Balochistan's Freedom Fighter Martyred

08-28-2006, 01:40 AM

Rebel killing raises stakes in Pakistan

and

http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

08-28-2006, 09:48 AM

QUOTEPakistani officials say that at least 16 soldiers including four officers were killed after they went in to mop up the remnants of the Baloch guerrilla group. A fierce battle ensued which led to their deaths.

08-28-2006, 09:53 AM

QUOTEIncensed Baluchis rise in revolt
Abdul Sattar/AP | Quetta
Quetta, Karachi erupt in flames

The killing of a top tribal chief by Pakistani troops sparked widespread violence and rioting on Sunday and raised fears that a decades-old conflict in the country's volatile southwest could widen.

Nawab Akbar Bugti's death in a Pakistani raid on his mountain hide-out Saturday was "the darkest chapter in Pakistan's history," former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif told Pakistani TV.Â Â

For the second consecutive day on Sunday, angry mobs torched shops, buses, banks and police vehicles in Quetta, capital of Baluchistan, to protest Bugti's killing.

Police arrested 450 people for defying a curfew imposed to maintain order. Violence spread across Baluchistan and into neighbouring Sindh province, where ethnic Baluchis burned tyres in Karachi.

Political leaders and analysts feared the killing of 79-year-old Bugti, an articulate, English-speaking champion of greater rights for ethnic-Baluch tribespeople, could influence more young Pakistanis to take up militancy.

Talaat Masood, a Pakistani analyst and former army general, described Bugti's death as a "great tragedy" that will further divide ordinary Pakistanis from the military, led by President Gen Pervez Musharraf.

"It is very dangerous when we are already fighting (al-Qaeda) terrorists in Pakistan to bring about another reason for radicalising the youth," Masood said.

On the streets of Quetta, anti-government sentiment was at fever-pitch. "The Government has killed the Baluch leader. We will take revenge," said 27-year-old Quetta college student Ghulam Mohiuddin. An alliance of four Baluch nationalist groups announced 15 days of mourning for Bugti's death and vowed to continue protests throughout the region.

Baluchistan, which borders Afghanistan and Iran, has been wracked by decades of low-level conflict that has often flared into large-scale clashes, as ethnic-Baluch tribes people led by Bugti pressed the Government for an increased share of wealth from natural resources extracted from the province, including gas, oil and coal.

Bugti's son-in-law, Shahid Bugti, a senator in Pakistan's parliament, denounced the killing and demanded the government return the tribal chief's body so his family for burial. Khan said the military had not yet retrieved his body.

"This is a very tragic affair for the whole family, the tribe and the people of the whole region," Shahid Bugti said from his father-in-law's family house in Quetta. "We consider him a martyr. He led a very graceful life and he had a graceful death, going out while fighting for his people's rights."

08-28-2006, 11:41 PM

QUOTE* Three people were killed and over 50 others injured and a curfew was imposed on Nushki town.

* At least 45 vehicles, scores of shops, banks and government buildings were ransacked or set on fire

* Police have arrested around 600 protesters in Quetta on charges of attacking government buildings and vehicles

* 12 police personnel, including four officers, were injured in clashes with protesters.

* All Quetta-bound flights coming from Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad were cancelled. Passenger trains coming to Quetta from different parts of the country were stopped at Sibi and no train left Quetta for any destination as Pakistan Railways had suspended the service.

* A group of students smashed the door and windows of the offices of the warden of Balochistan Universityâs hostel. They entered the varsity garage and set on fire 16 buses.

* In Nushki, the administration imposed a curfew after protesters had attacked a Frontier Corps checkpost and set it on fire.

* Two bombs were exploded in Kalat. A device was planted in the building of Nadra that went off, destroying its offices. A hand grenade was hurled into the T&T offices, damaging the telephone exchange.

* The district offices of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League were set on fire in coastal towns of Pasni and Gwadar. A police post also came under attack in Gwadar.

* In Khuzdar, six banks, the offices of the House Building Finance Corporation, over 24 shops and several vehicles were set afire.

* Ten people were injured in Khuzdar and incidents of firing between police and protesters were reported from the town.

Dawn

UPDATE:

* On Monday, five people were injured in clashes between protesters and police in the town of Pasni where several shops were set ablaze in the bazaar.

