Following is my analysis of this program. I still have much to add what is not discussed in the program but I will do that later because the post is already too big and I don't want to loose the reader.
The narrator sets the mood right at the start when he makes a sweeping statement that the Balochistan people never accepted Pakistan. It pretty much tells the watcher what to expect and stays faithful to the tone set right at the start.
Intro
The video starts with an apparent meeting with a BLA "commander" somewhere in Baluchistan which can resemble the outskirts of Loralai, Zhuzdar or Zhob so pretty much hard to pinpoint with the narrow camera span which was done intentionally otherwise the bigger mountain heights are used as landmarks and can quickly tell the location to anyone who has knowledge of the area.
The so called commander was a base line lieutenant at best not a middle or top ranking BLA commander who maintains a regal life style even in the mountains and wont stand or sit at the same level like the rest of the tribesmen.
BLA's call to Arms
The conversation seems a bit apologetic as if pre-empting the questions and softening the views of the non Pakistanis about the violent nature of their struggle. It pretty much seemed well rehearsed and even dictated with a lot of rhetoric about Punjabi army although BLA is fighting the Frontier corps which is raised from the locals and only has officers from regular forces that can be Baloch, Sindhi, Pashton or Punjabi. While he blames the violence of the FC but another chap in Gwadar is calling his Baloch "brothers" serving in FC, police and CID to leave the services and join the freedom struggle.
Whether the Berohvis, Hazara, Magsis, Jamalis and Pashtons of Balochistan are included in this term of "brothers" remains unclear and also its unclear if the call is meant for the Bughtis and Mangals that sought refuge in Punjab and Sindh too.
The other point that gets a mention involuntarily is the fighting nature of some tribes, they will fight the foreigner and if there is no one else to fight then they will fight with each other and that's been going on for centuries. There is nothing noble about it and it has nothing to do with the Baloch rights but just to get the kick out of the violence. The structure and organisation of BLA is slightly touched saying its kept decentralised with small autonomous groups on propose and cites the example of LTTE failure for being an organised and structured force and thus the reason to stay broken down but it has more to do with "too many chiefs" in the village syndrome. Every Baloch Chieftain is touted as the greatest gift to the land and the supreme savour of the people of Baluchistan by its supporters. Move a district away then the supreme saviour will be a Mangal now. The narrator chooses to speak himself on behalf of BLA over the question of Indian help of BLA and says that they deny it but they will welcome it if its given. That pretty much throws the argument on moral grounds when Indians themselves are accused of HR violations in dealing with insurgencies regarding in Kashmir, Khalistan and Naxalites or Adi Wasis. "enemy of my enemy" takes care of the morality part.
CM talk
I wont fault the CM Raisani here, he is clearly agitated with the type of questions that are not aired and his interview has seen a major chop but what he is saying is actually about the usual BNP's rhetoric of favouring the non Baloch people in Balochistan in public and private sector. Nothing can be further from truth about this BNP's claim (Baloch National Party). The domicile is guarded like a faith in Pakistan not just Balochistan and no one can vote where he is not domiciled or has an ID card registered same goes with our quota system that was devised as a relief for the backward area people so Baloch students and candidates get special seats in college/ universities all over Pakistan and also in public sector jobs. So no local jobs are taken by no Baloch for the fresh recruitments apart from the usual rotations from other part of Pakistan of the experienced staff but that is only restricted in the district capitals and provincial capital because locals are preferred due to effective communication and local knowledge.
IGFC
IGFC Salim Nawaz's interview suffers the same fate as Raisani's, where the part containing the animated and agitated general is chosen for the viewers to show FC as impulsive trigger happy force commanded by unstable commander who is out to kill the romantic BLA warriors who announce their freedom of expression by firing an RPG in the air when their "commander" makes an appearance. The video also shows one fighter holding something like an SA-7 meaning that BLA is resourced with MANPADs too.
Suppression? What suppression
Much deal is made out from the narrator and the fluent English speaking elites about the curb of the media and the Baloch people by the state and its agencies. Yet you see dozens of news and radio channel mics on the stages on different political gatherings and marches on roads in the main cities lead by gun totting guys with their faces hidden in the turbans. If that's suppression then god help us when they get freedom to stretch even further.
