Truth About Balochistan’s Missing Persons

By Sajjad Shaukat

A three-member bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP), comprising the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa heard a set of petitions against missing persons on January 24, this year. During the hearing, Chief Justice Isa said the SCP wanted to solve the problem of missing persons and enforced disappearances once for all.

The CJP inquired about the commission of inquiry—the lawyer Shoaib Shaheen read out a notification issued by the PPP in 2011, and argued the commission had failed to adequately function and fulfil its responsibilities.

CJP Qazi Isa remarked” “We cannot grant you the permission to make the matter political…I am surprised that there was a sit-in in Islamabad, but there was no mention of it in the petition”.

Baloch protesters, who have been camping outside the National Press Club for over a week, had on December 28, 2023 given the government “a seven-day ultimatum to fulfil their demands which also include elimination of “state-sponsored death squads”.

Meanwhile, caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar had stated: “We still respect their right to protest because their dear and near ones disappeared. But, they should also know that they [militants] were fighting against the state in Balochistan province, with the funding of RAW. It is an armed rebellion, with foreign help.”

According to the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons, there are more than 7,000 missing persons from Balochistan. However, the commission of inquiry pointed out there are just 454 active cases from Balochistan as of October 2023.

Recently, PM Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar pointed out: “There are only 50 cases of enforced disappearances in Balochistan as per the U.N.’s working group.” Kakar has previously suggested that the numbers are “exaggerated”.

In fact, a majority of the missing persons have been killed in bomb blasts, target killings, ethnic and sectarian violence in various places of Pakistan, arranged by American CIA, Indian RAW and Israeli Mossad and their supported militants outfits, particularly Afghanistan based Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). In case of Balochistan, everyone knows that Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and another group, Jundollah (God’s soldiers) which have been fighting for secession of the province get logistic support from CIA and RAW. Their militants kidnapped and killed many innocent people and the security personnel in the province, while claiming responsibility. And since 2001, a majority of Pakistanis also left for Afghanistan for Jihad purposes, without informing their families, while many people joined the Jihadi groups.

Last year, during a raid conducted by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of Sukkur arrested a suspected terrorist identified as Ghaffar Domkey associated with the banned outfit-BLA.

While the security forces confirmed in their statements on June 18, 2023: “In a successful intelligence-based operation on the night of June 16th and 17, they killed most wanted TTP terrorist commander Zafar Khan alias Zafari and two of his group members in Darra Adam Khel, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa”.

Earlier, the arrest of the top Balochistan separatist leader Gulzar Imam alias Shambay-the founder of the banned outfit Baloch National Army (BNA) was a big setback to the terrorist groups and their handlers in Balochistan. Imam’s arrest was also a big success for Pakistani intelligence agencies—Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs)—sequel to an excellent intelligence operation by the country’s primary intelligence agency ISI which captured him who was living under the wings of hostile external intelligence agencies.

Addressing the media on May 13, 2023, Shambay urged all insurgents operating in Balochistan to surrender and adopt a peaceful life. He rejected all sorts of armed struggles as well as foreign support to the militants.

It is notable India was openly opposing the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) CPEC which is part of China’s OBOR or BRI; the US also joined New Delhi.

Gwadar seaport project which is backbone of the CPEC will uplift the impoverished people of Balochistan as well as 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.

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

Pakistan’s Armed Forces displayed unbelievable progress through the various military operations—Zarb-e-Azb and Radd-ul-Fasaad which started against the militants in North Waziristan Agency and afterwards extended to other tribal areas, have almost achieved their objectives.

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

Besides, setting aside Islamabad’s efforts in relation to Doha agreement and aid to Afghanistan, the interim Afghan government failed in stopping cross-border terror attacks in Pakistan.

In this context, in a news release, military’s media wing Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) revealed that the security forces on December 12, 2023 killed twenty-seven terrorists in various intelligence-based operations, conducted to contain the increased activities of terrorists in Dera Ismail Khan District, while successfully thwarting insurgents’ attacks at a military post in Daraban area—twenty three brave soldiers embraced Shahadat (Martyrdom).

The Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan (TJP), a terrorist outfit affiliated with the TTP, which emerged on the scene in February this year, took responsibility for the Dera Ismail Khan attack.

Hours after the assault, the foreign secretary called in the chargé d’affaires of the interim Afghan government to deliver Pakistan’s strong demarche—to fully investigate and take stern action against perpetrators of the recent attack, demanding, verifiable actions against all terrorist groups and their sanctuaries; apprehend and handover the perpetrators of the attack and the TTP leadership in Afghanistan to the Government of Pakistan etc.

It is mentionable that in November 2020 at a joint press conference and a joint press briefing, the then DG of ISPR Major-General Babar Iftikhar and the ex-Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had unveiled a dossier containing “irrefutable evidence” of India’s sponsorship of terrorism in Pakistan.

Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UN Munir Akram handed over the dossier to the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

In its 27th report, dated February 3, 2021 and the 28th report, published in the recent past, the UN Security Council’s monitoring team for tracking terrorist groups confirmed Pakistan’s dossier. The reports focused on the global threat posed by Al-Qaeda, Daesh and their linked groups—drew attention to the increasing cross-border terrorist threat to Pakistan from TTP, operating from Afghan soil. In its new report on May 28, 2022, it once again highlighted the threat by the TTP which has conducted numerous deadly “cross-border” attacks and operations in Pakistan.

No doubt, Pakistan’s law-enforcing agencies and intelligence organizations which are well-prepared in coping with terrorism are engaged locating the terrorist networks and their support-bases, including informers and accomplices, but were discouraged as their actions were being challenged through courts of law.

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

Email: sajjad_logic@yahoo.com