BREAKING NEWS
In 2019, Rawalpindi’s complete lack of accountability and absolute disregard for the law became more than evident when DGISPR made the depraved public admission that "We don't want any person to go missing, but where there is a war, you have to do a number of [undesirable] things. It's said that everything is fair in love and war [and] war occurs to be ruthless."
Balochistan
Pakistan army’s media wing Inter Services Public Relations [ISPR] has claimed that the Pakistani security forces had killed 18 Baloch “terrorists” in the Quetta district of Balochistan on October 28 and 29. Of these, 14 so-called terrorists were allegedly eliminated during an ‘intelligence based operation’ [IBO] in the Chiltan Mountains, and ISPR asserted that those killed had been “actively involved in numerous terrorist activities.”
However, Baloch National Movement chairman Dr Naseem Baluch has outrightly rejected ISPR’s claim as being “completely false and fabricated,” and has revealed that “those killed were Baloch youth who were on a picnic point in the Chiltan Mountains.” Locals have also fully endorsed Dr Baluch’s version, and no armed Baloch group has accepted that the deceased belonged to their outfit.
What’s the truth will never be known since this incident is unlikely to be probed by an independent agency, and even if it is, the inquiry [like always] would be a mere sham. Here one is reminded of the perfunctory manner in which the horrific incident of mass graves discovered near Tootak village in the Khuzdar district of Balochistan in January 2014 was handled.
Since more than a decade has passed since the mass graves were discovered, a brief recapitulation of what followed would be in order.
Terming the discovery of mass graves “outrageous and shocking,” Pakistan’s then Chief Justice Tassaduq Hussain Gilani took suo moto notice of this incident and called for a report from Inspector General Police [IGP] Balochistan and Deputy Commissioner [DC] Khudzar. During his appearance before the three-member Supreme Court Bench, DC Khuzdar confirmed the unearthing of the mass graves near Tootak Village.
The Government of Balochistan informed the Supreme Court that a time-bound judicial inquiry by a sitting Balochistan High Court judge had been ordered. However, right from the beginning, this investigation was doomed as the Pakistan army prevented not only the media but even the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan [HRCP] from visiting the mass grave site and interacting with locals.
In its report, Asian Human Rights Commission [AHRC] confirmed that “Pakistani military forces stopped the local people from unearthing the mass graves and took control of the area. Now, no one is allowed access to the location except military personnel.”
To play down the enormity of the horror, the police maintained that the mass graves contained only 13 bodies. However, based on credible inputs, AHRC maintained that there were at least 103 bodies in the graves.
The judicial commission expectedly gave the Pakistan army as well as intelligence agencies and paramilitary forces a clean chit solely on the absurd logic that “no one recorded a statement against the army, secret agencies and the government” and since the witnesses “did not accuse them of being involved in this heinous crime.”
Most intriguing is the fact that while the judicial commission concluded that “there is enough evidence to suggest that the army, spy agencies and the government were not involved in this incident,” it however inexplicably failed to record the same in its report.
So, when no one was taken to task for the extra judicial execution of more than a hundred innocent Baloch people in Khuzdar district that came to light more than a decade ago, isn’t hoping that the 14 picnickers recently killed by Pakistan army in Chiltan Mountains would get justice is nothing but great expectations?
In 2019, Rawalpindi’s complete lack of accountability and absolute disregard for the law became more than evident when DGISPR made the depraved public admission that "We don't want any person to go missing, but where there is a war, you have to do a number of [undesirable] things. It's said that everything is fair in love and war [and] war occurs to be ruthless."
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Home to the Pashtun community, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [KP] is another province which the Pakistan army has turned into a ‘killing field’. The situation in this province is peculiar- while locals protest against both the presence of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan [TTP] terrorists they are against any large scale military operations against TTP since the Pakistan army believes in excessive use of violence with scant regards for their safety and wellbeing.
In fact public sentiments against military operations in KP are so strong that this issue even figured in the 265 corps commanders’ conference held in July 2024, and in order to avoid embarrassment, ISPR had to conjure the excuse that the anti-terrorism operation named Azm-e-Istehkam [resolve for stability] was facing unwarranted criticism due to “deliberate misrepresentation of the vision for vested interests.” But this claim was completely false.
Azm-e-Istehkam was touted as comprehensive exercise involving kinetic operations “to combat the menace of extremism and terrorism in a comprehensive and decisive manner” that would also be “duly complemented by socioeconomic measures aimed at addressing genuine concerns of the people and creating an environment that discourages extremist tendencies.” However, while the Pakistan army has launched an all out offensive against TTP terrorist and armed Baloch groups, nothing else has been done.
A few incidents that reveal the brutality of the Pakistan army in KP and indifference to loss of innocent lives and hardships caused to the terrorised local population:
One of the most horrific attacks on civilians occurred on September 22, when Chinese made J 17 fighters of the Pakistan Air Force [PAF] fired Chinese manufactured L S-6 missiles at a village in KP’s Tirah Valley killing 30 innocent civilians, including women and children. Since J 17 fighters are considered to be very sophisticated art aircraft and the LS-6 missiles and LS -6 missiles are precision guided munitions, it’s obvious that this attack was carried out without due diligence and points towards the Pakistan army’s brazen lack of concern for the people of KP.