Criminal omission & misreporting
No mention of the Pasthon & Hazara and Berohvi people. No mention about the killing of the Sindhi, Pashton and Punjabi citizens, teachers, doctors and engineers at the hands of BLA leaves much to be desired in this documentary. But then again showing that part would have been out of the line on which this program was produced. While there are heart rending scenes of the grieving relatives on a funeral but its no way to establish if indeed the dead are the result of an army operation and I even see a staged reconstruction of a "corpse" being carried to a grave whereas its most likely someone injured. Its in the end of the program and you will notice that no one is carrying any guns, there is no "signature" shouting and protesting which normally happens around the world when the culprits are either gangs or state police/ army. People with eyes and open heart will even notice an army soldier passing by in the background of the civilians and there is a silhouette of an army vehicle too at about 40 minutes of the movie which suggests that army is either facilitating or supporting this burial proceedings. An accused or a culprit will hardly be allowed anywhere near such place given that what you have seen earlier what the "peaceful" participants of the rallies are doing in the city while their masked comrades keep a vigil to ensure their "Baloch freedom". Imagine a political rally like this in Indian held Kashmir being led by gun totting masked guys and then think what will the BSF, CRP and Indian army will do with them? Like yourself I also wonder how these guys are able to get away with this.
Also the Pakistan Navy's flood relief is narrated as a government's bribe to appease the angry Baloch people. Whereas those exhausted people are ever so keen and willing to get their food from the Naval helicopter that has nothing to do with appeasing the Baloch chieftains but is something that is done on continued bases during the floods season throughout Pakistan.
Danger to Demography
One of the lamest excuse made by the Baloch elite interviewed in the program regarding the armed struggle is about the so called change in demography. On one hand these guys pride themselves to be the descendents of the Arabs and Persians and claim their right of whole Balochistan but then they show resentment to other people settling in Balochistan. What do they say about Baloch who decide to settle in the other Pakistani provinces or immigrate to Middle East, Europe or Australia? Would they respect the similar sentiments of locals of those places or they don't care? Zardari (sorry for a bad example) has Baloch roots but is settled in Sindh and so is a big chunk of Baloch population settled in Sindh, Punjab and Kyber Pakhtonkhuwa and I don't see why not because every Pakistani citizen has the right to live anywhere in Pakistan. If these chieftains see their influence fading due to this inflow or outflow then so be it.
Yes there are grievances
There is no disagreement about the grievances. There are issues about corruption, misappropriation, mismanagement and lack of development in the province. One cant ignore these political heavies like
Khan of Kalat , Atta Ullah Mangal, Jamil Bughti & Khair Bakhsh Marri but their performance is as believable as that of Nawaz Sherif when he left the mosquito infested and flooded Lahore streets for his political address in Sindh to shed tears for the Sindhis due to recent floods. The point is that these guys themselves have played their part in sorry state of Balochistan. Khair Bakhsh even indirectly accepts the charge that development is violently opposed by the tribes that are share his views and justifies it with less than impressive record in the areas of the Magsi and Jamali tribal chieftains who are pro government. The exact meaning is that since there is not much to be shown in the areas that have no unrest so blaming us for blowing up infrastructure and killing, kidnapping people is unjustified. One might laugh at such comments but there is nothing funny about this mindset. These are the same guys who reacted very angrily over the media and NGO outcry over the killing of a group of Baloch women (sorry not by ISI, FC or Pakistan army) by the tribal law. They were stoned, beaten with batons and ***** of the guns and then buried half dead in a combined grave.
The anger of these chieftains was over the national media which was "making a big deal" out of it although it was just a tribal custom and one of them even explained that the women were shot dead before being buried so there was no cause for alarm. For record the women were killed for deifying the Tribal elders and marrying according to their free will. They were abducted, brought to the tribal elders, humiliated and then beaten senseless and buried while they were still alive.
This is just a taster for my Indian friends who become emotional over the death of BLA terrorists at the hands of FC.
One thing that is worth mentioning is that these interviewed chieftains are real survivors and think and plan ahead. They live a very long life and let their less important lieutenants and supporters to lay their lives for the cause. When the life expectancy of an average Baloch tribesman is hardly 30 it's astonishing to see these guys in their 70s and still going strong. Most of them have attained the leadership after having their rivals killed. Akbar Bughti was the only chieftain who was killed by FC. Some of his sons, grandsons and brothers were killed in the intra tribal disputes. Only the most cunning and smart ones make it to the top and those who do can be Chief ministers and overseers of the province at one time and leading a rebellion and firing hundreds of rockets on cities and power stations on another time.
Damned either way
The narrator mourns the lack of infrastructure and basic facilities and shows the poor people on the roads and ground dotted with dirt and garbage but then questions the motives of development of Gawader port. While it has alleviated the poverty and unemployment of the area, the program chooses to interview a Makrani fisherman who is complaining about the lack of opportunities in this development. Sadly I can only see him doing the menial labour due to his lack of education and skills in construction and dismiss his claim that the educated locals are also loosing out because I doubt that he has any figures or analysis to prove that. Its like deciding to hate someone and criticise somebody's book without even reading it just because some other people have written blogs and commented criticising the book and the writer. So the this chap has the same problem. He will join a march because "the word in the town" is that the outsiders are taking the jobs of the locals so lets destroy something, oh look unofficial or NGO vehicle, lets wreck it and beat-up its foreign driver. Oh wait the driver is local"¦ "damn ".
