Dr. Allah Nazar Baloch, pro-independence leader and head of Balochistan Liberation Front has likened Pakistan’s present state to that of Balochistan, stating that fundamental human rights have been suspended in the latter.
Nationalist political parties and politics are prohibited while undeclared, unlawful, and covert detention centers detain thousands of individuals and thousands are killed in custody.
Their sole crime was being peaceful political advocates who spoke out on issues like Baloch national freedom and human rights violations. In Punjab, i.e. actual Pakistan, protests have led to the burning of homes belonging to high-ranking military and government officials, as well as military installations. Despite this, the Pakistani army has refrained from using force to quell the demonstrations. The Pakistani state’s lack of response to these events suggests that other nations, including Baloch, Sindhi, and Pashtun, should refrain from comparing themselves to Punjab.
Dr. Allah Nazar Baloch said that we are not doing anything to be considered as deserving of treatment like Punjab. We are slaves and we realize our status. The Pakistani army is treating us like slaves, that is what an occupying force does. But if our enemy was civilized, he would have not engaged in such blatant human rights violations. She lacks human and national values, making him a beast. My message is for the Baloch nation. If what happened in Punjab occurred in Balochistan, half of Balochistan would have been killed.
He said that Punjabi protesters are engaging in terrorist-style sabotage, while the army remains silent. Meanwhile, Balochistan has been subjected to grave oppression, even under normal circumstances. Individuals who advocate for their rights face the threat of being either subjected to incarceration in undisclosed facilities or being killed. In addition, numerous persons have lost their lives in staged encounters.
The Baloch leader said, over the past seventy years, Baloch people have been treated like this. Even during Ayub Khan’s rule, a renowned pro-federal leader named Ghous Bakhsh Bizenjo was detained for advocating the dissolution of one unit with a sentence he wrote.
The legendary Baloch leader, Shaheed Ghulam Muhammad Baloch, was released on bail in the recent past. However, he was taken into custody again from the court premises, and later on, his body was found brutally mutilated along with his associates as well.
Dr. Allah Nazar recalled, “When the students of Polytechnic Rawalpindi chanted ‘Ayub KuttaHai’, the army lowered its guns and said, ‘These are our own children.’ During the Faizabad sit-in, the state remained passive and claimed that the protesters were compatriots. The army handed out money among them, while PTI workers recklessly destroyed and set fire to the Lahore Corps Commander’s home and the statues of their heroes with impunity yesterday.
He said that Baloch are being killed by the army in their fight for justice, as peaceful protestors are beaten but the courts remained silenced. The army continues to slaughter Baloch people with no regard.
Baloch parliamentarians remain silent as they know that the army is dedicated to Punjab, and Pakistan is under the control of the army. I am sure that they are aware of the army’s doings in Balochistan, yet they remain silent for their personal interests or hypocrisy.
It is important for our nation to take note that while Faisal Naseer was praised in Balochistan, he was branded as “Dirty Harry” in Punjab. This contrast should serve as a wake-up call for the Baloch youth and Baloch nation.