Pakistan’s Counter-Terrorism Problem
In Pakistan, it’s not the government but the army that formulates the country’s counter-terrorism strategy and it seeks to resolve the same solely through military means. Remember how Gen Pervez Musharraf had once boasted that “They [Baloch freedom fighters] will be dealt with in such a way that they won’t even know what hit them”? And doesn’t the DGISPR’s 2019 “all is fair in love and war” justification for defending enforced disappearances in Balochistan endorse Rawalpindi’s perverse outlook?
Field Marshal Munir has proved no different. In April, he proudly maintained that “we will beat the hell out of these terrorists [Baloch freedom fighters] very soon.” One finds that even seven months later, the Pakistan army is still facing the wrath of armed Baloch groups and things in Balochistan aren’t quite under control.
The Field Marshal’s recent declaration that “It is my duty to avenge the blood of every Pakistani," sounds more like a mobster’s brutal threat and this utterance has left no room for doubt that for Rawalpindi, fighting terrorists and freedom fighters is all about vengeance and not the aimed at resolving anti-state activities.
The Field Marshal’s Dilemma
It’s an undisputed fact that barring Indo-Pak wars, the highest number of casualties suffered by the Pakistan army has been during Field Marshal Munir’s tenure and in trying to play down this humongous personal embarrassment and seek redemption he could go to any extent.
While he has temporarily assuaged public sentiments by serving the people a heady mix of religion with hyper-nationalism, the rate at which body bags of soldiers killed in KP and Balochistan are arriving at their native places is bound to raise questions regarding effectiveness of the Pakistan army’s counter terrorism strategy.
Prognosis
By its obdurate belief that problems in KP and Balochistan have only a military solution, Rawalpindi has only further aggravated anti-army sentiments and further alienated Pashtuns and the Baloch people. Accordingly, while the Pakistan army may be able to subdue the armed activities in these restive provinces through brute force, this respite would be at best temporary.
As violence in KP and Balochistan will keep erupting, peace would remain elusive and these provinces will continue to serve as the Punjabi dominated Pakistan army’s traditional killing fields. The irony is that while this will cause widespread loss of life, limb and property, this is exactly what the likes of Field Marshal Munir secretly desire since it keeps the army relevant!
Email:--------------:nileshkunwar.56@gmail.com
In 2019, Rawalpindi’s complete lack of accountability and absolute disregard for the law became more than evident when DGISPR made the depraved public admission that "We don't want any person to go missing, but where there is a war, you have to do a number of [undesirable] things. It's said that everything is fair in love and war [and] war occurs to be ruthless."
Balochistan
Pakistan army’s media wing Inter Services Public Relations [ISPR] has claimed that the Pakistani security forces had killed 18 Baloch “terrorists” in the Quetta district of Balochistan on October 28 and 29. Of these, 14 so-called terrorists were allegedly eliminated during an ‘intelligence based operation’ [IBO] in the Chiltan Mountains, and ISPR asserted that those killed had been “actively involved in numerous terrorist activities.”
However, Baloch National Movement chairman Dr Naseem Baluch has outrightly rejected ISPR’s claim as being “completely false and fabricated,” and has revealed that “those killed were Baloch youth who were on a picnic point in the Chiltan Mountains.” Locals have also fully endorsed Dr Baluch’s version, and no armed Baloch group has accepted that the deceased belonged to their outfit.
What’s the truth will never be known since this incident is unlikely to be probed by an independent agency, and even if it is, the inquiry [like always] would be a mere sham. Here one is reminded of the perfunctory manner in which the horrific incident of mass graves discovered near Tootak village in the Khuzdar district of Balochistan in January 2014 was handled.
Since more than a decade has passed since the mass graves were discovered, a brief recapitulation of what followed would be in order.
Terming the discovery of mass graves “outrageous and shocking,” Pakistan’s then Chief Justice Tassaduq Hussain Gilani took suo moto notice of this incident and called for a report from Inspector General Police [IGP] Balochistan and Deputy Commissioner [DC] Khudzar. During his appearance before the three-member Supreme Court Bench, DC Khuzdar confirmed the unearthing of the mass graves near Tootak Village.
The Government of Balochistan informed the Supreme Court that a time-bound judicial inquiry by a sitting Balochistan High Court judge had been ordered. However, right from the beginning, this investigation was doomed as the Pakistan army prevented not only the media but even the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan [HRCP] from visiting the mass grave site and interacting with locals.
In its report, Asian Human Rights Commission [AHRC] confirmed that “Pakistani military forces stopped the local people from unearthing the mass graves and took control of the area. Now, no one is allowed access to the location except military personnel.”
To play down the enormity of the horror, the police maintained that the mass graves contained only 13 bodies. However, based on credible inputs, AHRC maintained that there were at least 103 bodies in the graves.
