Freedom.
Baloch Struggle Till Freedom
We have to remind ourselves of this at every moment: that we are in a war, a guerrilla war as they call it; a war where there is no front line, no continuous bombardment, but where the two adversaries this tiny champion of the mountains and the immense imperialist hyena - are face to face and aware that one of them is going to end up dead in the fight.The people of Balochistan are well aware of the fact that our fight is a difficult one but our victory will be a tangible demonstration before all that people are capable of rising up, that they can rise up by themselves right under the very fangs of the monster for their freedom and rights. The torture and murder of innocent baloch people is a prime example of what the establishment is capable of when the struggle against it is carried on in a firm and sustained way. Punjabi Imperialist powers must be struck on the snout once, and again, and then again, in an infinite succession of blows and counter-blows. That is the only way the baloch people can win their real independence. Never a step backward, never a moment of weakness! And every time circumstances might tempt us to think that the situation might be better if we were not fighting against the empire, let each one of us think of the long chain of tortures and deaths through which our brother and sisters have had to pass. Let all of us think of the murder of women and children, the torture of the innocent, electrocutions, bombardment of villages, dumping the innocent alive through helicopters.
We must remember this and insist again and again upon this fact: The victory of the Baloch people will never come solely through outside aid, however adequate and generous, however great and strong the solidarity of all the peoples of the world with us may be. Baloch's victory lies not in Russian rockets, nor in the Americans gun power. Baloch's victory lies in the unity, the dedication to fight, and the spirit of sacrifice of its people.
Expert Analyst on Balochistan
It has been a while since I last wrote my thoughts on the situation in Balochistan due to extensive travelling. But more on the adventures of travelling will come in my later posts. For the last few weeks I have been watching and reading political analysts presenting their theories on the insurgency in Balochistan. I was not shocked to see some of these “Political Experts on Balochistan” (who have never even lived in Balochistan and by living in Balochistan I mean more than just staying in the three star Serena hotel and meeting up with few famous establishment backed Feudal Lords) presenting their outrageous theories on the situation in Balochistan without even taking in to consideration the ground realities of the insurgency or more precisely the main reasons for the uprising.One of the famous notions adopted by analysts in Islamabad is that “the insurgency is sponsored by Sardars and Nawabs and they are fighting for the survival of the Sardare System which is not supported by the masses of Balochistan hence the mass scale deployment of Army is justified”
It’s not appalling to hear or read such statements as it has become norms of the media propaganda machine. Islamabad has coined the fight for freedom and equal rights in Balochistan as insurgency which needs to be crushed at all costs. They have also hired these expert analysts whose jobs are to hide the real truth and keep the people of Pakistan in dark just like they did in Bangladesh. The insurgency is not being sponsored by any Nawabs or Sardars for the survival of the Sardare system neither are the ordinary young Baloch men who are heading the revolution and giving their lives for the motherland fools enough to fight for any Nawab or Sardars. The so called insurgents include lawyers’, engineers, doctors, teachers, lecturers who see no future for Balochistan and its people other than more exploitation, getting raped of its resources and living a life in poverty and slavery of Islamabad.
LABELS: BALOCHISTAN, EXPERTS ON BALOCHISTAN
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2009
Balochistan's Tortured Past & Present
According to the doctrine of protecting Punjab’s national interest Baloch innocent or guilty may be subjected to all forms of abuse, the most extreme mistreatment, sensory deprivation, painful shackling, severe beatings, electric shocks, induced hypothermia, exposure to bright lights and eardrum-shattering sounds 24 hours a day, denial of medical care, proper food or enough of it, excruciating force-feeding to hunger-strikers, induced psychological trauma, forced sodomy, threats and bites by snakes, being blindfolded and hung from the ceiling by their wrists, and subjected to repeated humiliations, indignities and barbarism for months, even year.This is the tale of Pakistan’s long tradition of inflicting abusive barbaric treatment of Baloch which yesterday claimed another life among the thousand it had taken previously. Comrade Rasool Baksh Mengal was abducted from Uthal on 23rd August 2009 and was subjected to all forms of physical abuse. On 31-August 2009 his tortured dead body pierced with bullets was found hanging by a tree near Qalandari Hotel Lasbela sending a clear message of provocation to Baloch everywhere in the Province. It is another prime example of state terrorism in Balochistan which has taken another innocent life.
