Baloch Liberation Front Threatens Media

By Sajjad Shaukat

Since, the government of the Balochistan province announced general pardon and protection to the Baloch militants as part of reconciliation process, many insurgents and their leaders have surrendered their arms and decided to work for the development of Pakistan and the province, peace has been restored in the province.

While, Pakistan’s armed forces have successfully broken the backbone of the foreign-backed terrorists by the successful military operations Zarb-e-Azb and Radd-ul-Fasaad which have also been extended to other parts of the country, including Balochistan. And Pakistan’s primarily intelligence agency, ISI has broken the network of these terrorist groups by capturing several militants, while thwarting a number of terror attempts.

But, it is misfortune that some external and internal entities have still been misleading the Baloch people in order to fulfill the hidden agenda of some powers.

In this regard, a press release by Baloch Liberation Front (BLF) dated October 9, 2017 was published in Daily Tawar (Online), newspaper of the Baloch Sub-Nationalists (BSNs). Press release states that BLF has issued a pamphlet suggesting Baloch people to boycott media. In a 20 days ultimatum for media houses, the outfit threatens to review their policy of ignoring BSNs freedom struggle.

BLF has sympathizer in BSNs diaspora who live in countries known for liberal media polices. This is a threat to press freedom and freedom of expression which is propagated by Western countries more often than not.

It is notable that in the past few years—entrenched in Afghanistan, intelligence agencies like American CIA, Indian RAW and Israeli Mossad have supported bomb blasts, suicide attacks, abductions, target killings, ethnic and sectarian violence in Balochistan through their affiliated militant groups such as Baloch Republican Party (BRP), Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), Baloch Liberation Front (BLF) Jundollah etc. to obtain the secret strategic designs of US, India and Israel at the cost of Pakistan, China and Iran. Besides martyring several personnel of law-enforcing agencies and security forces in the province, these anti-Pakistan entities kidnapped and massacred many Punjabis, Pushtuns, Shias, people of Hazara community and patriot Balochis including Iranian Shias. They abducted and killed many Chinese and Iranian nationals in Pakistan. On a number of occasions, these militant outfits claimed responsibility for their subversive acts. But, they have always blamed Pak Army and other security agencies for human rights violations in Balochistan.

It is mentionable that in the recent past, Indian former Army Chief Gen. VK Singh openly confessed that during his tenure, he supervised special army unit, Tactical Support Division (TSD) on the instructions of the then defence minister to sponsor subversive acts in Pakistan, especially in Balochistan.

While, on March 24, 2016, Pakistan’s security forces disclosed that they arrested the serving agent of RAW in Balochistan. During investigation and in video, shown on Pakistan’s TV channels, RAW agent Kulbushan Yadav confessed that “he was the agent of RAW” and “during his stay, he contacted various Baloch separatist leaders and insurgents, including Dr Allah Nazar Baloch, to execute the task to damage the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor” project.

Recall, when during the Musharraf regime, Islamabad initiated the construction of Gwadar deep-seaport in Balochistan in March 2002 with Chinese assistance, sirens went off in the capitals of foreign countries, especially the US, India and Israel which took it as a threat to their global and regional plans.

In fact, besides Balochistan’s ideal strategic location, its abundant mineral resources like gas, coal and gold, entailing Pakistan’s close ties with China also pinches the eyes of the US, India, Israel and some western countries which intend to destabilize Pakistan for their collective aims.

It is worth-mentioning that with the help of the leaders of the Baloch Sub-Nationalists (BSNs), who have taken refuge in western countries; these hostile elements have launched a false propaganda campaign by spreading disinformation about natural resources, progressive works and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). They are misleading the Baloch people by propagating that present and future royalty of the mineral resources, including income of the mega projects and CPEC are for the centre or Punjabis or the Punjabi Army and not for the Baloch people.

However, various types of foreign intrigues continue against Balochistan as part of the conspiracy against Pakistan. New wave of terror attacks in Balochistan is also part of the same intrigues, especially to damage the CPEC.

In this regard, in February, 2011, Brahmdagh Bugti, the leader of the Baloch Republican Party (BRP) reached Switzerland in order to seek political asylum. Mir Sher Muhammad Bugti, the spokesman of the BRP confirmed that he filed an application in this respect.

In this connection, he used tricks to deceive the relevant authorities of Switzerland. On August 23, 2011, in an interview with The New York Times, Brahmdagh Bugti said that he has no link with the armed struggle of Balochistan. Afterwards, he repeatedly claimed that he has resigned from the membership of BRP. On the other hand, quite contrarily, the BRP spokesman had revealed, “He remains in contact with the UN and other officials exposing the massive human rights violations in Balochistan, advising the BRP leaders, workers and activists to continue their struggle”, so that their mission of an independent Balochistan could be completed.

