Musharraf and the taste of lies

Former President Musharraf certainly reflects what Natali Imbriglia says, ‘I’m such a bad liar. I would like to lie, though.’ Recently, in an interview, he carefully detailed what he has called remarkable achievements of his regime, especially focusing on the developmental mega projects in Balochistan.

One wonders in surprise at what features prominently in his definition of development. Military bases, ordering abductions and extra-judicial killings and hitting people or anything else. “He says, emphasizing the ‘I’ factor, before him no one paid due attention to Balochistan, due to this, there existed a grave sense of deprivation which he curtailed through his honest moves which proved to be magnificently beneficial.  

Then he turns towards those whom he and his like-minded colleagues are always found to be bad mouthing; probably being jealous of the enormously unconscious respect they get in the Baloch society: the Sardars. Substantiating untruthfully his false claims, he put blame on them for being impediments in the way of the construction of schools, colleges, hospitals, and universities.

Now it is high time for one to stop his/her head circling around how one could have stopped him from building colleges and schools; being unable to stop him from constructing military cantonments they fiercely opposed. At least, for a wise mind, everything is sufficiently evident.

Time has and will inevitably uncover dishonesty and lies. I won’t try to. Break a leg Mr. Musharraf! What I discuss is to simply differentiate between your big claims and the place where I belong to, namely Awaran (notified as a separate district on 11^th November, 1992 before it was a subdivision of Khuzdar district. Interestingly, Mir Majeed Bizenjo, who repeatedly represented the district for several terms, was in his created party PML-Q and his son, Mir Qadoos Bizenjo, remained in provincial government during his whole regime. He enjoyed a huge support from both of them.

Furthermore, the district Nazim, Khair Jan Baloch, was literally a big fan of Musharraf, who actively participated in his meetings whenever he was given a possible chance to admire his hero.  Comparatively, Awaran has the lowest educational ratio in the province, “having one enter college at the district headquarter(s) without facilitations [?] and hospitals suffer the same fate” are enough to prove his whole regime was not little rewarding. Consequently, Awaran remains the most underdeveloped district of Balochistan.

Instead, he constructed several military bases; one can notice them easily en route from the area at a few miles distance from both sides of the district head quarter respectively, where he could build schools, colleges and hospitals to advance education, health and other modern facilities.  It definitely exposes that these were not considered necessary during the plan making hours or neglected them as futile subjects deliberately.

For pyromaniac Musharraf, a lie might be of a great taste hence he is incredibly engrossed in telling crystal clear and unproductive lies being flagrantly dishonest. If he could have the power to reflectively comprehend for a moment while recalling his most tyrannical regime of the decade consciously and its long term effects, he would have never issued such flabby and rambling statements and written, a single irrational word to defend his brazenly stubborn behavior.  But, unfortunately, he and other peculiar Pakistani leaders have no courage to face the music.

Now it is clearly obvious that constantly coming up with quixotic and hawkish schemes, Musharraf was not interested in advancement and betterment of the Baloch people but was keenly eager with a pusillanimous purport to quash those who were demanding their universally and constitutionally accepted rights.

Is Imran Khan a good leader?

A good leader possesses some distinctive qualities like, charisma, intellectuality, writing, humour and wit, idealism, resourcefulness, honesty and integrity, being inspirational and motivational fascinatingly. Astonishingly, Imran khan, clearly lacks the first and last two qualities.

“To wish is passive; to will is active,” wrote Nixon, “Followers wish. Leaders will.”

He aspires to alter Pakistan but he lacks a brutal will power and intellectual decision making; he is building a wall like Khrushchev but to keep his own people out.  He lacks the power of organizing, managing and uniting people towards him attractively while failed to satisfy the basic psychological needs of his followers being ineffective and less-attentive.

What little political recognition he earned is not because of his leadership power but because of the prevalent despair and distrust that forced people to unconsciously choose him reluctantly.

Another quality totally missing in Imran Khan is that good leaders, through their exemplary behaviour, set an example for others and educate their followers morally and politically. His followers are harshly rude and use extremely abusive language against respected leaders and journalists.  He lacks a practically strong vision to reach his goal, and seems to be failing to stand forthrightly on his previously expressed stance while losing his originality and spontaneity: only dreams can’t change things.  He lacks the power to view a situation as a whole and break it down into sub parts for an analytically closer inspection.

