Immediate action needed in Balochistan

Balochistan needs immediate and effective attention. Period. Not because it is about to secede or even that any secession movement there can succeed; it can’t. Balochistan needs to be dealt with because the province has got a raw deal all these decades and, unless the healing touch is applied, it will – in some ways already has – become a diabetic case. The cost of governing it is rising and will continue to rise unless measures are taken NOW.!!!

Most important is the human aspect. The Baloch have suffered, at the hands of the federal and provincial governments as well as – and this must not be lost sight of – their own sardars and chieftains. The reprisals have now come to haunt innocent Punjabi families, most of which have lived there for decades. They are being targeted, killed mercilessly and forced to leave.

Many have left, selling their properties at a pittance to Pashtun businessmen. And yet, some have returned because they cannot find place in their own province, Punjab, or in Karachi.

The Aghaz-e Haqooq-e Balochistan Package, announced by the federal government with fanfare last year, lies dormant. The provincial government is criminally neglectful of its remit and its people. Baloch sub-nationalists want the province to go from bad to worse. Reason: the worse it gets for the province the better it gets for their cause. The Taliban and their affiliate sectarian groups continue to operate and kill, mostly, the Shia Hazara community. The Sunni Jandallah, fighting the Shia clerical state of Iran, by many accounts, has linked up with some sectarian religious groups. And, finally, there are the criminal gangs involved in target killings and kidnappings; most, say people in Quetta, are backed by some provincial politicians.

As I wrote elsewhere, “Balochistan doesn’t like Punjabis, Shias and security forces. If one belongs to any of these three categories, one can likely end up dead. Punjabis and security forces are targeted by Baloch terrorist groups, Shias bombed by extremistterrorists. Caught in the conflict are journalists, threatened by all sides, some assassinated, others getting killed on the job.

“Right in Quetta, the capital, areas like Sariab, Huddah, Brohi Road and Eastern and Western Bypasses are ‘no-go’ areas for Punjabis. Much of the city, outside the heavily-guarded cantonment area, is dangerous for security personnel. Since 2009, nearly a thousand people have been killed on all sides and about double the number injured in assassinations, bombings, armed attacks and small-scale security operations.”

In the middle of this chaos, the army is trying to do some development work and also attract the Baloch youth. On Oct 29, I was in Quetta again, second time in less than two months. Baloch recruits were passing out, the highest number so far to be inducted in various arms and services of the Pakistan Army. The army is also identifying young Baloch children, boys and girls, and sending them to top schools across the country. It has placed a battalion to protect work at the Chamalang coal mines and created a system whereby the money is ploughed back into the area for development.

The Baloch sub-nationalists are trying to thwart these efforts because it is in their interest to ensure that nothing positive gets done. The families of children whose education is being funded by the army are threatened; recruits who have joined the army have had to face threats — some kidnapped, others killed, some left. But many stayed and are now in the army. This is the situation where one has to chinwag and use the threat of force simultaneously to make one complement the other.

These positive steps, while important, still fall short of what is required: a political solution which has the full participation of the provincial government. Balochistan's so called = Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Raisani, after the Quetta parade, told the press that the establishment had not mandated him to talk to the sub-nationalists. Really? So, what is he doing being the CM if he requires the nod of the ‘establishment’? Also, why are civilian principals not taking responsibility for what needs to be done?

Baloch terrorist groups will do whatever it takes to make their cause work. But the provincial and federal governments have to ensure that the issue is solved within the federal framework. They have yet to act.

All Baloch shouldn’t be tarred with same brush

A war of words between the National Party and BNP-M on the one side and insurgent groups demanding independence for Balochistan on the other erupted out in the open.

According to the Baloch Hal, an online newspaper, on Sunday, July 19 newspapers in Balochistan carried a statement by the National Party’s central spokesperson suggesting the Balochistan Liberation Front was to blame for the recent killing of an NP leader, Maula Baksh Dashti.

The same day, newspapers in the province also carried a defiant statement by Akhtar Mengal, chief of the BNP-M, rebuffing a call by the Anjuman-i-Ittehad-i-Marri, a group linked to Khair Baksh Marri, leader of the Marri tribe, to reject parliamentary politics in the wake of Habib Jalib’s murder.

The public outbursts were extraordinary: even mapping the groups involved in the violence in Balochistan is fraught with danger.

“Please be very careful. These are merciless people,” a senior Quetta-based journalist who requested anonymity to talk about the radical groups urged. “It’s very difficult for us to work here.”

Reliable information on the insurgent groups is difficult to come by and even harder to corroborate. Nevertheless, the contours of the groups involved in the violence can be established to some extent.