International Dimensions
Regarding the motive of the development, the narrator says that its being done to assist China and possibly Russia to set foot in the lucrative and strategically very important sea route in this region. It does show retired generals like Aslam Baig and Gen Hamid Gul who say that the reasons for the unrest here have international roots that have much to do with US led Western block vs. Sino-Russian bid to make a mark here. And naturally in order to achieve that global powers will seek neighbouring countries who are willing to assist in such American designs that not only gives them a chance to spread their influence but also cause harm to their rival country.
Its worth mentioning the insurgency in Iran as well which is also being supported by Americans on the age old moral of "enemy of my enemy is my friend" but for its WoT war "ally" its an insurance policy to keep it in line. the bottom line is "natural resources" and the trade route. is the cause and reason of the conflict and will only get worse if Balochistan is used as a ground for American proxy war against China and Russia.
Conversation: 2
First of all i must say that it was beautifully explained. i was also planning to do a similar step by step explanation, but the susti took over the better of me, also speaking frankly i didnt take the report seriously as the report was, unlike other documentaries from AlJzira, poorly formatted.
Anywaz, i'll just add my opinion to your self-explanatory prose, you know the usual Pakistani susti syndrome.
The narrator sets the mood right at the start when he makes a sweeping statement that the Balochistan people never accepted Pakistan. It pretty much tells the watcher what to expect and stays faithful to the tone set right at the start.
This was where i lost the interest in the report. What justice are you doing with investigative journalism if you are going to sit with the other side and touch the second side cursorily, just to 'tick the serials'?
Intro
The video starts with an apparent meeting with a BLA "commander" somewhere in Baluchistan which can resemble the outskirts of Loralai, Zhuzdar or Zhob
i have been to these areas 'thoroughly' , though from the available landscape it is difficult to pin point the location, however i can overrule Zhob and Loralai as the recording location, however Khuzdar may be likely. But still i would go to the extent of saying that with such show of force, these guys cant stand a chance to roam in these areas, so therefore my guess is that the suburbs are that of Pir Koh, Loti, somewhere around Sui. This guess is only valid if the video was 'real' and not just a drama being directed and recorded just outside Quetta near Hanna Lake.
The so called commander was a base line lieutenant at best not a middle or top ranking BLA commander who maintains a regal life style even in the mountains and wont stand or sit at the same level like the rest of the tribesmen.
Correct.
The 'real' commanders have never been out of Quetta or larger cities. But as wannabe fighters are readily available, anybody who can speak Urdu, count dollars (though these chaps are normally paid in local currency) and operate a walkie talkie can be made the local commander.
In short the Baloch elite is only using these guys as the canon fodder in (blind) support of the ulterior motives of some 'outsiders', while they themselves sit either in London, Afghanistan or Quetta, dealing with hard cash and providing photographs of those killed in action to their masters who operate fake Balochi twitter accounts and websites.
BLA's call to Arms
The conversation seems a bit apologetic as if pre-empting the questions and softening the views of the non Pakistanis about the violent nature of their struggle. It pretty much seemed well rehearsed and even dictated with a lot of rhetoric about Punjabi army although BLA is fighting the Frontier corps which is raised from the locals and only has officers from regular forces that can be Baloch, Sindhi, Pashton or Punjabi.
For the record, there is NO Army deployed anywhere inside Baluchistan wheresoever.
The FC and Levies is enough to deal with these wannabe thugs who are so small in numbers that it has really started to go their advantage as it's actually difficult to find a needle in the haystack (untraversed Balochistan).
Whether the Berohvis, Hazara, Magsis, Jamalis and Pashtons of Balochistan are included in this term of "brothers" remains unclear and also its unclear if the call is meant for the Bughtis and Mangals that sought refuge in Punjab and Sindh too.
Probably not.
Hazaras are already confined to their Hazara Mohallas in Quetta and Loralai. They re being persecuted according to a well laid out plan.
Jamalis are contended as they enjoy their vicinity to Sindh.
Pashtuns have no concern with with these so called 'Balochis', the Achakzais are happy with their garmental stores and Khattaks with their 'imported' cutlery and crystal decors.
