Hussain Gadehi November 27, 2007
Lesson from History
Burning Baluchistan is reminding us of Dhaka, where Al_Badar myriad thousands Bengali professors, scientists, intellectuals, politicians, writers, doctors, poets and others for assassination. The series of assignations in Bangladesh was started from 1969 whena Shams Duaa-Haa, professor of Chemistry in Rajshahi University, was assassinated in daylight.
Let me explain what the Al-Badar and Al-Shams were and are?
Al-Badar was and is militant wing of Jamait Islami and a paramilitary force formed in Bangladesh in 1971 by the Pakistan Army. However, the war between Pakistan and Bangladesh was a war for nationalistic, not religious reasons but Al-Badar forget that what the real Jihad is and fight against the Muslims in Bangladesh, Bengalis use to call Al-Badar as “Butcher of Bangladesh.”
The Al Badar was assigned a variety of combat and non-combat tasks including taking part in the operations, spying against Mukti-Bahini, interrogation, working as the guides of the regular army, assassination, detecting and killing Bengali intellectuals, looting and supplying women-children to rape.
On 25th March 1971, after beginning the Bangladesh Liberation War, Pakistani military forces required military support from Bengali supporters as well as the non-Bengali Muhajirs (refugees) in order to abolish the freedom fighters of Bangladesh, the Mukti Bahini, Hemayet Bahini and Kaderiya Bahini. The Al Badar were formed to detect these freedom fighters and to have guides as well as co-fighters who were familiar with the local terrain. The force was composed of madrassah students-teachers, supporters of Muslim League and Jamait Islami, and muhajirs (refugees) coming from non-Bengali part of India. History tell us that killings which began on 25 March 1971 and sparked the Bangladesh Liberation War and also led to the deaths of at least 26,000 people as admitted by Pakistan on one hand (by the Hamoodur Rahman Commission) and 3,000,000 by Bangladesh on the other hand, (From 1972 to 1975 the first post-war prime minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, mentioned on several occasions that at least three million died). After the defeat of the Pakistan Army, there was a call to try nearly 200 prisoners of war for war crimes, but none of the soldiers or officers involved were tried for war crimes.
Doctor Fazl Rabbi was an eye specialist; he was kidnapped by Al-Badar. Next day his body was found from a drainage line. His both eyes were vanished and there were marks of switchblade. “What should we think about such peccadilloes?”
Sources says, “accused as Butcher of Bangladesh I mean the ex-militants of Al-Badar are settled in UK and other European countries and they are appointed as cleric of mosques there. And I want to remind the readers that too, “Jamait Islami’s former leader Maulana Modudi had rejected the theory of Pakistan but since 1947, when Pakistan came into being, it is claimed by the leaders of Jamait Islami that they are playing leading role for security of this terra firma of Holy Army, Intelligence agencies and various Mafias.
History enlightens us, though the Sindhis and Bengalis were most active for an independent federation of sovereign and autonomous, it was stated in the Lahore Resolution in 1940 that That: “the areas in which the Muslims are numerically in majority as in the North-Western and Eastern zones of India should be grouped to constitute independent states in which the constituent units shall be autonomous and sovereign.” But after the creation of Pakistan, Bengalis were active for independent Bangladesh and Sindhis are active for separate Sindhu Desh.
Baluchistan Situation
Now the burning Baluchistan is reminding us of Bangladesh. But Baluchistan has a different history than Bangladesh, Bengalis were active for creation of Pakistan but Baloch weren’t part of Pakistan moment. Impartial history enlightens us, “In 1948, it forcefully became part of Pakistan. Since then, a number of separatist groups in the province have engaged in armed violence against the Pakistani government—first led by Prince Karim Khan in 1948, and later by Nawab Nowroz Khan in 1968. These tribal uprisings were limited in scope. A more serious insurgency was led by the Marri and Mengal tribes in 1973-1977. All these groups fought for the existence of a “Greater Balochistan”—a single independent and comprising the historical Balochistan region, presently split between Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan. In 2005 there was another violent struggle to achieve these aims. In 2006, the Pakistan army killed Nawab Akbar Bugti.