* In Gawadar, nearly 1,000 protesters set a bank and two shops on fire

08-28-2006, 11:42 PM

via email
QUOTEWatching old footage of Sardar Nawab Akbar Bugti on various TV channels I have realized that all the actions taken against the Bugti tribe is nothing but a personal revenge of President Musharaf. On the local Sindhi channel, KTN, Sardar Akbar Bugti, without taking any name, singled out the President and said âhe does not want Balochis but Balochistan. He wants land for military roads, helipads for military helicopters and army barracksâ â from other statements by Sardar Akbar Bugti it is clear that he is only speaking against the President and the government. Never did he speak against Pakistan or Pakistan army, nor did he demand any sort of Separation from the mainland of Pakistan.

Many people may look at this murder as âconducted by military on its own willâ. It is not as such though. Military is only a puppet of orders. It cannot conduct any action without the orders from hierarchy. Infact military it self has recieved serious blows. Hence it can be easily concluded that FC had received an order for his [Akbar Bugtiâs] murder, off course by the person on top of the hierarchy â that President Musharaf. It must not be ignored that President Musharaf did say âthat we can strike them and they wont even know what struck them.â

Bodhi · (This post was last modified: 08-29-2006, 02:01 AM by Bodhi.)

Balochistan after Bugti - Alok Bansal

British-educated Nawab Akbar Bugti, who was in his 80s and had played a major role in the politics of Balochistan for five decades, was relatively a late entrant to the cause of Baloch nationalism and till his recent falling out with the Pakistani establishment; he had been one of the pillars of Pakistani government in the region.

He was not only the first Baloch to be nominated to the Pakistani cabinet, but also a former chief minister of the province. He had also been the governor of the province and Islamabad's point man during the last major conflagration in Balochistan from 1973 to 1979.

He was reported to have been ruling his subjects with a firm hand and had been accused of operating private jails and running a feudal justice system in his area. His running feud with Kalpar Waderas, the hereditary head of one of the Baloch sub-clans had led to the forced migration of over 10,000 Kalpars from Dera Bugti. He was also the leader of Jamhoori Watan Party, which has representation in the provincial assembly as well as in the parliament.

He had been attempting to get all Baloch nationalist parties under one umbrella. Of late, he had been in the limelight during the ongoing anti government resistance and Dera Bugti district his traditional stronghold has been the scene of most pitched battles fought between security forces and the Baloch nationalists.

In January 2005, after a Sindhi lady doctor was allegedly raped by an army officer in Sui, Bugti tribesmen had stormed the Pakistan Petroleum Limited Complex at Sui and the four day long running battle resulted in rebels firing more than 14,000 rounds of small arms, 436 mortar and 60 rockets. The pitched battles at Sui gave a severe jolt to Pakistani economy and in the immediate aftermath Karachi Stock Exchange lost almost half its net worth.

The security forces had tried to eliminate him earlier in March 2005, when they had shelled his ancestral house at Dera Bugti. Although 17 shells hit his residence, he survived. The day-long shelling claimed 67 lives, including 33 Hindus, who inhabited the neighbouring Hindu ghetto and eight Frontier Corps men. It also resulted in injury to over 100 people and severe damage to a number of houses and temples.

Bugti had to flee Dera Bugti early this year and take refuge in the mountains surrounding Dera Bugti and Kohlu districts, from where he had been coordinating the Baloch resistance.

The killing of Nawab Bugti seems to have galvanised the Baloch nationalists. There were protests all across Balochistan and protesters burnt vehicles, banks and petrol pumps in Quetta, established roadblocks by burning tyres, and an indefinite curfew had to be clamped in the city.

In Kalat, 150 km South of Quetta, a government building was bombed and a telephone exchange set alight. Baloch nationalists have called for a total strike throughout Balochistan today. In Karachi, the largest city of Pakistan, there was rioting in Baloch dominated areas.

The killing was been criticised by almost all political parties who are constituents of Association for Restoration of Democracy (ARD), as well as by Muttahida Majlis e Amal (MMA) and even by Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), which is a key constituent of the federal government as well as the Sindh Government.

The widespread criticism has forced the government to refute original reports that satellite phone trackers were used to locate Nawab Bugti, thereby implying that he indeed was the target.

