The True and Ugly face of Baluchistan Government

The True and Ugly face of Baluchistan Government

“This is our responsibility which we will fulfill at every cost. A handful of criminals will not be allowed to take the entire society hostage. The government has taken serious notice of kidnapping for ransom, robberies, etc.”

But, what about your own involvement in these crimes? And highest corruption rate of Baluchistan Government? Providing cover support to insurgents and working against the interests of Pakistan.

You are corrupt and ugly!!!

Nawab Muhammad Aslam Raisani: Beforegoing to detail I want to put some recent activities of Government of Baluchistan

or Raisani.

June 30, 2010: Many of us know now by favorite quote of Raisani “Degree is degree fake or original doesn’t make difference” but for him not for intellectuals.

June 29, 2010: Americans were finalizing land to build their consulate to make Baluchistan situation worst and good for their interests. SP security and Raisani’s personal men were escorting them.

June 28: The Baluchistan Assembly on Monday unanimously approved next financial year 2010-11 budget with a record short span of 45 minutes. Was it a budget or what no discussion no publications? Was budget made in their homes or to lout the money of people and then blame again the injustices of federation or Punjab or PAKISTAN?

June 15, 2010: Duty officer of S.Town P. Station were asked by anonymous man why didn’t you or Police identify the Target killers or why doesn’t you pursue them for at least the murder of your own S.H.O. He said if we have or

ders we can finish them off within 48 hours, Murdered SHO was after them, but what can we do when Government stop us to do what we have to do. Think About that?

June 2010: Owner of Bukhari Petroleum service is kidnaped, who is behind it? Or will it be like the story of Owner of Ahmed Store? Owner of Ahmed store was released after the payment of 30Million in UK, caller was from Afghanistan. Think if you send just 2000 by western union or easy paisa or by bank it is being recorded. That money was transferred by bank wire. And the person being discussed is involved. Think about it.

June 2010: Raisani received 4 fingers of his brother, why? Because his brother was dealing in land mafia, car theft and in kidnapping activities … Finger sent by the family of a kidnaped person… what is in that?

June 2010: One employee of UNDP was kidnaped three months ago and kidnapers demanded 10Million as ransom, government or UN didn’t paid it. In June they sent a CD showing the brutal killing of him and demanding 1Million for the body and head? But Raisani said we will provide cover to NGO’s and UN offices and BLUF has sent direct threat letters to close those offices. Did u remember John Saluki case ? he was released because Government of Baluchistan released 1000 terrorists of BLA and BLF? The money came from our pocket and went to culprit’s pocket only to kill us? Interesting isn’t it?

Baluchistan Chief Minister Nawab Muhammad Aslam Raisani’s continued stance that the Baluchistan Liberation Army (BLA) is not behind the recent “target killings” in the province despite the BLA’s claims to the contrary appears to disprove the government’s claims of minimal support for the underground organization. The government also appears to waver between refusing to acknowledge the existence of the BLA or holding “external forces” responsible for destabilizing Baluchistan. On its part, the BLA appears to be offended by Raisani’s remarks. One of its spokesmen, Bibarg Baloch, told Daily Times that the CM was discrediting the “Baloch freedom fighters” of their “heroic actions”. The underground organization has recommended that the CM should rather speak out against the federal government, as well as the army, which he claims is still carrying out a military operation in certain parts of Baluchistan. A murder is a heroic cause or action?

Initially, Raisani assured the families of the victims that the culprits who had kidnapped their loved ones would be brought to justice. However, he categorically ruled out the involvement of the BLA in such attacks. Despite the proud reiteration by the BLA of its involvement in the killing of the six Hazara men, the CM maintained that the BLA could not target “innocent people”. The Baloch CM sincerely believes that the BLA came about as an outcome of the injustices done to the people of Balochistan in the past. Reading between the lines, the CM appears to be saying that the BLA is “fighting for a just cause”. Therefore, it can’t attack “innocent civilians”. And innocents are ding isn’t it? Where is the Police? IG was not appointed in Balochistan since last 3 months. Brave police officers are being transferred to administrative departments and worst culprits are being appointed on operations and investigations. Think about it? When Harbyar Mari, a terrorist given sanctuary and protection by the British government, is preparing to declare the 'independence' of Balochistan on 11 August, 2009. Where was Raisani’s government? FC came to stop this not Police because Police was ordered to stay out of it. But FC is not answerable to Raisani so some situation is under control but why Raisani is still there?