It is not surprising that nothing has been highlighted about this act of state terrorism in the Media. No one has taken notice of this killing and many similar atrocities in the past. The best the puppet regime headed by Punjabi Baloch Nawabs will do is to form another committee to start the head count. Committee after committee is formed but no practical results are achieved from it. Nothing is highlighted who is abducting, torturing and killing innocent people of this Province. Under the umbrella of national interest or fight against terrorists the state is committing heinous crimes against the Baloch people. This is not the sad part since they are the enemies of our resources and freedom but the sad part is how our Baloch Nawabs and Sardars are collaborating with the enemy in return for few dimes.
Realizing the importance of IT in Balochistan
The importance of Information Communication technologies as a catalyst for socio-economic development is very well recognized worldwide. Many countries who are the leaders in ICTs like Denmark, Sweden, and Singapore etc. all have implemented conscious policies and plans for the development of ICT as an enabler for socio-economic development. Recently the Provincial Minister for Information Technology in a certificate distribution event realized the importance of IT for the development. “She was of the view that Balochistan is far behind in the IT revolution but hope that a time will come when we will be closing the digital divide gap between the regions”.It is evident from her statement that she realizes the importance of IT for development but she fails to recognize that IT is not a magic bullet which will nurture itself. For IT revolution to happen we need conscious policies, strategies and goals. Unfortunately, the Minister along with her team of technocrats looks miserably incompetent, without a vision or aspiration to focus on the core issues to realize the dream of IT revolution in Balochistan. They are living in the hope that aliens will come from the sky to foster the environment for IT revolution.
It is the misery of people in Balochistan that our leaders have no vision for the development of the Province. All the energy seems to be concentrated on making money through bribes, organizing trips abroad for shopping and enjoying the lavish benefit which comes with these powerful positions. It is imperative that they should realize the importance of using IT for development and create a fostering environment to socio-economically empower the People of Balochistan
THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2009
Death of a Newspaper!
The crackdown on freedom of expression, Radio Stations, Websites, Blogs, and social networking sites in Balochistan is not a new anecdote. This has been ongoing since the operation started in 2004. Yesterday the onslaught on free expression took another turn when a popular newspaper of the region was forced to shutdown. Daily Asaap has been in the line of fire for quite some time which started with banning of official advertisements, published books and assassination attempt on the Chief Editor of the newspaper to name a few. But it will not stop their! According to Habatan Dashti, the acting editor-in-chief of the newspaper “the agencies personnel had made it impossible for them to work. They [the spies] used to stand inside and outside the gates of the newspaper office. Every visitor, including the staff members, were investigated, humiliated and often barred from entering the newspaper office, he said, the deployment of forces outside the newspaper office was complete intrusion of our professional responsibilities. They always wanted to provoke us so that our staff members shouted at them and provided the FC a chance to take action against our staff members.” In the wake of impossible working circumstances, Asaap has formally decided to shut down its publication.Speaking against the atrocities committed by the Government is not a crime. A Government like in Pakistan that claims to be promoting democracy and freedom of expression should not be forcing newspaper to shutdown using such despotic tactics. It is a shame to see that nothing has been reported in the media or in our popular news channels where TV anchors are singing the tweets of freedom of expression and open media in Pakistan. Such actions question the credibility of our media.
Freedom of expression is a precious right, fought for in Europe over many centuries, and still denied to billions of humans as we have just witnessed in Pakistan, Iran, China, African and Arab nations, Burma, and so on. History has shown us that whenever states have tried to curtail freedom of expression, people have found anonymous ways of venting the hate against the oppressors. Similarly, by forcing to close down Asaap newspaper the oppressor might have curtailed the freedom of expression but it will breed more hatred for the oppressor and people will find different ways for expressing their opinions.
Leadership or Salesmanship
While Baloch nation continue to fight for their right from their occupiers and oppressors, I am fascinated by the political strategy adopted by our honorable and beloved Baloch leadership. Look around and you will find that most of the Baloch leaders are enjoying the lavish benefits of fully participating in Islamabad’s puppet regime working as Chief Minister, Governorship, Ministers, Senators and receiving tons of salaries to compromise Baloch nation’s rights and to destroy the future of the upcoming generation. They are the salesman who are representing the Baloch nations cause on one hand and on the other hand are secretly selling Baloch interest. All their energy is concentrated on making money rather than giving this nation a forward looking vision for development.The question arises do we need these salesman as our leaders?