According to the latest version from the government, the area was targeted after an Army helicopter came under fierce attack from the rebels while over-flying the region. The ensuing battle led to the caving in of the mud bunker where Bugti along with his men had taken shelter. The fact that over 20 elite commandos were killed by the rebels indicates that the rebels gave the security forces a tough fight before they capitulated.

Despite the government's attempts to paint him as an autocratic feudal despot, Sardar Akbar Khan Bugti, on account of the circumstances and the manner of his death, is destined to become a martyr of Baloch nationalism like Nauroz Khan before him.

By killing Bugti, General Musharraf has now permanently alienated a significant section of Baloch population. He has apparently underestimated the Baloch nationalism which has led to four major insurgencies since Pakisan came into being.

A spokesman of the neighbouring and equally recalcitrant Marri tribe reported that over 140 people from the Bugti and Marri tribes had been killed in the air and ground operations. He said that it was a major operation in which both sides suffered losses, but he went on to add that despite the death of Akbar Bugti, their struggle would continue.

Maybe Nawab Bugti's death will help him to achieve what he failed to achieve during his lifetime the unity of all Baloch nationalist groups.

Alok Bansal is a Research Fellow at Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi. The views expressed are his own.

08-29-2006, 02:30 AM

India must stand by the BalochsIndia must stand by the Balochs
B Raman

The Pakistan Air Force and Army, using aircraft, helicopters and communication sets given by the US and missiles given by the Chinese, claims to have killed Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, one of the founding fathers of the Baloch independence struggle.

Thirty six other freedom-fighters belonging to the Bugti and Marri tribes were killed in a three-day operation which began August 24 in the Bhambore Hills, an area between the towns of Kohlu and Dera Bugti. According to Pakistani media reports, Balach Marri, who was believed to be the chief of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), and Nawab Bugti's grandsons Brahamdagh and Mir Ali Bugti were among those killed.

Reliable sources in Balochistan said the Pakistan Army, using modern communication monitoring sets given by the US for pinpointing the location of Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri and other remnants of the Al Qaeda in Pakistani territory, managed to pinpoint the cave in which Nawab Bugti and his followers had taken shelter for more than a year to escape being killed by the Pakistani military.

The Air Force went into action on August 24 and 25 and repeatedly bombed these caves. Thereafter, special commando units of the Pakistan Army, which had been moved into Balochistan from the North Waziristan area, went into the area and raided the caves. The survivors of the air strikes put up a stiff resistance before they were overcome by the army commandos. Before dying, the freedom fighters managed to kill 40 army commandos, including six officers.

The plans for a decapitation strike against Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti and the commander of the BLA had been drawn up by Air Vice Marshal Shehzad Aslam Chaudhry last year when he was the Deputy Chief of Air Staff (Operations) last year, and approved by General Pervez Musharraf. Chaudhry has since retired and has been posted as Pakistan's High Commissioner to Sri Lanka to help the Sri Lankan government in its operations against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). 
However, these plans could not be implemented due to lack of precise intelligence regarding the location of the hideouts of Nawab Bugti. Moreover, the increasing activities of the Al Qaeda in North Wazaristan came in the way of the Pakistani military shifting reinforcements to Balochistan. Reported expression of concern by American officials over the misuse of the equipment, including helicopter gunships, given by them for use against Al Qaeda, in the operations against the Baloch freedom fighters also came in the way of the immediate implementation of the plans.

Two months ago, the Pakistan Army reached a ceasefire agreement with the remnants of the Al Qaeda and the Taliban in North Waziristan. Under this agreement, the jihadis and their local tribal supporters agreed to suspend their operations against the Pakistani security forces. In return, the latter agreed not to interfere with their raids into Afghanistan.

This ceasefire agreement enabled the Pakistan Army to shift its forces, helicopters and communication equipment to Balochistan for operations against the leaders of the Baloch freedom struggle.

Well-informed sources in Balochistan say that the praise showered on General Musharraf recently by the US and the UK for his projected, but not yet proved role in helping the British Police to thwart a jihadi plan to blow up 10 US-bound planes emboldened Musharraf to launch this operation against the Baloch freedom fighters. He felt that in view of this praise, US and British officials were unlikely to take a strong stand against his operations in Balochistan.

