The Patriotic Baloch Are Misguided People

By Sajjad Shaukat

When during the President Gen. Pervez Musharraf’s regime in March 2002, Pakistan initiated the construction of Gwadar deep-seaport in the Balochistan province with Chinese assistance, sirens went off in the capitals of some European countries, especially the US, India and Israel which took it as a threat to their global and regional plans.

Hence, India was openly opposing the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which is part of China’s One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative or BRI; the US also joined New Delhi.

The ink on Pak-China agreements related to the CPEC was barely dry when particularly American CIA, Indian secret agency RAW and Israeli Mossad had accelerated playing up the Baloch insurgency. Malicious propaganda against the CPEC coincided with the terror attacks in various regions of Pakistan, especially in Balochistan.

In fact, CPEC will prove to be a gateway to prosperity for both the countries as well as the region. Under the project, China is investing as much as $62 billion in various sectors in Pakistan in a phased manner.

Besides, energy projects, CPEC will open new doors of development relating to various fields, as the national economy of Pakistan will grow fast, leading to creation of new job opportunities, poverty reduction, and development of transportation sector (Also in Balochistan)—boost agricultural and industrial growth, including exports.          

Gwadar seaport project which is backbone of the CPEC will uplift the impoverished people of Balochistan, including developments in other backward areas of the province by redressing their grievances which the hostile elements, supported by the US, India and Israeli do not want.

While under the former army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s command, the fencing along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, which also entails Pak-Afghan border of Balochistan started in June 2017 by the Pakistan Army to improve the security situation and has been almost completed.

Army also contributed a lot in socio-economic development of Balochistan besides giving military training to the youth, while protecting mega-projects and the CPEC staff.

And country’s armed forces and primary intelligence agency ISI have successfully broken the backbone of the foreign-backed terrorists. Besides other vulnerable provinces, peace has been restored particularly in Balochistan.

But, in the recent past, terrorist attacks especially in Balochistan show that these external intelligence agencies are destabilising Pakistan and want to damage the CPEC.

It is noteworthy that RAW is also using some terrorist outfits such as ISIS and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) BNA etc.-their linked groups like Majeed Brigade which claimed responsibility for a number of terrorist assaults on workers and labourers, working for the CPEC projects in Balochistan. These terror entities also abducted and killed many Chinese nationals.

It is mentionable that state is not the enemy of the Baloshistan dissidents or sub-nationalists, as Islamabad has been rapidly bridging the misunderstandings and the state’s motherly role–building confidence amongst masses of Balochistan in order to bring them into the mainstream of the country.

Civil and military authorities are positively engaged with the youth by thwarting anti-Pakistan role of Hostile Intelligence Agencies (HIAs) which are sabotaging the hard earned peace and prosperity in Balochistan. Undoubtedly, the Baloch are patriotic and brave—misguided people who need guidance to realign to ground realities–so, peace in Balochistan is the real game changer. On the other side, Baloch sub-nationalist leadership is living abroad; there are much disparities in living standards of the leaders/commanders and a normal fighter. In these terms, integration and reconciliation with the Baloch people is very essential, as peace is the ultimate objective for a better and prosperous Balochistan and Pakistan.

It is of particular attention that the arrest of Gulzar Imam alias Shambay, a key terrorist-commander, founder and leader of the banned outfit Baloch National Army (BNA) on April 7, this year is a big blow to the terrorist outfits and their handlers in Balochistan. Imam’s arrest is also a big success for Pakistani intelligence agencies—Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs)—sequel to an excellent intelligence operation by ISI which captured this key person who was living under the wings of hostile foreign intelligence agencies.

In this context, the military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a statement on April 7, 2023 said: “The leader and founder of the banned Baloch National Army, Gulzar Imam alias Shambay, was arrested in a high-profile intelligence-based operation by the security forces…The high-value target has been a hardcore militant…leader of the Baloch National Army…which came into being after the amalgamation of Baloch Republican Army (BRA) and United Baloch Army (UBA).”

The ISPR statement elaborated: “The BNA has been responsible for dozens of violent terrorist attacks in Pakistan, including attacks on law enforcement agencies…installations in Panjgur and Noshki…Gulzar also remained as deputy to Brahamdagh Bugti in Baloch Republican Army till 2018 and was instrumental in the formation of Baloch Raji Aajoi Sangar (BRAS) and remained its operational head…His visits to Afghanistan and India are also on record; his linkages with Hostile Intelligence Agencies are being investigated…which tried to exploit Gulzar Imam to work against Pakistan and its national interests”.

ISPR further pointed out: “He was apprehended after an innovatively conceived, carefully planned and meticulously executed operation, spanned over months over various geographical locations…apprehension of a militant leader of this stature demonstrates the capability and resolve of LEAs to uproot the menace of terrorism” and “speaks volumes about the successes garnered through supreme sacrifices of unsung heroes”.

Nevertheless, these are the people who work for hostile agencies, misguiding local youth and using them against their own country.

Look at most Baloch terrorist leaders who are living abroad and enjoy luxury living in foreign countries—what is their business, how they afford their expenses and from where do they receive funds? These are the questions which need to be asked by young Baloch to all those militant groups which are misguiding them and asking to kill innocent people and security personnel in Balochistan just to fulfill hostile foreign agencies’ agenda.

Baloch should think for a while as a state can become an enemy for its citizen. The answer is NO…state is not the enemy of even of dissidents or Baloch sub-nationalists for whom general pardon was announced by the government, and many of these groups surrendered. However, there is distance—who created them between the Baloch and the state? This distance is created by misunderstanding and propaganda caused by hostile agencies and their agents.

Now, Pakistani government should move on to bridge the misunderstandings between the Baloch and build confidence amongst the masses of the province.

In this regard, government institutions should chalk out a strategy as how to bring back all dissidents—how to share the facts with the public about anti-Pakistan secret agencies, and how these agencies hire and misguide local youth of Balochistan.

For this purpose, social media and local Radio, including TV channels could play an important role to reach masses in every corner of the country and inform the locals about decade-long conspiracy against Pakistan.

But, it needs people who work wholeheartedly, reach masses in their language and share the facts with true information with them, ensuring that the state is not your enemy, and the state is like a mother and you must show unity, come forward, and let take our state to a shining stage.

Sajjad Shaukat writes on international affairs and is author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Relations

Email: sajjad_logic@yahoo.com