Importance of a robust peoples’ movement in Punjab against the Punjabi Ruling Elite – by Asim Jaan
I wrote this in response to the recent heinous killings of Punjabis travelling on a bus near Sibbi in particular and the general racial hatred being carried out in Pakistan.
I strongly condemn the killing, not only this incident but all others that have been happening before it for the last 3 years, of punjabis being racially targeted in Baluchistan.
But while saying above, I would just like to add that outside punjab, in all the three provinces and prior to 1971 in Bengal, the pakistan army in perceived, repeat perceived, as being Punjabi.
This military has done three or 4 military operations in Baluchistan and even today thousands of baluch youth are ‘missing’ for months and years- a term used to denote ‘illegal hijacking of people by ISI/MI and tortured in private military establishments’ in a country which boasts High and Supreme courts.
When political parties, civil society in Punjab and the rest of the provinces keeps mum on these military operations and state sponsored hijackings, the message that the common Baluch youth gets is that general public support such illegal and inhuman acts by the military.
The ONLY way to stop this killing of innocents in Baluchistan is that several large demonstrations take place in a couple of main cities of Punjab protesting against military operations/state hijackings of Baluch youth and demanding immediate withdrawal of troops from Baluchistan. This will sent a loud and clear message that the ordinary people of Punjab are with the ordinary Baluch.
Our so called progressives/liberals/left kept mum when this same military was butchering Bengalis in the thousands and the end result is before us.
Punjab is the biggest province and has the biggest share in the military and Pakistan’s predatory ruling Elite. Till the public in punjab keeps mum on the exploitation carried out by Ruling Class belonging to Punjab, ordinary people in other smaller provinces would continue to perceive that they are in league with the Punjabi Ruling class and the oppressive Pakistani State that it predominates.
Hence for the success of the peoples’ struggle in all the four provinces in overturning the stranglehold of Pakistan’s ruling class (again belonging to all the 4 provinces) it is absolutely necessary that a robust people’s movement is waged in Punjab by common Punjabis. And that this people’s movement in Punjab should connect its struggle with all the struggles being waged by the exploited majority in the three smaller provinces.
Source: Asim Jan FB Notes
Editorial: The Bus Massacre
At least sixteen people were killed in two different violent incidents in Balochistan at a time when rest of the country was celebrating the Independence Day. Both the incidents had two things in common: All killed were Punjabis and the onus for the shoot-outs was accepted by the defunct Baloch Liberation Army.
In the first case of selective target killings, a passenger bus coming from Lahore to Quetta was stopped by armed men in Bolan after compelling the driver to halt the bus. Passengers possessing the national identity cards showing the citizenship of the Punjab were brought down from the bus and taken to the mountains where they were killed indiscriminately.
In another similar incident on the very same day, six Punjabi laborers working Balochistan were attacked by armed men who entered inside their rented houses and sprayed bullets.
The BLA, while accepting responsibility for these killings, has said it avenged the killing of Baloch missing persons whose dead bodies have started reaching their homes after short intervals.
Balochistan chief minister Raisani and some provincial ministers have condemned the killings while the Punjab Government has officially and vociferously protested with Quetta over the killings.
On the very same day when the killing of the Punjabis took place, newspapers reported the recovery of the dead bodies of two more political activists from Khuzdar District. As luck would have it, there was no official statement from the Chief Minister of Balochistan to equally condemn the killing of the Baloch missing persons. No provincial minister bothered to utter a single word over the killing of BRP and BNP activists.
The human cost of the Balochistan conflict is rapidly increasing. Innocent people are losing their lives on both sides of the conflict. Unfortunately, too little is being done to improve the situation in the province. Politics is the art of finding solutions which the current government has totally failed to do until now in Balochistan. Something needs to be done to fix the trouble that exists in Balochistan.
Mr.Jann
“The ONLY way to stop this killing of innocents in Baluchistan is that several large demonstrations take place in a couple of main cities of Punjab protesting against military operations/state hijackings of Baluch youth and demanding immediate withdrawal of troops from Baluchistan.”
Fair enough, it is legitimate demand to stop military operations in Balochistan by Punjabi Army..
Would same path be followed to stop violence from Talibans in Punjab..Punjab is victim of Talibani attacks every second day, should Punjabis start protesting to withdraw army from Tribal areas and Swat? in order to save lives of innocent citizens in Punjab?
