The Shadow and The Flame!!!

Baluchistan insurgency is the Shadow to hide the burring flame of

Kashmir’s Freedom!!

By either way, if you say Baluchistan Insurgency is terrorism than Kashmir struggle can also be said “Terrorism” and if you say Kashmir Struggle is Legal than Baluchistan Struggle can be legalized. A clever chankeya ideology of indian Zionists but without accepting the ground realities to muddle the truth!

Excluding red – wing – Marxist Balochis (Primarily Marri) most of the Balochs are Muslims, have cross marriages with others, pray shoulder to shoulder with other Pakistanis, integrated in many national and provincial departments and institutions and free to move in whole Pakistan. Is it comparable to Kashmiri Muslims to indian Hindus? Can Kashmirs moves in whole india, they are even forced to stay in home in their own cities. How many Kashmirs have cross marriages with Hindu? Religion is the main issue!!!

In January 2010, addressing Indo-Pak Conference on ‘roadmap for peace’, Jammu and Kashmir Liberation leader Yasin Malik had said that he felt no decision would ever be taken to implement a road map for peace in the State. A 3-day conference organized by a consortium of Indian fora ended, which proved an exercise in futility. Participants were invited from Pakistan and Jammu and Kashmir in addition to participants from the host country and the conference was opened by former Indian premier IK Gujral. On second day of the conference ie January 11, the topic was “Issue of Autonomy: Kashmir and Balochistan”. The session was addressed by Asma Jehangir (The worst woman of Pakistan) of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and important personalities from Balochistan. One does not understand how members of Pakistani delegation had agreed to the topic, which bracketed Balochistan with Kashmir. Pakistani delegation should not have attended the conference for bracketing Balochistan with Kashmir, as the former is part of Pakistan whereas Kashmir is a disputed territory, which is pending in the United Nations. Britain is also in the picture that states in the subcontinent were allowed to join either India or Pakistan, and there was no concept of any independent state. Now Baloch sardars are peddling the idea that Balochistan was an independent entity in the plan for the partition of the subcontinent. In this backdrop, Britain should not allow leaders of the banned outfit Baloch Liberation Front to issue instructions to the insurgents in Balochistan. Prime Minister should take measures to get their headquarters of BLA closed. The long dormant crisis had erupted into a brutal confrontation with the center in 1973 when late Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto had tried to establish educational institutions and construction of roads in Balochistan.

The Balochistan insurgency had lasted for four years from 1973 to 1977, and it was after promulgation of Martial Law by Late General Zia-ul-Haq that sedition cases were withdrawn against Baloch sardars. It is unfortunate that neither Britain leadership nor the civil society in Pakistan consider it worthwhile to comment on what sardars have been doing to their people. No human right activist cries over the atrocities inflicted on them by their feudal lords and sardars in their private jails. It is too well known that RAW, CIA and Mossad are active in Balochistan and FATA to destabilize Pakistan, and Pakistani leadership – ruling and opposition parties - should work in unison to frustrate the designs of enemies of Pakistan. There is no denying that during British Raj and after independence Balochistan and NWFP were neglected so far as its development is concerned. But this is also true that despite being part of the provincial governments, sardars had neither done anything to develop Balochistan nor persuaded the central government to make development plans for their province. They consider all natural resources of Balochistan their personal property and want to pocket all the profits and royalties. From the statements and interviews of scions of Akbar Bugti, one can understand that the bone of contention between late Akbar Bugti and the federation arguably was that the latter wanted increase in gas royalty. As regards Mian Nawaz Sharif’s suggestion of holding talks with those who are not in Balochistan is intriguing and he is trying to draw political mileage from the contradictions between sardars and the government. He should have known that Brahamdagh Bugti is ensconced in Afghanistan near President Karzai’s palace and Mir Hybyar Marri is in London and both are reported to have the backing and support from enemies of Pakistan. It goes without saying that tribalism is firmly rooted in Balochistan, and ethnic and tribal identity is a potent force for both individuals and groups in Balochistan with the result that there exists deep polarization among different groups.

