UPRISING BALOCHISTAN
According to government and security officials, on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday, militants belonging to outlawed separatist groups carried out four attacks in which 37 people were killed
PTI Karachi
Published 27.08.24
Heavily armed Baloch gunmen killed at least 37 people in separate attacks in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province on Monday as insurgent attacks spiked in the region bordering Afghanistan.
According to government and security officials, on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday, militants belonging to outlawed separatist groups carried out four attacks in which 37 people were killed.
The Inter-Services Public Relations, the media wing of the Pakistan Army, said in a statement that 21 terrorists were also killed in cleanup operations launched after the attacks.
Earlier, Baloch gunmen killed at least 37 people in two separate attacks in Balochistan province on Monday.
In the first incident, at least 23 people from Pakistan’s Punjab province were killed in a targeted attack in Balochistan’s Musakhel district after gunmen offloaded them from buses and checked their identities.
According to Musakhail assistant commissioner Najeeb Kakar, around 10 heavily armed men blocked the inter-provincial highway in Rarasham and offloaded passengers from several buses.
“The dead are reportedly from Punjab,” he said. Some of the vehicles were also set on fire.
Musakhel is approximately 450km northeast of Quetta, the capital of Balochistan.
The rebels regularly target people from the Punjab province by alleging that Punjabis are dominant in the armed forces, which have been fighting the militants in the province.
Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Ayub Khoso said: “The passengers were told to get off the buses and shot dead after being identified from their national ID cards,” Khoso said.
“Most of those killed belonged to southern Punjab and some are from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa suggesting they were killed because of their ethnic background,” he added.
In another incident, officials said 11 people were killed in Kalat, also in Balochistan. The deceased include five civilians and six security personnel, authorities said.
Kalat is 150km to the south of Quetta and is predominantly inhabited by ethnic Baloch tribes.
The banned militant organisation, Baloch Liberation Army, claimed responsibility for these attacks, which coincided with the 18th death anniversary of ethnic Baloch tribal leader Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti who was killed in a military operation.
The militant groups co-named its violence "Operation Heroof" and simultaneously launched a slew of attacks in various districts of the province.
“They carried out the attack early in the morning and then escaped into the nearby mountains,” SSP Kalat, Dostain Dashti, said on telephone.
Four of the security personnel were killed in another attack in Kolpur area of Bolan district while in the Kadkucha area in Mastung district, militants also attacked a Levies post compound and left a body behind.
The militants also blew up a bridge on a main railway track in Bolan.
Balochistan province has been the centre of clashes between separatist groups and security personnel for a while now and militants have frequently carried out attacks targeting workers, labourers or pilgrims passing through or working in Balochistan.
These groups have also frequently targeted security and government personnel and installations in different parts of the province.
Heavily armed Baloch gunmen killed at least 37 people in separate attacks in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province on Monday as insurgent attacks spiked in the region bordering Afghanistan.
According to government and security officials, on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday, militants belonging to outlawed separatist groups carried out four attacks in which 37 people were killed.
The Inter-Services Public Relations, the media wing of the Pakistan Army, said in a statement that 21 terrorists were also killed in cleanup operations launched after the attacks.
Earlier, Baloch gunmen killed at least 37 people in two separate attacks in Balochistan province on Monday.
In the first incident, at least 23 people from Pakistan’s Punjab province were killed in a targeted attack in Balochistan’s Musakhel district after gunmen offloaded them from buses and checked their identities.
According to Musakhail assistant commissioner Najeeb Kakar, around 10 heavily armed men blocked the inter-provincial highway in Rarasham and offloaded passengers from several buses.
“The dead are reportedly from Punjab,” he said. Some of the vehicles were also set on fire.
Musakhel is approximately 450km northeast of Quetta, the capital of Balochistan.
The rebels regularly target people from the Punjab province by alleging that Punjabis are dominant in the armed forces, which have been fighting the militants in the province.
Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Ayub Khoso said: “The passengers were told to get off the buses and shot dead after being identified from their national ID cards,” Khoso said.