A handful of groups dominate the insurgency, of which the Balochistan Liberation Army is perhaps the most well-known. The BLA appeared in its present incarnation soon after the arrest of Khair Baksh Marri in January 2000. The powerful Marri chief was accused of having a hand in the murder of a Balochistan High Court judge.

Originally a rural phenomenon and limiting its operations to Dera Bugti and Kohlu, the BLA is believed to have expanded its attacks into the cities following the breakdown of a unilateral ceasefire declared in September 2008. An affiliate of the BLA is the Balochistan Liberation United Front, a smaller organisation thought to be ‘more sophisticated’ and considerably more hard-line.

The other high-profile radical group is the Baloch Republican Army, the militant wing of the Balochistan Republican Party, a rechristened arm of Akbar Bugti’s Jamhoori Watan Party. The BRA came into existence after Bugti’s death in August 2006 and is believed to be controlled by his grandson, Brahmdagh. Its area of operations appears to be in relatively remote areas such as Dera Bugti, Jaffrabad and Naseerabad.

A third major group is the Balochistan Liberation Front, another name resurrected from the last insurgency in the 1970s. The present-day version operates mostly in the Makran area and is also linked to Khair Baksh Marri.

Beyond that, drilling down into the specifics invariably throws up a confusing set of claims and counter-claims. Take the killing of Habib Jalib, the BNP-M secretary general.

Senior army officers point a finger at the BLUF, the affiliate of the BLA, for the killing. “BNP-M is in real trouble. Khair Baksh (Marri) has them in his sights,” a high-ranking officer claimed.

However, some among the Baloch have focused on the alleged claim of responsibility made by the Baloch Armed Defence Organisation (Baloch Musalha Defai Tanzeem). It is a relatively new ‘anti-Baloch-nationalist’ group about which little is known, though the Baloch claim it is a front for the intelligence agencies.

That is denied by the army and some moderate Baloch leaders wonder whether the Tanzeem is also sponsored by the radicals. Asma Jahangir, former chairperson of the HRCP, however, is not convinced: “The cleansing of the Baloch intelligentsia can only be the work of the agencies.”

Other things are easier to speculate about, though. Why the alphabet soup of insurgent groups, when the majority are linked to Khair Baksh Marri?

“Perhaps they don’t want to put all their eggs in one basket,” according to Malik Siraj Akbar, editor of the Baloch Hal. “If one group is dismantled, at least the others will still exist.” Akbar also suggested unfamiliarity with the terrain in sprawling Balochistan leads to the recruitment of locals.

Saleem Shahid, Dawn’s Quetta editor, ventured that the reason could be rooted in the tribal system: “Tribal society does not accept outside leadership, so they create their own groups.”

More than the proliferation of radical groups, however, what worries observers is the widening scope of targets.

Attacks on security forces, state installations and government offices are all standard fare in Baloch insurgencies. In addition, killings of ‘settlers’ (groups considered non-Baloch because they trace their ancestry to outside the province, even though in many instances they have been residing in Balochistan for generations) have occurred in the past.

This time, however, it is the breadth and intensity of such killings that is alarming.

The senior journalist in Quetta claimed: “The target killings started in 2003, but they were sectarian in nature. The radical groups started their killing post-Bugti, initially in Quetta. Now, though, it has spread. Noshki, Khuzdar, Mastung, Gwadar, Turbat, Kech, the target killings are happening everywhere.”

According to the Balochistan government’s most recent figures, more than 125 people have been killed and nearly 200 injured in the last 18 months alone in ‘settler’-related violence.

One particular murder in Quetta last April sent shockwaves through conservative Balochistan: the killing of Nazima Talib, a female assistant professor at the University of Balochistan. The targeting of women was previously considered a taboo, but the BLA, which claimed responsibility for the killing, was defiant and claimed the murder was revenge for the alleged killing and harassment of Baloch women by the security forces.

Another worrying trend this year: the killing of fellow Baloch by the insurgent groups. The victims have been accused of spying and working as agents of the Pakistani state. A senior journalist said, “Even Pathans have been killed, and businessmen too. The impact is enormous. There is an exodus of teachers, doctors, businessmen.”

The killings by Baloch radicals are of course not occurring in a vacuum. Entrenched attitudes in the army towards Balochistan and the Baloch may be sustaining the cycle of violence.

“The army thinks of the Baloch as lazy, that they don’t want to work,” according to Zahid Husain, a respected analyst.

“They believe all Baloch are suspect, that they are against Pakistan,” said Senator Hasil Bizenjo. The senator recalled an incident where an entire area was sealed off by security forces in order to pull down a BSO flag hoisted atop a school.

A senior army officer admitted that sometimes the security forces need to show restraint. “They see this (the Baloch flags) as an affront to Pakistan, but I tell them not to react to small provocations.”

