Dilip Chaware
Baluch writer Naela Qadri Baloch has been fighting for Baluchistan’s independence from Pakistan. Presently, she is in Bharat for intensifying her efforts to set up a Baluch government-in-exile. Baloch has come to Bharat to generate support to the voice of the Baluch people for independence. Her son Mazdak Dilshad Baloch came to New Delhi in August. Several Baluch leaders from Pakistan and other countries have been visiting New Delhi since Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the Baluch nationalistic aspiration issue in his Independence Day address earlier this year.
Naela Qadri Baloch, who lives in self-exile in Canada informed that her home in Quetta was surrounded by the Army on January 2, 2010. She managed to escape to Afghanistan and then shifted to Canada. She has been staying in Bharat at present. She is the second Baluch liberation activist after Balochistan Liberation Organisation (BLO) leader Balaach Pardili. He represents London-based BLO leader Nawabzada Hyrbyair Marri. The presence of Pardili has been supported by Bharat as a MEA spokesman has declared that Bharat is home to all the persecuted people of the world.
Gwadar Port at a Glance Gwadar is a warm-water, deep-sea port situated on the Arabian Sea at Gwadar in Baluchistan. It is a major feature of the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) plan. Gwadar is just 75 km away from Chabahar port, which is being developed by Iran with cooperation from Bharat and hence is a serious security concern. It is propagated to be a |
Naela Qadri, who addressed a meeting with intellectuals in Mumbai on November 18, 2016 along with Mazdak, said that she is visiting various major cities across Bharat to highlight the plight of the Baluch people. Lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she said that he was the first Bharatiya leader to articulate the suppressed feelings of her brothers and sisters. “Bharat will have to take proactive steps to ensure Baluchistan’s independence since its security is interlinked with the fate of my people,” she added.
In her impassioned speech, Quadri said, “The entire Baluchistan is now turned into a concentration camp. The only choice for my people is to either fight or die. Thus, we are left with no option but to make our country free. We will fight till our last breath, till the last Baluch survives. We have never accepted slavery. We defeated the British, who could never conquer us. They had to sign a lease with our people to remain in Baluchistan.”
About the current atmosphere in Baluchistan, Quadri said that after 2008, no Baluch has come out alive from Pakistani prisons. Our prisoners have seen Chinese guards in prisons, who train Pakistani jail personnel in methods of torture. Baluchistan is under a blanket and no information is coming out.”
According to Quadri, Bharat has vital economic and energy needs that can be fulfilled through Baluchistan if it can gain freedom from Pakistan. However, she feels that the political will to take an active interest in Baluchistan lacks in Bharat. As a corrective for this, she will concentrate on creating public awareness for the demand of independence of Baluchistan. If there is enough public pressure, the government will not ignore it, she is confident.
About the allegations that the struggle of the Baluch people is inspired by Bharat, Quadri emphatically states, “Bharat is our friend. Although it is not true, we have absolutely no problem if we are labeled as RAW agents. RAW is our brother, sister, whatever. Pakistan alleges that our struggle is RAW-inspired. This is a clever trick to undermine it. We are not happy that Bharat is yet to come out openly but we urge you to free us from the clutches of Pakistan.
The auditorium reverberated with applause when Quadri demanded, “We want more surgical strikes, more planned,” referring indirectly to the surgical strike mounted by Bharatiya Army against Pakistani terrorists on September 29 this year.
Analysing the present situation, Quadri said, “There are two aspects to this. Firstly, Pakistan feels compelled to prove that the Baluch freedom struggle is not legitimate and that it has been instigated by Bharat. Secondly, Pakistan is apprehensive that Bharat could make an active intervention in Baluchistan in the future and it is attempting to prevent that eventuality by taking moral high ground. This is why I have come to Bharat to show that we do not give importance to the allegations that we are inspired by RAW.”
Quadri rubbished Pakistan’s claim that the Chinese involvement in Gwadar was in the interest of the Baluch region. Noting that any Chinese person could move around freely in Bharat, she said, “No Chinese can come out in Baluchistan unless he is escorted by at least two army soldiers. There are 7,000 Chinese workers in Baluchistan, protected by 15,000 Pakistani soldiers, led by a Major-General. Even then, they are not safe. What does this show? We are against CPEC and China. Every other day, construction activities of this are attacked by Baluch freedom fighters. The roadsbeing built are destroyed and recently a radar station was uprooted due to which the visit of the Chinese Prime Minister to Gwadar was
cancelled. This has caused great embarrassment to Pakistan. China is looting the resources of our province, including the gold reserves and
turning a blind eye to genocide of Baluch people.”
Quadri told Bharatiya leaders in clear terms, “This is the time for you to come to our help. This is a litmus test for the younger generation for showing your nationalism. I have come to you openly, burning all my boats. In the past, I was denied visa to visit Bharat. This is the time to isolate Pakistan, which is producing and selling terror. A free Baluchistan is needed for a free Bharat.”
Her son Mazdak explained the
seriousness of the impact Gwadar will have on Bharat’s security. He said, “Gwadar is not merely an economic activity, it is a military installation. If and when we lose our struggle, China and Pakistan are going to become Bharat’s problem. We are weak and need your support. My people are crazy about Bharat. If you meet one of them and say you are from Bharat, they will embrace you. Just extend your hand and you will find love from our side. Our side is peace, the other (Pakistani) side is a proxy (of China). It will never be your friends.”
Making a presentation, Mazdak showed how China and Pakistan could encircle Bharat from Rajasthan to Laddakh in Kashmir in case their
military planning became a reality. It is vital to note that Gwadar and Chabahar are just 75 km away from each other. While Gwadar is being developed
rapidly, the pace of development of Chabahar is not matching, he warned.
About Bharat’s past policies towards Baluchistan, Mazdak said, “Baluch leadership has had no contact with any Bharatiya politician after Jawaharlal Nehru. As far as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is concerned, we now feel that the Bharatiya
government will have to speak up and take a stand on Baluchistan. The earlier governments were made up of
coalitions and could not take a strong decision but now it is a strong
government at the Centre.”
The meeting in Mumbai was
convened by the Forum for Integrated National Security (FINS), a think tank established in 2003 to create awareness about the issues concerning Bharat’s security. FINS secretary-general Shrihari N Desai welcomed Naela and her son Mazdak. FINS has so far held many important seminars about
national security in various parts of Bharat.
Desai told the Organiser, “As a think tank, we initiate, discuss and propagate national security challenges with eminent personalities to transform them into opportunities for the nation. FINS is open to ideas and different viewpoints. With this open and
democratic approach, we have become a large family of thinkers and scholars discussing national security. At
FINS, we strongly believe that
‘compartmentalised approach’ in
matters of national security needs to be replaced with an integrated national security approach.” An integrated national security approach will strengthen our ability to achieve desired national objectives, he feels.
Explaining the role of FINS, Desai says, “As a Think Tank, FINS aims to influence policy makers, politicians, civilian and military leadership, the diplomatic community, international leaders, the future leadership, other Think Tanks and civil society
organisations, academia, scientists and their organisations, critical thinkers, writers, industries and the media.”
The talk on Baluchistan by Quadri and her son was one such effort, which received overwhelming response and support for the Baluch cause. n
