What is Happening in Balochistan?

“In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful”

Open Letter
To, CJ Iftikhar M. Chaudhry
Supreme Court, Constitution Avenue, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan

21st February 21, 2013 – 10 Rabi-us-Sani, 1434 H

Subject: What is happening in Balochistan?

Respected Sir,

Asalamo Alykum,

Sir, what exactly is happening in Balochistan? Are we all set to part with Balochistan like we parted with East Pakistan? And then Sindh will follow?

For a lifetime we have been hearing stories that the Balochi people are turning rebellious because they are being cheated of their natural resources and fair share of development. Then we heard that Indian and other foreign agencies are fanning anti-Pakistan sentiments in Balochistan. And now masses are being massacred in the name of sectarianism.

Once again, what exactly is happening in Balochistan?

The preliminary question stands; for what good reason have the Balochis been kept deprived? Resentment and rebellion are natural consequences of it. Indian or any other agency can only raise anti-patriotic sentiments amongst a people if they have a factual resentment to exploit. We ourselves have provided them that root cause. And now, the massacres, being a human catastrophe in itself, are providing more grounds of total breakdown. The Baloch ‘freedom-fighters’ want the army out of Balochistan, while the targeted community want the army to take over Balochistan. It’s a mess.

Who is doing this massacre? Is it really sectarian violence? Or is it the foreign agencies doing it? Or is it being allowed to ensure that the army’s presence remains ‘required’ in Balochistan?

Whatever the truth is, it is downright cruel. It is cruel to play with human lives to set some religious, social or political order.

One could come up with numerous illuminating Quranic verses and Ahadith on the sanctity of life, fair play and religious tolerance, but the crude issue at hand calls for mere common sense to know that blasting away masses simply because they belong to a different religious ideology is the height of unreligiousness. It is hard to believe that any religious group would endorse or promote this approach.

However, let us believe that some religious group is doing so, as claimed by some among the authorities. Then, are our authorities so helpless that they are able to name this group, know its location and yet are not able to disfunction it? Our authorities cracked down on the sincere, die-hard Mujahideen of the Afghan Jihad era, loading them into containers and shipping them off to America, for some controversial event that happened in America, and yet they are unable to crackdown on groups fanning sectarianism within our own country?

Why? Is it then true that our authorities want to keep religious outfits at hand to make use of whenever needed for defence? Are they scapegoats? Is it a very sorry situation indeed. It is a story of selfishness, exploitation and misdirection.

The solution to this complex problem is really very simple. Firstly, give the Balochis their due rights in terms of natural resources, funds and development. It is said that the development budget of the entire province of Balochistan is equal to the development budget of the capital city Islamabad alone! It is very unfair, indeed. Islamabad could do with a few less flyovers and Balochistan with a few more simple roads. Add to that health, education, industry, infrastructure, entertainment and other developments.

Secondly, cleanup Pakistan of all foreign agents. They have been allowed into Pakistan by our own authorities under foreign pressure and our own confused motives. We are getting dollars in lieu, some military equipment and a thought-up defence against India. What are we intending to defend against India? Pakistan? Will there be any Pakistan left to defend by the contorted line-of-action we are following? As per the media circulation of a person named Syed Jamaluddin (www.dividepakistan.blogspot.com), Pakistan is on the verge of a break-up within the next two years and according to him, even the army knows this. I do not know the political standing of this person, or how authentic his reports are, but surely the premonition is disastrous, if it happens.

Thirdly, redefine our direction, orders and loyalties. We should have kept a hotline with Allah Almighty, His soldiers and His friends, and not some foreign country with its own vested interests. Praise be to the character, loyalty and bravery of the Taliban, who despite being beaten out by our own authorities upon the American instructions, wrote a letter to the Chief of Army Pakistan in 2008 when Pakistan was under threat of war from India after the Mumbai Attacks, saying ‘We, the Taliban, shall fight shoulder to shoulder with the Pakistan army incase India attacks.’ Why does Pakistan keep such a loyal force at bay, and waits for American ships to arrive for help, which never came in history and thus proved their disloyalty? As Allama Iqbal puts it,

Qaum Mazhab sae hae, Mazhab jo nahi, thum bhi nahi
Jazb-e-baham jo nahi, Mehfil-e-Anjum bhi nahi

Meaning: The galaxy of stars is alive and holding its high positions due to the gravitational forces of the universe. If this gravitational force ceases to exist, the entire galaxy of stars will collapse. Similarly, the core force behind the glory of the Muslim nation is Islam. If Islam is extinguished from our ideology, life and outlook, we will collapse as a nation; which is exactly what has happened.

We are still a nation who loves our army for their noble vocation, but it becomes difficult to do so when the orientation of the army shifts away from Allah Almighty and Islam towards gods of the Earth and consequently, gross mistakes are made, like when a compass is read wrong during travel. We must keep it in mind that a Muslim soldier is a Ghazi or a Shaheed only if he is warring to raise the flag of Islam. Any other flag stags him to a state of Ignorance, uselessness and an unworthy end.

‘He is not one of us who proclaims the cause of tribal partisanship; and he is not one of us who dies for the sake of tribal partisanship’. [Sunan Abu Daud]

Well, what are we going to do about Balochistan? Are we going to save it or are we going to continue blindly on the path of definite dismemberment of Pakistan and lose an important foothold, Pakistan, the only nuclear strength of the Muslim nation? Poor Muslims, they celebrated worldwide and congratulated each other when Pakistan became a nuclear strength in 1998, thinking and hoping that we will come to their defence too. Little did they know that strength without Faith is like a bow without an arrow. Wsalam.

From,
[Name/Initials], [Location]
[Date].

Print and Post,

To,
CJ Iftikhar M. Chaudhry
Supreme Court, Constitution Avenue,
Islamabad 44000, Pakistan.

Copy, Paste and Send Email,

To: mail@supremecourt.gov.pk
Bcc: [Choose from 'Quick Contacts' on bottom-right]

May Allah Almighty bless you...Ameen!