By Archen Baloch 07/07/2011
Let
us put our efforts together to forge a new pact
under a single agenda which should be acceptable
to all Baloch parties that believe in liberation
of Balochistan. A strong, disciplined and united
agenda is needed to advance the Baloch national
liberation struggle and to complete the mission
of fallen heroes of Liberation movement. The
Baloch National Movement is at this critical and
pivotal juncture cannot afford deception and
double standards of Baloch parties that in
reality are siding with the state and silence on
state’s atrocities in Balochistan. They should
mince their ways if they want to win the hearts
and mind of Baloch masses.
- It is a bitter fact that some people
from BNP (Mengal) and (Awami) do not get
tired chanting the slogan of Unity but they
failed to explain unity for what and on what
basis? It seems they need a temporary unity
in a bid to fool the Baloch Nation once
again and reach to the comfortable and
air-conditioned rooms of Islamabad by
winning the next elections. Among the two
BNPs, the BNP (Mengal) seem to have
succeeded in creating rifts in the unity of
Baloch pro-independence political parties,
the BNF (Baloch National Front). Baloch
National Front is an alliance of eight or so
political and social organizations; its
primary objective is to re-gain
Balochistan’s sovereigntyand Independence
from occupying forces. The parties
affiliated with the BNF agree on the
following common points.
- 1:
- To struggle for the liberation of Baloch
people and against the illegal occupation of
Balochistan
- 2:
- To regain Independence use all options
and means of struggle except the occupying
state (Pakistan’s) parliamentarian system
- 3:
- To unequivocally support the Sarmachars,
the freedom fighters, in defending Baloch
land, honor, National Identity and achieving
the ultimate of establishing a free,
democratic and united Baloch state.
So far the BNF has avoided responding to the
demand of unity with the Parties that are
engaged in Pakistani Politics for obvious
reasons. They are of the view that the Front
cannot inter into any sort of unity with
pro-Pakistan parties without a clear stand, in
other words before chanting slogans of unity
these parties must spell it out loud and clear
that Balochistan and Pakistan are two different
Nations and that the later has occupied the
first at gunpoint violating all International
laws.
Much of the statements about unity coming
from these pro-Pakistan parties are often
confusing, vague and contradictory. They mix-up
the term self-determination and provincial
autonomy and at time they say self-determination
is equivalent to Independence. However, more
often they speak about self-determination in the
context of autonomy. This was also confirmed by
HRCP in the freshly release findings about
Balochistan issue. It is generally believed in
Balochistan that they’re just sugar coating
their ambiguous terms with word ‘UNITY’.
BNF, besides the armed struggle in self-defense,
welcomes all other form of struggle that
disrupts the Pakistani state’s illegal
occupation over Baloch land whereas BNP and
other pro-establishment parties refrain from
doing so because they still intend to join the
race for elections and might have the
opportunity to maintain Pakistani state writ on
Baloch land once they are in power. Baloch
political society is not so polarized as
compared to other nations in the neighborhood;
we have three major political organizations,
i.e. Baloch National Front, Baloch Republican
Party and Balochistan National Party (Mengal),
among these parties BNF and BRP support outright
Independence, BNP (Mengal) is sitting on the
fence and waiting for the opportunity to jump
either side that suits them. There is also a
small party; it is widely believed that it is an
ISI creation called NP (National Party). It is
openly against the Independence of Balochistan
perhaps that is why they are hesitant to put the
word ‘BALOCH’ before their party’s name.
However, BNP (Mengal) has also recently taken
some anti Baloch steps by burning Daily Tawar,
giving statements against Baloch freedom
fighters and appreciating the breakup of BNF.
BNF believes that the BNPs and the NP have
compromised the secular identity of Baloch
national struggle for freedom and the natural
resources with Pakistani state. The
parliamentary character of Baloch politics
delivered nothing except corruption and losses
of national pride and it is a form of deviation
from Baloch national ideology. The sham gothic
character of Pakistani democracy is nothing
except a smokescreen of Punjabi military design
to serve Punjab’s economic interests and appease
the whim of fanatic mullah for power.
The secular Baloch national movement has now
earned the confidence of international
community. Atmosphere for freedom movement has
never been as conducive as it is today.