In present times, however, what may be impacting most directly on the army’s tough line against the insurgent groups is the foreign connection — the insistently whispered claims that Balochistan has become a stamping ground for foreign intelligence agencies.

India features heavily in such claims. From Brahmdagh Bugti’s ‘Indian passport’ to Baloch insurgents being handed suitcases of cash in Dubai to RAW agents in the Indian consulate in Kandahar, senior army officers are adamant Indian ‘mischief’ is at work. Strikingly, even senior government officials agree that the Indian connection exists.

It goes beyond India, though. “Every agency in the world, from the Americans to the Iranians to the Afghans to the Europeans to the Arabs, has some kind of footprint in the area. For some reason the British have an extraordinary interest in the area,” according to a senior army officer.

Some, though, suggest common sense needs to prevail. “There are 100,000 security men in the province if you count the army, the FC, the police, everything. At most there will be a few thousand among the Baloch population capable of causing trouble. They will never be able to create big mischief. We need to recognise that,” according a high-ranking officer.

Unfortunately, long-time observers of the Pakistan Army believe the officer’s opinion is squarely among the minority in the army.

RAW In Baluchistan in form of BLA-BRP or 'Balochvoice.com' پاکستاني بھایوں سے گزارش ھے کہ ان دھشتگردون کے خلاف خط لکھین

BLA-BRP: A threat to international peace: “The BLA is the creation of Indian intelligence agencies, which are trying to create instability in the areas bordering Iran & Afghanistan”. Expose on RAW babies !!

RAW agent # 1: The chief of the Baloch Republican Party (BRP), Brahmdagh Bugti

BLA – BRP–A threat to international peace: “The BLA is the creation of Indian intelligence agencies, which are trying to create instability in the areas bordering Iran and Afghanistan“. Expose on RAW. The chief of the Baloch Republican Party (BRP), Brahmdagh Bugti, has become the chief protagonist.Baloch Republican Party (BRP) is another RAW sponsored terror outfit that kills the innocent and murders women and children

Brahmdagh is one of the most prominent faces of the ongoing Baloch insurgency sponsored by Delhi. Mr. Bugti is the grandson of Baloch politician Akbar Khan Bugti, a former chief minister and governor of Balochistan, who was killed during a military operation on August 26, 2006.While another of Nawab Bugti’s grandsons, Mir Aali Bugti, has been nominated as the sardar of the Bugti tribe, Brahmdagh has reportedly taken command of separatist Baloch fighters. The Pakistani government has blamed India for supporting the 28-year-old guerrilla commander through Afghanistan, where he is currently rumoured to be in hiding.

Bharat has been making a big hullabaloo about Mumbai, and doesn’t want to talk about the RAW sponsored LTTE attack on the Lankans in Lahore. The Delhi establishment tries to score points about terror in Bharat, but forgets to mention that Delhi armed, trained and supported the Mukti Bahni in East Pakistan, and then tried to rule Bangladesh with the Rakhi Bahni (run by a serving Indian general). Mr. Singh shouts about Pakistan from the rooftops, admits the Delhi involvement in Balauchistan, but then reneges on the admission and doesn’t stop the RAW support to the terrorists in Baluchistan. The expose on the BLA has been written by Mr. Baloch and the article on RAW has been written by regular Rupee News columnist Isha Khan from Dhaka Bangladesh.

The BLA was a relic of the cold war. During the USSR-USA war it was supported, financed and armed by the Soviet Union. When the USSR imploded, so did the BLA. With the massive development in Baluchistan happening, Baluchistan had two decades of peace. Mir Balaach Marri, the head of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), was killed on 20 November 2007.sudden the six Indian consultates started training the exporting these people to create mayhem in Pakistan. Jundullah was also unleased to create issues in Iranian Sistan-Balauchistan.

The Balochistan Liberation Army has been listed as an organisation that funds, and promotes terrorism in the United Kingdom The group has also been listed a terror group by MIPT Terrorism Knowledge base, an organzation funded by the US Dept. for homeland Security” Wikipedia

The arrest of Faiz Baluch and Hyrbyair Marri by British Metropolitan Police Counter-Terrorism Command from north-west and west London on 4 December 2007, on the charges of “commissioning, preparing or instigating acts of terrorism”, clearly shows the seriousness of UK in their fight against terror. Both of them were held on two accounts under Terrorism Act of 2000: firstly, inciting people to commit an act of terrorism, and secondly, possessing “a weapon designed or adapted for the discharge of any noxious liquid, gas or other thing” contrary to the Firearms Act. During the raids on the homes and offices, the police recovered large quantities of documents, DVDs, computer files and a cash of £4,000.