Some other facts regarding Baluchistan issue

Zardari government is preparing to grant 'full autonomy' to Balochistan within the Pakistani federation. In essence, this means Pakistan will soon have its own version of Iraq's Kurdistan. Considering the volatile security situation in the region and the active interest of both the Americans and Indians in wresting Balochistan from Pakistani hands, this would prove to be a kiss of death for Pakistan's national integrity. The US media is quiet these days on the so-called Greater Pashtunistan, but in the last two years, the US media leaked story after story on the feasibility of this option. These leaked reports reflected an organized campaign by people within Pentagon and CIA. This campaign ceased only after protests by Pakistani officials. Another reason why this campaign stopped is to give some space to unknown 'terrorists' who have infiltrated from Afghanistan to Pakistan under the guise of the so-called Pakistani Taliban. The Kabul regime and its Indian and American allies were hoping that the death and mayhem created among Pakistani Pashtuns would be enough to rally the Pashtun of both Pakistan and Afghanistan to demand an independent country. Luckily, the Pakistani Pashtun, who are an important and active part of thePakistani society and the power structure, understood the game and refused to play along despite enticements coming from inside the Afghan territory.

Zardari government to give part of the Balochistan coastal are to the US Navy to construct a port that would serve the US occupation forces in Afghanistan. Surprisingly, the Zardari government is actually considering the option. Mr. Zardari is also eager to get back at China, which refused to financially bail out his corrupt pro-American government. China financed part of the Gwadar project. Meanwhile the potential of the Gwadar port has almost been destroyed and it is a matter of time before Pakistan's inept politicians turn it into another irretrievable mess. First Akbar Bugti and his foreign-supported terrorists attacked the project. Now the political parties in power are playing their usual games over the project in the hope of milking maximum kickbacks. So far the Zardari government is yet to commit funds for the remaining parts of the Gwadar port expansion. This happens while the Indians have completed and operationalized the competing Iranian port of Chah Bahar. The US surprisingly permitted Iranian and Indian companies to build roads in eastern Afghanistan connecting the Indian port despite the American aversion to anything that benefits Iran. Balochistan is an American target. Pakistani politicians and some people within the Pakistani security establishment should make no mistake about it. CIA is supporting Sunni Balochis in Iran while backing an ethnic insurgency in Pakistan. It is not a coincidence that Jundullah in Iran and BLA in Pakistan emerged after the arrival of US military and CIA in Afghanistan, in the past five years to be more specific. Before 2004, there was no BLA or Jundullah anywhere.

Washington continues to refuse to declare the so-called Balochistan Liberation Army a terrorist group despite the fact that this group has claimed responsibility for killing countless college professors and other civilians in random acts of terror in Pakistan over the past five years. Some Pakistani analysts cite strong circumstantial evidence that the CIA is running operations in the area that may not be in the full knowledge of the new US administration and may in fact contradict the stated US policy of not supporting terrorism and covert operations against allies.

Some other high profile culprits taken from online resources.

Mohammad Aslam Bhoothani: He is the current speaker of the Baluchistan Assembly. He is in fact a king-maker who has got the ability to actively lobby on key issues. Despite belonging to the federalist PML-Q, he has nationalistic tendencies. He made headlines when he publicly condemned the killing of Nawab Bugti despite being in the ruling party in 2006. He refused to allow religious prayers to be offered on the floor of the Baluchistan Assembly for the departed soul of Raziq Bugti, a spokesman of the Baluchistan government who was killed by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA).
Basically, we have the politics of vested interests here in Baluchistan where personal interests dominate political ideologies. Therefore, one does not have to be surprised if differences break out and Bhoothani starts supporting a new candidate. In return of his support to Raisani while making him the CM, Bhoothani, who remained the Deputy Speaker of the Baluchistan Assembly in the previous government, was offered the office of Speakership of the Baluchistan Assembly. He became the first Speaker in the history of Baluchistan to be elected unopposed. He enjoys the support of 13 MPAs in Baluchistan Assembly.