The successful decapitation strike launched by the Pakistan Air Force and Army is a major tragedy for the Baloch freedom fighters, but they are not strangers to tragedies. This would only further strengthen their resolve to step up their independence struggle against the Punjabi-military colonisation of Balochistan, with the alleged assistance of China.

Tha Balochs have always been well disposed towards the US. Their anger over the misuse of the US equipment given for anti-Al Qaeda operations by Musharraf for killing the Baloch leaders is unlikely to turn them against the US. However, the anti-Chinese anger in Balochistan is likely to increase further. 
There are already reports of widespread violence in Balochistan in the wake of the martyrdom of Nawab Bugti and other brave freedom fighters, resulting in the imposition of a curfew. The Baloch freedom struggle has entered a new phase. The Pakistan Army and Air Force have shown that they have had no lessons to learn from the consequences of the similar policies followed by them in the pre-1971 East Pakistan.

In this hour of national tragedy, the Balochs have re-dedicated themselves to their independence struggle and resolved to keep up their struggle till freedom becomes a reality. The Balochs, like the Sindhis, the Mohajirs and large sections of the Pashtuns, have always been the traditional friends and well-wishers of India.

The Government of India should not hesitate to condemn the Pakistani military's massacre of Nawab Bugti and other Baloch freedom fighters in the strongest terms. Whatever be the attitude of the Indian policymakers, the people of India will stand by the Balochs in their hour of tragedy and re-dedication.

The names of Nawab Bugti and other Baloch martyrs will remain enshrined in letters of gold in the history of independent Balochistan, when it becomes a reality, as it will.

The writer is Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. of India, New Delhi, and, presently, Director, Institute for Topical Studies, Chennai.

08-29-2006, 03:38 AM

QUOTEThe names of Nawab Bugti and other Baloch martyrs will remain enshrined in letters of gold in the history of independent Balochistan, when it becomes a reality, as it will. 

Wow!!! never seen his love for anyone else.

QUOTE The Balochs, like the Sindhis, the Mohajirs and large sections of the Pashtuns, have always been the traditional friends and well-wishers of India
Yes, Mushy and Zia

08-29-2006, 03:47 AM

<img src='http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/de/Welcome.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />

Nawab Bugti welcoming Jinnah in Balochistan

**Hauma Hamiddha** · 08-29-2006, 04:44 AM

I think Raman is simply going overboard. It is not at all clear that the Balochs are in favor of Hindus or not. From the Realpolitik angle it would be good to support the Balochs as a counter-balance to TSPian terrorism. But given that Balochs voluntarily associated with TSP, and that they are Moslems, makes it unclear as to how rebelious they will ultimately get. A french national who has worked in Balochistan says that the Bugtis tribe specifically has several influential anti-TSP individuals. But apparently there is also intercine conflict between Bugtis and others which the TSp army might exploit in the current stand off.

08-29-2006, 06:35 AM

During partition Balochs were front runner in killing Hindus in Indian side of Punjab.
There butchery even till today shakes lot of Hindus who were forced to hide in villages in Indian Punjab and Pakistan.
B.Raman is one track person. His asset is gone.

08-30-2006, 12:42 AM

ARY TV aired views of Gen Durani(ISI) ...He said with my little knowledge and experience of being DG ISI i must say that this operation is a blunder.....Hamid Gul said Bugti has become an immortal hero for millions of youth in Balouchistan (BBC also showed that interview).

108 people so far died in Balouchistan in riots so far.....Govt has gone defensive completely.... According to Geo TV Poll majority of public is not supportive to Govt. action at all.

08-30-2006, 12:45 AM

Baloch nationalist leaderâs son released
United Arab Emirates authorities have released Ghazzain Marri, son of Baloch nationalist leader Nawab Khair Bukhsh Marri, whose men have been involved in armed clashes with Pakistani security forces in Balochistan following Bugtiâs death.

He had been detained on March 21 in Dubai at the request of Pakistani authorities, who initially wanted him in multiple cases, including rocket attacks near a public gathering being addressed by President Pervez Musharraf in Kohlu, officials said.

