Has Pakistan conquered Balochistan?

By Jamal Nasir Baloch

On 26 August 2015 BBC Urdu broke the news that self-proclaimed Nawab of Bugti tribe and President of Baloch Republican Party Brahumdagh Bugti has announced that he is ready to withdraw the demand of an independent Balochistan. In his latest interview he also emphasised that he always wanted to negotiate with Pakistani establishment but they (establishment) were never serious to talk on Balochistan’s issue. Mr Bugti is the grandson of Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Bugti who was murdered by Pakistan military on 26 August 2006. After Nawab Akbar Bugti’s murder Brahumdagh took refuge in Afghanistan for several years and then moved to Switzerland in 2010 where he applied for political asylum. Brahumdagh Bugti’s approval of Pakistani colonization was welcomed by the Pakistani main stream media and the government also excitedly announced to form a committee to have negotiations with Mr Bugti.

However in the view of Baloch freedom activists he compromised the claim of Balochistan’s sovereignty as Balochistan was a free country which was forcibly annexed by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on 27 March 1948. Just after few hours, Pakistani news agencies broke another news also related to Balochistan that  ‘China has informed Pakistan about converting Rs. 23 billion loan for the Gwadar International Airport into a grant and making loan of Rs 13.5 billion for the Gwadar East Bay Expressway free from any interest’.

Gwadar is a coastal town in Balochistan, which has a strategic deep sea port called ‘Gwadar Port’. Small fishing port of Gwadar was modernized by the Chinese assistance during the government of General Pervez Musharraf. According to analysts, if China wants to be a global power than it is necessary for her to control the global oil routs. Gwadar port is a matter of life and death for the Chinese authoritarian state since without Gwadar she will not be able to control the String of Pearls. Pakistan Army has already militarized the Gwadar district by establishing several military cantonments, three naval bases and dozens of military check posts. These military infrastructures will facilitate Chinese expansionist ambition in the near future. Despite the heavy militarisation of the Gwadar district there have been several attacks by Baloch partisans against occupying forces in the coastal areas of Balochistan. Gwadar district is one of the most strategic area in the Afghan-Baloch region. Brahumdagh’s compromise and Chinese decision to change the loan into grant for Gwadar are two sides of the same coin.

Despite all media propaganda to portray the Baloch democratic struggle as a failed movement due to the compromise of some accidental politicians, the recent attack on strategic airport of Jiwani shocked the Pakistani colonizers. According to the CNN, six armed militants stormed Pakistan’s Jiwani Airport on Sunday (30 August) and killed an engineer. Baloch media outlets reported that more than two engineers were killed by partisans. Attack on Jiwani airport was claimed by the banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA). In spite of the Pakistani state’s claims of ending the Baloch insurgency, recent attacks on Pakistani military strategic installations show that Baloch partisans are capable of striking Pakistan army in the most sensitive areas of Balochistan. In 21^st century no nation can occupy another nation by force and it is almost certain that Pakistan cannot sustain its illegal occupation of Balochistan. Hence Pakistan must end its colonial policies toward Balochistan and peacefully withdraw from Baloch territory. Otherwise all the blames lies with Punjabi ethnocracy because they continue to illegally occupy Balochistan and any reaction violent or non-violent is a direct result of it.

Courtesy: https://struggleforthefuture.wordpress.com/2015/08/30/has-pakistan-conquered-balochistan/