The two London residents are senior commanders of Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) – an international terrorist group that is banned in Britain by the then home secretary John Reid in July 2006. The BLA has been responsible for attacks on the infrastructure such as gas pipelines, power stations, electric pylons as well as bomb blasts where innocent civilian have been victims. Due to targeted military operation aganist the armed militants in Balochistan, many BLA activists sought political asylums or refuge in the European countries. These political asylum seekers under the garb of “aggrieved party” are sponsoring the foreign-based organizations of Pakistani origin responsible for committing acts of terrorism inside Pakistan.

14 Bharati “Consulates” are RAW terror centers spreading sabotage across the border in Pakistan. ‘Increasing Indian influence in Afghanistan is likely to exacerbate regional tensions and encourage Pakistani countermeasures in Afghanistan or India.’ (Gen Stanley McChrystal)

Hence, they pose an alarming threat to the international peace and stability. Realizing its threat, the British police have apprehended the miscreant element which is a welcome sign. This will provide an impetus to other European countries to check the activities of BLA in their respective countries. It will be pertinent to mention here, that the western societies, being the proponent of human liberties and human rights should be careful in granting political asylums or refuge to those individuals having false account. When they escape to a new country, the credibility of the asylum seekers must be established and police of the concerned country be also consulted. The duo arrested was granted asylum in Britain in 2002, despite of the fact that the account forwarded by these two incumbents was false and exaggerated.

The BLA has claimed responsibility for most of the attacks in reaction to the ongoing developmental activities in the province meant to improve the life-style of the common people. Look at the education, health, and other social indicators in the province. These essential amenities are embarrassingly low compared to other even less developed areas of the country. The Government is trying its level best to bring the area into socio-economic mainstream so that fruits of progress trickle down to the common man. But, few ego-centric sardars with the help of BLA want to disrupt developmental process by attacking vital installations.

he story of resistance in the area is a long one. First, Balochs have grievances against the federal Government which relate to exploitation of natural resources, in particular Sui gas, without adequate compensation. Second, the Baloch people also fear that the mega projects, in particular the Gwadar port city, would invite an influx of population from other provinces reducing the ethnic Baloch to a minority at some stage. Third, building of cantonments in the three most sensitive areas of Balochistan, is perceived as an attempt to control the resources. It is to say, if they have some genuine grievances against the policies of the Government, they should raise it at the forum of national assembly instead of going to streets. It is beyond comprehension that how few feudal sardars without backing of the general masses can make the country ‘hostage’.

The multi-billion dollar deep sea port in the coastal district of Gwadar, being built by the Chinese contractors, has provided myriads of opportunities to the Baloch people. The political analysts say that such paradoxical interpretations of the phenomenon by the “vested group” would only impede any solution to the Balochistan problem. The solution to the people’s issues lies in the distribution of the dividends of development equitably. The attacks on important national installations orchestrated by “miscreants,” has only alienated people and created new problems that only affected the poor people, further squeezing their opportunities for sustainable livelihoods.

The international terrorism, no matter when, by whom, where, and in what form, is a grave threat to the world peace and security. It has shown that the world is not peaceful, so it is extremely necessary to strengthen international cooperation. Every country should take same position on condemning and fighting terrorism resolutely. Any person who carries out acts of terrorism should be punished and terrorist activities should be cracked down. All the foreign-based organizations consisting of nationals of Baloch origins, supporting/funding the asylum seeker miscreants should be taken to the task by the counter-terrorism authorities of the respective country.

All the Balochi websites operating in western countries responsible of fanning anti-Pakistan sentiments, are tantamount to inciting people to commit acts of terrorism, should also be precluded.

The BLA is the creation of Indian intelligence agencies, which are trying to create instability in the areas bordering Iran and Afghanistan. In the larger interest, the effective counter-terrorism requires Indian support and cooperation with Pakistan authorities to help create an environment of peace and tranquillity.

NOTE:- The BLA is a terror organizatیon declared a terrorist outfit by Pakistan, the US and the UK. The civilized world should write to president@bluehost.com,webmaster@bluehost.com, support@bluehost.com to shut down balochvoice.com which is run by a terror organization.،domain.tech@YAHOO-INC.COM

پاکستاني بھایوں سے گزارش ھے کہ ان دھشتگردون کے خلاف خط لکھین

The Undying Spirit and Yearning for Freedom

Kashmir issue is an internationally recognized political dispute and as per the international covenants, Kashmiris struggle is a legitimate struggle, their demand is a just demand for plebiscite to determine political future through universally accepted principle of right to self-determination. All the way through the rights movement in Kashmir has been constant and spontaneous by nature, though it had gone through many ups and downs over the past 63-years but one thing is clearly evident that the means of resistance have changed from time to time but Kashmiris’ demand remained unaltered all the way.