A good leader assiduously activate the habit of playing down ‘I’ and playing up the ‘you’ but he is engrossed in putting a great stress mark on ‘I’ whether talking about his cricket world cup win or politics. He never talks about others and especially good points but constantly busy in bringing forth the ill-points like all other conservative leaders of Pakistan do.

Recently he boasted that he eliminates corruption in 90 days lacking three main traits a leader should definitely possess: a well-defined objective; the quality to define that objective to ones followers so that they comprehend and commit themselves to the same and thirdly, the method to obtain that target.

Frankly speaking, he has to reconsider whatever his political philosophy is; because he failed manifestly so far to put his desires and actions properly in the same direction.

Supporting Tyrant

The wicked former president who was not restraint by moral and legal laws and who is principally responsible for bringing Pakistan on the verge of disintegration  by assassinating and disrespectfully burying Nawab Bugti and maintaining his ‘hit policy’ against other Baloch activists who dared to ask for their universally and constitutionally accepted rights enjoys support from many Pakistanis.

Being well-unaware or intentionally ignoring the fact that today the Baloch demand independence because of a continuous genocidal ruthless violence against them embraced willfully by the crueler tyrant of the decade Musharaf in order to eliminate them if they refuse to comply with his brazenly stern attitude.

It must be noted that by supporting tyranny they are further distancing the Baloch and extremely increasing hatred towards Pakistan and strengthening their call for self determination by justifying and patronizing grievous injustice. Baloch consider it a good sign and welcome it as it is enormously beneficial for them. 

Shameless crimes against women

Women are brutally rejected of a socially rightful place in the global society which is rationally and ethically unacceptable to human nature.  She is treated with disdain like an animal and expected to comply men orders and the most hurtful fact, woman is strangely considered a man’s property, mostly in Islamic societies. A woman does not have basic control over her own body, and with passage of time, the grave violence against woman is increasingly developing despite the declaration of universal human rights and claimed rule of law.  

There are innumerable terrible stories carrying nationally and internationally published newspapers and the most painfully heartbreaking and tearful story is of Fakhra Younis who recently committed suicide over the silence of law and insensitivity of the Pakistani rulers, in Rome, Italy. Her husband poured acid on her face in 2000, after she left him and returned to her mother home over realizing that Bilal Khar her husband, who is a former MPA, deceived her.

I would like to ask those cruel women punishers pensively: is it justified by any universal human law to pour acid on a woman's face, or kill or stone her to death for she dares to leave her husband or seek a divorce for an unhappy marriage? Is it a crime when a girl tries to choose her own husband? Is it legal or moral to kill a girl for falling in love with a man outside her tribe? What honestly justifies shooting a girl after finding an unfamiliar number on her phone?

We should realize that the practicing of centuries old savage and obsolete traditions is unacceptable in a civilized world and this is the 21^st century and heirs have no right to take precious life of any among the family members and no notorious Qisas law is approvable anymore. I strongly appeal to the apex court that Bilal Khar the former MPA, who is now trying to do a character assassination on her to bring her down by attempting to prove Fakhra Younis a prostitute, which is another severe crime, and all those who commit such shamefully heinous crimes against women must be brought in the court of justice without any delaying.

The ingratitude Baloch

 It is extremely hurtful to see that the Baloch are enormously ingratitude towards a man who gave them what they were never given almost in their dismal history. The praiseworthy former president Musharaf started the policy of Baloch genocide, constructions of a network of cantonments, assassinated and disrespectfully buried their undisputed tamandar Nawab Bugti and their beloved leader Balaach Mari, advocated a policy of hitting those who demand their natural and constitutional rights, ordered extra-judicial killings, and illegal arrest, abductions and disappearances. 

How can the naturally faithful and extra-ordinarily loyal Baloch nation be so unthankful towards a truly godfather who effectively increased oppressing and suppressing them socially and culturally by maintaining his brazenly stern attitude? 

Resolution in US Lower House, tensions and misconceptions

Recently a US Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher tabled a concurrent resolution in the US house of Representatives seeking right of self-determination for the people of Balochistan shocked all Pakistanis and triggered a national wise debate across the country. Pakistanis took it a threat to their national sovereignty, a process of disintegrating Pakistan and calling it a “dirty conspiracy” as usual.

A misconception is widespread in media circles regarding this resolution, most TV anchors and reporters call it a bill knowing not the difference that a bill is a proposed law under consideration by a legislature, on the other hand, resolution is often a written motion adopted by a deliberative body and what is tabled in the US house of representatives is a concurrent resolution designed to document opinions, not initiate a process and it is not passed on to executive branch to be signed in to law.