“Most of those killed belonged to southern Punjab and some are from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa suggesting they were killed because of their ethnic background,” he added.
In another incident, officials said 11 people were killed in Kalat, also in Balochistan. The deceased include five civilians and six security personnel, authorities said.
Kalat is 150km to the south of Quetta and is predominantly inhabited by ethnic Baloch tribes.
The banned militant organisation, Baloch Liberation Army, claimed responsibility for these attacks, which coincided with the 18th death anniversary of ethnic Baloch tribal leader Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti who was killed in a military operation.
The militant groups co-named its violence "Operation Heroof" and simultaneously launched a slew of attacks in various districts of the province.
“They carried out the attack early in the morning and then escaped into the nearby mountains,” SSP Kalat, Dostain Dashti, said on telephone.
Four of the security personnel were killed in another attack in Kolpur area of Bolan district while in the Kadkucha area in Mastung district, militants also attacked a Levies post compound and left a body behind.
The militants also blew up a bridge on a main railway track in Bolan.
Balochistan province has been the centre of clashes between separatist groups and security personnel for a while now and militants have frequently carried out attacks targeting workers, labourers or pilgrims passing through or working in Balochistan.
These groups have also frequently targeted security and government personnel and installations in different parts of the province.
Balochistan attacks
Editorial
BAD news keeps coming from Balochistan. Since Sunday night, in a series of coordinated militant attacks across the province, over 70 people, including security personnel, the assailants and ordinary citizens, have lost their lives.
Starting with the execution-style killing of 23 travellers in Musakhail, the terrorists blew up a railway bridge in Bolan, set several vehicles on fire at a Levies station in Mastung, and gunned down 11 people in Kalat before raiding an FC camp in Bela. This has been the most widespread assault in years. The separatist terrorist outfit BLA has claimed responsibility, maintaining that it had seized control of a big portion of the FC camp and most highways.
ISPR asserted that the security forces and law-enforcement agencies responded immediately to these criminal attacks, especially in Musakhail, Kalat and Lasbela, and killed 21 terrorists in ensuing clearance operations. However, it also said that 10 security forces soldiers and four LEAs personnel were martyred during the operation.
These horrific attacks suggest that Baloch militants have intensified their violent campaign against the state and security forces. The army has vowed to bring the “instigators, perpetrators, facilitators and abettors of these heinous and cowardly acts to justice”.
Balochistan has been in turmoil for many decades. The last two decades, especially following the killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti in an army operation, have seen the emergence of several armed secessionist groups. Strong evidence is said to link some of them to India and other neighbouring countries, who are opposed to the idea of a secure Pakistan.
These groups have targeted security forces, public installations, Chinese interests, unarmed Punjabi workers in Balochistan, and politicians who, as opposed to the militants, believe in a democratic struggle for the political and economic rights of the Baloch. Their violent acts and the killing of innocent people must be strongly condemned. The intensity of these attacks should put the whole country, especially its military and political guardians, on alert.
That said, although kinetic action against those who target the province so mercilessly is necessary, the civil and security leadership must look deeper into the Balochistan question and identify the factors that have intensified the tension between the Baloch and the state. The reasons behind this wave of disaffection that have led young middle-class men and women to protest are well-known; they pertain to human rights violations, poor socioeconomic conditions, and the denial of political rights. These factors provide a fertile recruiting ground for terrorist groups on the lookout for angry, frustrated elements to join their ranks.
The centre cannot ignore Baloch voices anymore, especially those who condemn violence and want peace and genuine efforts for change. It is only by listening to and cooperating with the people of Balochistan that the terrorists can be eliminated.
Published in Dawn, August 27th, 2024
Editorial
DAWN
Published August 27, 2024
BAD news keeps coming from Balochistan. Since Sunday night, in a series of coordinated militant attacks across the province, over 70 people, including security personnel, the assailants and ordinary citizens, have lost their lives.
Starting with the execution-style killing of 23 travellers in Musakhail, the terrorists blew up a railway bridge in Bolan, set several vehicles on fire at a Levies station in Mastung, and gunned down 11 people in Kalat before raiding an FC camp in Bela. This has been the most widespread assault in years. The separatist terrorist outfit BLA has claimed responsibility, maintaining that it had seized control of a big portion of the FC camp and most highways.
