In defence of a secular Baloch – by Niaz Betab
Recently an article carrying the title, “Baloch comrades must not ignore anti-Shia terrorists making inroads in Balochistan”, published on the blog LUBP, famous for raising the problems the minorities and persecuted communities face in Pakistan, which was authored by Ali Ahsan, claiming to be a researcher, caused a lot of noise on social websites like Twitter, etc.
The generous author apparently seems to be deeply perturbed about the worsening situation in Balochistan. He, like some other people, who talk just emotionally without a smell of logic, might stress that the Baloch should stand up armed against the callous killers involved in the Shias killings, who the author himself confirms are openly backed by the state agencies, anxiously requests the Baloch Comrades (forgetting that it is the constitutional function of the state to ensure and stop the subversive elements from entering into a religiously tolerant and peaceful society) not to ignore the anti-Shia terrorists making inroads in Balochistan.
Before we plunge to argue with the author, let’s cast our minds back and precisely observe the Baloch and the influence of religion in their society historically. We instantly reach a clearly undeniable fact, in doing so, that the Baloch is born an exceptionally harmonious and exemplary secular animal. They have never had any sort of issue with anyone, whether they were Shias or Hindus, on religious basis, as religion is nothing for them more than a personal belief/faith. In fact, it is now part of history, when the Hindus had been brutally slaughtered during the partition time of Subcontinent into two countries i.e. Pakistan and India, the Baloch had come forward, provided them shelters and protected them from all kind of dangers that they were facing from the religious fanatics.
Now let’s study carefully the claims the author (Ali Ahsan) made in his article and observe how the officious author took so easily and subjectively the subject he was curious to tell something new about that he unambiguously means everyone is completely unaware of. He innocently says that his sources who he prefers not to disclose informed him that most of the terror acts which were previously performed by the radicalized Pashtuns and Punjabis are now done by the local radicalized Baloch. Almost everyone knows who is that handful ‘radicalized local Baloch’ and on behalf of whom they are operating. The Baloch, time and again, disowned and denounced publicly such wrongdoers and never remained silence against them. He further says he was surprised to hear that ‘the majority of the LeJ operations and planning is taking place in Baloch concentration areas’. Here the author’s own words reveal his unmistakable ignorance and confirms that the respected author was busy with footballers that he himself endorses. It also shows the author reads less and lacks considerable information regarding the day to day developments in Balochistan, because the Baloch Nationalists continuously, as we read, from the first day, blame the state’s agencies for using specifically their areas to target Shias in order to undermine and colour their national struggle. This claim is significantly seconded by the Shia Hazaras who are the chief targets of the LeJ terrorists and by many prominent journalists as well.
The author’s mendacious approach towards his undertaken research work becomes significantly ambiguous when he discusses the areas like Sariab Road and Mastung. He builds up his monotonous argument ignorantly and subjectively when he says, ‘it is apparent that areas like Sariab Road are considered a hub of Baloch Nationalists separatist activity, but the LeJ dimensions of Sariab Road adds another twist in the tale’, while completely and intentionally surpasses the fact that the same Road is tightly cordoned off by the security personals i.e. FC and Police. On the other hand, Mastung which the writer claims ‘is a LeJ and ASWJ-SSP stronghold now’, is the home town of none other than the hilarious man who amuses and delights his audiences with his philosophic jokes wherever he goes, the Chief Minister of Balochistan, M. Aslam Raisani, whose name the writer deliberately avoids to mention.
The hue and cry that he raises against radicalizing Baloch in his lines, like everyone else, is creditable and worth consideration. A process with the help of Saudi rushing funds to build mosques in order to inoculate religiosity and evil doctrines in secular minds of the Baloch people has long been started which is unbefitting so far because the people deprecated. But the efforts are not stopped; they are tirelessly engaged to get their ambitions fulfilled of which the Baloch seems to be fully aware. No one can deny that the Baloch have ignored such malicious plans but it would be better to be constantly vigilant.
The frequent Shias killings, no doubt, are precariously prevalent all over Pakistan which everyone must condemn and fulminate. For, the writer fails to exactly name the places where Shias are being targeted. As I already mentioned Mastung is the home town of the chief minister. The other places in Quetta like Sariab Road are clearly security tight, however, Golimar Chowk, where such incidents took place recently, is not far away from a FC camp. Arbab Karam Khan Road is also a place where Shias came under attack, is near Chief Minister’s home which is situated on Raisani Road. Lacking all such basic and genuine details, which guarantee a research’s truthfulness, makes author’s work unmistakably implausible and disputable. Furthermore, the comments the writer made on social websites and on the very blog make his work nothing more than a distinctly ‘personal grudge’.