A reverent senior journalist Najam Sethi calls this resolution a “stunt propaganda” adding that it is a media hype meanwhile ignoring the reality that Sherry Rahman and Hina Rabbani Khar are not media persons but ambassador and foreign minister respectively. They, however, are vigorously energetic to criticize America for intervening in their internal matters while neglecting to reach the Baloch issue paying little regard.

In reaction to the resolution, ambassador to Washington, Sherry Rehman, warned it would “seriously impact Pak-US relations.” Foreign minister Khar condemned resolution on Balochistan, and said such acts of “foolhardy and global vigilantism” could aggravate Pakistan’s already estranged ties with US.

 The reaction, posted on the embassy website, stated that "the Pakistan envoy in Washington has taken serious notice of the resolution submitted by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher on Balochistan in the US House of Representative. We reject this ill-informed move and the Congressman's misplaced concern on Balochistan, which is a part of the Pakistani federation". 

"Balochistan has a directly elected provincial assembly of its own and has due representation in the National Assembly and the Senate of Pakistan," the ambassador said, adding that the "resolution seeks to cast doubt on the territorial integrity of a member of the United Nations and a friend of the United States, and is totally unacceptable". Talking to reporters, PM Gilani reacted angrily and described the move as an attack on country’s sovereignty; he said “We condemn it as it is against our sovereignty.”

Such a frantic reaction is likely to make the US or the rest of the world doubt that Pakistan too is afraid knowing the severity of the precarious situation in Balochistan. Thus they are bound to contemplate something brutal is happening in Balochistan couple this with a moral endorsement of the Baloch version of genocide.

 A point needs attention is the ignorance of the media anchorpersons having no background knowledge of the real situation. They blame Sardars for creating the tense situation in Balochistan ignoring the real factors leading to this fortune, and stand them responsible for backwardness of the province and the miseries of the people which is irrational and illogical. 

Another point of paramount significance is not considered by political and intellectual forces that this time the situation is definitely different; critically analyzing the conflict clearly exists because of the youth not Sardars. Therefore, it is not going to be solved until ordinary Baloch people are not dealt and persuaded. By offering bribe to some tribal heads (known as Sardars by many in Pakistan) will not help in diminishing the perilous situation and in sustaining peace as nothing is in their hands. 

Rehman Malik, interior minister, claims foreign hands involvement in violence, and target killings in Balochistan while remains reluctant to produce his incontrovertible evidences when asked, and his irrational claim that the missing persons are in Dubai, Afghanistan is further increasing the hate in the heart of the ordinary Baloch. He makes so foolish arguments forgetting that if there is a foreign power behind the killings again it falls into the responsibility of the security forces and government to tackle them guaranteeing the security of its citizens. 

The anchorpersons are not playing the role of a moderator. They are impatient to listen to those, even amongst themselves, who comment honestly on Balochistan conflict, and always invite experts who denounce Baloch and call them Israeli or Indian agents, meanwhile, heed not for a minute to ascertain the facts led the conflict ridden province under world attention but  mistakenly assume others involvement like the government officials. 

The arrangement of an APC to improve the situation in Balochistan seems to be ineffective as much water has flowed under the bridge. The mainstream nationalist parties refused to participate in the APC. Hyrbiyar says time for negotiations is gone, and they accept nothing short of self-determination whereas Akhtar Mengal has declared that Rehman Malik is a “non-serious” person. Unfortunately, President Zardari’s declaration of meeting the disgruntled Baloch brothers himself might face the same answer as he once remarked that promises are no Quranic verses.

Shameless Rehman Malik’s , extremely futile and nonsensical statement, nothing more than a baby’s babbling that he is granting amnesty to the Baloch leaders is equal to rubbing salt into Baloch’s wounds. He who is not worth of his pay, expresses what he knows not distantly, unworthy of respect, is aggravating the grievances of the Baloch people. Amnesty? what for? For demanding one’s justified natural and constitutional rights?

The situation will not turn to normalcy until they don’t realize and accept their wrongdoings done against the Baloch people and punish those responsible. 

Historical analysis of Baloch issue

Balochistan faced four bloody conflicts, and the Baloch and Pakistan’s relations can easily be termed as hostile since 1948 with Prince Karim’s initiated insurgency against Pakistan as a result when army was sent by the central government, which allegedly forced Mir Ahmad Yar Khan (Khan of Kalat) to give up his state signing an accession agreement ending kalat’s de facto independence. The Balochs have been politically, economically and culturally subjugated and forcefully crushed whenever they spoke for their rights by the civil and military establishment.