International Community, Media and Human Rights
organizations to some extent have started to
take up Balochistan’s issue. Writing this
paragraph in praise of International Community
by no mean I am suggesting that they are
fulfilling their International and Humanitarian
obligations but they must understand that
Balochistan issue is of great interest and grave
concern; they cannot and must not ignore
Balochistan issue any longer if they want peace
and stability in that region. It is time the
International Community and Western democracies
have recognized Balochistan as an occupied
country and started assisting Baloch in their
struggle to regain Independence.
Independent observers believe the secular Baloch
freedom movement has ripped through every
outdated Tribal and fanatic Religious barrier
erected by Pakistan in Baloch society to
constrain Baloch freedom movement. From Mand to
Kohlu’s mountains, Baloch Sarmachars, the
freedom fighters, are engaged in sure-footed
guerilla warfare against Pakistani occupying
forces and are adamant to drive them out of
Baloch land. Balochistan National Party,
the advocate of the right to self-determination
slogan, has a limited command over a section of
Baloch society. In conducting its rallies and
protests BNP always seeks the help of those non
Baloch political parties who are not only
strongly opposed to Balochistan’s Independence
but also they don’t even support BNP’s slogan of
right to self-determination. Such parties
include Jumyat e Ulma e Islam, Pashton khwah
Awami milly party, NP, Jomayat islami, Hazara
Democratic Party. All these parties, including
BNP, have been stuffed into a new coalition
called Political Parties Coordination Committee
by ISI to counter the Baloch Liberation
Struggle. The slogan of Right to
self-determination is totally unacceptable to
the above mentioned parties. BNP has so far
failed in convincing the Pakistani parties of
PPCC to buy its self-determination card, let
alone the Pakistani establishment. In the
conglomerate of the above mentioned Pakistani
Parties, Baloch National Party is an alien
entity. BNP has several weakness and flaws like
any other Political party in Balochistan but
among the many weaknesses two are very important
and outstanding. This first is that its top
leadership is inactive and they solely relying
on the statements its secondary leadership and
student wing issue. The second weakness of this
party is that its top leadership is locked in a
complexity of past and future which prevents it
from establishing contact with real political
forces in the realm of colossal struggle for
freedom; in other words the BNP, as mentioned
above sitting on the fence, is not sure which
side to jump.
Many pro freedom Baloch observers wonder that
if this party leadership can make an alliance
with parties of neighboring nations and bring
together different nationalities like the
Pashtun, the Sindhis and the Sariekis, on a
single platform, a task that the omnipotent ISI
can’t do. Then why cannot this party unite with
pro-Independence parties to strengthen the
liberation movement? The reason is either they
are against Independence of Balochistan or they
want to impose their version of Unity on the
Baloch Nation; which is to allow those
non-Baloch parties among Baloch who’re totally
against Baloch peoples’ struggle for freedom.
During Nawaz Sharif era, Sardar Attaulla Khan
Mengal formed the Pakistan Oppressed Nations’
Movement, PONM, in which the pseudo nationalist
parties of different nations are/were involved,
Sindhis, Pushtons, Seraekis. The main objective
was to pressurize Nawaz sharif for some
provincial privileges and a greater share in
power in the Pakistani affairs. However, PONM
proved as a useless exercise, failed to convince
Punjab to respect the rights of different
nationalities within Pakistani federation, but
it still officially exists on papers, though it
is practically a failed coalition and is totally
inactive. BNP has some workers abroad professing
the right to self-determination for the future
of Baloch nation on the platform of Baloch Human
Rights Counsel, BHRC. It has, so far, garnered
no international support for its slogan. Rather
it has been seen by BNF as an obstacle for
internationalizing the Baloch liberation
movement. It is an old relic of colonial
politics for deceptions; therefore, this is
totally unacceptable for those Baloch who are
seeking international support for the freedom
movement. Baloch observers say that BHRC is as
confused as BNP because they claim to be a Human
Rights Organization but I have not seen them
protesting against enforced-disappearances,
discovery of mutilated bodies of Baloch
Political activists and attacks on Baloch
villages. It is also claimed that they receive
huge amount of money from Baloch people in
Gulf-countries in the name of Baloch and
Balochistan.