By closely examining and comparing the facts and figures, we come to the conclusion that the honorable author’s research work is entirely disconnected from reality. It equally unfolds that his baseless claims are just based on a ‘personal skepticism and dislike’ which a man in the street can not fail to recognize in an instant. Another fact become exposed is that the writer, without explicit information, exerts to connect two seriously irrelevant subjects with different aims and ambitions. The work’s exceedingly emotional tone also suggests that it is aimed to break a seemingly effective unison taking place between the Baloch and the Shia Hazaras to fight together to protect their rights.
Niaz Betab
Twitter @Niaz_betab
I agree with Mr. Betab that the Baloch people are very secular and pluralistic community. Great post.
I liked Ali Ahsan’s post too. However, I don’t agree with his comments (in comments section) in which he equates Baloch freedom fighters with Taliban terrorists.
I also condemn violence against Punjabi settlers and other innocent civilians. Not justified at all.
What is this?
The Baloch Hal
How Much Support For Jundullah Is Too Much?
Balochs living in Pakistan’s provinces of Balochistan and Sindh reacted very irritably towards the decision of the Iranian government to hang Abdul Malik Regi, the chief of banned organization Jundullah, by terming it as an act of repression by a regime that is bent upon crushing its Baloch population.
All available forms of condemnation, such as issuance of newspaper statements, arrangement of press conferences, protest rallies and condolence references, were used to censure the hanging of a leader who fought for the rights of the Sunni Baloch minority population residing in Iranian Balochistan. The outpouring of condemnation was so overwhelming that even an impressed Jundullah spokesman went on to appreciate the Balochs living in Pakistan for their moral and political support offered to the Iranian Balochs at the critical juncture.
In Eastern Balochistan, the Baloch National Front (BNF) was on the forefront of all protest rallies held in the province to condemn the execution of 28-year Regi who was wanted by Teheran in more than seventy cases. The Front observed three days of mourning and organized a number of programs to vent its frustration of Iran’s behavior towards its Baloch population. Nonetheless, many people, including some components of the BNF, now realize that they went overboard in agitating on the Regi issue which could, at the end of the day, prove counterproductive and detrimental for the secular Baloch nationalist movement.
A timely expression of this concern has been made by the Baloch National Movement (BNM) which has categorically refused to join the BNF in its announced schedule of anti-Iran protests to express solidarity with Jundullah and the Balochs of Iran. Condoling the murder of Regi and his brother, Abdu Hameed, the BNM central spokesman, however, said here on Monday that his party did not see eye-to-eye with the Jundullah manifesto which underlines religious and sectarian ambitions.
The BNM believes that the Baloch issue has nothing to do with religion nor can it go an extra mile to join hands with ethnic Balochs living in Iran who do not recognize Baloch nationalism and solely talk of religious rights. BNM is equally disillusioned with BNF leadership for not taking it into confidence while unfolding its schedule of protests in support of Jundullah and said that it could not support a Sunni movement which did not keep in consideration the Baloch identity.
This is a very crucial development. The BNM stance will surely alert the Balochs struggling in Iran on religious lines that their counterparts in Pakistani Balochistan do not concur with their ideology. The Baloch resistance movement in Pakistan, which is largely leftist, is not compatible with what Jundullah stands for i.e. Sunni rights. BNM has clarified its stance on the right time as the BNF response to Regi’s killing had already begun to raise many eyebrows about the ideological foundations of the Baloch resistance movement.
By supporting Jundullah, the BNF, which always requests the international community to take notice of the plight of the Balochs, is further confusing the world. Does it mean that the Baloch nationalism has succumbed to religion and begun to endorse suicide bombings on the name of religion as was done by Jundullah inside Iran? If the answer to such a question is in affirmation then BNF will surely find itself in an indefensible position before the larger world which is currently battling the scourge of religious fundamentalism.
On their part, the supporters of Jundullah do not easily digest the nationalists’ claim that Regi was a secular. For example, Hafiz Abu Ubaid, the acting vice president of Karachi-based Ittehad-e-Tuleba-wa-Sunna, has strongly condemned Abdul Wahab Baloch, chairman of Baloch Rights Council, for calling Regi a secular. The righwing has termed Wahab’s remarks and proposal that Jundullah should operate on nationalistic lines as highly offensive. They have sought an apology from Wahab Baloch for allegedly insulting Regi by calling him secular. This is another point of view which exists and has to be acknowledged, if not agreed with.
Baloch nationalism and Islamic nationalism cannot comfortably go side by side. If the mere fact that Regi was a Baloch attracted BNF reaction then one wonders if similar reaction would be shown on the death of a Baloch who is a part of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI), Pakistan People’s Party and Muslim League? BNF should not judge people merely on their Baloch ethnicity. It should support the people who share the same ideology that the BNF stands for.