Online information had suggested that while hiding himself in Afghanistan with the help of the then Afghan President Hamid Karzai, on July 23, 2008, in an interview with the BBC, regarding the acquisition of arms and ammunition, Brahmdagh Bugti stated that they “have the right to accept foreign aid from anywhere including India.”

In the past few years, Pakistan government had persistently been saying that Brahmdagh was in Afghanistan from where he was leading the Baloch insurgents. This issue was taken up with Karzai who promised to look into the issue. But, Brahmdagh constantly denied the claims made by Pakistan’s media that he was in Afghanistan, indicating that he was in Balochistan, waging a war of separatism. In fact, showing himself as a peaceful person, he is got asylum in Switzerland. And from there, re-started his illegal activities by inciting the Baloch people against the federation. Notably, a few days ago, Nawabzada Hyrbyair Marri was also given political asylum in Britain.

Nevertheless, anti-Pakistan activities of the Baloch separatist leaders, based in western countries cannot be seen in isolation, because these are part of the conspiracy against Balochistan. The agents of CIA, RAW and Mossad are well-penetrated in various NGOs and human rights organizations which are being used for a malicious propaganda against Pakistan’s security forces. In this respect, on July 31, 2011, with the help of external elements, a rally was organised by Baloch Human Rights Council in UK, in front of the US Embassy in London, which raised false accusations such as inhuman torture and extrajudicial murder of the Baloch intellectuals by the inhuman actions of the Pakistani army. On August 3, 2011, the then ISPR spokesman, Maj-Gen Athar Abbas, while rejecting human rights groups’ reports about Balochistan as a conspiracy against Pakistan, called for probing the funding of these organizations, as “this could be traced back to those forces which want to destabilize Pakistan.”

Besides rallies in some western countries, in 2012, a demonstration was held outside the United Nations in Geneva on the occasion of the 19th Session of UN Human Rights Council to condemn the human rights violations in Balochistan. The demonstrators accused Pakistan’s security and intelligence agencies of extrajudicial killings. Apparently, the demonstration was organized and led by Mehran Baloch, Balochistans representative at the UN and Noordin Mengal, but, in fact, it was arranged by the anti-Pakistan NGOs, human rights groups and Indo-Israeli lobbies with American covert help.

It is noteworthy that in the days, a seminar was organized by All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) at Nobel Peace Center, Oslo, Norway. The address and Question-and-answer (Q&A) session were interrupted by Pakistani Diaspora and BSNs (Baloch Sub-Nationalists). Later, Nobel Peace Center management issued a press release, clarifying that the said Centre was hired by APML for holding of their programme and Nobel Peace Center had nothing to do with the act. So, Norway shut down an event midway. Subsequently, a similar seminar was also canceled by University of London due to fears of protest by Pakistani students.

Interruption of such activities and cancellation of programs by various international institutions due to fear of protest by vested groups exposes the so-called freedom of right of expression, propagated by the West.

Similarly, on the eve of Chinese National Day on 30 Sep 2017, Free Balochistan Movement (FBM) headed by Harbyar, organized a protest rally in Gottingen, Germany. This has been done on the Indian sponsored false propaganda about China’s new colonialism and human rights violations in Balochistan. It was said in their statements that China and Pakistan nexus is aimed to turn Baloch demography into a minority.

Unlike the past, protest/rallies by Baloch insurgent groups abroad have increased in order to project Balochistan issue on international forums. Baloch Student Organization-Azad (BSO) also organized a demonstration outside British Prime Minister’s residence in London on Oct 1, 2017 against alleged Pakistan war crimes in Balochistan.

It is of particular attention that on September 6, this year, in a letter to Ambassador Valentin Zellweger-the permanent representative of the Swiss government at the United Nations (UN), Ambassador Farukh Amil-the permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN has taken up the matter of posters, raised in the area around Rio de Ferney in Grand Sacconex, Geneva—mentioned the name of Balochistan House (BH) as a sponsor—terming the incident as a belligerent attack on the “sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan” by giving calls for ‘free Balochistan’.

According to letter, a car “remained parked near [the digital poster] and seemed to be guarding [it]…the BH, “the apparent sponsor of these posters is an affiliate of the [Baloch Liberation Army] BLA, which is a “listed terrorist organisation under the laws of Pakistan and other countries, including the United Kingdom…The fact that terrorists or elements linked with terrorists operate openly for their propaganda campaigns in the peaceful and serene city of Geneva, capital of the United Nations, is a matter of grave concern…The use of Swiss soil by terrorists and violent secessionists for nefarious designs against Pakistan…is totally unacceptable…the incident is fully investigated with a view to blocking its recurrence in the future.”

Undoubtedly, RAW, CIA and Mossad, including some US-led entities are supporting the Baloch Sub-Nationalists as part of the conspiracy against Pakistan. Hence, threat of the Baloch Liberation Front (BLF) to the media is also part of the same scheme.