Recently the world witnessed the new-phase of the resistance movement, being organized and spearheaded by the valiant and vibrant youth of Kashmir. This newfangled art of resistance by Kashmiris has not only surprised political analysts at large but it had virtually baffled the ruling elite, the intelligentsia and Indian establishment that has been proclaiming that “separatist ideology” was non-existent in Kashmir.

The undying spirit of highly charged youth and the valor of the common masses painted a different picture of the resistance movement, it was altogether a new approach as people belonging to different shades of opinion, irrespective of their social and political affiliations, acted and spoke in unison; there was no second opinion, by and large all the players on ground were seen on the same page.

Born and brought-up in an environment plagued with oppression and suppression, this new generation, after taking the reigns of the ongoing movement, reasserted Kashmiris’ position and their resolve in a very different manner, unlike their predecessors they maintained complete restraint, instead of resorting to violent means they preferred to carry forward their struggle peacefully by organizing mass rallies all across the valley to grab the world attention towards the unresolved Kashmir dispute and the stepped-up human rights violations perpetrated by Indian troops in Kashmir.

The protest demonstrations have been widespread and the public resentment against India was clearly evident all across the Kashmir vale, Chinab division (Doda, Baderwah and Kishtawar) and the other side of Peer-Panchal region including the Muslim majority areas of Poonch-Rajouri.

Though, the Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram at the very outset of mass-agitation described it as sheer frustration of unemployed youth and latter resorting to the traditional blame game Chidambaram hurled accusations on Pakistan, its premier intelligence agency the ISI and Lashkar Toyabah just to hide the fiasco.

India’s approach has been extremely belligerent and there was no change in its antagonistic behavior towards Kashmiris. As usual, New Delhi responded in a very callous and cold-blooded manner and used brute force to stifle Kashmiris’ voice. Whereas, Omar Abdullah, who very recently joined the shoe club, behaved more like New Delhi’s chief agent rather than the chief minister of the occupied territory.

He violated the public mandate ruthlessly and maintained criminal negligence over the continued blood bath of innocent civilians. At this very crucial stage, the junior Abdullah and his father Dr. Farooq usually preferred to please their masters. Instead of giving a healing touch to the bleeding wounds of Kashmiris they pursued New Delhi’s agenda just to remain in power.

Baffled by the simmering situation, the duo asked New Delhi to deploy more troops to quell the public uprising. And this was for the first time that India deployed Rapid Action Force (RAF) to muzzle the voice of freedom. On one hand Indian troops played havoc thereby killing more than 100 Kashmiris within a three months time, while on the other hand, its secret agencies remained deeply engaged in hatching conspiracies against Kashmiris. To give a bad name to the ongoing peaceful struggle the agencies tried to create a wedge between Muslims and the Sikh community.

Besides maligning the peaceful struggle of Kashmiris, Indians also tried very hard to give a notion that the uprising was just confined within Srinagar and some other towns of the valley but the world media; however, turned down India’s proclamations and termed the uprising as most powerful non-violent movement against India. While commenting on the current situation the New York Times noted that India was facing Intifada-like popular revolt in Kashmir. One of the positive aspects of the ongoing public revolt against India was that the people demonstrated highest degree of forbearance and extended their hand of co-operation in maintaining unity at all levels while generously supporting and adhering to the protest calendars issued by Syed Ali Geelani led Hurriyat faction. Not only the men and youth who are supposed to be a critical part of any successful movement, the women folk was even seen at the forefront at this crucial phase of mass agitation against India.

Anyways, this is not a new phenomenon; Kashmir has the history that besides offering matchless sacrifices, the hapless people of this troubled region have always followed their leaders with absolute sincerity, faithfulness and indeed without any pretence… but it is very unfortunate that the leadership always failed to deliver in the times of trial. At this very crucial stage when there was a dire need of complete unity and concurrence at all levels, Hurriyat leaders who claim to be the champions of Azadi (freedom) movement, seem to be poles apart from each other. Although they talk about unity but practically there is a huge gap, there is a trust-deficit and lack of magnanimity. And indeed there is personality clash and egotism that has badly damaged their collective cause on one hand while on the other people continued to suffer awfully.

The All Parties Hurriyat Conference was established in Jammu and Kashmir in 1993 one hoped that it would emerge as a broad based policy making institution cum political forum. Instead of consolidating various political actors on ground, on the contrary, it led to the further disintegration and estrangement. Nonetheless, leaders of the segregated factions of APHC may give a thousand arguments to prove their innocence in this regard but being the sole representatives of the red hot blood of Kashmiri martyrs, as they claim, it is their legal and moral responsibility to fight the forces of evil (the enemies of Kashmiri nation) by adhering to the rules and regulations established in the Hurriyat constitution. Constitutionally, they are bound to consolidate political forces on ground besides providing a strong mechanism to tackle the challenges faced by the nation.