Maulana Abdul Wasay: Wasay is the parliamentary leader of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazal) and the Senior Minister in Baluchistan government. JUI has always had a key role in the coalition governments in Baluchistan. Historically, it never sat on the opposition benches but always supported the provincial governments in return of key ministries. He served as the Planning and Development Minister in the previous government. Wasay is known as a very good negotiator who has got the ability to make and break governments. His party, with 10 seats in Baluchistan Assembly, means a lot not only to Raisani but anyone who forms a government in Baluchistan. The right wing JUI has had an old policy of supporting every government in Baluchistan in return of getting important ministries. This strategy has significantly helped them to earn a lot of money through corruption and then use the same amount during their electoral campaigns. After remaining in power for so many years, the JUI has now made it very difficult for its rival parties in majority of Pashtoon areas to win elections against its candidates. Wasay is known as a political blackmailer. During the previous government, we saw him boycotting the proceedings of the Baluchistan Assembly on a number of occasions which extraordinarily embarrassed the provincial government. He has not used this card very frequently against the Raisani government yet. But the Chief Minister will surely have no options but to concede to whatever demands the Mulana puts before the government.

Syed Ehsan Shah: A former Finance Minister and the current minister for Industries, Shah is the parliamentary leader of the Baluchistan National Party (Awami). While JUI was the only party known in the past to side with every government, BNP-A is the new breed of pro-Establishment parties in Baluchistan. Claiming to be a Baloch nationalist party, BNP supported the previous government of PML-Q in Quetta and endorsed all policies of General Musharraf. Now, the same party is supporting the policies of Zardari and calling Musharraf a bad guy. Shah and his party have had an important role in Mekran region (comprising of the Baloch-majority districts of Turbat, Gwadar and Panjgur) where the National Party had a strong grip in the past. Now, the BNP-Awami is overpowering and countering the nationalist parties in Mekran region. Shah is an experienced politician who has a good knowledge of financial affairs due his stint as the finance minister for several years. In return of his support to Raisani, he has been able to accommodate around five MPAs from his party as ministers (Asadullah Baloch, Asghar Rind, Ghulam Jan Baloch, Zafarullah Zehri and himself) out of total seven BNP MPAs. Raisani trusts him and his party-mates because they are all Balochi-speakers. So, ethnic relations give Raisani more faith in Shah and vice versa against the Pashtoon-dominated JUI.

Sadiq Umrani: Sadiq Umrani is the parliamentary leader of the ruling Pakistan People’s Party and minister for Communication and Works. This is a lucrative ministry that involves too much money. This ministry is always given to someone important whose mouth the CM believes needs to be kept quite permanently. There are genuine reasons why Raisani had to give this profitable (I call it profitable because the ministers get huge amounts as kickback in return of awarding construction contracts to major firms and companies) to Umrani. Umrani is a much more senior PPP leader to Raisani and his brother Lashkari, the provincial president of the PPP. He remained in jail during the 1980s due to his commitment with the PPP. Umrani, ambitious to become PPP’s nominee for the office of chief minister, publicly opposed Raisani for the highest executive position in the province saying that Raisani was not a true PPP loyalist. The advantage Umran has is his immense popularity and widespread support among the PPPP voters while the disadvantage for him is his middle-class background. In Balochistan’s entrenched tribal set-up, it is hard for the members of the middle class families, irrespective of their democratic credentials, to achieve such key positions like the office of Chief Minster. The seemingly agreed deal between the two, the CM and Umrani, is let’s not expose each other in public. Umrani has the capability of upsetting Raisani any time. He did so in April 2009 when he accused the CM of corruption and nepotism. As a result Raisani expelled him from the provincial cabinet. However, the CM had to withdraw the decision once the central leadership of the PPP intervened and asked Raisani to take review his decisions. This clearly shows the strong links Umrani has with President Zardari and top leadership of the PPP.