MONDAY, AUGUST 10, 2009
Freedom of Expression in Balochistan: Burning the National Flag
As Independence Day approaches the Government has made its intentions clear that anyone dishonoring the National flag or wall chalking against the Government will be facing serious long term consequences. More than 5000 Policemen along with 3000 Frontier Constabulary has been deployed in the city and given a free hand to make sure that such events don’t take place. But sanely enough this cannot be the solution to the dilemma. I know the Government and Inspector General Frontier Constabulary is all upset about the recent attacks on his men. But responding by removing freedom of expression is a very drastic and wrong direction of the efforts.Freedom of expression and burning on the national flag has been a long debated controversy. The umbrella used to justify the curbing of freedom of expression is “national security” it is argued that flag burning demonstrates jeopardizing national security or public safety and should be prohibited. While activist belonging to the school of thought for freedom of expression believe there is no overt, direct harm done to national security or public safety by flag burning; it is purely a symbolic act. In a historical ruling the US Supreme Court passed a verdict on the issue of freedom of expression and burning of the national flag.
The decision of the Supreme Court of the United States in Texas v Johnson concerns expressive conduct, namely flag burning. The US Supreme Court, by a majority of 5 to 4, declared unconstitutional a state law that criminalized the burning of the American flag. Johnson had burnt the flag in an act of protest at the Republican National Convention. The First Amendment to the US Constitution enshrines the right to freedom of expression. The State argued that the flag should be preserved as a symbol of nationhood and national unity. The majority held that the First Amendment established a “bedrock principle”: namely that the government could not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society found the idea offensive or disagreeable. No official could force citizens to confess by word or action their faith in a particular belief. Prohibiting flag burning would “dilute the freedom that this cherished emblem represents”. The court held:
It is the nation's resilience, not its rigidity that Texas sees reflected in the flag -- and it is that resilience which we reassert today.
Similarly the Government should show resiliency not its rigidity in matters of Freedom of Expression in Balochistan. The government of the day is commonly associated with the flag. By banning desecration of the flag the government suppresses an expression and an opinion that is hostile to its interests. We should be strong enough as a country to accept criticism and allow some people to offend us now and then. The other alternative is to crack down on it and start putting people in jail who show disagreement with the actions taken by the Government. But that would lead to tyranny a horrible prospect.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 9, 2009
Perspective: Loom of Doom
While in primary school our English teacher taught us a famous lesson “A friend of my enemy is my enemy too “that has proved very useful in handling of life affairs for me at least. I have been pondering over these thought for quite a few days and wanted to share my thoughts from the perspective of situation in Balochistan.A friend of my enemy is my enemy too because a friend of my enemy is likely to plot against me and so cannot be my friend. The enemy and his friend must have some commonness that makes them friends. One should always be suspicious of people who are friends of those who despise you and never risk having them as friends. The core beliefs of the people with whom we interact can help us climb to greater heights or put us in a box that is hidden underground. Sadly, in Balochistan’s history the latter has been true.
History of Balochistan shows very clearly to those who want to see that most of the time it’s the Baloch who has helped the enemy to put his fellow Baloch in the box and yet for over 60 years no one has done anything about it simply because the one who colluded with the enemy to betray the fellow Baloch’s was a Baloch himself. It’s miserable to see that the Baloch revolutionists are still living in fools paradise by hoping that one day the traitor Baloch, who for decades have colluded with the enemy to annihilate fellow Baloch’s will join the revolutionist block. They have been living in this hope for 60 years now and looks like will have to wait for quite a number of years before something changes for the better. There is a famous Latin proverb which fits so well on the simplicity of Baloch’s “too much care for the traitor does more harm than good” since the start till now the revolutionist have been taking care of their traitor Baloch’s which has done them more harm than any good. I hope the day comes when they realize their biggest mistake that Treachery should never be forgiven even if the traitor is fellow Baloch.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 2009
Why Baloch View the Army as Punjabi Mercenaries
The Military is the most politically influential institution in the country. The intelligentsia views it as the largest and strongest of all the political parties. According to the 1973 constitution which clearly defines military role as “securing the frontiers to external threats, assisting in national emergencies or national disaster on the request of civilian authorities” the military beside fighting wars and insuring national security performs multiple roles within the country. These include building roads, catching electricity thieves, heading IT institutions, running commercial ventures, weeding out corruption to running of the state.The military in Pakistan compromises of 650,000 personnel. The army being the largest with 550,000 personnel and politically the most potent as well. This is followed by Pakistan Air Force 45,000 personnel and Pakistan Navy with 25,000 Personnel.