Baloch nationalism cannot live in isolation. No national movement can start and end with a simple demand for national liberation. The Baloch movement needs to have clearly defined answers of several crucial questions to satisfy the rest of the world about the structure of a proposed independent Balochistan. Such a roadmap should implicitly define the relationship between the state and religion; role of tribalism and the status of women and religious as well as ethnic minorities in an independent Balochistan, the ultimate goal for which parties like BNF are struggling right now.
BNM has adopted a timely stance and rightly warned BNF not to compromise on Baloch nationalist ideology by backing religious fundamentalism. By supporting religious fundamentalists, Baloch nationalists would be compromising on their ideological foundations and make it more difficult for the international community to support the Baloch movement.
http://www.thebalochhal.com/2010/06/how-much-support-for-jundullah-is-too-much/
I appreciate the appropriate response and take any criticism in stride with the aim of
But remember:
I have always regarded the Baloch culture as secular and easy-going towards religion and thats a fact and something worth lauding.
I have also said that much of Brahvi-Baloch tend to be a tad more religious than the rest of the Baloch peoples and thats also a fact and I have no problem with that either.
I have raised concern about the growing radicalisation among the Baloch – be it state-sponsored or otherwise – as being a major cause for concern.
I have stated that the common stereotype of LeJ hitmen was initially supposed to be Pashtun/Punjabi but now that local radicalised Baloch taking charge of the Shia-killing bloodsport has become apparent, this was personally a major shock for me when I first learned of this late last year.
I once again state that the CLOSE PROXIMITY of such completely unrelated ideologies and groups within certain Baloch areas (as also pointed by the author of this post) where both have thrived should be taken with alarm and concern rather than be dismissed as some random conspiracy theory.
State patronisation is obvious, but even that cannot be completely successful without a significant – if low key – local patronisation of such elements!
It is also a fact that many Baloch nationalists have tremendous support towards the Jundullah and the late Abdul Malek Rigi in Sistan-Baluchistan. Jundullah has shown to have indiscriminate anti-Shia mentality of their own – not to mention being heavily reliant on Mossad support as was revealed in leaked CIA documents.
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/01/13/false_flag?page=0,1
It is also a fact that Bahrain has used many conscripts from Pakistan – including a significant amount of local and expat Baloch – to brutally quell the largely Shia pro-democracy protests.
So that dimension is yet another cause for concern.
Once again, I reiterate that these dimensions must now be considered if this chaotic depressing conflict has to be understood and (if ever possible) solved.
@Ch. Azmat
“I don’t agree with his comments (in comments section) in which he equates Baloch freedom fighters with Taliban terrorists.”
The Taliban and Sarmachar may have completely different understandings, goals, ideologies, and even motives they operate on and will probably not hesitate to fight each other in a parallel universe
but the VIOLENT TACTICS of settler-killings, attacking teachers, labourers, barbers, neutrals, and critics with impunity, and using the appropriate “riasati mukhbar” and “ISI agent” labels to justify their violence on civilians is the SAME as Taliban.
“Mastung which the writer claims ‘is a LeJ and ASWJ-SSP stronghold now’, is the home town of none other than the hilarious man who amuses and delights his audiences with his philosophic jokes wherever he goes, the Chief Minister of Balochistan, M. Aslam Raisani, whose name the writer deliberately avoids to mention.”
Lol. Careful, that’s the BALOCH CHIEF OF SARAWAN you are talking about haha.
Betab your article made me so happy,because you has pointed out all things in realistic way.
LUBP claims to be alternative voice. While the article by ‘Ali Ahsan’ was not by any way an alternative view just repeating the same allegations made through the state’s backed channels of communications.
Thanks God! Its wide readership has helped getting better responses to his baseless post.
From the comments, it clearly shows, Ali Ahsan can not understand this very simple fact that involvement of any ethnic Baloch in sectarian organisations and their killing row doesn’t mean they are backed by Baloch fighters.
One thing should be cleared that these sectarian organisations are part of a more wider plan. These have been brought not to attack only Shia Hazaras but they are instrumental in State’s intelligence covert operations to target moderate voices, political activists from Baloch society and Pashtun as well, the way they are killing People from the Hazara community.
@Ali Ahsan
Very good comments at 4, 5, 6.
This fact is hard to deny that Baloch organizations, who are very vocal against ALL Punjabis remain tight-lipped over LeJ and Jundullah which are 100% Balochs in Balochistan.
Will there be a day when instead of butchering innocent Pashtun miners, Punjabi teachers, Baloch fighters will also attack LeJ terrorists hiding in their own areas?
That will be the day.
Let the hypocrites deny.
A Baloch tribe don’t even like their girls to be married in another Baloch tribe. But I agree they are very liberal. Putting on liberal mask to attract attraction of US for getting the Aid to break up Pakistan is no longer required