08-30-2006, 01:02 AM

Riots continue across Balochistan, Karachi
* Punjabi barber killed in Naushki, eight protesters injured in Pasni
* Sindh-Balochistan highway blocked
* 10 injured in violence in Karachi

ARD wants FIR against security officials for killing Bugti
If you want to harm Pakistan nationally or internationally: You will have to fight me first: Musharraf 
Bugti wasnât target killed: Aziz
PML-N MPs asked to submit resignations
MNAs say Bugti was murdered
QUOTEQUETTA: Violent protests against the killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti continued across Balochistan and in Karachi on Monday, with one death and dozens of injuries reported.

Shops were closed and roads blocked across Balochistan and Baloch-populated areas of Karachi on a strike called by the Baloch National Alliance, a group of four Baloch nationalist parties. However, a sign the riots were easing came in the restoration of air and train services to and from Quetta to normal after disruptions on Sunday.

âViolence has continued throughout the province ... Protesters have burnt government offices, shops and vehicles,â Balochistan Interior Minister Shoaib Nausherwani told Reuters. A group of students burnt the Polytechnic Institute on Sariab Road. Protesters broke the windows of six ambulances at the Bolan Medical College complex, burnt six UN vehicles and three motorcycles, attacked two press photographers, and threw stones at banks.

Sources told Daily Times that the police rounded up some 100 Baloch students, including Gulzar Baloch, general secretary of the Baloch Students Organisation, brining the total detained here to some 550

A mob in Dalbandian mistook a Hindu settlement as Punjabi and beat up several Hindus. They also burnt the local post office and NADRA office. There were also protests in Hub, Chagai, Usta Mohammad, Surab, Taftan and Mach.

Bodhi · (This post was last modified: 08-30-2006, 01:18 AM by Bodhi.)

Balochistan is home to one of the 52 Shakti Peeths of Devi - 'Hinglaj Mata' on the bank of Hingol river. Balochs have preserved the temple well and actually rever the shrine as "Nani Mandar".

<img src='http://offroadpakistan.com/pictures/hingol_2005/DSC08151.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />

Sign says something in Urdu/Baloch/Sindhi, but OM can be seen. Anyone can translate what it says?

<img src='http://offroadpakistan.com/pictures/hingol_2005/DSC08243.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />

<img src='http://offroadpakistan.com/pictures/hingol_2005/DSC08185.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />

Bodhi · (This post was last modified: 09-03-2006, 09:23 PM by Bodhi.)

Probably Bhairavnath (or Hanuman?) near Hinglaj cave.
<img src='http://offroadpakistan.com/pictures/hingol_2005/DSC08197.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />

Inside one of the caves:
<img src='http://offroadpakistan.com/pictures/hingol_2005/DSC08224.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />

<img src='http://offroadpakistan.com/pictures/hingol_2005/DSC08217.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
Many more photos of Hinglaj at this URL:
http://offroadpakistan.com/pictures/hingol_2005/

08-30-2006, 01:29 AM

QUOTERail links to Balochistan suspended 
Asian News International
Quetta, August 29, 2006

The movement of all trains towards Balochistan, and particularly to capital Quetta, from other parts of Pakistan has been suspended in the wake of more reports of mayhem following the death of Baloch leader Akbar Khan Bugti.

Informed sources said that most of the railway tracks leading out of Quetta have been blocked and boulders have been placed on railway lines.

Officials at the Railways headquarters in Lahore have issued directives not to operate any train between Quetta and Sibbi.

Railway traffic on the 141-kilometre track between Quetta and Sibbi has been closed till further orders.

The Bolan Mail and Balochistan Express trains that run between Karachi and Quetta are being operated only up to Sibbi.

The Quetta Express originating from Peshawar, and Jaffar Express from Rawalpindi are under suspension.

The railway headquarters has issued directives not to make any reservations for Quetta, as trains would operate only up to Sibbi.

Routine life has come to a complete halt in Quetta, almost 72 hours after the torching and ransacking of several government buildings, banks and private property.

Even as funeral prayers were being held for Akbar Bugti at the Ayub Stadium, grief-stricken mobs have been roaming around in a frenzy, setting ablaze and smashing anything in sight, cars, tyres, glassed buildings and windows.

The protesters continue to vent their anger by putting up huge bonfires.

A restive Balochistan has also been crippled by a strike organised by the four-party Baloch Alliance.