Sardar Aslam Bizenjo: Bizenjo is the minister for irrigation and the parliamentary leader of the nine-member “Independent Group”. While the Baloch nationalist parties apparently boycotted the general elections of February 2008, they all secretly contested the elections by pitting candidates as Independent contenders. Bizenjo is a very close member of the National Party and the majority of the 9 Independent MPAs are in fact the members of Baloch nationalist parties such as the BNP and NP. His support for Raisani is instrumental because he plays the role of a bridge between the government and the annoyed Baloch nationalists. If Raisani starts checking the corruption of Bizenjo and his like-minded MPAs, they will overnight turn into Baloch nationalists in the Balochistan Assembly and cause serious trouble for him by raising the issue of missing persons, military operation etc. Right now, they are enjoying ministries and they prefer to keep silence on such issues that embarrass the CM. Bizenjo is also a prominent tribal leader. If his interests are harmed, then he will withdraw the support of 9 MPAs from the Raisani government which could gain the support of more MPAs keeping in view the tribal links of his with the others.

Sardar Sanaullah Zehri: He is the provincial minister for Services and General Administration. He is more popularly known as the Chief of Jhalwan or the head of Zehri tribe. In Balochistan’s tribal set-up, he is a very, very influential Sardar. He is the brother of Mir Israr Zehri, the chief of Balochistan National Party Awami and the federal minister for Postal Affairs. His younger brother, Mir Zafarullah Zehri, is currently serving as the Provincial Interior Minister. Zehri is a Baloch nationalist who remained the senior vice president of the National Party. He developed differences with his party leadership when the party decided to boycott the general elections and Zehri wanted to go ahead with the polls. As a result, he formulated his own party called National Party Parliamentarian. The inclusion of Zehri in the provincial government gives Raisani much confidence. In case Zehri pulls out of the government, it will demoralize the CM that he has lost the support of one of the most influential tribal leaders of Balochistan. Zehri has an important role to play in maintaining peace in Khuzdar district. If differences break out between him and the CM, Zehris have got the capability of making Khuzdar a ”no-go-area”. This highway connects Quetta with Karachi.

Engineer Zumurak Khan: He is the provincial Revenue Minister and the parliamentary leader of the Awami National Party (ANP). His support to Raisani gives the latter the confidence to proudly claim to have the support of Pashtoon nationalists of Balochistan. ANP is already a coalition partner of the PPP in North Western Frontier Province, Sindh and the Center. However, Mr. Khan could emerge as a threat for Raisani in case he begins to play the “Pashtoon card” by saying, for example, that the CM is not paying ample attention to the development of Pashtoon population and giving job opportunities etc. So, it is very essential for the Raisani to please Mr. Khan. The out-of parliament Pashtoonkhawai Milli Awami Party, which is more dominant in Balochistan as compared to ANP, has accused Raisani of being more pro-Baloch and doing nothing for the interests of the Pashtoons of the province. But the presence of the ANP in Balochistan government helps Raisani to say that if he did not stand for the rights of the Pashtoons then he would not include ANP leaders in his cabinet.

Mir Amanullah Notezai: Notezai is a key leader of the PML-Q (like-minded group). He is the provincial minister for Transportation. Hailing from Dalbandin area. In the previous government, he served as the minister for Excise and Taxation. His electoral constituency is known as the crossing point of the drug business from Afghanistan. In addition, he is the most influential man in the area where the Reko Dik and Sandik gold and copper projects are located. Raisani needs him to ensure safe exploration at Reko Dik and Sandik. He influences a few other MPAs of the region as well such as former home minister Mir Shoaib Nosherwani.
Mir Asim Kurd Gillo: Gillo is the current finance minister of Balochistan. He served as the minister for Revenue in the previous government. He is very influential in the PML-Q and can break and make governments. He is the closest with CM Raisani. No minister gets a chance to travel as exensively with the chief minister as Gillo. He is a multi-billionaire.

Shiek Jaffar Khan Mandokhel: Mandokhel is a seasoned politician from the Pakistan Muslim League (Q). He does not support the PML-Q faction headed by Aslam Bhoothani. He is a former finance minister. After Bhoothani, he is the only not-a-minister in the list of ten most influential men in Raisani’s government. Mandokhel is a Pashtoon and wanted to become the chief ministerial candidate of his party but his dreams shattered when a majority of the Balochi-speakers from his own party, backed by Speaker Aslam Bhoothani, preferred to vote for Raisani, a Baloch. Seeing that everyone in the Balochistan Assembly voted in support of Raisani, Mandokhel and his group of six members also offered support to Raisani. He does not have major stakes in the provincial government. Therefore, he won’t lose anything if he decides one fine morning to sit on the opposition benches.