Whereas 95% Marris are enjoying the fruits of Chamalang Coal Mines (Army ko shukria bol k sharminda tu na kar yaar), the Alizais, Kudezais and Shabozais are busy with their Marble minning around Loralai.
i dont even know if the Mengals like to go out of Lasbella.
The Nasirs are busy making use of their cunningness as they 'encroach' everything around bigger cities.
And the Magsis especially the Bhutanis prefer to stay out of this 'freedom' movement and like to concentrate more on their education and well being.
i wonder who is left now that make up the 'Freedom Fighting' force of Balochistan?
The other point that gets a mention involuntarily is the fighting nature of some tribes, they will fight the foreigner and if there is no one else to fight then they will fight with each other and that's been going on for centuries. There is nothing noble about it and it has nothing to do with the Baloch rights but just to get the kick out of the violence.
Beautiful!
What do they say, 'choomaishwari' performance,?
The structure and organisation of BLA is slightly touched saying its kept decentralised with small autonomous groups on propose and cites the example of LTTE failure for being an organised
Though these thugs were sensible enough to operate their Sat Phones 'away' from their hideouts as they knew that an artillery round would soon home itself on them, but staying decentralized is more of their compulsion rather than being an ingenuity. With every tommy, dicky and harry aspiring for 'leadership', no wonder they have less number of pawns and more 'elders' thus necessitating formation of uncountable number of groups (the 'group' consist of a commander, his batman and driver if they have the luxury of a double cabin).
and structured force and thus the reason to stay broken down but it has more to do with "too many chiefs" in the village syndrome. Every Baloch Chieftain is touted as the greatest gift to the land and the supreme savour of the people of Baluchistan by its supporters.
^^ Once we were investigating some insurgents. When ask about their names they went like... Sardar XYZ, Sardar 123, and Sardar ABC. The guy investigating rushed to my office asking me to take on the interrogation as those being investigated happened to be some "Sardars". The bubble of Sardarship was soon bursted when i found out that they were Sardars of a No Man's Land. i then educated the 'Sardars' that the place they happened to be the Sardar of has a population of 0.00001 million, and 4 out of these 10 are in our custody, right now.
Not that i want to ridicule the Sardari system, but this phenomenon is specific to the 'Balochi liberators' only. All of them claim to be the Sardar and representative of the Baloch people whereas no one is on their side.
CM talk
I wont fault the CM Raisani here, he is clearly agitated with the type of questions that are not aired and his interview has seen a major chop but what he is saying is actually about the usual BNP's rhetoric of favouring the non Baloch people in Balochistan in public and private sector. Nothing can be further from truth about this BNP's claim (Baloch National Party). The domicile is guarded like a faith in Pakistan not just Balochistan and no one can vote where he is not domiciled or has an ID card registered same goes with our quota system that was devised as a relief for the backward area people so Baloch students and candidates get special seats in college/ universities all over Pakistan and also in public sector jobs. So no local jobs are taken by no Baloch for the fresh recruitments apart from the usual rotations from other part of Pakistan of the experienced staff but that is only restricted in the district capitals and provincial capital because locals are preferred due to effective communication and local knowledge.
After this Aghaz-e-Haqooq Balochistan thingy, an NGO approached us to help them recruit some locals so that they can train them in technical fields thus allowing them jobs, mostly in the NGO itself with quite handsome pays. After surveying about 6 x districts in Balochistan we could only find 11 males and 4 females who were available for occupying more than 80 vacancies. The reason, well almost anyone who has done Matric, FA or BA, anyone who had a fellow tribesman in a govt job (safarish), almost every school/college teacher and anyone with a little technical know how had already been consumed in some kind of govt job under the 'peanut like' Balochistan Package. All of them left the private jobs as the govt was actually paying them MORE this time.
Still, i maintain that the Baluchistan Package was just a fraction of a favor we could have actually done to the Balochistanis being a Nation.
IGFC
IGFC Salim Nawaz's interview suffers the same fate as Raisani's, where the part containing the animated and agitated general is chosen for the viewers to show FC as impulsive trigger happy force commanded by unstable commander who is out to kill the romantic BLA warriors who announce their freedom of expression by firing an RPG in the air when their "commander" makes an appearance.
Speaking very frankly and having been with Gen Salim, i can vouch that he has a 'bigyaad' (punjabi anyone?) type personality from the outside only. He's just any other local guy, unlike most of Pakistani Jernails. i mean we were never uncomfortable while being around him.
The video also shows one fighter holding something like an SA-7 meaning that BLA is resourced with MANPADs too.
Even the professional, well funded and supported Talibans dont have any. Never knew mountains of Balochistan have also started yielding readymade MANPADs in addition to Coal, Copper and Graphite.