ISPR asserted that the security forces and law-enforcement agencies responded immediately to these criminal attacks, especially in Musakhail, Kalat and Lasbela, and killed 21 terrorists in ensuing clearance operations. However, it also said that 10 security forces soldiers and four LEAs personnel were martyred during the operation.
These horrific attacks suggest that Baloch militants have intensified their violent campaign against the state and security forces. The army has vowed to bring the “instigators, perpetrators, facilitators and abettors of these heinous and cowardly acts to justice”.
Balochistan has been in turmoil for many decades. The last two decades, especially following the killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti in an army operation, have seen the emergence of several armed secessionist groups. Strong evidence is said to link some of them to India and other neighbouring countries, who are opposed to the idea of a secure Pakistan.
These groups have targeted security forces, public installations, Chinese interests, unarmed Punjabi workers in Balochistan, and politicians who, as opposed to the militants, believe in a democratic struggle for the political and economic rights of the Baloch. Their violent acts and the killing of innocent people must be strongly condemned. The intensity of these attacks should put the whole country, especially its military and political guardians, on alert.
That said, although kinetic action against those who target the province so mercilessly is necessary, the civil and security leadership must look deeper into the Balochistan question and identify the factors that have intensified the tension between the Baloch and the state. The reasons behind this wave of disaffection that have led young middle-class men and women to protest are well-known; they pertain to human rights violations, poor socioeconomic conditions, and the denial of political rights. These factors provide a fertile recruiting ground for terrorist groups on the lookout for angry, frustrated elements to join their ranks.
The centre cannot ignore Baloch voices anymore, especially those who condemn violence and want peace and genuine efforts for change. It is only by listening to and cooperating with the people of Balochistan that the terrorists can be eliminated.
Published in Dawn, August 27th, 2024
Balochistan plunges deeper into militancy vortex
Saleem Shahid 
• 14 soldiers, police martyred while responding to terrorist attacks
• Dozens of vehicles torched; railway bridge, tracks blown up; BLA claims responsibility
• CM Bugti rules out talks, vows to crush militancy; Naqvi promises ‘tit-for-tat response’, political solution
QUETTA: At least 50 people, including 14 security men, lost their lives in different parts of restive Balochistan as dozens of militants affiliated with the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) — a separatist outfit — went on a rampage across the province, storming police stations, blowing up railway tracks, and setting fire to almost three dozen vehicles.
In subsequent operations, the armed forces’ media wing said 21 militants were neutralised by the security forces as Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi vowed to crush terrorism in the province.
In the latest flare of violence, the militants launched numerous attacks on Sunday midnight, targeting security personnel as well as civilians, particularly those hailing from Punjab.
They attacked police stations, a paramilitary camp in Bela, Levies stations, and blocked key roads, including Coastal Highway.
In Musakhail, a district on the border with Punjab, the militants shot dead 23 people after checking their identity documents.
“We found 23 bullet-riddled bodies lying by a roadside,” Ayub Achakzai, Musakhail SSP told Dawn. He added that among the dead bodies, a person who was shot in the legs was rescued.
Besides passengers, the victims included truck drivers who were on their way to Punjab via the Loralai-Dera Ghazi Khan Highway.
The trucks loaded with coal and fruits were set on fire by the militants.
“As many as 35 trucks, passenger vehicles, pick-ups and other vehicles were set on fire on the highway near Rara Sham,” SSP Achakzai said.
Musakhail Assistant Commissioner Mujeeb Kakar said about 35 to 40 assailants armed with automatic weapons intercepted dozens of vehicles and pulled 23 travellers from buses before shooting them dead on the basis of their ethnic identity.
In Khadkocha, a group of militants after blocking the highway stormed the local police station and took Levies officials hostage for several hours. They managed to escape after security forces arrived at the scene but not before setting the premises on fire.
