SARFRAZ Bungulzai, the commander of the Baloch National Army (BNA), has surrendered with 70 militants. He realized that Indian-sponsored terrorism has led to Baloch deaths and extensive destruction in Balochistan. It’s encouraging that militants are acknowledging that violence cannot address the grievances of Balochistan. Instead, they should engage in the democratic process within the province to resolve the issues affecting the Baloch masses.
Earlier, another BNA commander, Gulzar Imam Shambay, had also implicated India for the militancy in the province. The arrest of the serving commander of the Indian Navy, Kulbhoshan Jadhav, in Balochistan in 2016 and his confessions of funding and supporting terrorist acts against the Baloch population have unequivocally proven that dissident movements have foreign origins, with India’s RAW involved at the operational level.
Indian leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, have repeatedly stated that fomenting unrest in Balochistan is a pivotal part of the offensive strategy against Pakistan. Therefore, the subversive propaganda of anarchists in Balochistan has Indian markings on it; web resources are hosted on servers in India; militant leaders show an inclination towards India in their statements; and they often appear on Indian media to level allegations against Pakistan. Moreover, some Baloch dissident leaders have been found traveling on Indian passports, and reportedly, Brahamdagh Bugti had also submitted a formal request for Indian citizenship. Furthermore, they are also found meeting with Indian diplomats, which shows how deeply foreign elements are involved in dissident movements. It proves these dissident leaders are stooges of India.
The Baloch dissident leaders, perceived as bourgeoisie, manipulate Balochistan’s economy, mistreating the masses and keeping them impoverished. They obstruct crucial development through attacks on labor-intensive construction projects, depriving locals of livelihoods. Their opposition to beneficial public projects and militant attacks further degrade civic facilities, worsening Balochistan’s underdevelopment. This suppresses the working class, exemplified by frequent killings of laborers, perpetuating backwardness in the community.
The major worry of these bourgeoisie is the rapid economic uplift of Balochistan due to the CPEC. They are certain that it would liberate Baloch youths from financial deprivation; therefore, they are conducting intensive propaganda against China. Moreover, some hostile foreign elements are also showing strong opposition to CPEC and Baloch militants are targeting Chinese people working on mega-projects at their behest. However, Pakistan and China are committed to completing CPEC projects in Balochistan. Despite hostile foreign opposition and an Indian-funded low-intensity insurgency, most of the projects have already been completed. It shows a strong resolve to defeat the nefarious designs of dissident leaders.
Terrorism is unacceptable everywhere in the world, as it is an inherently anti-people tactic of fear and intimidation, completely unacceptable for a rational, peaceful mind. Therefore, the international community has developed a consensus to bring terrorists to justice around the world, and the UN has passed many resolutions in this regard. However, quite strangely, Baloch dissident leaders, responsible for heinous terrorist attacks against the general masses in Balochistan, have gotten asylum in various countries. In this regard, Pakistan has shared dossiers containing proof of Indian involvement in terrorism in Balochistan with the UN and international community. The people of Pakistan expect them to take appropriate action against India and assist Pakistan in bringing terrorists to justice.
Against this backdrop, it should be a positive omen for Baloch youths that after many sacrifices, security forces have neutralized most of the networks of militants in Balochistan, and the marginalized Baloch groups could only perpetrate low-intensity attacks. These groups have become a matter of law enforcement as previous military operations have already degraded them, and they are highly unlikely to make any major disruptive impact on the ground. The heinous exploitation of female suicide bombers by the BLA indicates that militants’ capacity to attract more men for recruitment has been degraded. It demonstrates that the youth of Balochistan are becoming increasingly aware, and they do not support dissident leaders for their foreign ties and Indian sponsorship.
Baloch dissident leaders have been exposed for their self-contradictory propaganda campaign on social media, proving their malicious and deceptive nature. They are found glorifying terrorist outfits like the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), supporting inhuman and criminal exploitation of Shari Baloch and Sumaiya Baloch for suicide attacks, and on the other hand, they generate fake stories of the enforced disappearances of Baloch students. These facts should be enough to open the eyes of Baloch youth to recognize their true enemies. The rationality requires that Baloch youths should reject those militant leaders who show an inclination towards India in their public statements, and they often appear on Indian media to level allegations against Pakistan. Finally, the rule of law requires that lawbreakers must face due process of law and people must help the law enforcement agencies in arresting and punishing the perpetrators of terrorism in Balochistan.
—The writer is MPhil international Relations from Quaid-i-Azam University, the writer is a freelance contributor on the issues of violent extremism and militancy.
views expressed are writer’s own.