All business centres, markets and shops have downed their shutters and vehicles have gone off the road in roads in Quetta, Turbat, Mund, Buleda, Dasht, Tamp, Naukundi, Saindak, Khuzdar, Taftan, Usta Muhammad, Gandakha, Jhall Magsi, Naseer Abad and Dera Allahyar.

The main national highways, including Quetta-Khuzdar-Karachi, Quetta-Dalbandin-Taftan-Nokandi as well as Quetta-Jaccobabad, were blocked for all kinds of traffic.

Unruly protesters are being repeatedly confronted by paramilitaries and other security personnel in an attempt to bring the situation under control.

Troops are resorting to firing in the air to disperse the mobs in different localities.

Meanwhile, all government offices and educational institutions continue to remain closed in anticipation of further violence. Tuesday was declared a holiday in the province by the local administration to pre-empt trouble.

So far, over 100 persons, including a senator and two members of the Balochistan Assembly, have been taken into custody for disturbing the peace.

Jan Muhammad Buladi and Rahmat Ali Baloch, both members of the Balochistan Assembly, and Senator Dr Abdul Malik Baloch have been detained in the Bijli Ghar and BIjli Road police stations respectively.

08-30-2006, 09:38 PM

Via email -
Pakis comments
QUOTEIts time to end the Fuedalism, our people are oppressed too much by these feudals. Either come in line with what our nation was meant for or face the wrath of the state. Sardars of Balochistan is the beginning, next Vaderas of Sindh, Choudhrys, Mians of Punjab, Khans, Maliks of NWFP. Too much pain and suffering on our people, its not easy

08-30-2006, 11:44 PM

Plan. Plan.Plan.
On Bugtiâs killing, we have been bullish and mindless.QUOTE29 August 2006: So we have condemned Nawab Bugtiâs assassination. What next? We donât know. The government does not know. Nobody is thinking on those lines.

Since the troubles began in Baluchistan last year, we saw an opportunity to embarrass Pakistan for its interference in Jammu and Kashmir. Our role in the troubled Pakistani province, rich in gas and strategically bordering Iran with a port in the Arabian Sea, was nothing more than that. When Pakistan scaled up anti-Baluch military operations in the region, India cautioned against it. Now the Bugti condemnation naturally flows from it. But what next?

The governmentâs idea is to raise the Baluch issue in world forums, and the coming UN General Assembly session presents an opportunity. Routinely, Pakistan would have brought up Kashmir, because the peace process is dead after the Bombay blasts. In answer, we would serve up Baluchistan. At the moment, nothing more succeeds the Bugti condemnation.

Is the answer to Pakistani terrorism in J and K to embarrass it on Baluchistan? Is it at all proportional? Are we prepared for what is bound to be Pakistanâs redoubled efforts at terrorism in J and K and the rest of India? Bombay blasts II, III, IV? Donât ask. We donât know.

It is a fact that prime minister Manmohan Singh has turned against Pakistan after the Bombay blasts. Who wouldnât? It is also certain that he is totally dismissive of the peace process, and he has spoken roughly during his Orissa tour. The Pakistan government tried to soft soap him by advertising the house arrest of the Lashkar founder. But officials said the PM was unmoved. The PM now believes no business can be done with Pakistanâs military president, Parvez Musharraf.

But if you tinker with responses, you must accept it is policy change, bear the consequences of it, but also plan the next steps in the change, step two, three, four, and so on. Beyond condemning the Bugti killing, and embarrassing Pakistan with it internationally, we donât know what else to do. Sure, we know whatâs to be done, but we donât want to do it. We donât, letâs face it, have the courage for it, to repeat East Pakistan with Baluchistan thirty-five years later.

Let us also face it. It is not an easy thing to do. Yes, there are options. Which country doesnât? Yes, there is opportunity. Pakistan is very suicidal. Yes, there is money. But nations, political leaders, decide what is done and not done. Their decision has to be respected. The leadership is wiser about such issues, or hopefully is. You and I sitting out may not grasp the detail or the big picture. So let us not slam the government for not going the whole way on Baluchistan. But the Bugti condemnation is neither here nor there. If anything, it would give the wrong ideas to Pakistan.

Oughtnât the government to do something, anything? Let such an opportunity pass? No. But the response should be evaluated for proportion, symmetry. What do we gain by embarrassing Pakistan? Will it wind down its terrorism against us? Nope. It would surely redouble it. And likely as not, it would show our statement to the West as interference in its internal affairs. We better have a very good explanation.