In Kalat, militants attacked a Levies station, two hotels, and the residence of a tribal elder besides setting alight a toll plaza on the national highway.
In the exchange of fire, 11 people, including four Levies officials and a police sub-inspector, lost their lives whereas nine people, including Kalat Assistant Commissioner Aftab Lasi, were injured.
In Bolan’s Kolpur area, six bodies were recovered. Security officials believed they were also shot dead by militants.
Published August 27, 2024
DAWN
A MAN mourns the death of his father, who lost his life in one of the attacks, at a hospital in Quetta, on Monday.—AFP
• 23 identified as passengers from Punjab executed in Musakhail; 6 bodies found in Bolan; 7 killed in Kalat
• 23 identified as passengers from Punjab executed in Musakhail; 6 bodies found in Bolan; 7 killed in Kalat
• 14 soldiers, police martyred while responding to terrorist attacks
• Dozens of vehicles torched; railway bridge, tracks blown up; BLA claims responsibility
• Militants storm paramilitary camp in Bela; ISPR says ‘21 terrorists’ killed in operations
• CM Bugti rules out talks, vows to crush militancy; Naqvi promises ‘tit-for-tat response’, political solution
QUETTA: At least 50 people, including 14 security men, lost their lives in different parts of restive Balochistan as dozens of militants affiliated with the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) — a separatist outfit — went on a rampage across the province, storming police stations, blowing up railway tracks, and setting fire to almost three dozen vehicles.
In subsequent operations, the armed forces’ media wing said 21 militants were neutralised by the security forces as Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi vowed to crush terrorism in the province.
In the latest flare of violence, the militants launched numerous attacks on Sunday midnight, targeting security personnel as well as civilians, particularly those hailing from Punjab.
They attacked police stations, a paramilitary camp in Bela, Levies stations, and blocked key roads, including Coastal Highway.
In Musakhail, a district on the border with Punjab, the militants shot dead 23 people after checking their identity documents.
“We found 23 bullet-riddled bodies lying by a roadside,” Ayub Achakzai, Musakhail SSP told Dawn. He added that among the dead bodies, a person who was shot in the legs was rescued.
Besides passengers, the victims included truck drivers who were on their way to Punjab via the Loralai-Dera Ghazi Khan Highway.
The trucks loaded with coal and fruits were set on fire by the militants.
“As many as 35 trucks, passenger vehicles, pick-ups and other vehicles were set on fire on the highway near Rara Sham,” SSP Achakzai said.
Musakhail Assistant Commissioner Mujeeb Kakar said about 35 to 40 assailants armed with automatic weapons intercepted dozens of vehicles and pulled 23 travellers from buses before shooting them dead on the basis of their ethnic identity.
In Khadkocha, a group of militants after blocking the highway stormed the local police station and took Levies officials hostage for several hours. They managed to escape after security forces arrived at the scene but not before setting the premises on fire.
In Kalat, militants attacked a Levies station, two hotels, and the residence of a tribal elder besides setting alight a toll plaza on the national highway.
In the exchange of fire, 11 people, including four Levies officials and a police sub-inspector, lost their lives whereas nine people, including Kalat Assistant Commissioner Aftab Lasi, were injured.
In Bolan’s Kolpur area, six bodies were recovered. Security officials believed they were also shot dead by militants.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti addresses a press conference at CM House, on Monday.—PPI
In Lasbela, the militants stormed a camp of the Frontier Corps after ramming an explosive-laden vehicle into the main gate and entered the premises under the cover of heavy gunfire.
Similarly, militants blocked several highways in Mastung, Kalat, Bela, Turbat, and Panjgur in addition to the all-important Coastal Highway, which connects Karachi with Gwadar. The militants blew up a railway bridge near Kolpur, cutting off Quetta from the rest of the country and another track near Mastung, disconnecting the rail link with Iran.
Subsequently, all passenger trains to Punjab, Karachi, Peshawar, and Chaman were cancelled while goods trains for Iran were also stopped.
‘14 martyred’
In a statement on Monday, the Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR) said “21 terrorists” were killed while 14 soldiers, including four law enforcers, embraced martyrdom.
