Why India is Reviving Baloch Militancy? PART – III

By Tariq Rizwan

The strength of missing persons from other parts of the country is much higher than Balochistan; 400 cases were registered in KP against 194 in Balochistan. In KP and FATA, the so called Islamists played havoc with the general masses, government infrastructure and lives of LEAs in war on terror ever since their escape from Afghanistan in the wake of 9/11. Indeed, the media focused on Baloch Missing Persons whose ratio was quite low but received a tremendous focus. According to the analysts, India is tactfully exploiting its contacts in Indian, Pakistani as well as international media to project the issue of Baloching Missing Persons. Some notorious Baloch criminals and dacoits were lured in to come to Afghanistan where they were provided with free boarding, lodging and financial support. Their cases were vigorously pursued in the Commission for Missing Persons. Wadood Raesani is one of the prominent cases. He along with his girl-friend Naila Qadri nick name Naila Baloch etcetra managed to escape to Afghanistan. He was involved in several cases of murder and robberies. Naila Qadri is a settler of Quetta city. She was working as a teacher and was married to some Raesani. She went to Afghanistan with Wadood and left behind her husband and her daughters in Quetta. Both Wadood and Naila lived in Qandhar, Afghanistan and now in India under RAW-NDS arrangements and remained in forefront in propaganda against Pakistan.

Indian sponsored groups including Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VFBMP) led by Nasrullah Baloch, Baloch Republican Party led by Brahmdagh Bugti from abroad, Baloch National Movement of late Ghulam Muhammad Baloch, Human Rights groups, Bloch Student Organizations and some nationalist media persons in the area presented an alarming situation of the Baloch missing persons.

According to dawn news, the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (CIED) was seized with 1,265 cases as of Dec 31, 2014. But the Defence of Human Rights (DHR) claims that the total number of cases of missing persons is 5,149 and 252 of them surfaced in 2014 alone. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan report, submitted in Peshawar High Court in April, 2015 says that 400 missing persons have been registered with various Police Stations only in KP province.

However, the appointment of a Commission headed by a retired Supreme Court Judge exposed all the baseless claims of BSNs and their foreign sponsors. These groups were insisting on figures of 19,000 so called missing Baloch political activists. They claimed that their activists have been subjected to enforced disappearances for decades. One Asghar Baloch was reportedly killed by Hazara protestors in reaction to a suicide attack in Liaqat Bazar, Quetta in 2003-4 but Asghar’s cousin Nasrulla Baloch along with family refused to identify the dead body and accept the Police investigation. Instead, they pursued the case in the Commission for unknown reasons.

While the search for Balochistan’s missing persons continues, their cases are complicated by the discrepancies between the records of those involved. The Commission directed all the Police Stations to register the cases and put up the report before the Commission after due consideration and consultation in Provincial Task Force. The Provincial Task Force discussed each report in detail and the findings were presented in the Commission.

According to Akbar Durrani, ex Secretary Home & Tribal Affair, Balochistan, total 194 cases were registered with the Provincial Police across Balochistan. Some missing persons have, reportedly, come back home while some were confirmed living in Afghanistan at their will like Wadood Raesani. Some human rights organisations are still propagating the figures of 8,000 Baloch Missing Persons.

Mama Qadir, Vice President VFBMP is playing in the hands of foreign powers. His son Jalil Rekki was reportedly, operational commander of BRA and was involved in killing of hundreds of non-Baloch. More than 1000 innocent non-Baloch  were killed by these ruthless BSNs. Jalil Rekki was at odd with Dr Nazar group and reportedly was picked and killed by BLF. The raid was reportedly similar to that of kidnapping of Jhon Soleki, US National and head of UNHCR who was later recovered after of paying ransom. Only Majid Lango, who was killed in an encounter with FC, had reportedly killed more than 120 settlers in cold blood. Likewise Jalil Rekki was a killer who was expelled from Bank service due to his corrupt attitude and nationalist approach.

Mama Qadeer says his organization has submitted a detailed report to the United Nations with evidence regarding missing persons. Contrary to the details revealed by investigations, he claims that “more than 19,000 people are still missing who were picked by the intelligence agencies and were being subjected to inhuman tactics. None of them have been recovered yet. The government has done nothing, except to release those who were detained for a brief period”, he told The Express Tribune. The rights groups when asked about the details of missing persons, could provide only 989 names.

In Balochistan, the provincial government has already set up a special cell on the directives of the interior ministry and has published these 989 names in various newspapers, requesting the relatives of these missing persons to submit further details but no further details of these persons have been received. Only 194 applicants came forward with additional data. Most of them were cleared after investigation and only 71 cases are still pending with the Commission.

According to local media, as many as 612 dead bodies have been recovered from across Balochistan from 2010-2013, according to the Home Department. Out of it, 373 were identified as Baloch, 95 Pashtun, 73 Hazaras, Punjabi settlers and Afghan nationals while 71 remained un-identifiable. All these bodies were found in the insurgency affected areas and were dumped in isolated spaces in Quetta, Khuzdar, Kalat, Mekran, Naseerabad and Sibi. The VFBMP has not agreed with these figures and held the secret agencies responsible.  But all such claims are based on hearsay with mala fide intentions. Some people like Mama Qadeer and Nasrullah Baloch have personal grudge due to missing and killing of their near and dear. The foreign hostile powers in the cover of media and NGOs are exploiting their grudge to malign Pakistan in the comity of nations.

At this crucial stage when developmental work on CPEC is in full swing, the issue of missing persons has become a challenge for the government of Pakistan and the superior courts to pursue the cases vigorously and recover the missing near and dear ones, bring them to the book if involved, so that the negative propaganda comes to an end.

The writer is a freelance journalist