The chief patron of BNP, Sardar Attaulla Khan
Mengal is said to be the complementary and
supplementary of Baloch national movement. It is
believed that if he joins the movement for
freedom, Balochistan would get rid of Pakistan
within months if not within weeks, as once the
renowned Baloch journalist Hafeez Hassanabadi
also argued but unfortunately, he has
compromised his grand standing and resigned to
Punjabi power. Balochistan has become a land of
tragedies, thousands of Baloch youths are
missing and
hundreds
of thousands are apparently tortured to death by
Pakistani Military in its torture cells; they
have either been buried in mass graves or thrown
away in remote areas of Pakistan where nobody
will ever find them. BNP has a political
structure heavily dependent on Sardar Attaulla
Khan Mengal’s personality; otherwise its
ideology of right to self-determination is
totally unacceptable to Baloch masses. Though it
claims that it has command over Baloch masses,
but it can’t mobilize a single nationwide public
protest without the help of pro-establishment
parties such as JUI, NP, PKAMP and HDP.
Let’s talk about the topic and my purpose of
writing of this article. I am trying to explore
the ways and means of unity, reconciliation and
narrowing the differences/gap between Baloch
Political parties so that we might reach to a
common ground and understanding that would be
accepted by everyone in Balochistan.
First
of all, let us define our objective: our prime
objective is simple, that is the Independence of
Balochistan! In Baloch political circle there
are some well-wishers of BNP who believe that
the demand of right to self-determination can or
will eventually lead the Baloch nation towards
freedom. Therefore, the word of UNITY for them
is foremost; but unfortunately they disregard
the basic principal of a national agenda. They
want a sort of coordination and communication
with other Baloch leaders and parties, but they
failed to convince their leaders for a
substantial and meaningful alliance for freedom
movement.
However, principally it means that we have no
difference over our prime goal that we all agree
upon – Independence the only thing that has
created differences among us, is the “strategy”
and the mean of struggle that should be chosen
for freedom?
Had the BNP (Mengal) not adopted a
hypocritical approach toward the Baloch cause
and the BNP (Mengal) student wing not openly
opposed the Baloch Sarmachars the gap between
them and the pro-independence parties might not
have widen as much as it is today.
If
BNP leadership believes in the freedom of Baloch
nation and wants to join the ranks of those who
believe in the principal of an ideology which
unify Baloch nation, first and foremost they
need to stop their secondary leadership from
disrespecting Baloch freedom fighters of BLA,
BLF, BRA and others. They must know that if
today Baloch have a recognition and respect
among International Community that is because of
the bold struggle of Baloch Sarmachars and not
because of the parliamentary politics. As a
trust building measure the BNP (Mengal) must do
the above mentioned little task and prove that
they want to see Balochistan a free state as
much as any other Baloch then nothing can stop
BNF leadership from embracing them, as they are
their own flesh and blood. Main purpose of this
article is to put forwards some suggestions:
that how we can pave the way for BNP leadership
for joining the noble course of martyrs, which
dispense with Pakistani Parliamentary politics
and adopt the demand of free Balochistan. Here
are some steps needed to be taken for a positive
move and to forge an amicable arrangement to
overcome our differences. Therefore we request
them to meticulously consider them in the wider
interests of Baloch nation and Balochistan:
1: Given the intensity of the national
struggle for freedom, and the geopolitical
situation in the region it has become necessary
for BNP to abandon the demand of right to
self-determination (Even HRCP in their report
mentioned that by self-determination they mean
autonomy) and adopt the slogan of outright
National Liberation from illegal occupation of
Pakistan.
2:
In my humble view the greater share of
responsibility lies on the shoulders of BNP to
adopt a more Baloch friendly approach to that
trust building measures can be taken towards a
unified struggle for the liberation of
motherland.
3:
Given the fact that all Pakistani political
parties have not agreed to the demand of the
right to self-determination of BNP, therefore it
is time for BNP to disassociate itself from PONM,
ARD and PPCC.
4:
The parliamentary character of Baloch
politics, as a Trojan horse, has always been
extremely divisive for Baloch nation. It is a
mirage and it has delivered nothing except
deviation from pure Baloch nationalism and it
has been the root cause of all corruption in
Baloch society. It has provided a cover for
Pakistani agencies to enter into Baloch
political society. Therefore, BNP should
reconsider this option and say good bye to it
for good and for greater interest of Baloch
people.
5:
It is necessary for BNP to purify its
political stance and shift its current position
to a Baloch based demand. It should designate
Pakistan as a colonial state and in its
statements Pakistan should directly be addressed
as an enemy state.
6:
On international forums BNP should agree to a
representative council, which would
vigorously campaign and advance the demand of
freedom of Baloch nation. Once agreed, all
pro-Independence parties including the BNP
should consider a suitable name for the council.
Notice: Inputs have been given by senior pro
independent friends and well wishers.
