Balochistan is rich in resources but it is a victim of several atrocities which have been backed by Pakistan. In the past few years, this province of Pakistan has seen hundreds of dead bodies. This state has been part of the most brutal slaughter and mayhem. Here is an insight into the sorry state of this province.
Understanding the conflict
The rebels in Balochistan want separation from Islamabad. They also want a larger percentage of share of the revenue that is generated from the oil and gas reserves in the State. Some militant groups like the Baloch liberation front and Balochistan Liberation Army wants complete separation from Pakistan. In addition to these insurgents, the Islamic Fundamentalists Sunnis are killing minority Shiite Muslims.
What is Pakistan’s stand?
According to reports from Central Asia Online, Pakistan wants to eradicate the militants and clean the province completely. They have already killed several militants in the province. As per the statement given by Frontier Corps Commandant Col. Maqbool Ahmad, the Pakistan authorities have already foiled several terrorists’ attacks and seized several arms and explosives.
What the Baloch have to say?
Image Source : Media.NewIndianExpress.Com
The version given by Baloch Liberation Army is completely different. According to them the Pakistan authorities deliberately want to keep the locals in poor conditions. They want to exploit the rich natural resources of Balochistan and want to deprive the locals of the benefits.
The Pakistan authorities have made use of the natural resources of Balochistan like natural gas, minerals etc to produce energy which is supplied to the other States of Pakistan. As per the reports from the World Bank 8 most deprived States of Pakistan are located in Balochistan.
What possible atrocities have the people in Balochistan suffered?
Image Source : Tribune.Com.Pk
- It is alleged that hundreds of people in Balochistan have gone missing. Thousands of disfigured dead bodies have been found in the past few years. Several Baloch activists have been forced to disappear.
- As per the reports published by “Human Rights watch”, several political activists in Balochistan have been detained, tortured and then murdered in the cruelest manner by the Pakistani officials.
- In July 2007, when Balochistan was suffering from the aftermath of the Yemyin cyclone, Pakistani officials refused to take foreign aid for the Balochistan province. This was mainly because they did not want any International agencies and social workers to know about the actual sorry state of Balochistan.
- General Musharraf is said to have carried out one of the longest and most brutal genocide in Balochistan. The entire state suffered from the brutal attacks by ISI and Frontier groups. In order to generate fear in the mind of the local people, entire villages were gutted.
- There is absolutely no account of the number of common people killed in the name of cleaning the state. In fact, gunning down unarmed innocent people, rape and tortures are pretty common in these areas.
- One more example of the barbarism is the discovery of three mass graves in the Khuzdar district of Balochistan. These graves which were discovered in 2014 had several decomposed bodies.
- The authorities also support atrocities on women. Several young girls are raped brutally and also subjected to acid attacks. All this is done simply to keep them confined to the four walls of the house.
- Large numbers of bodies which have been mutilated in the most gruesome manner are found on roads of Balochistan. They are mutilated to the extent of drilling holes in the head. This is basically the “kill and dump” campaign of Pakistan Security Forces.
- There have been claims by the Baloch Republican Party Leader Sher Baz Bugti that the youth, women and children of Balochistan were kept in torture cells.
The carnage and genocide in Balochistan has claimed thousands of innocent lives and has destroyed several homes. Pakistan authorities have managed to keep all of this undercover by avoiding the International media in the troubled states.