Assassination of Zahid Askani Baloch: An attack on Balochistan’s enlightened ideas

Last week the Pakistani intelligence agencies shot dead Zahid Askani Baloch, the principal of ‘The OASIS School’ in port city of Gwadar Balochistan when he was driving to school. As soon as he arrived near the school the agencies opened fire on him, seven bullets pierced his body and he embraced martyrdom on the spot.

Zahid Askani Baloch was originally from Panjgur area of Balochistan, after completing his education in the US, he came back to Balochistan and founded the ‘OASIS Primary School System’ to promote quality education among Baloch youth.  He was not only the founder of this school but he was also performing the duties of a teacher and headmaster.  His mission was to provide high standard education to the new generation of Baloch nation. He soon succeeded in his mission and quality education school systems ‘OASIS’ become a well-known. Hundreds of Baloch students are studying in the institute and murder of Zahid Baloch at this juncture is not only a big loss for the ‘OASIS’ but it also an unbearable loss to entire Baloch nation. The Baloch pro-freedom nationalist groups blame the intelligence agencies of Pakistan and their hired criminal gangs for murder of Zahid Baloch.

The prime reason of Zahid Baloch’s murder was his liberal ideas and his practical steps for promoting education. Pakistani intelligence agencies have started a smear campaign against liberal educational institutions in Balochistan from past two years. They have closed down several educational institutions and wanted to open Madrasas (religious seminaries) instead but moderate educated people like Zahid Baloch are a big hurdle in their way. This aim [promoting quality education] of Zahid Baloch has become the cause of his death.  After his broad daylight murder there is an outrage in the entire Balochistan and in Gwadar thousands of students took to the streets in protest.

Baloch freedom movement is based on the foundations of liberal and secular values, and these values of Baloch people make them different from other nations in the region. The Pakistani intelligence agencies since long have been trying to undermine these foundations of Baloch national liberation struggle. The Pakistani intelligence agencies are implementing a nefarious mission, first they banned all liberal secular Baloch student organisations in Balochistan and deployed military in the universities to turn them into military garrisons. At present several schools in Balochistan are turned into military check points and Baloch students are forces to leave their education incomplete.

Moreover, the Pakistani intelligence agencies have started using fake names of religious organisations to attack private co-education schools under the pretext that boy and girl should not study together and that Western education (English) is haram or forbidden. Balochistan’s Panjgur area has become the prime target of Pakistan military backed criminal gangs and intelligence agencies where all educational institutes are closed down from past many months because of continuous attacks and threats. The intelligence agencies in name of so called ‘extremist organisations’ have also started walk-chalking against liberal ideas and co-education in Balochistan.

In Turbat, Balochistan they raided several private institutions including the Delta Centre and arrested several teachers before closing down the centres.  The attack on Atta Shad Degree College, confiscating extracurricular books of students and declaring them as terrorist literature and sealing off the students’ hostel were all parts of the bigger plan to ban education and push Balochistan back to stone-age. Now the anti Baloch education acts of state are being expanded to Gwadar and the murder of Zahid Baloch is continuation their anti-education agenda. It is pertinent to mention that DAAESH has accepted responsibility for killing Zahid Baloch but experts say that DAAESH practically does not exist in Balochistan. There has been no such incidents that resembles the pattern of DAAESH’s activities elsewhere that is why it is widely believed that Zahid Askani Baloch was killed by Pakistani intelligence agencies. They are [intelligence agencies] are using the name of DAAESH to give a false impression that people are being killed on religious bases so that the intelligence agencies and army get away with their crimes against humanity in Balochistan.

Previously Professor Razzaq Baloch was killed in Khuzdar Balochistan because he had founded Jahalawan Academy Khuzdar to promote modern, enlightened ideas and co-education system in Balochistan. He also held patriotic views which were not acceptable by Pakistani intelligence agencies. The intelligence agencies were directly involved in his assassination but the military backed extremist criminal gang Mullah Defa Tanzeem accepted responsibility for his murder.

Similarly Professor Saba Dashtiyari, Master Ali Jan, Master Safeer, Master Nazir, Master Hamid and several other Baloch educationists were target killed and several are still missing because of their enlightened ideas and for speaking up for the rights of Baloch people. It is to be noted that on one hand the intelligence agencies and army of Pakistan are killing highly educated intellectuals of Balochistan on the other hand Punjabi religious extremist organisations are not only given a free hand but they are also being supported with government funds to close down schools and set up Madrasas in every corner of Balochistan.  The so-called Baloch nationalist Pakistani puppet Chief Minister Dr Malik is seen as partners in these malicious expansions. It is understood that he was made the Chief Minister for such purposes.

The murder of Zahid Baloch by intelligence agencies is not only a loss for Baloch students but it is also a national tragedy and an attack on Baloch enlightened ideas. The Baloch pro-freedom forces believe that murder of Zahid Baloch and other progressive Baloch intellectuals is a matter of grave concern and they warned international community that Pakistan is the DAAESH/ISIS and Boko Haram of South Asia which is promoting religious intolerance and providing a safe sanctuary extremists for the expansion of its vested interests. Such acts are a threat to the world peace. The Baloch pro-freedom forces urged the International Community to play their role in supporting and strengthening the enlightened secular Baloch nation who have single-handedly challenged and stood against the expansionist ambitions of Pakistan from a long time.