“Security forces and law enforcement agencies immediately responded and successfully thwarted the evil design(s) of terrorists and sent twenty-one terrorists to hell in ensuing clearance operations, ensuring security and protection of local populace,” the ISPR said. “However, during the conduct of operations, fourteen brave sons of the soil, including ten security forces soldiers, and four personnel of law enforcement agencies, having fought gallantly, made the ultimate sacrifice and embraced shahadat.” The military’s media wing said sanitisation operations were being conducted and the instigators, perpetrators, facilitators, and abettors of these heinous and cowardly acts, targeting innocent civilians, would be brought to justice.
Meanwhile, the banned BLA claimed responsibility for the attacks. In a statement, the banned outfit said the Majeed brigade carried out the attacks and two suicide bombers, including a female attacker, targeted the FC camp in Bela.
The pictures of the bombers were released on its social media site and they were identified as Mahal Baloch alias Zalan Kurd, a resident of Gwadar district, and Rizwan Baloch alias Hammal, also a resident of Gwadar.
Bugti, Naqvi denounce attacks
CM Bugti condemned the incident and expressed heartfelt sympathy and condolences to the families of those who died in the attacks.
“The terrorists and their facilitators will not be able to escape an exemplary end,” he said in a statement. The Balochistan government will pursue these terrorists, he added.
Meanwhile, in a press conference at the CM Secretariat, Sarfraz Bugti claimed the militants used 4G internet to spread their message and suggested that there should be a debate in the provincial assembly on the matter. He said family members of BLA chief Bashir Zeb were government employees and it was now time for them to decide if they were with the state or the separatists.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, through a statement posted by his ministry of ‘X’, formerly Twitter, vowed to “bring forward the facts along with evidence after investigations” into the attacks.
“These destructive incidents are a conspiracy to create instability in Pakistan. The enemy wants to create anarchy in the country under a plan,” Mr Naqvi claimed.
Vowing to take “every possible step” to restore law and order in Balochistan, the minister asserted: “The terrorists and their enablers will not be able to find a place to hide.”
“If someone thinks that by such cowardly acts, they can defeat the nation’s unwavering determination, they are mistaken,” he said.
Separately, the interior minister told reporters in Lahore that the decision to launch the Azm-i-Istehkam operation in Balochistan was a tricky matter, but added that the political leadership would decide in a few days. He said that a tit-for-tat response would be given to terrorists, besides seeking a political solution, APP added.
Published in Dawn, August 27th, 2024
In Lasbela, the militants stormed a camp of the Frontier Corps after ramming an explosive-laden vehicle into the main gate and entered the premises under the cover of heavy gunfire.
Similarly, militants blocked several highways in Mastung, Kalat, Bela, Turbat, and Panjgur in addition to the all-important Coastal Highway, which connects Karachi with Gwadar. The militants blew up a railway bridge near Kolpur, cutting off Quetta from the rest of the country and another track near Mastung, disconnecting the rail link with Iran.
Subsequently, all passenger trains to Punjab, Karachi, Peshawar, and Chaman were cancelled while goods trains for Iran were also stopped.
‘14 martyred’
In a statement on Monday, the Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR) said “21 terrorists” were killed while 14 soldiers, including four law enforcers, embraced martyrdom.
“Security forces and law enforcement agencies immediately responded and successfully thwarted the evil design(s) of terrorists and sent twenty-one terrorists to hell in ensuing clearance operations, ensuring security and protection of local populace,” the ISPR said. “However, during the conduct of operations, fourteen brave sons of the soil, including ten security forces soldiers, and four personnel of law enforcement agencies, having fought gallantly, made the ultimate sacrifice and embraced shahadat.” The military’s media wing said sanitisation operations were being conducted and the instigators, perpetrators, facilitators, and abettors of these heinous and cowardly acts, targeting innocent civilians, would be brought to justice.
Meanwhile, the banned BLA claimed responsibility for the attacks. In a statement, the banned outfit said the Majeed brigade carried out the attacks and two suicide bombers, including a female attacker, targeted the FC camp in Bela.
