New Delhi
30 August 2006
Balochistan nationalists have stepped up their struggle against the
military rulers of Pakistan by issuing an ultimatum to the "Muslim Punjabi" and "Urdu-
speaking civilians" to leave the southwestern province immediately.
The warning has been issued after the declaration of the "next battle" of what the Baloch
nationalists call War of Independence in which "urban guerrilla warfare" would be
employed to fight the Pakistani security forces.
The notice asking people to leave also comes after the National People's Congress
(parliament) of China recently ratified the April 2005 pact with Pakistan to fight the "three
evil forces" of separatism, extremism and terrorism.
Among the Chinese investments in Balochistan is the Gwadar Port, which is being built
with China's help. The Baloch are opposed to the Chinese presence in their region.
Three Chinese engineers were murdered in February this year.
The general secretary of the Government of Balochistan in Exile, Mir Azaad Khan
Baloch, has said that "anyone who works for the Government of Pakistan is the enemy of
the Baloch people" and should be eliminated.
"It is imperative that notices are sent to all Muslim Punjabi and Urdu-speaking civilians
(excluding Christians, Hindus, Parsees and other non-Muslims) in Balochistan to vacate
Balochistan immediately," Azaad Khan said.
Khan went on to state, "The Baloch soldier must find means to deactivate and destroy all
government issued equipment .... It is vital that every Baloch must use creativity in
finding ways to bring the Pakistani government to a standstill."
The Baloch nationalists, however, asserted that care would be taken to spare "non-
government civilians" and to "avoid any collateral damage to the non-government
population" living in the restive province.
"This must be done to avoid any non-governmental casualties. A Baloch in every
community must be appointed to be the guardian of the non-Muslim minorities and keep
them away from harms way," Khan observed.
Acording to an analyst writing for the Delhi-based Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies,
"Modern militancies are not dependent on a single leader for the continuance of the
struggle [and] the support may now increase with [Bugti) being seen as a martyr in the
struggle for freedom from Pakistani misrule."
No comments:
Post a Comment