Chakar Baloch knew the Effects of colonisation

By Chakar Ahmed Baloch

Chakar Baloch a wonderful and much-loved 10-year-old smiling child was busy in convincing his fellow friends about the Balochistan freedom movement and about the genocide of Baloch people since 1948 when Pakistan forcibly occupied their country – Balochistan.  Hardly, one expects it from a student of Level. A few know about how a war-affected society looks like being a witness of this from last 13 years, I recall how my society has morally changed. When human societies are separated into small groups, it spreads religious extremism, where knowledge speaks slower than the sound from the barrel of the gun, ignorance spreads. These are just a few examples”, let’s have a look at the condition of oppressed nations.

China which is believed to be the next world power by 2020 once was populated with drug addicted people under that old society many people were strung out on the pipe. There were millions of junkies in China – addicted to opium, morphine, and heroin. Half-starving labourers used the sweet opium dreams to cover the pain of hunger and hopelessness. And the lazy rich used drugs to fill up their empty hours. In some areas everyone even children smoked opium. In the cities, tiny bottles of drugs were sold on the street corners like ice cream. People got high on the job, but this was not only in China.

Algeria was a common example of having the side effect of oppression and slavery more are those who went to the prostitutes and enjoyed smoking opium rather than developing their nation and themselves in the hard times of French colonization and oppression. During the 18th century when Vietnam was a colony of French, it was famous for its cultivation of rice, but its peasant sleep with starving stomach, the rate of their production was 25 percent less than the landlord and wealthy men’s, and Peasants continually lost their land to the large owners because they were unable to repay loans given to them by the landlords and other moneylenders at exorbitant interest rates, and all these upper-class members were the collaborator of French establishment.  But, the world does not lack examples of people who were downtrodden by the more powerful states and nations, during Batista rule in Cuba seems to be a country of ill-fated humans, Havana used to a place for American and international tourist who came for fun and leisure, this city was shining with beautiful lights, casino, bars, and restaurant were full with the Outlander, one could hardly see a Cuban in these places.

These were the few examples Chakar use to give his teenage friends to convince them to join the freedom struggle. It’s hard to figure out from where Chakar had learned these lessons, but he was worried about his future and future of his countrymen. He believed that nobody else could regain his freedom other than him and his fellows. He was too small but he always carried a copy of Daily Tawar Newspaper and would ask someone to read it for him so he would know about the war crimes that the Pakistani army was committing in the valleys, cities, and mountains of Balochistan.

Still, in the night when Chakar’s patriot father set on the dining table. His stories would start with barbaric acts of Pakistani and Iranian establishment in different parts of Balochistan. Chakar would imagine his fellow countrymen being tortured and their mutilated bodies were dumped in different parts of Balochistan. He would picture in his mind the mutilated dead bodies of Baloch activists that their families could hardly recognise their loved ones. Often Chakar ponders upon the Pakistani forces chemical bombardment on Kohlu and in different parts of Balochistan in which thousands of children and toddlers were killed including their family members. Ahh, but how could he forget the black day when a number of Cobra helicopters showered bullets on the home of Mir Sahu, in the mountains of Mashkay, killing 14 people most of which were women and children.

As he walked towards the Market of Turbat, he could see a number of young children sitting in the corner of a street smoking opium and heroin provided free or on a little amount by the state-sponsored drug dealers. A little further he witnessed abduction of a Baloch youth by Pakistani security forces in the rush hour.  He closed his eyes in fear that he might also be picked up and killed like others. While moving back towards his home, that little kid is well aware of Dr Franz fanon literature, first, he had heard of it in the study circles of BSO-Azad, later with the passage of time he became a fan of his writing and his struggle during Algerian war for freedom.

Chakar’s elder brothers and I still remember the first day of our school, after the seconds of our conversation we were asked ‘which sect of religion we belong to?’ and before the third questions begin, the class was divided into two groups of religion, not of students, the teacher themselves who belongs to non-Baloch ethnic group, start sowing the seeds of hatred in their student’s heart. So that we could remain mentally disable and live and die as slaves.

How can he forget that his 70 years old father survived from Pakistani government-sponsored death squad firing, his teenage cousin Sana Ullah 16-year-old who was abducted by the intelligence agencies in district Panjgur who is still missing?  He never asked his father why they had left their hometown and migrated to Turbat with no resources for the living. He had never asked his parents why my activist elder brother is in hiding in his friends and relative homes because he knew all of the answers by himself.

It was on 7th of January 2013, a shiny and cold day in Turbat city, Chakar went in the local market for purchasing some ration for his home but Chakar wasn’t aware that this day will be a day of a lifelong grief for his family. At that day Pakistan army raided on Turbat bazaar and abducted little Chakar Baloch and some other teenager. Not long after, on 10th of January, a shepherd called the police about a mutilated body of a child dumped on the outskirts of Kech. He had several bullets marks and torture marks on his body, which were later confirmed by the Doctors in the post-mortem report. His fate has been no different from his other countrymen, friends and relatives.

I wish Chakar could survive and became a part of this movement, who could lead his nation and struggle for human dignity and national freedom.

But the story doesn’t end here until and unless the global power takes action against the brutalities and slow genocide of the Baloch nation by the Pakistani and Iranian state, the mayhem in Baloch houses and massacre of the Baloch nation will continue.  The Baloch in villages and mountain have witnessed that the bombs and bullets that rain on them are actually provided to Pakistan by U.S.A. and rest of the West to eliminate Taliban and al-Qaeda but Pakistani state’s only target has been to eliminate Baloch population and take over Baloch land. Baloch on the international level has been telling that world that their aid is being used to kill Baloch children but knowingly each and everything the West and international media has put a veil on their eyes with a criminal silence.

As our Chakars and thousands of others continue to suffer and die amidst the shameful silence of the world, we keep walking towards of our destination – Azad Balochistan.

The writer is a Baloch political and Human Rights activist associated with Free Balochistan Movement.