The point is this. Nations must roadmap their bilateral relations every mile of the way. This may not always be possible, because it takes two to make a relationship, but there is a good chance that if you are sure of what you want, you could inevitably get the other side to agree. The driver of a relationship, between individuals as with nations, is usually one side or party, and it is usually the winning side. The US occupies that side most times, so does China, and so does Pakistan with us. Pakistan uses any and all means to drive our relations, from cricket to terrorism, and we are just happy to fall along. That way it ensures we fall on our face.

The Bugti killing is the single biggest threat to Pakistanâs unity and territorial integrity since Bangladesh separated. But we havenât handled it right. We have said all the right things, but should we have said it without a full plan? A plan restricted to embarrassing Pakistan is a hopeless plan. It is less effective than whatever we have done to contain Pakistani terrorism. If anything, it exposes our limitations of courage and options even more. Often, not doing something is better than blundering in.

Who drives our Pakistan relations or rather ditches it? In this government, it is mostly the national security advisor, M.K.Narayanan. His instincts are right about Pakistan, that it is a terrorist state, that it is up to no good, that it must be countered every part of the course. Where he is less clear or effective is in countering the terrorist state. Pakistani terrorism is with us for more than twenty years, and Narayanan is not the first NSA. He should know that rhetoric is a spent weapon against Pakistan. It was expended within the first few years of Pakistani terrorism in J and K. So what can he give beyond rhetoric? What can this government give beyond rhetoric?

Again, this is not to blame this or that government. But it is to understand that our less painful options against Pakistan have passed their sell by dates. We have to think new, we have to think deep, we have to think far. As far as two decades. Pakistani terrorism needs to be countered. The Americans wonât counter it for us. We have to take courage in our hands and do what has to be done. The empty rhetoric of the Bugti kind takes us nowhere.

On the contrary, such rhetoric damages our friends, those we seek to protect. If we cannot be of assistance beyond verbal consolations, then they and us would be better off with our silence. With our terrorist neighbour Pakistan, our speech and actions must be calibrated and well conceived, and we must work to a plan. The attitude in the PMO, post the Bugti episode, is, we will take it as it comes. It is, unfortunately, the worse attitude to take, and one programmed to fail.

08-31-2006, 11:53 AM

QUOTETwo grandsons declare war 
Quetta, August 30
The two grandsons of Baluch tribal leader, Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, Hamdad Bugti and Ali Nawaz Bugti, who were earlier feared dead, have surfaced and established contact with their relatives in Quetta.

After the âghaibane janaazaâ, a funeral conducted without the body, at Ayub Stadium here, both grandsons issued a statement that they would be leading the Baluch people in a war against Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf.

The statement was issued in the presence of a gathering of more than 10,000 persons. The statement further said the Baluch war against Islamabad would be intensified and that it was the âresponsibility of each and every Baluch to seek revenge for the murderâ of Nawab Bugti.

Both Hamdad and Ali Nawaz Bugti had gone underground with their grandfather earlier this year after the Pakistan Government sought to tighten the noose around rebel Baluch factions, especially the Baluchistan Liberation Army (BLA), which was seen as an anti-development and anti-progress element in Pakistanâs largest, yet poorest province.

The grandsons and Nawab Akbar Bugti shared a very close and affectionate relationship, especially after their father and Bugtiâs eldest son, Salal Bugti, was killed by members of the rival Kalpar tribe in June 1992 following an intra-tribal feud that had been simmering for some years.

The situation took a turn for the worse in the early 1990s, when Akbar Bugti allegedly killed Amir Hamza, a son of Kalpar leader Khan Mohammad Kalpar, in May 1992 in Dera Bugti during a local bodiesâ election.

The death of Amir Hamza led to the retaliatory murder of Salal Bugti. Ever since, Akbar Bugtiâs primary goal was to remove the Kalpars and Masuris (another sub-tribe of the Bugti clan) from the region or to physically eliminate them.

Besides these personal and political factors, the Kalpars had also staked a claim to the Sui gas fields located in their area. 

Their demand to be the primary beneficiaries of its royalties had infuriated Akbar Bugti, who was an individual who brooked no opposition to his leadership of the Bugti tribe. â ANI

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