Bottom Line: Terrorists are terrorists regardless it is BLA or TTP..why two yard sticks, Rightist give same justifications about Talibans which you are giving about Baloch organization
Stop Double Standards…
when Taliban/AQ and other extremist organizations were asked that why they target civilians, their reply is because civilians do not protest against Military operations carried out against us so they are legitimate target
There is no difference between Mullahs and self proclaimed liberals ..both support violence and use ifs and buts to hide crimes of their favourite groups
Everyone has his own interpretations but Balochistan issue can by any standards not equated with Taliban etc… As all the concerned people and Intellectuals from either Punjab, Sindh or KP raise their voice against the oppression in Balochistan,
Baitullah Mehsud death news was a sigh of relief for all Pakistanis, irrespective of who killed him but no one can bear the liability of Nawab Akbar Bugti’s murder. Fron NS to SH, and AAZ to Fazlur Rehman everyone has condemned the brutal murder of Akbar Bugti.
In Balochistan, moderate forces are on target and several politically significant peoples are assassinated in the last months. And Taliban who are considered as strategic assets are kept in reserves…
“Ta K ba waqt E zarurat kaam ayein”
point is not supporting Military action in Balochistan or any killing of political leadership of Balochistan but what is required to that denounce this Revenge Target Killing of civilians
Jihadist used also similar logic that because “civilians are killed in Drone attacks so we will kill also civilians”
I have been to Balochistan few times , views of ordinary Baloch about BLA are similar to the views of ordinary Pakhtoon about TTP..they are not supported at all
what I have heard from locals that BLA offer half a million to 1 million per killing depending upon target..what kind of ideological struggle is that? it was also in the news that TTP also pays to its terrorists
and PPP´s very own Rehman Malik does not differeniate much between TTP and BLA..his statements about BLA are on record
It is high time the common man of the biggest province comes out against the chauvnistic policies of the punjabi elites who are capturing important posts in the establishment. These are hell bent to perpetuate the monopoly on the power corridors. We are now heading towards A Greater Punjab phenomenon planned by non other than The Great american think tank…… see Dr. Abul Mali Syed’s “The Twin era Of Pakistan” .
Aliarqam; U would know the games played by our establishment. They have stooges in all provinces. I on my part see Akbar Bugti as one of those stooges. He remained in Govt.by hook or by crook. He was Governor during ZAB. He switched over to Zia. He remained CM in Balochistan. After dissolution of assemblies his Son in law became CM. He did nothing for betterment of his people. His death was as it should be. The “leaders” who have condemned his killing are themselves hypocrites.The are shedding crocodile tears as Nawaz Sharif did at the hospital on 27 december 2007.
@Akmal
Here the problem is not what you and me think of Akbar Bugti, The issue is now due to state oppressions and tyranny no one can hear anything about anyone killed by the military establishment.Let us highlight their grief and sorrows, their miseries, then it will be easy to make them understand.
And if we keep the Akbar Bugti aside, what about Mola Baksh Dashti, Sher Muhammad Baloch, Ghulam Muhammad Baloch, Habib Jalib and the recent Nadir Khan Ghichki.
@Imran
Read Malik Siraj Akbar’s “I cried for Jalib” on the blog here
Silencing the Moderate Voice
http://criticalppp.com/archives/19352
Baloch Nationalists Leaders mourned in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
http://criticalppp.com/archives/19279
I cried for Jalib – by Malik Siraj Akbar
http://criticalppp.com/archives/19148
Jalib was not a sardar, nor a Nawab’s son. He was a powerful man. A self-made man: Self-made from head to “toe. Empowered by education. Like every middle class shining star, he was unacceptable to Balochistan’s tribal elite and the country’s military establishment. Tall trees cannot survive long in Balochistan. People with a tall stature get their heads chopped off. Educated people are a rare species in Balochistan. They come once in centuries. Jalib was one of them. They killed him because he was too brave to be ousted from Balochistan. He did not surrender in spite of being put into jail by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Zia-ul-Haq and Pervez Musharraf.”
The way the so called Baloch struggle has gone down to cold blooded murder of unarmed civilians, there is no future for the Baloch movement but failure with deepest humiliation. If the only hope of Baloch right lies with the declared terrorists and criminals, they have already lost the struggle forever.
i absolutely agree with the above said comment of Mr Ali Arqam….
first convincve rehman malik that BLA is killing innocent civilians for baloch rights
i agree with Unaiza Faitma
The writer wants to pin the blame of baloch criminals disappearing on Punjabis? talk about trying to protect the criminals by blaming the victims. How about we Punjabis start to target kill balochis in Punjab as retaliation for murder of Punjabis in Balochistan. Also dumb piece of shit articles like these are to expected from looser sites like critical PPP
It is the baloch sardar who fearing his feudal domain shrinking has incited the baloch criminal. Bugtis were given land by the british to murder Sindhi Hurs. Pakistan should have arrested and hanged all baloch criminal sardars 60 years ago.