File photo of Gulzar Imam pakistanstandard.com
by Muhammad Ali Raza 9 April 2023
Pakistan has been facing resistance from Baloch sub-nationalist and nationalist groups since its creation. There is so-called fifth insurgency has been going on inside Pakistan. Where the banned militant organizations have been using the agenda of grievances to pursue foreign countries’ interests. These feigned nationalist organization has been targeting the civilian population to please their foreign masters. There are different nationalist groups in Balochistan working against the state under different titles. These are Baloch National Army (BLA), Baloch National Army (BNA), Baloch Liberation Front (BLF), United Baloch Army (UBA), and Baloch Raj Ajoi Sang (BRAS). All of these organizations have linkages with terrorist organizations like Tehreek Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as the member of these organizations mostly gets their training from Afghanistan and India. These terrorist organization has been undermining the real issues and challenges of the common masses by disturbing the peace and stability of Balochistan for the sake and pleasure of foreign elements.
The BNA has formed a year ago in January 2022 through the merger of two militant organization Baloch Republican Army (BRA), and the United Baloch Army (UBA). The Gulzar Imam alias Shambay is the founder of it who is recently on 7 April captured in a carefully planned covert operation by intelligence agencies of Pakistan. Shambay used to be a hardcore militant and also had a critical role in the making of BRAS. The arrest of Gulzar Imam Alias Shambay, a key terrorist commander and founder and leader of the banned outfit Baloch National Army (BNA) is a big blow to the terrorist organizations and their handlers in Balochistan. Shambay’s arrest is also a big success for Pakistani intelligence agencies who captured a key person who was living under the wings of hostile foreign intelligence agencies. These are the people who work for hostile agencies, misguiding local youth and using them against their own country.
As most Baloch terrorist leaders are living abroad and enjoy luxury living in foreign countries, what is their business, how they afford their expenses and from where do they receive funds? These are questions that need to be asked by young Baloch from all those militant groups who are misguiding them and asking to kill innocent people and security personnel in Balochistan just to fulfill hostile foreign agencies’ agenda. Baloch’s young generation should think for a while as a state can become an enemy for its citizen. The answer is no the state is not the enemy of dissidents (Baloch sub-nationalists), but there is distance and who created it between Baloch and the state? This distance is created by misunderstanding and propaganda caused by hostile agencies and their agents. These hostile neighbors don’t want peace and stability in Balochistan which is the only solution for the good and secure future of Balochistan.
The state always plays the role of mother in the betterment and development of its people. But it is the people who misuse this leverage of the state and try to bite the hand that feed them. The same goes for the Baloch Nationalist groups, the state of Pakistan has initiated peace talks and negotiations several times with them and tried to address their concerns. But ultimately their leader’s demands always bring the talks to a stalemate. The state is not the enemy of dissidents (Baloch sub-nationalists) it always tries to bridge the misunderstandings and highlight the state’s motherly role and build confidence amongst the masses, particularly in Balochistan. The state always tries to positively engage youth by highlighting the role of foreign agencies particularly Indian in exploiting our fault lines. Pakistan has started various initiatives to engage Balochistan including the Balochistan Youth Action Committee and Youth Pehchan Program in 2020 to spread awareness among the youth.
Balochis are very patriotic and brave people their devotion to their land shows how loyal they are to their land. But their loyalty to their land has been misused by foreign handlers and agencies in order to obtain their objective and disturb the peace in Balochistan. The Balochistan young generation has been misguided and has it grievances that need to re-align to ground realities. Peace in Balochistan is the real game changer. Integration or reconciliation is the end state peace is the ultimate objective for a better and prosperous Balochistan and Pakistan. For this purpose both state and people of Pakistan must open to a dialogue.