The aftermath of Arab uprising has shaken the conscience of the
democratic world. The uprising that started in 2011 was peaceful and
very promising. Masses came out in millions and demanded their basic
rights. They wanted freedom, democracy, justice and employment. These
demands were neither naïve nor idealistic. In fact, most people in the
developed democratic nations take these rights for granted.
The prevailing view of the pundits, the region’s ruling
establishments and the world powers was that this system does not fit in
with the nature of these people. They openly professed that freedom,
democracy, human rights and rule of law cannot be applied in the region!
When people removed one dictator after another from power the prevalent
view changed overnight completely. One could hear the prediction that
the end of dictatorship at last arrived in this part of the world. After
this social and political upheaval it was said that one country after
another would invariably adopt a liberal democratic political system.
In their remedy, however, one key factor was missing.
We all know that the present map of the Middle East and its
surrounding is the creation of the European Empires that colonised the
nations of this region in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. When
these empires ruled they watchfully handpicked the most corrupt,
ignorant, violent and religious fanatics out of the local people to run
and guard their interests in their colonies. As they left, they drew
artificial boarders and created arbitrary countries and handed these
countries to their most loyal servants that they had so methodically
selected and trained for many decades. The prototypical product of this
policy is the state of Pakistan. When the British Empire left India,
they divided it and a segment of India was presented to their most
dutiful servants, the Punjabi fundamentalist Muslims. Moreover, the
British governments have continued their support to this artificial
state and their horrendous violation of human rights and their Islamic
extremism to this very day.
The rise and fall of the Arab Spring is also a consequence of this
unpalatable truth. The problem is not with the people who reside within
these artificial constructions. These people like rest of humanity want
to live free of tyranny, prison, torture, flogging, execution, stoning
to death, cutting of limbs and hunger. They want to live in peace,
security and with dignity. The problem is with these colonial theocratic
geopolitical structures. These colonial constructions are inherently
irrational, undemocratic and inhumane. Formation of Hezbollah, Taliban
and ISIL and their rise to political power is a natural outcome of this
legacy. Needless to say that all other military and non-military left
and right rulers of these Frankenstein states have not acted any
different from these groups. There is a common tie that unites all these
rulers and that is to guard these colonial constructions by all means.
In one word, dictatorship. It would be utterly foolish to expect
anything but raw dictatorship from colonial geopolitical structures such
as Pakistan and Iran. Preservation of such artificial political
construction can only be prolonged by extreme violence, religious hatred
and warfare.
Among the nations the Baloch nation is the least known and has
suffered the most due to these colonial theocratic constructions. The
British Empire invaded Balochistan in 1839 and subsequently divided it
into three parts. The western part was given to Persia, the Northern
part to Afghanistan and the eastern part was illegally occupied by the
state of Pakistan in 1948 soon after the British forged the state of
Pakistan in 1947. With all the hurdles placed against the Baloch, they
have not stopped their desire for their freedom and independence.
Thousands of Baloch political and human rights and ordinary Baloch have
been arrested, disappeared, imprisoned, tortured and killed by the
occupying states of Pakistan and Iran during this period.
Since the year 2000 both colonial theocratic states of Pakistan and
Iran have broken their records of atrocities per population against
Baloch people. The Punjabi army and rulers of Pakistan have abducted and
disappeared up to 20,000 Baloch political and human rights activists.
The mutilated bodies of about 2,000 of these victims have been
discovered in many desolated areas and in several mass graves in the
eastern occupied Balochistan. The number of people being disappeared and
killed this year alone goes to many hundreds of individual.
The Persian rulers of the colonial theocratic state of Iran also have
carried out the largest mass execution craze per population from 2003
to 2009 in western occupied Balochistan. They also executed the first
web blogger in the world, the Baloch journalist Yaghoob Mhrnehad in
2008. The regime policy of shoot to kill is still in its full swing. So
far just this year the Islamic regime of Iran has killed over 30 Baloch,
mostly youth and mostly bystanders.
The victory of Arab Spring is fundamental to restoration of Baloch
democratic rights. The current set back is only temporary. It is mainly
due to the policy of preservation of the present colonial theocratic
constructions by all means. The setback has also emboldened the rulers
of Pakistan and Iran to arrest; disappear, torture more Baloch political
and human rights activists in the last two years. While the attention
of the world is on the Middle East, these states in Balochistan are
doing what ISIL does with their opponents in the territories that are
under their control.
The Punjabi Jihadists of Pakistan and the Hezbollah of Iran have
transformed Balochistan to a no go area. There is no independent media
in Balochistan. Neither is there any human rights organization nor a
single foreign scholar to carry out an independent study of Balochistan.
Even foreign tourists and adventurists are not allowed to enter
Balochistan. In case they see what goes on to the Baloch people under
occupation of Punjabi Muslims and the Persian Mullahs. Instead, both
eastern and western occupied Balochistan are full of all sorts of
military and paramilitary crusaders and jihadists that are sent by the
Pakistani and Iranian states to counter Baloch secular democratic
liberation movement. Those who belong to these armies and groups are
not different from ISIL in their beliefs and deeds. While the democratic
world abhors ISIL’s creed and actions but they have kept quiet about
the Punjabi and Persian extremists’ ideology and actions in Balochistan.
Besides all the atrocities cited above Baloch are deprived of their
economy, environment, health, infrastructure, culture, language, art,
music, moral and cultural values, peace and security. To the colonial
theocratic states of Pakistan and Iran a Baloch life is worthless. But
despite of all difficulties and the weaknesses of a few Baloch
resistance organisations and their leaders, the Baloch liberation
movement is still thriving and growing in strength. The main reason for
that is every sensible person knows that what is going on in Balochistan
is not viable in the long run. The same colonial and violent policies
and methods cannot be sustained for too long. As much as it is not the
end of the Arab Spring and in the same way Baloch resistance will never
disappear until its eventual victory. The hidden currents are underway.
Political tyranny and religious fanaticism had their time in the region
and are no longer in demand. The colonial theocratic states solution to
Baloch is more of the same; more cruelty, death, destruction and
religious fanaticism. This is obviously not the answer to the legitimate
rights of the Baloch nation and other nations that are under their
domination.
What is more, no option is workable unless it is grounded on rational
reasoning; freedom, democracy, respect to human rights, justice, the
rule of law and mutual respect. These conditions will only materialize
within a free, open and accountable environment. Baloch have been
fighting for these values for a very long time. Many Baloch have given
their lives to restore these rights for their people and homeland. For
this reason Baloch nation has dedicated one day in the year to remember
and celebrate the life and achievements of Baloch Martyrs of liberation
struggle and continue their path of struggle for our freedom. This day
is known as Baloch Martyrs Day “Shahmeeren Balochani Roch.” This is held
on the 13 November of each year to remember them and to keep their
memory alive. On this day the British imperial army invaded independent
state of Balochistan and killed the head of Baloch state, Mir Mehrab
Khan Baloch.
