Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Why India is Reviving Baloch Militancy? PART - II


By Tariq Rizwan
           
India is using Afghan soil as a launching pad for overt and covert activities in western belt of Pakistan including Balochistan, FATA nad KP province. A huge number of RAW operatives are working under the garb of Indian Border Security Force (BSF). BSF has recently completed Dilaram road linking Chabahar Port of Iran with Heart in Afghanistan. Apart, India is running dozens of un-proclaimed consulates in Afghan cities along Pakistan border. Links are being maintained with the militants inside Pakistani territory to destabilize Pakistan’s western belt.

            The ongoing military operation Zarb-e-Azb has shaken the bases of all these foreign sponsored militants. The militants’ infrastructure has been destroyed. Militants have either been killed or sought refuge in Afghan border territories under the active patronage of RAW-NDS nexus. By exploiting the left over remnants, India is trying to sustain the rhythm of militancy in the region so that to frustrate both Pakistan and China abandon the CPEC.

            Almost all the Baloch Sub Nationalists (BSNs) were getting foreign assistance in terms of boarding, lodging, training, weapons, finances and transportation etcetera. India is investing heavily on Baloch Sub Nationalists (BSNs). Immediately after the ouster of Taliban from power in Afghanistan in the wake of 9/11, training camps were established in Spin Boldak area of Kandhar province where these Baloch Fararies were accommodated, trained and launched in collaboration with NDS.

            Baloch Liberation Army and Baloch Republican Army are almost defunct now after the surrender of its activists in a huge number. Both Hairbyar Marri and Brahmdagh Bugti are in self - exile and relying on Indian financial support. They are absconders according to the law of the land after committing numerous acts of IED, bomb blasts, target killing and destroying the state infrastructure in Balochistan.
           
            Reportedly, the so called indigenous Baloch Liberation Front Chief Dr Allah Nazar is no more alive as per media reports. He was a common Baloch. Instead of going abroad, he continued his struggle for the rights of common people from his home town “Mashkel”. Therefore, the number of his followers increased over a period of time. Despite his claims of not accepting foreign assistance, most of his fighters were trained in RAW-NDS camps at Spin Boldak.

            Dr Nazar was a stern opponent of the selfish Baloch Nawabs, Sardars and their centuries-old traditional hold. Therefore, he was not liked by other leaders like Hairbyar Marri and Brahmdagh Bugti. He was of the view, that that Nawabs and Sardars were equally responsible for backwardness of Baloch areas. His interests also converged with that of government efforts to empower the common people in Balochistan. He was a popular figure among the BSNs due to his philosophy of not leaving Balochistan while continuing their struggle for Baloch rights. According to media reports, he was killed in one of the air raid and has never resurfaced.

            India is vigorously pursuing the BSNs card to undermine CPEC and deprive the poor masses of the benefits of the mega project. Like GB, Balochistan is also becoming a battlefield for the covert RAW activities. The Indian opposition and rivalry to CPEC is resulting into bloodshed. Incidents of Quetta Civil Hospital suicide bomb blast and brutal attack on Police recruitment centre are the cases in point.

            Indian rivalry of CPEC stems from its fear of internationalization of the Kashmir dispute and the growing influence of China in the Indian Ocean, says a new report by one of the most influential global think tanks. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri), a Sweden-based think tank report states “There is considerable concern within India that China, which has been neutral on Kashmir since 1963, can no longer be so now that its economic and security interests in these territories are growing in stake”.

            The report is titled “Silk Road Economic Belt - considering security implications and the EU - China cooperation prospects”. It argues that India does not want a mediating role for China in these disputes. It is the first report by any global think tank that has discussed in detail the Indian concerns on CPEC. The report has also shed light on implications of the ‘One Belt One Road’ initiative on security dynamics and its compatibility with the EU interests.

            The Sipri report says CPEC has raised political temperatures between India and Pakistan. “India strictly opposes CPEC, and while the Economic Belt is not a harbinger of a new conflict, it has so far intensified historic competition over influence in South Asia,” note authors of the report.  Continued

The writer is a freelance journalist


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