The judicial commission expectedly gave the Pakistan army as well as intelligence agencies and paramilitary forces a clean chit solely on the absurd logic that “no one recorded a statement against the army, secret agencies and the government” and since the witnesses “did not accuse them of being involved in this heinous crime.”
Most intriguing is the fact that while the judicial commission concluded that “there is enough evidence to suggest that the army, spy agencies and the government were not involved in this incident,” it however inexplicably failed to record the same in its report.
So, when no one was taken to task for the extra judicial execution of more than a hundred innocent Baloch people in Khuzdar district that came to light more than a decade ago, isn’t hoping that the 14 picnickers recently killed by Pakistan army in Chiltan Mountains would get justice is nothing but great expectations?
In 2019, Rawalpindi’s complete lack of accountability and absolute disregard for the law became more than evident when DGISPR made the depraved public admission that "We don't want any person to go missing, but where there is a war, you have to do a number of [undesirable] things. It's said that everything is fair in love and war [and] war occurs to be ruthless."
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Home to the Pashtun community, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [KP] is another province which the Pakistan army has turned into a ‘killing field’. The situation in this province is peculiar- while locals protest against both the presence of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan [TTP] terrorists they are against any large scale military operations against TTP since the Pakistan army believes in excessive use of violence with scant regards for their safety and wellbeing.
In fact public sentiments against military operations in KP are so strong that this issue even figured in the 265 corps commanders’ conference held in July 2024, and in order to avoid embarrassment, ISPR had to conjure the excuse that the anti-terrorism operation named Azm-e-Istehkam [resolve for stability] was facing unwarranted criticism due to “deliberate misrepresentation of the vision for vested interests.” But this claim was completely false.
Azm-e-Istehkam was touted as comprehensive exercise involving kinetic operations “to combat the menace of extremism and terrorism in a comprehensive and decisive manner” that would also be “duly complemented by socioeconomic measures aimed at addressing genuine concerns of the people and creating an environment that discourages extremist tendencies.” However, while the Pakistan army has launched an all out offensive against TTP terrorist and armed Baloch groups, nothing else has been done.
A few incidents that reveal the brutality of the Pakistan army in KP and indifference to loss of innocent lives and hardships caused to the terrorised local population:
One of the most horrific attacks on civilians occurred on September 22, when Chinese made J 17 fighters of the Pakistan Air Force [PAF] fired Chinese manufactured L S-6 missiles at a village in KP’s Tirah Valley killing 30 innocent civilians, including women and children. Since J 17 fighters are considered to be very sophisticated art aircraft and the LS-6 missiles and LS -6 missiles are precision guided munitions, it’s obvious that this attack was carried out without due diligence and points towards the Pakistan army’s brazen lack of concern for the people of KP.
Pakistan’s Counter-Terrorism Problem
In Pakistan, it’s not the government but the army that formulates the country’s counter-terrorism strategy and it seeks to resolve the same solely through military means. Remember how Gen Pervez Musharraf had once boasted that “They [Baloch freedom fighters] will be dealt with in such a way that they won’t even know what hit them”? And doesn’t the DGISPR’s 2019 “all is fair in love and war” justification for defending enforced disappearances in Balochistan endorse Rawalpindi’s perverse outlook?
Field Marshal Munir has proved no different. In April, he proudly maintained that “we will beat the hell out of these terrorists [Baloch freedom fighters] very soon.” One finds that even seven months later, the Pakistan army is still facing the wrath of armed Baloch groups and things in Balochistan aren’t quite under control.
The Field Marshal’s recent declaration that “It is my duty to avenge the blood of every Pakistani," sounds more like a mobster’s brutal threat and this utterance has left no room for doubt that for Rawalpindi, fighting terrorists and freedom fighters is all about vengeance and not the aimed at resolving anti-state activities.
The Field Marshal’s Dilemma
It’s an undisputed fact that barring Indo-Pak wars, the highest number of casualties suffered by the Pakistan army has been during Field Marshal Munir’s tenure and in trying to play down this humongous personal embarrassment and seek redemption he could go to any extent.
While he has temporarily assuaged public sentiments by serving the people a heady mix of religion with hyper-nationalism, the rate at which body bags of soldiers killed in KP and Balochistan are arriving at their native places is bound to raise questions regarding effectiveness of the Pakistan army’s counter terrorism strategy.
Prognosis
By its obdurate belief that problems in KP and Balochistan have only a military solution, Rawalpindi has only further aggravated anti-army sentiments and further alienated Pashtuns and the Baloch people. Accordingly, while the Pakistan army may be able to subdue the armed activities in these restive provinces through brute force, this respite would be at best temporary.
As violence in KP and Balochistan will keep erupting, peace would remain elusive and these provinces will continue to serve as the Punjabi dominated Pakistan army’s traditional killing fields. The irony is that while this will cause widespread loss of life, limb and property, this is exactly what the likes of Field Marshal Munir secretly desire since it keeps the army relevant!
Email:--------------:nileshkunwar.56@gmail.com
© Copyright 2023 brighterkashmir.com All Rights Reserved. Quantum Technologies