While realizing the importance of the current peaceful uprising in the valley it is incumbent on the Hurriyat leadership to forge a broad base unity and work painstakingly to steer the nation out of the dark prospects of alienation and chaotic situation that has overwhelmingly crippled the civil society.

Holding mammoth public demonstrations, delivering long sermons in the mosques, ridiculing the opponents is not the only job of leaders…revolutionary leadership is supposed to guide the masses in the times of trial, maintain the tempo of the movement and to give right direction to the peoples’ sentiment to make it a success.

A soul-searching self-analysis is deeply needed at the moment; not to talk of a commoner, the movement leadership may have achieved a lot individually, but as a nation Kashmiris stand at point-zero even after sacrificing more than 100 thousand lives.

The people of Jammu and Kashmir have offered great sacrifices to achieve the cherished goal of freedom; their demand is a just demand. Having paid the highest forfeiture of thousands of lives to get the globally recognized right, the right to self-determination, the wailing valley of Kashmir seeks attention of the highest body (UN) and the peace loving people of the world at large. Millions of peaceful protesters marching on the streets of Kashmir have given their verdict against India. The world community’s policy of indifference towards Kashmir at this crucial stage would have dangerous repercussions on the overall geo-political situation of the region and therefore it is high time that the international community should come forward in a big way to help resolve the dispute of Kashmir peacefully.

The Indian civil society that has expressed grave concern over the prevailing situation in Kashmir too should impress upon the Indian ruling elite to desist from using indiscriminate force against Kashmiris. Palming off and on is not the solution to the problem; it is high time that the Indian rulers should adopt a realistic approach and accept this hard reality that the uprising spearheaded by the vibrant Kashmiri youth is nothing but a newfangled mode of resistance against India’s illegal occupation.

Last but not the least; Indians should also accept the ground reality that people of Kashmir were not ready to accept its dominance at any cost. They should bear in mind the very fact that they can vilify, denounce, harass or even for that matter kill Kashmiris but they can not kill their undying sprit for freedom. Rather than using brute force against the innocent civilians India should acknowledge Kashmir as a disputed territory and resolve this decade’s long conflict through peaceful means once and for all.

BLACK WATER IN ACTION !!

The western forces have succeeded in depriving Taliban of public support in Pakistan; surely a difficult question to be answered. For the last many years the reality of the Taliban has been a matter of confusions and misunderstandings. Since its beginning, the Taliban movement was simply and purely an ideology-based exercise strongly tinged with the flavour of militancy, but with the passage of time, the ideology vanished and there remained nothing but militancy. More strange is the fact that this militancy proved more fatal and injurious to the Muslims than to the forces eager to crush the Taliban. If we cast a look at the damages caused by the Taliban, we would find a less number of the effected Americans but the list of the targeted Muslim would be unending. The situation gives birth to so many suspicions. Are they really the Taliban who are taking the lives of innocent Muslims including school going children and women shopping in markets and the old men offering their prayers in mosques? Are they really the Taliban who are slaughtering the soldiers and officers of the Pakistan army just to create panic and harassment? No they are not the Taliban because it is against the tradition of the Afghans and the Pathans to deceive and dodge their benefactors; and most of the original Taliban are of the same traditional origin. They could never betray those who had always been favoring and supporting them at the time of need, particularly when the Russian forces were the most determined in wiping them off the scenario.

It is nothing but a conspiracy based on the philosophy of divide and rule. The US conspirators had realized it in the very beginning that it would be next to impossible for them to defeat the Taliban in the battlefield. They also knew that the Taliban enjoy a very strong moral support from the people of Pakistan and Afghanistan and from rest of the world; so they could not be defeated unless they are deprived of such admiring support. There was only one solution to this problem; insurgency in the rows of the Taliban. For this purpose, there could be no other effective tool but India because India itself was very much worried about the increasing role of the Taliban in the Afghan region. India was very well aware of the fact that it would have to get out of the Afghan lands in case the Taliban get stronger. Further there were very vivid possibilities of Taliban joining hands with the separatist activists who are already a pain in the neck for the government of India. So the Indian hi-ups accepted the assignment of dividing Taliban as a very sacred mission. The first step taken in this regard was to establish Indian Consulates in Lashkargah, Koshila Jadeed and so many other cities of Afghanistan. One thing was very common in all these consulates that most of them were established along the Pak-Afghan border. Their assignment was to search for the people who were against the Taliban and who could fight against the Pakistan Army. The consulates not only made arrangements for their proper training but also provided them with unchecked and limitless financial support. With the passage of time these trained groups of terrorists grew stronger and stronger and ultimately started introducing themselves as so-called independent groups or off-shoots of Taliban. Such groups had nothing to do with the actual Taliban cause; they had their own intentions. These groups started targeting the innocent Muslims both in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Their suicidal attacks in Pakistan and Afghanistan took lives of so many innocent citizens who had nothing to do with the USA or the NATTO forces. Then there came a time when the world known terrorist organization Black Water joined hands with these terrorist groups and added more cruelty and brutality to the activities already going on in the false-name of the so-called Taliban. With the joining of the Black Water there came into existence so many new groups of Taliban which became a grave challenge to the peace and security of the Pak-afghan region. With the passage of time the nefarious activities of these groups started expanding towards Baluchistan and soon the fact was revealed that this advancement towards Baluchistan was simply an attempt to keep China away from Gawadar port and create misunderstandings between Pakistan and china. The name of Islam and the original Taliban was misused for the attainment of specific aims and objectives.

