Pakistan's Other Taliban

Editor in Chief, 'The Baloch Hal'; Author; Contributing Writer

...........LeJ's dramatic rise is perturbing for the following reasons.

All top LeJ commanders in Balochistan come from lower-middle class Baloch families. The Balochs have historically remained a secular people with rare connections with forces that fought in the name of religion. Hundreds of Muslim religious schools established across Balochistan with the covert funding of Saudi Arabia and Pakistani government to counter the ongoing Baloch separatist movement richly provide manpower to Muslim extremist groups.

Left-wing Baloch nationalists admit that self- Jihadist groups are actively engaged in employing young Balochs from religious schools for their unholy battles. The regional nationalists describethis phenomenon as a "deliberate policy" of the Pakistani intelligence agencies to undermine their movement. Radical Islam, they say, is used as an antidote to address mounting anti-Pakistan sentiments in Balochistan.

At present, there are no overt tensions between Baloch nationalists and neo-Jihadists in the Baloch-populated districts. The nationalists say they are already engaged in a full-fledged battle against the Pakistani government and cannot afford to open another front against extremist Islamic groups. But the current non-interference policy in each other's operations may not last long. Tensions have been brewing, although slowly.

According to LeJ accounts, all of the organization's key leaders come from Baloch families....Continue Reading......

Gunmen kill Survey of Pakistan’s Deputy Director in Quetta

DAWN.COM | اسے اُردو میں پڑھیں

QUETTA: The Deputy Director of Survey of Pakistan was killed by unknown gunmen on Quetta’s Sariab Road on Wednesday, DawnNews reported.

The official was on his way to his office, from his residence, when he was ambushed as his car slowed down near a turning.

Police identified the deceased as the Deputy Director of the Survey of Pakistan.

The unknown gunmen, riding on motorcycles, sprayed the car with bullets critically injuring the official before fleeing from the scene.

The official succumbed to his wounds while being shifted to a hospital.

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Balochistan being Talibanised, UNHRC told

Murtaza Ali ShahFriday, September 21, 2012
From Print Edition

GENEVA: Balochistan’s unofficial representative to the United Nations Mehran Baloch has alleged that the restive province is being “Talibanised” by the establishment to further religious and ethnic divisions to weaken the nationalist and progressive forces.

Baloch was speaking at a seminar he organised here on Thursday at the Palais Des Nations, the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) headquarters, which was attended by a large number of human rights campaigners, NGOs and delegates from various countries.

At least three senior UNHRC representatives attended the seminar as observers but they did not take part in the discussion on Balochistan situation. The speakers included Tarek Fateh, a left-wing commentator from Canada, Dr Charles Graves, ex-Member of European Parliament (ex-MEP) Pablo Casaka, Zafar Baloch, Noordin Mengal and Baseer Naweed of the Asian Human Rights Commission.

Baloch said that UN Working Group on Involuntary Disappearances in its recent visit to the country had its work “extensively obstructed by the authorities, at time on the pretext of security and sometime there was no security for them”.

He alleged the working group members were told their visit was not necessary and “every trick was used to disrupt their work so that to hide the real nature of the atrocity that exists”.

Speaking on the spike in sectarian violence in the province, Baloch said: “The Talibanisation of Balochistan targets the most vulnerable sections of Baloch society, namely the women and religious minorities. The relentless killings of Hazara are a burning issue of our times and it exposes the true face of those who have forever promoted hatred on sectarian and ethnic lines to help their agenda of subjugating the masses.”

He said several militant organisations have established their foothold in the province under the guise of social welfare work. The other speakers raised the issue of involuntary disappearances and feared that thousands of people may have been killed as despite many requests the agencies were not responding as to what had happened to the lives of those they have allegedly picked up. They called on the government of Pakistan to halt military operation in some parts of Balochistan, especially Marri and Bugti areas.

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