The bulk of the military personnel come from the Province of Punjab approx 75% followed by NWFP 20% (i.e. three to four districts) Baluchistan and Sindh comprising of only 5%. The number of ethnic Baloch is not more than a couple of hundred and is even less than the number of ethnic Sindhis in the army. As a result the Baloch view the army not as a national military but as a Punjabi force with a mercenary and exploitative character working for the betterment of Punjab. The operation conducted in Balochistan over the period of time along with the gross atrocities committed by the army against the Baloch has left a deep scar filled with hatred against the army. It won’t wash away with fake hopes and promises it needs real efforts to win back the hearts and mind of Baloch people. The more they press on with the operation the more hatred will creep in the hearts and mind of young Baloch against the Punjabi army. This is one thing Islamabad should be trying to avoid “a young generation growing up fuelled with hatred for Punjab establishment and the army which they hold accountable for their misery”.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 2009
In Quetta Searching for a National Flag
As 14th of August the Independence Day is approaching I am searching hard for Pakistani flags around the city of Quetta. I very well remember few years back you could have found people selling the national flag around every street corner to celebrate Independence Day but alas this time around it’s totally opposite. It will be very unrealistic to assume that due to the economic downturn the people who were involved in manufacturing the flags and badges business have become bankrupted or may be the demand for the national flag in the city has fallen so low that there is no business case to sell the flags.The only people who are carrying the national flags are the Frontier Constabulary but I was reluctant to ask them how they have managed to get the flag. May be when the Independence Day approaches closer they might be selling the flags around their barracks and check points to make a business case out of it.
I have not been able to find the flag in the hand of ordinary people which shows where Balochistan is heading too. We may well pretend in Islamabad and other parts of Pakistan that all is fine with Balochistan but this should be an eye opener for everyone. This Province is drifting away from the Federation to the point of no return.
A Recipe for Nation Building
According to the official figures from Islamabad Balochistan comprises of Pakistan’s most underdeveloped districts; it is a region with higher number of people living below the poverty line than the national average (according to HDI equivalent to Somalia); the Baloch are outnumbered outrageously in the public sector; and, this despite the fact that the province is mineral-rich and provides most of the natural gas that keeps the country running while those benefits are absent from Balochistan. The youth of Balochistan are jobless and live in the constant environment of hopelessness. For sixty years the Government has played the blame game with Balochistan and like its history have no intentions of finding a political solution to the political problem of the Province.According to the government, the blame for Balochistan’s underdevelopment lies on the doorsteps of a handful of Sardars who do not let the ordinary Baloch enjoys the fruits of modernization. The answer lies in physically crushing and psychologically humiliating the anti-government Sardars and their supporters to pave the way for development. The assumption was that the superior military force will yield the desired results. The reality, alas, is turning out to be totally different to what was expected. Balochistan is turning in to a Chaos where our beloved army is not safe anymore let alone the local administration and police. The FC has been permanently redeployed in the city to take care of the security problem. The Inspector General of FC is very confident that they will teach the baloch sarmachars a good lesson but sadly since the bold words of a coward surrounded behind a 20 feet brick wall with hundred of body guards was spoken at a TV interview 15 FC Personnel have been killed in various incidents. FC in a vendetta has taken the route of terrorizing the ordinary people by setting up check points at various localities in the city. Reports have come in papers where ordinary people including the elderly have been dishonored by cutting their mustache, disgraced on the basis of their language and dress. All these steps have been taken as a reconciliation process after more than sixty years of looting and rape with the province.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 2009
Where did they disappear?
The Government has always denied the disappearance of hundreds of citizens from Balochistan province saying they don’t exist or a mere propaganda by the rebellious forces. But most families protesting the ‘disappearance’ of their relatives insist that they were ‘picked up’ by state agencies or the police. The question arises where did they disappeared. It will be very unrealistic to say they woked up one day and left home never to return back to their wife’s, kinds, parents, brothers and sisters. But our very ambitious government is capable of coming up with any kind of plea no matter how absurd it may sound rather than to address the issue at hand with a sane mind and strategy. There are numerous cases and stories in the papers where people have been abducted by armed gun men in civilian clothing ready to shoot any one resisting the forced abductions. Surprisingly enough with more than 4000 security personnel deployed in the city this hydra headed gang of abductors are still able to abduct people at will. No matter how much the government denies the allegations for its role in the forced disappearance the bitter truth remains that thousands of young baloch are missing. Every day relatives including women and children gather outside at Chief Ministers House, Governor House and Quetta Press Club to protest against the forced abduction of their loved ones but sadly no one is bothered to listen to them or at least try to investigate in to the issue of forced disappearances. Even the so called Baloch Sardars and Nawabs in the ruling parliament have joined forces with the ruling parasitical elite in return for some kind of financial gains. Where should these poor people go to find the whereabouts of their loved ones aged 14 to 65 or should they succumb to the fact that they have just disappeared forever.
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