friend of Pakistan should allow itself to be
used as a platform by those advocating the dismemberment of Pakistan and provide
justification to terrorists attempting to hold Balochistan, and Pakistan, hostage.” She
elaborated that this constituted interference in Pakistan’s internal affairs—would be “detrimental to
building mutual trust”, and “will add to suspicions in Pakistan about American motives.”

Although Pakistan’s security forces have successfully been coping with the Taliban militants in the
tribal areas, yet situation has deteriorated in Balochistan where subversive events and human rights
violations like targeted killings, abductions, sectarian violence, attacks on buildings, oil pipelines etc.
have intensified. In fact, the US, India and Israel, have been supporting feudal lords (Sardars) of
Balochistan to oppose country’s federation. These external elements have also been providing arms
and ammunition to the Baloch separatist leaders.

Notably, on August 14, 2009, Financial Times (online) had reported “Settlers from other parts of
Pakistan, especially Punjab, have been given deadlines to leave.” As a matter of fact, this is
what US-led India and Israel wanted by inciting the general masses of Balochistan to openly speak
against the federation of Pakistan and the Punjabis for all the injustices, created by the Baloch feudal
lords who have been fighting for their own so-called status, prestige and influence, while working on
the American US agenda.

In the recent past, with the backing of America, the Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis (IDSA),
New Delhi had organised a seminar titled: South Asia 2020 in relation to Balochistan. In their
speeches, various scholars and thinktanks maligned Pakistan in one or the other way. Besides the
seminar, on November 5, 2009, a secret conference titled: “Pakistan is Problem in Balochistan” was
organised by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) in New Delhi. It was headed by the former
secretary of RAW and Indian former chief of army staff. In that conference, three Baloch leaders,
namely, Dr Wahid Baloch, Khan of Kalat and Munir Mengal also participated.

The speech of Dr. Wahid Baloch, General Secretary of the American Friends Balohistan (AFOB) is of
special attention. While vocally raising false allegations in line of the Indo-US conspiracy against
Pakistan, Dr. Wahid Baloch explained,“Balochistan still remains under the occupation of
Pakistan and the international community should interfere in preventing atrocities on the
Baloch people, being committed by Pak Army and ISI". Dr. Wahid also allegedly
indicated, “Several Baloch leaders, engineers and doctors were kidnapped, tortured and
killed ruthlessly through Pakistan’s state terrorism.” 

In fact, the secret conference organised by the Indian officials with the direction of America itself, and
participation of the Baloch leaders including anti-Pakistan elements prove that RAW, CIA and Mossad
are behind all the subversive acts, being committed in Balochistan.

Baloch separatist’s foreign connections could be judged from the fact that Khan of Kalat and Munir
Mengal repeated the thoughts of Dr. Wahid in the meeting held with the faculty of IDSA which assured
them that India fully backs Baloch struggle. It also pledged that all future activities of Baloch
movement like guidance and help will be coordinated by a US team under the sponsorship of IDSA.
While, Munir Mengal also gave a presentation in which he misinterpreted the economic aspects of
Gwader Port as a threat to international community, In this regard, on November 21, 2009, with the
consent of the Baloch national leader Mir Hyrbyair Marri, Laurie Deamer who is active member of the
Independence American Friends of Balochistan read out the resolution in the first international
conference at the Nation Press Club in Washington DC. The resolution also raised same allegations
regarding Pak Army and state terrorism by implicating Islamabad and Tehran, emphasising the
necessity of an independent Balochistan. While taking the breaking of Pakistan as inevitable and in the
interests of the international community, especially the Baloch people and the United States, the
conference called upon the US government and its affiliated departments to talk directly about Baloch
independence, sending American leaders in Balochistan and abroad.

Particularly, America has secretly been propagating in Balochistan that if Baloch people want to get
freedom, they will have to intensify their struggle. They must forget their differences immediately and
get united. In this context, they emphasised that well-maintained political conscious and motivated
guerrilla force can defeat the Pak Army. For this purpose, every tribal chief should provide man power
—10,000 men for the battle field. If they have 25,000 men, they can occupy every village of
Balochistan within six months. They also suggested that all tribes must collect funds for running
guerrilla warfare, while each fighter will be paid Rs. 8000/- per month.

It is noteworthy that the agents of CIA-led RAW and MoIsrael,Mossad,Eretzssad are well-penetrated in
various NGOs and human rights organisations which are being used for vile propaganda against
Pakistan’s security forces. In this respect, on July 31, 2011, a rally was organized by Baloch Human
Rights Council in UK, in front of the US Embassy in London, which raised false accusations such as
inhuman torture and extrajudicial murder of the Baloch intellectuals by the Pakistani army and ISI.
Some human rights groups and Human Rights Watch (HRW) also raised similar allegtions. 

On August 3, 2011, ISPR spokesman, Maj-Gen Athar Abbas, while rejecting human rights groups’
reports about Balochistan as a conspiracy against Pakistan, called for probing the funding of these
organisations as this could be traced back to those forces which want to destabilise Pakistan.

Actually, the instability started in Balochistan when various projects were undertaken by the previous
government to develop the backward regions. The Baloch Sardars (Feudal lords) who have been
backed by US and India, opposed all the developmental projects. These Sardars who were running
their own private jails and farrari camps, resisted the government plans as they did not want to give
up the old system of feudal lords.

It is mentionable that America which signed a nuclear deal with India in 2008, intends to make India a
mini-super power of Asia to contain China and destablise Pakistan as well as Iran. Balochistan where
China has invested billion of dollars to develop Gwadar seaport irritates both Washington and New
Delhi

It is notable that Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and an another group, Jundollah (God’s soldiers)
which have been fighting for secession of the province gets logistic support from RAW and CIA, and
are also trying to sabotage Pakistan’s relationship with China and Iran. In the past few years, their
militants kidnapped and killed many Chinese and Iranian nationals in Pakistan. Jundollah also
arranged a number of suicide attacks in Iran, while Tehran had directly named CIA for supporting
those terrorist attacks.

This is also owing to the mineral resources of Balochistan—particularly gold and copper that US-led
India and Israel have accelerated their subversive acts in Balochistan. 

Nonetheless, the year of 2012 must prove very positive for Balochistan. This is the right time for the
government that its announced policy for political, social and economic reforms should be
implemented so as to remove sense of deprivation among the Balochis. At the same time, our political
and religious leaders and media must convince the people, especially the youth that their Sardars
want to restore old system of feudalism in the province and are playing in the hands of foreign
enemies, especially the US. These are the anti-state elements which incite the Balochis against the
federation and the security forces in order to separate the province so as to fulfill the American secret
strategic designs against Pakistan, China and Iran. 

No doubt, hearing on Balochistan by the US Congress Committee on Foreign Affairs has clearly
exposed the US support to the Baloch separatists. 

Sajjad Shaukat writes on international affairs and is author of the book: US vs Islamic
Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Relationopposing
proposed China’s naval base at Gwader.