Suppression? What suppression
Much deal is made out from the narrator and the fluent English speaking elites about the curb of the media and the Baloch people by the state and its agencies. Yet you see dozens of news and radio channel mics on the stages on different political gatherings and marches on roads in the main cities lead by gun totting guys with their faces hidden in the turbans. If that's suppression then god help us when they get freedom to stretch even further.
The thugs with guns were probably demonstrating on Sirki or McConaghey Road (Quetta), and the women pelting stones were just outside Quetta cantt, so near that i could see the monument over that round about near an MP checkpost.
what's the name of the MP CP? Cant remember it, it's the one East of Jinnah (Road) CP.
Also the Pakistan Navy's flood relief is narrated as a government's bribe to appease the angry Baloch people. Whereas those exhausted people are ever so keen and willing to get their food from the Naval helicopter that has nothing to do with appeasing the Baloch chieftains but is something that is done on continued bases during the floods season throughout Pakistan.
i wish i can post the pics when we were engaged in the flood and earthquack relief operations, but then there's too much to hide in the pics,the tail numbers, faces etc.
One can see in the pics how the affected population was relieved to see us especially when we reached them for the first time. Although the flood(s) were not as devastating as they had been and the local guide (also an (actual) Baloch) who traveled with us in the heli while replying to someone asking, 'where are you taking us this time (to distribute the food items)'?, mocked as he replied; 'Kahin bhi nahi, hum tu pani
thundanany da rhay hain k kahan aya hai Balochistan mai.' (we are just going out to "find" water here in Balochistan, as the flood was anything but a flood).
Please note, that i took care of him by telling him that if he's going to screw with us one more time, i will leave him in the next village we land in and tell the locals that this dude thinks that there was no flood in your area and is against the distribution of aid.
He belonged to the area which was not affected by the floods.
So much for the Baloch 'unity'.
Danger to Demography
One of the lamest excuse made by the Baloch elite interviewed in the program regarding the armed struggle is about the so called change in demography. On one hand these guys pride themselves to be the descendents of the Arabs and Persians and claim their right of whole Balochistan but then they show resentment to other people settling in Balochistan. What do they say about Baloch who decide to settle in the other Pakistani provinces or immigrate to Middle East, Europe or Australia? Would they respect the similar sentiments of locals of those places or they don't care? Zardari (sorry for a bad example) has Baloch roots but is settled in Sindh and so is a big chunk of Baloch population settled in Sindh, Punjab and Kyber Pakhtonkhuwa and I don't see why not because every Pakistani citizen has the right to live anywhere in Pakistan. If these chieftains see their influence fading due to this inflow or outflow then so be it.
By their definition, Karachi is most fcuked up place in this country.
These are the same guys who reacted very angrily over the media and NGO outcry over the killing of a group of Baloch women (sorry not by ISI, FC or Pakistan army) by the tribal law. They were stoned, beaten with batons and ***** of the guns and then buried half dead in a combined grave.
The anger of these chieftains was over the national media which was "making a big deal" out of it although it was just a tribal custom and one of them even explained that the women were shot dead before being buried so there was no cause for alarm. For record the women were killed for deifying the Tribal elders and marrying according to their free will. They were abducted, brought to the tribal elders, humiliated and then beaten senseless and buried while they were still alive.
This is just a taster for my Indian friends who become emotional over the death of BLA terrorists at the hands of FC.
This sums up the sorry state of affairs in Balochistan.
When the Balochis have their Sardars, do they really need the 'Punjabis' to ruin them?
One thing that is worth mentioning is that these interviewed chieftains are real survivors and think and plan ahead. They live a very long life and let their less important lieutenants and supporters to lay their lives for the cause. When the life expectancy of an average Baloch tribesman is hardly 30 it's astonishing to see these guys in their 70s and still going strong. Most of them have attained the leadership after having their rivals killed. Akbar Bughti was the only chieftain who was killed by FC. Some of his sons, grandsons and brothers were killed in the intra tribal disputes. Only the most cunning and smart ones make it to the top and those who do can be Chief ministers and overseers of the province at one time and leading a rebellion and firing hundreds of rockets on cities and power stations on another time.
They dont even feel any shame while sitting on those imported sofas while their people are either jailed, killed or tortured by the rival tribes. i have always been angry with our national leaders as they enjoyed the perks and privileges at state's expense while the common man drives his motorcycle, use LPG instead the natural gas and bear the price hikes every second day, but let me assure you that a Balochi local is in much worse condition than his Punjabi or Sindhi counterpart whereas the Balochi sardars/leaders are quite better off and privileged than their Punjabi or Sindhi counterparts.
Kis moo say Balocistan ki baat kartay ho tum log oye?!