The pictures of the bombers were released on its social media site and they were identified as Mahal Baloch alias Zalan Kurd, a resident of Gwadar district, and Rizwan Baloch alias Hammal, also a resident of Gwadar.
Bugti, Naqvi denounce attacks
CM Bugti condemned the incident and expressed heartfelt sympathy and condolences to the families of those who died in the attacks.
“The terrorists and their facilitators will not be able to escape an exemplary end,” he said in a statement. The Balochistan government will pursue these terrorists, he added.
Meanwhile, in a press conference at the CM Secretariat, Sarfraz Bugti claimed the militants used 4G internet to spread their message and suggested that there should be a debate in the provincial assembly on the matter. He said family members of BLA chief Bashir Zeb were government employees and it was now time for them to decide if they were with the state or the separatists.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, through a statement posted by his ministry of ‘X’, formerly Twitter, vowed to “bring forward the facts along with evidence after investigations” into the attacks.
“These destructive incidents are a conspiracy to create instability in Pakistan. The enemy wants to create anarchy in the country under a plan,” Mr Naqvi claimed.
Vowing to take “every possible step” to restore law and order in Balochistan, the minister asserted: “The terrorists and their enablers will not be able to find a place to hide.”
“If someone thinks that by such cowardly acts, they can defeat the nation’s unwavering determination, they are mistaken,” he said.
Separately, the interior minister told reporters in Lahore that the decision to launch the Azm-i-Istehkam operation in Balochistan was a tricky matter, but added that the political leadership would decide in a few days. He said that a tit-for-tat response would be given to terrorists, besides seeking a political solution, APP added.
Published in Dawn, August 27th, 2024
Quest for justice
Published August 24, 2024
DAWN
THERE comes a time in the life of nations when citizens start to feel that the social contract between them and the state is on the verge of collapse. What holds them together is the national purpose, postulated through constitutional frameworks and based on the rule of law, justice and equity.
I feel very despondent and disappointed after a recent visit to Balochistan where the state seems to have lost its narrative of national cohesion due to the follies of those who wield actual power in the province. The sense of despair is so palpable that one starts to lose hope in a peaceful and prosperous future for this land of great promise.
As a police officer, I served in Balochistan for almost five years as superintendent/ senior superintendent in the early 1980s, and as inspector general in 2007. Both tenures were under the military eras of Gen Ziaul Haq and Gen Pervez Musharraf. In fact, Balochistan has mostly been under direct or indirect, but overt, military rule. The early 1980s witnessed the post-1970s Bhutto-era counter-insurgency development phase as well as the post-1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The gun culture prevailed. The state was fully involved in promoting jihad as an instrument of proxy war between the US and Soviet Union.
Every other day in Quetta, there were bomb blasts and acts of sabotage against state institutions. The police bore the brunt as the front-line law-enforcement agency. My nights were spent on city roads trying to enhance police vigilance against saboteurs and some criminal elements amongst the Afghan refugees. New colonies like Pashtunabad were established by refugees who could not be confined to camps on the Afghan border areas of Pishin and Quetta districts. Additionally, the theocratic revolution in Iran in 1979 added another law-and-order dimension to the Shia-Sunni sectarian violence — another proxy war at our doorstep.
Such multidimensional challenges were faced by the then-military government through good governance and the infusion of massive development funds through the state machinery in the shape of the bureaucracy and security services, including the police, FC and army. Gen Rahimuddin was a tough governor and hard taskmaster. He ensured that civil service and police officers were posted on merit.
The lesson was this: respect the Baloch and trust the Pathan; they’ll never stab you in the back.
We served under three outstanding chief secretaries Sheikh Jamil Ahmed, Saleem Abbas Jilani and Savak Rustam Poonegar, and three outstanding IGs Dilshad Najmuddin, Syed Saadat Ali Shah and Kamer Alam. They ensured that the best officers were posted as deputy commissioners/ commissioners and district SPs/ DIGs. The cream of the DMG and PSP were called in from Punjab, Sindh and NWFP (KP) and posted to field assignments for top-class service delivery and effective law enforcement.