It is certainly the achievement of the US planners that they succeeded in dividing the Taliban but it is going to be the last nail in the coffin of the worlds ‘biggest democracy’ India. Soon there will be a time when these misguided and de-tracked groups of US made Taliban would realize their folly and return to their origin with all the training and expertise which the Black Water had blessed upon them and their only target would be none but India. According to the latest reports the terrorist activities in Pakistan have no connection with the original Taliban movement, they are the handiwork of the Black Water working in collaboration with the CIA , Mossad and RAW.

Wayne Madsen, the well known analyst says in an article referring to the suicidal attack in Quetta, “Xe Services, the company formerly known as Black Water, has been conducting false flag terrorist attacks in Pakistan that are later blamed on the entity called Pakistani Taliban.” Some other sources confirm the involvement of the Xe Services in carrying out ‘false flag’ terrorist attacks not only in Pakistan but also in Afghanistan, Somalia, Iran, and Iraq and the Sinkiang region of China, in collaboration with the Mossad and RAW under the guidance of CIA. The ultimate goal of all such activities is to destabilize the Muslim world in general and Pakistan in particular. Pakistan is the most favourite target because it is a nuclear power. By generating disturbance and anarchy the western countries desire to take Pakistan to a point of no return. They intend to make Pakistan so helpless that it is left with no other option but to ask the Western powers to secure its nuclear weapons.

This situation must be eye-opening for all those who claim to be the Protectors of the message of Islam. Pakistan is the only patch of land in whole of the universe which has a soil very much fertile for the rebirth and regeneration of all that is good .So join hands together against the atrocities carried out in the name of religion. Make Pakistan stronger because its strength would add to the strength of all positive human values.

Should we buy new clothes for Eid this year?

Eid is being celebrated in this country on two different days. Muslims in the US have been compelled to celebrate modestly because the day coincides with the ninth anniversary of 9/11 and we also have a pastor in the US state of Florida trying to do something as condemnable as burn copies of the Holy Quran. To say that Ramazan this year has been depressing and heart-breaking would be an understatement. With a plane crash, floods, targeted killings, public lynching, cricket scandal and suicide bombers haunting the country by turns, Ramazan this year has been somber and painful. There were fewer invitations to iftar get-togethers and even fewer among us who found reasons to celebrate all things Ramazan or otherwise.

And yet, as the days leading up to Eid drew closer, frenetic shoppers were found searching for the right shoes, bangles and every accessory under the sun to complement their Eid joras. Supermarkets saw crazed housewives stocking up on sugar and milk (for the bucketfuls of sheer khorma they were probably going to make), chips, soda and the ilk in anticipation of the long, busy weekend. Predictably, critics frowned upon the relentless need to buy despite the sadness that engulfs the country at this point in time. There should be no celebration to begin with, they contend.

In this context, my question ‘Should we buy new clothes for Eid this year?

Pakistan is going through one of its biggest challenges with floods, cricket and inflation coupled with the comeback of a pre-Ramazan house guest: loadshedding. Walking through some of the posh areas of Lahore it does not seem like 20 million people of the same country became homeless less than a month ago. But should it?

We condone the government’s austerity drive but are reluctant to look into our own backyards. If we expect leaders to spend modestly, the elite must spend modestly too. Those who are disconnected with the common man will find it hard to empathise with the old couple who lost their entire world within hours or the mother who lost her three children right before her eyes, swept away into the abysmal death waters.

And they will continue to spend, much to the relief of small businesses which thrive only twice a year before Eid days. And these businesses need to thrive. It’s a tough balance to strike this year between promoting trade and promoting sensitivities.