Balochi nationals support the claim that the ruler of the Khanate of Balochistan, Mir Ahmad Yar Khan, was coerced by Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the first governor-general of Pakistan, to sign the document of accession. Critics dispute such claims as unrealistic and contrary to popular support for Jinnah, as the Khan of Kalat ruled even after Jinnah’s death with the support of the government. However, the Khan was not an absolute monarch; he was required to act under the provisions of the Rawaj (the Baloch traditions).
The incorporation of the Khanate resulted in a few anti-Pakistani rallies and meetings in certain areas of the Khanate. To subdue anti-Pakistani sentiment, the Army of Pakistan was placed on alert. The Government of Pakistan decided to take complete control of the administration of the Khanate of Balochistan on April 15, 1948. The A.G.G. in Balochistan conveyed Jinnah’s orders that the Khanate would revert to its previous status as it had existed under British rule. Jinnah also refused to give autonomy to Balochistan.
In April 1948, several political leaders from Balochistan, including Mohammad Amin Khosa and Abdul Samad Achakzai, were arrested. The pro-Congress Anjuman-i-Watan Party, headed by Samad Achakzai, was declared unlawful.
This is universal fact that whenever any military or civilian government occupies any state it doesn’t mean that the conquering forces wants to enlighten the masses, develop the society and bring improvement in the occupied area.
I do believe there are hundreds of political workers, writers, poets, intellectuals, political activists, and professors and so on are disappeared and illegitimately detained because it is my strong bond faith that intelligence services of Pakistan have capability of thousands to vanish from political and social scenario.
Wahid, Wambar, Zakir Majeed, Hafiz Saeed-u-Zamaan, Zahid Baloch, former principal of Elementary College Misri Khan Marri are only names. No body knows where they are? But yet there are thousands un-named Baloch who are facing illegal confinement and torture at unknown places and there misdemeanor is quite clear that they are having unfortunate nativity.
Weeks before there was convened a seminar about the disappearances in Quetta Pres Club, where a woman of Marri Para Orangi Town Karachi sent a message, “two days before my four sons were taken by intelligence agencies, even they were only labours. I do not know where they are and what is going on with them?” There offence is quite clear that they are Baloch.
In the same seminar, which was organised for release of disappeared political activists and other Balochs, a professor of Islamic Philosophy in Balochistan University, a poet and writer Saba Dashtiari slammed the existence of Pakistan.
“This country is colonised and the elements of international imperialists are trampling pathetic masses and they have learnt only one thing that how to trample the rights and how to anguish oppressed nations,” this was unprecedented expression by Saba Dashtiari.
When Supreme Court had taken notice about such disappearances, Muneer Mengal, Asghar Marri, leader of Baluchistan National Movemnet Ghulam Muhammad Baloch, leader of Jamhoori Watan Party Sindh Sher Muhammad Baloch and others were produced in the courts and they were convicted in different cases. But yet thousands of political activists, intellectuals, poets, writers, journalists are facing illegal detention. Shouldn’t we assume that we do live the Islamic Republic of Intelligence Agencies or Islamic Republic of Jungle?
Now it is heard from sources that Pakistan Army is once again preparing the Islamic Militants to fight against Baloch militants in the name of Islam.
Sources said, “Pakistani establishment is considering how it can face the Baluchistan situation and there is a plan under consideration in GHQ that it will be a nice step to prepare Islamic militants to counter Baloch Liberators in the name of Islam.” According to the political intellectuals, “this kind of stratagem will breed horrible scenario because Baluchistan is not Bangladesh and it is 21st century not 1971.”
Actually, like every individual each state also believes that it will solve its troubles easily and it can face every kind of situations without any harm but a psychological view is that, “when the fear is beyond one’s control, or if the fear is interfering with daily life, then a diagnosis under one of the anxiety disorders can be made and it is generally accepted that this fear arise from a combination of external events and internal predispositions.”