I spent four years from 1982 to 1985 in Balochistan as additional SP Quetta, SP Sibi (including Kachhi, Dera Bugti, Kohlu and Kahan) and SSP Quetta. We served with a sense of pride in a province that was recovering after a military operation and political turmoil. The people and tribal elders gave us respect and we cherished our time spent in remote regions. We were far away from home but never felt unwelcome in the lands of the proud Baloch and Pakhtuns. The lesson we learnt and propagated to those in the corridors of power in Islamabad and Rawalpindi was this: give respect to the Baloch and trust the Pathan; they will never stab you in the back.
Balochistan in the first decade of the 21st century was in the even more severe grip of our military establishment under Musharraf. The West’s ill-conceived war on terror resulted in militancy, violence and mayhem, particularly near the Pak-Afghan border, and generally across Pakistan, with Karachi becoming a haven for militant groups.
Balochistan faced another phase of insurgency that intensified with the killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti near Kohlu on Aug 26, 2006. Prior to that, the issue of enforced disappearances had created discontent. Dr Allah Nazar, a Baloch student leader from Turbat and a gold medallist from Bolan Medical College Quetta, was picked up from Karachi in 2005. His brother was killed in illegal custody. He became a dissident and formed the Baloch Liberation Front, launching attacks against state institutions from near Turbat on the Pak-Iran border. This is when the leadership of Baloch dissidents passed on from sardars like the Marris, Mengals and Bugtis to the lower-middle- and middle-class youth.
The policy of persecution has led another young doctor Mahrang Baloch of Kalat to capture the imagination of the Baloch youth. Her struggle started when her father was found murdered two years after his enforced disappearance. The active participation of women is a unique feature of the movement. It is a radical departure from the Baloch culture and has pitted women (symbols of honour and the custodians of homes and hearths) directly against the state.
The matter is no longer in the hands of the Baloch nationalist political parties that have become irrelevant. This is the direct result of the massive rigging carried out by the deep state in the Feb 8 national elections. The people of Balochistan are angry at the blatant misuse of authority and corruption by those who conducted the polls. We are witnessing the erosion of the state’s writ.
As a patriot, I beseech the power brokers to pay heed to the alarming situation in Balochistan. They must distinguish between the bullet and ballot. They must abandon their barrel-of-the-gun tunnel vision and open all channels of communication with Balochistan’s disgruntled youth.
To avoid a total meltdown, immediate course correction is needed. The results of the fraudulent Feb 8 polls must be scrapped, and new fair and free elections held under an impartial ECP. Let power be transferred to the genuine representatives. A caretaker government comprising persons of known integrity and credibility must be set up to ensure good governance and impartiality. Above all, let us stop tinkering with the Constitution and laws. And those in position of authority should neither seek nor be given an extension in their tenures.
The writer is a former inspector general of police.
Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2024
THERE comes a time in the life of nations when citizens start to feel that the social contract between them and the state is on the verge of collapse. What holds them together is the national purpose, postulated through constitutional frameworks and based on the rule of law, justice and equity.
I feel very despondent and disappointed after a recent visit to Balochistan where the state seems to have lost its narrative of national cohesion due to the follies of those who wield actual power in the province. The sense of despair is so palpable that one starts to lose hope in a peaceful and prosperous future for this land of great promise.
As a police officer, I served in Balochistan for almost five years as superintendent/ senior superintendent in the early 1980s, and as inspector general in 2007. Both tenures were under the military eras of Gen Ziaul Haq and Gen Pervez Musharraf. In fact, Balochistan has mostly been under direct or indirect, but overt, military rule. The early 1980s witnessed the post-1970s Bhutto-era counter-insurgency development phase as well as the post-1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The gun culture prevailed. The state was fully involved in promoting jihad as an instrument of proxy war between the US and Soviet Union.