Mr Naseer Dashti, a renowned Baloch nationalist scholar, writes in an article that Pakistani military establishment “perceives the Baloch nationalism as a grave threat to the state”. Major military offensives were launched in Balochistan during 1948, 1958, 1962, and 1973, Baloch were indiscriminately killed and displaced by the intelligence operatives, army and paramilitary and the political activists and intellectuals were harassed, kidnapped and tortured during and later on.  

The recent ongoing Baloch resistance movement meant to avenge the wrong and injustice done to them takes its roots in mid 2004 and during which the death of Nawab Bugti (who was a staunch pro-Pakistan leader) and Mir Balaach Mari in 2006, and 2007, respectively, brought a significant change in the history of Baloch Resistance Movement, and now they openly demand independence before it was for utmost autonomy. 

Pakistani military and so-called political establishment never heeded upon a political settlement of the Baloch issue but rather believed in using brute force as a continuation of the policy to silent those voices raised for their just rights, seemingly failed, in other words it further energized the Baloch to fight back and due to their faithful and courageous resistance Baloch cause is promoted and recognized and now the Baloch moderate forces greatly favour armed resistance.

The story continues, the addition of the callous murder of three towering Baloch leaders waja Ghulam Mohd, BNP president, Lala Munir, vice president of BNP and Sher Mohd Baloch, central deputy secretary general of BRP further severely intensified the situation as they were using political grounds to fight for their national rights which strengthen the existing perception of the common Baloch that Pakistani rulers don’t consider them equal partners and think them as a subject race and themselves the race of conquerors, the same precisely was the attitude of Pakistan toward the Bengalis.

A “kill and dump” process is adopted now of those kidnapped and disappeared as a counter insurgency tactic by the repressive military establishment to frighten those voices particularly opposing the exploitation of resources. The situation in Balochistan is extremely precarious and gross human rights abuses are reported. “Pakistani security services are brazenly disappearing, torturing, and often killing people because of suspected ties to the Baloch nationalist movement,” said Brad Adams, executive director of Human Rights Watch’s Asia division and a general expert on Asia, “this is not counterinsurgency – it is barbarism and it needs to end now.” 

Historically, resistance was always present in Balochistan against unjust policies and exploitation of their natural resources which was totally ignored by national media and intellectuals and common masses still know not the real issue, and Baloch lacked means but with the passage of time they accessed the modern resources of communication like twitter, facebook, mobile phones and youtube and skillfully exploited them by uploading videos and photos of mutilated corpses of Baloch activists and explained Baloch genocide in Pakistan which attracted attention of the international community. 

The recent congressional hearing and subsequent proposed resolution moved in US congress by Republican congressman Dana Rohrabacher (who recently co-authored an article with Congressman Louie Gohmert uttering support for an independent Balochistan wrote: “Perhaps we should even consider support for a Balochistan carved out of Pakistan to diminish radical power there (in Pakistan).”) has tremendously encouraged the Baloch as their plight is highlighted.  The Baloch leader Hairbiyar Mari in an interview on geo TV said answering a question “we are happy at least they paid attention to Baloch issue”, and added that “this became possible only by the youths sacrifice.”

The main reason behind the troubled relations is a consistent blunder made by Pakistanis that even today they don’t know the exact nature of the Baloch and deliberately reluctant to pay attention to this ignored reality. They don’t know or try not to that the role assigned  for a Baloch in society is one of honour and freedom not of subjugation and dependence and a mother’s wish in her lullaby to her babyson is that he should grow in the true tradition of freedom and that he should be called for war by the tribal chief.

Traditionally, they have never accepted hegemony and domination and the spirit of revenge can be extinguished in a Baloch heart if stone could melt away in waters. They never consent to be treated subordinately. Yet the establishment did not change its attitude and treated them against their genuine wishes. A sense of deprivation is realistically genuine and valid as Balochistan being the largest natural resource rich province is yet the least developed. 

As the Baloch resistance is entered in its third phase being a revised resistance in nature  is potentially impossible to be curbed at least by suppressive militaristic approach if it could be then it was years before. They lost trust in political leaders and term them as more interested in resource rich land rather than Baloch. Now it is time to seriously ponder over what can be done peacefully ending all type of violence, and psychological warfare as already it is too late.