**Look at the utter hypocracy. India is calling the BLA a freedom movement where as it calls the Kashmiris, terrorists. I think Pakistan should recognize all the Maoist Insurgencies, the Assam Movements as struggle for freedoms. We should also start helping out the Khalistan Sikh Movement as well as well as Tamil-Nadu.
The Baloch freedom-fighters continue to wage a determined struggle against the Pakistan Army and the Punjabi feudal aristocracy, which has colonised their homeland with Chinese assistance. Their struggle is against the Punjabi-dominated Army and not against the common people, wherever they are from.
The operations of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and other groups, which have joined this freedom struggle, are directed against the external manifestations of the Punjabi colonisation such as the Army, the Air Force and para-military forces as well as the infrastructure through which the valuable resources of the Baloch people are being taken away to add to the wealth and comfort of the Punjabis, while the Balochs themselves continue to suffer in abject poverty and misery.
Despite the deployment of nearly 40,000 troops and para-military forces and the use of the Air Force, including the helicopters donated by the US for operations to hunt for Osama bin Laden and his No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahiri, President General Pervez Musharraf has not been able to suppress the freedom struggle being waged by the Balochs.
In the meanwhile, the international community and opinion makers in the US have been taking increasing notice of the freedom struggle and the grievances of the Balochs. The Pakistan Human Rights Organisation headed by the renowned Dr. Asma Jehangir has also been highlighting the continuing gross violations of the human rights of the Balochs.
Frustrated in their attempts to crush the independence struggle through their military might, Pakistan’s military-intelligence establishment have embarked on a campaign to discredit the movement by planting mines on roads and routes used by innocent civilians and blaming on the BLA and other organisations fighting for independence the resulting civilian casualties.
In a tragic incident on March 10, 2006, a wedding party of 30 civilians perished after the bus in which they were traveling hit a land-mine in the Dera Bugti area of Balochistan. An insidious campaign has been unleashed by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to blame the Baloch freedom-fighters for this incident as well as earlier incidents in which civilians were killed by land-mines.
Well-informed sources say that these mines, many of them of Chinese origin, were planted by the Army and the ISI in order to discredit the freedom struggle and weaken the growing external support for it. They assert that the BLA and its sister organisations do not have any land-mines.
The Chinese have also been playing a deplorable role in the efforts of the Army to crush the independence struggle, by providing the Pakistani military units deployed in Balochistan with arms and ammunition and by sharing with them the intelligence collected by Chinese intelligence officers posted in Gwadar and other places under the cover of engineers.
(The writer is Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. of India, and, presently, Director, Institute For Topical Studies, Chennai. E-Mail: [email protected]) **
Re: Indians call BLA (Balochistan Liberation Army) Freedom Fighters
Like this even pakistan can be called a hypocrate.........when it says kashmiris as freedom fighters, then why doesn't it call balochis the same?.Like this even tibetans are fighting for their freedom struggle. Why doesn't it call tibetan movement also as a freedom struggle?. Hypocracy is clearly visible. Besides i am not saying that india is perfect in every sense atleast in its past.
Besides, who is this B.Raman?...is he an indian government beuorocrat (not retd)?.....if he is some journalist or something else, then i ignore this thread. I wont give much importance to his statement.
Re: Indians call BLA (Balochistan Liberation Army) Freedom Fighters
ok....then tell he is hypocrate as you said he is hawkish...then you should ignore what ever he says. Dont say "india is hypocrate".
I am sure there will be many hawkish pakistanis who would call Maoist Insurgencies, the Assam Movements as struggle for freedoms. I give a damn thing to them.
Re: Indians call BLA (Balochistan Liberation Army) Freedom Fighters
I said sometime back… anything one of the Indians out of billion+ says becomes a good stick to turn threads into India bashing. You have one guy giving his opinion and you turn it into India bashing…
the intellectual capacity or sheer desperation to be anti India or bias against India is so visible …
Re: Indians call BLA (Balochistan Liberation Army) Freedom Fighters
b. raman is not a spokesperson for india...he is now a columnist.
however, i do think india should officially refer to the balochis as freedom fighters, and they should use the exact phrase verbatim that pakistan uses on kashmir...."we extend full moral and diplomatic support" to the balochis.
of course, timing is bad with the peace process....but that is exactly what the indian stance should be.
Re: Indians call BLA (Balochistan Liberation Army) Freedom Fighters
The very reason why BLA is being called 'freedom fighters' is to make an absurd point about Kashmiris. There's no comparison, but such analysts wouldnt analyze that...
Re: Indians call BLA (Balochistan Liberation Army) Freedom Fighters
This writer must be condemned for inciting people of another country.
Comparing Balochiatan with Kashmir is absurd. One place is part of Pakistan and other is as best disputed area between two countries recognised internationally.
India or any indian should stay away for another countries internal affairs and should side with the Public officials of Pakistan. Anyone asking for indians (or any other) government to adopt interfering or inciting attitude against Pakistan must be condemned as well.
Re: Indians call BLA (Balochistan Liberation Army) Freedom Fighters
Ok...Lets check by election that blochi want independence or Kasmiri want...You will come to know..
Besides, who is this B.Raman?...is he an indian government beuorocrat (not retd)?.....if he is some journalist or something else, then i ignore this thread. I wont give much importance to his statement.
Re: Indians call BLA (Balochistan Liberation Army) Freedom Fighters
it is indeed difficult to compare balochistan with kashmir. agreed before. Holding elections, it has been done in kashmir. Besides kashmiris themselves are divided. Moreover, i am not interested in knowing what balochis want.
I will not condemn this guy(B V raman) for making this statement.....i will only 'advise' him not to resort to such statements openly. why?...because india is a democracy and everyone has his opinion and freedom to say it, that too when there are more than one billion people these keep happening. If he was an representative of indian government , then the issue would have been different.
Re: Indians call BLA (Balochistan Liberation Army) Freedom Fighters
Im sorry I was referring to your sidekick nikhil, you know how these days all the indians like to change names in the west? Like Harry Patel likes to be called Harry Potter, and Samir, Sameul, so nikhil = nicols.