I agree. Respect must be shown. It seems a tad distasteful be extravagant right now when there are so many who will go without food and water, let alone new clothes, on Eid this year. It’s also most unfortunate if you don’t realise that you are being insensitive to the misery. Having said that, however, I still think Eid calls for celebration. Maybe we shouldn’t indulge as much as we do every year but we should still celebrate. The reason is quite simple, really. As a nation, most of us, if not all, have shown remarkable sensitivity for the last six weeks. We’ve made donations, volunteered at relief camps and visited the flood affected areas to ensure that the people who deserve help right now are actually getting it. We didn’t look the other way – something that we’ve learnt to do over the years given the never-ending cycle of violence and tragedy – and we made a conscious effort to be consistent. Isn’t it enough of a reason to celebrate when a nation that has been desensitized and a society that has degenerated, manages to pull itself out of that rut and take action for once? In a place where the contrasts are so stark and the polarities so extreme that you are inevitably left disenchanted, a collective relief effort for those who’ve survived more than what they could bear; that transcends the ethno-political divides that we have so meticulously carved out for ourselves, is reason enough to celebrate.

So let’s not buy Eid gifts for one another this year; let’s not wear new clothes and go to lavish dinner parties if you can’t handle the guilt. I don’t blame you for feeling that way. Six weeks of crises (with more expected in the coming days) can take the life out of you. But we can still reconnect with the people who matter – the people who we never seem to have time for — and we can still wear our hair down and paint our toenails. Why? Because everyone needs a time-out. And Eid is as good a time as ever to take that break – especially since the road ahead is long and challenging.

Who is behind the Shia killings in Pakistan?

In a devastating series of sectarian attacks over the last three days, terrorists struck at two separate Shia rallies in two different cities in Pakistan, killing over 98 innocent people -- 38 in Lahore and 73 in Quetta.

Suicide bombers attacked Wednesday in Lahore as faithful Muslims commemorated the martyrdom of Hazrat Ali (RA), and Friday in Quetta while holding a huge Al-Qods Day rally to express solidarity and support for the oppressed people of Palestine.A spokesman from Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attacks, calling them “revenge for the slaughter of innocent Sunnis” and promising further attacks soon on targets in Europe and the United States.However, the statement sounds more like braggadocio than a true acknowledgement of responsibility for terrorist attacks, since the Taliban has a habit of claiming responsibility for anything that boosts their bloated tribal egos without the slightest concern over repercussions.

So, if the Pakistani Taliban militants did not carry out these terrorist attacks, then who did? Alternatively, if they actually did, then whom did they use as assassins?

The Pakistani Taliban has been involved in perpetuating a mindless cycle of violence in the northwestern part of the country. They have also carried out countless attacks on Pakistani security forces and government officials, frequently killing common people rather than hitting their intended targets, but provoking sectarian violence has not been part of their modus operandi. These people are mostly from primitive Pashtun tribes who seek revenge against the U.S.-led NATO forces for killing their Pashtun cousins across the border in Afghanistan. It seems that the Pakistani Taliban’s primary objective is to exact revenge from the alien forces and their supposed local allies, since they also have attacked the Pakistani army and police whom they view as friends of the enemy.

However, for some years now, men from various outlawed sectarian groups in Punjab province, such as Sipah-e-Sabah and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, have joined the Tehrik-i-Taliban in order to actualize their sectarian fantasies.

Which brings us back to the question, who really attacked the Shia Muslims in Quetta and Lahore?

It appears to be the work of two different terrorist groups, probably unrelated to each other, each one acting independently based upon its own motives.

In August, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi allegedly assassinated an eminent Shia politician from the Mohajir Qaumi Movement, a Karachi-based political party of Urdu-speaking Muslims who migrated to Pakistan when the country emerged as an independent entity from British India in 1947. The event sparked sectarian and ethnic violence in the city, as the deceased politician’s supporters killed over hundred people for revenge in the business capital of the country. As authorities in Karachi got things back under some semblance of control and were maintaining a modicum of law and order in the Holy Month of Ramadan, terrorists struck at Shia rallies commemorating the martyrdom of Hazrat Ali (AS) in Lahore where security was almost non-existent since most of the security forces are deployed in the flood-stricken areas of the country. The Lahore attacks look more like the handiwork of those sectarian terrorists who failed to achieve their desired revenge in Karachi.

The Quetta attack is more complex and difficult to explain as chaos rules there. The city has become a hub for terrorists, criminal gangs, drug mafias, smugglers and a haven for the Pakistani Taliban, Afghan Taliban and Balouch insurgents fighting against the Pakistani state on behalf of foreign powers attempting to destabilize the country. The attack on innocent Muslims, who were merely expressing their solidarity with the oppressed people of Palestine, looks like the work of a hardcore terrorist organization and not the blowhard Taliban militants. It could have been the work of the remaining Abdolmalek Rigi loyalists, who fled to Quetta and were hiding there after conducting the recent terrorist attacks in Zahedan. On the other hand, foreign agencies may have employed members of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi from Punjab province to carry out the attacks in Baluchistan.

So it appears that these operations were false flag attacks meant to stir up sectarian and ethnic animosity and produce endless cycles of violence in order to further destabilize Pakistan.