Each of these groups is based on different rules of social organization, which has left the province inexorably fragmented. Tribal group-ism has failed to integrate the state and enforce a national identity. But those who have not weaned from the poison of sham nationalism should take a look at the history of the Balkans, and the fate they met. A couple of times Sardar Ataullah Mengal appeared in a television interview, and said that America does not pay any attention and would accept any outside help to disintegrate the country. Sardar Ataullah Mengal, Sardar Khair Bakhsh Marri and scions of late Akbar Bugti should try to safeguard the interests of Baloch people but through democratic struggle and not through violence and bloodshed. It is heartening to note that there is realization on the part of the central government as well as provinces; and in this regard Punjab and Sindh have sacrificed part of their share to Balochistan.

Ever since the joint Indo-Pak statement was announced, there have been numerous discussions on India’s role in Balochistan in both countries. Pakistanis have been accusing India for interfering in Balochistan for a long time; they consider the inclusion of Balochistan in the joint statement as an admission of this by India. In India, many question the wisdom of this inclusion; especially the opposition parties who consider this as weakening India’s position. A section in India also believes that India should indeed support covert activities in Balochistan. Three important questions need to be addressed in the context. First, are the Balochis really serious about waging an insurgency against Pakistan security forces? Are they politically united and ready to fight a long political struggle to gain their rights? Second, is India capable of helping such a Balochi struggle? Is such a help feasible and practical? Finally, will such an interference help secure India's interests?

Unfortunately, much of the debate in Pakistan and India continues without a proper understanding of ground realities regarding the composition of the Balochi tribes. The Balochis are not a homogenous group and this has been the primary reason for the failure of Baloch insurgencies in the past. The latest insurgency was the fourth in a history of insurgency spanning five decades.

The Balochis are highly divided along tribal lines the Bugtis, Mengals, Marris and numerous other tribes together constitute the Balochi people. Furthermore, the three major tribes mentioned above are not only clearly differentiated from each other but are also divided within themselves. For instance, the Bugtis have been fighting the Mazaris for a long time. Akbar Bugti used his connections with the federal government to outsmart the Mazaris. At the same time, Akbar Bugti also had a long running feud with two sub clans within his own tribe Kalpars and Masuris. The federal government in Islamabad, always exploited this divide within the Bugti tribe and used the sub tribes against Akbar Bugti when it did not support his actions. The PPP-PML divide in Islamabad is also reflected in support or opposition to Akbar Bugti in Dera Bugti, the Bugti stronghold, where the Sui gas plant is also located. Akbar Bugti's relationship with the federal government waxed and waned primarily on the issue of royalty relating to the Sui gas field.

The other tribes, especially the Marris and Mengals have always been upset with and apprehensive of Bugtis on this issue. When compared to the other two stalwarts, Khair Bux Marri and Ataullah Mengal, Akbar Bugti never really rallied around for a pan-Balochi cause.

Besides the intra and inter tribal fault lines, there exist ideological differences as well. The Marris, who have been leading the Baloch insurgency, are known for their Marxist leanings; Khair Bux Marri's sons were educated in Moscow. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) which was leading the insurgency was primarily a Marri force. Bugtis never got involved with the BLA in a major way.

Any debate in India towards helping the Balochis or interfering in Balochistan should first take into account the basic structure and strength of Baloch nationalism. Second, any Indian support to Balochis should assess the nature of the Indian state's support to regional movements in the neighborhood in a historical perspective. Is India really willing to support a movement such as this to its conclusion in this context, an independent Balochistan? If providing support is limited to identifying the issue in a joint statement or providing limited funds to some Balochi leaders settled in UK or elsewhere, it will be best for India to keep away from such an initiative.

Third, despite some international inputs on an independent Balochistan theory, no state is interested at the global level (read the US or Russia) or at regional level (Iran) to help the Balochis achieve an independent nationhood.

Fourth, India and the international community should also understand that Islamabad will brutally suppress any movement led by the Balochis. Like the previous attempt in the 1970s, the latest insurgency was also brutally suppressed by the State in Pakistan

Finally, New Delhi also has to make up its mind on how it sees its own security vis-a-vis Pakistan. Is a stable Pakistan in India’s interests? If it is indeed so, then New Delhi needs to work with Islamabad.