Every other day in Quetta, there were bomb blasts and acts of sabotage against state institutions. The police bore the brunt as the front-line law-enforcement agency. My nights were spent on city roads trying to enhance police vigilance against saboteurs and some criminal elements amongst the Afghan refugees. New colonies like Pashtunabad were established by refugees who could not be confined to camps on the Afghan border areas of Pishin and Quetta districts. Additionally, the theocratic revolution in Iran in 1979 added another law-and-order dimension to the Shia-Sunni sectarian violence — another proxy war at our doorstep.
Such multidimensional challenges were faced by the then-military government through good governance and the infusion of massive development funds through the state machinery in the shape of the bureaucracy and security services, including the police, FC and army. Gen Rahimuddin was a tough governor and hard taskmaster. He ensured that civil service and police officers were posted on merit.
The lesson was this: respect the Baloch and trust the Pathan; they’ll never stab you in the back.
We served under three outstanding chief secretaries Sheikh Jamil Ahmed, Saleem Abbas Jilani and Savak Rustam Poonegar, and three outstanding IGs Dilshad Najmuddin, Syed Saadat Ali Shah and Kamer Alam. They ensured that the best officers were posted as deputy commissioners/ commissioners and district SPs/ DIGs. The cream of the DMG and PSP were called in from Punjab, Sindh and NWFP (KP) and posted to field assignments for top-class service delivery and effective law enforcement.
I spent four years from 1982 to 1985 in Balochistan as additional SP Quetta, SP Sibi (including Kachhi, Dera Bugti, Kohlu and Kahan) and SSP Quetta. We served with a sense of pride in a province that was recovering after a military operation and political turmoil. The people and tribal elders gave us respect and we cherished our time spent in remote regions. We were far away from home but never felt unwelcome in the lands of the proud Baloch and Pakhtuns. The lesson we learnt and propagated to those in the corridors of power in Islamabad and Rawalpindi was this: give respect to the Baloch and trust the Pathan; they will never stab you in the back.
Balochistan in the first decade of the 21st century was in the even more severe grip of our military establishment under Musharraf. The West’s ill-conceived war on terror resulted in militancy, violence and mayhem, particularly near the Pak-Afghan border, and generally across Pakistan, with Karachi becoming a haven for militant groups.
Balochistan faced another phase of insurgency that intensified with the killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti near Kohlu on Aug 26, 2006. Prior to that, the issue of enforced disappearances had created discontent. Dr Allah Nazar, a Baloch student leader from Turbat and a gold medallist from Bolan Medical College Quetta, was picked up from Karachi in 2005. His brother was killed in illegal custody. He became a dissident and formed the Baloch Liberation Front, launching attacks against state institutions from near Turbat on the Pak-Iran border. This is when the leadership of Baloch dissidents passed on from sardars like the Marris, Mengals and Bugtis to the lower-middle- and middle-class youth.
The policy of persecution has led another young doctor Mahrang Baloch of Kalat to capture the imagination of the Baloch youth. Her struggle started when her father was found murdered two years after his enforced disappearance. The active participation of women is a unique feature of the movement. It is a radical departure from the Baloch culture and has pitted women (symbols of honour and the custodians of homes and hearths) directly against the state.
The matter is no longer in the hands of the Baloch nationalist political parties that have become irrelevant. This is the direct result of the massive rigging carried out by the deep state in the Feb 8 national elections. The people of Balochistan are angry at the blatant misuse of authority and corruption by those who conducted the polls. We are witnessing the erosion of the state’s writ.
As a patriot, I beseech the power brokers to pay heed to the alarming situation in Balochistan. They must distinguish between the bullet and ballot. They must abandon their barrel-of-the-gun tunnel vision and open all channels of communication with Balochistan’s disgruntled youth.
To avoid a total meltdown, immediate course correction is needed. The results of the fraudulent Feb 8 polls must be scrapped, and new fair and free elections held under an impartial ECP. Let power be transferred to the genuine representatives. A caretaker government comprising persons of known integrity and credibility must be set up to ensure good governance and impartiality. Above all, let us stop tinkering with the Constitution and laws. And those in position of authority should neither seek nor be given an extension in their tenures.
The writer is a former inspector general of police.
Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2024
No comments:
Post a Comment