Pakistan’s distribution of pamphlets in different areas and its appeal for help from the people is a sign of its defeat, said Dr Allah Nazar Baloch, the Baloch nationalist leader in a statement on Sunday. Pakistan has been distributing pamphlets through army helicopters in and around Mand in occupied Balochistan and recently this pamphlet distribution has begun by Frontier Corps (FC) Balochistan South, wherein Pakistan is appealing for help and declaring Baloch freedom fighters as miscreants.
“This is an attempt to cover up their war crimes in Balochistan,” said Dr Allah Nazar. He added that the Baloch nation is engaged in its struggle for independence against the occupying state of Pakistan. In such a situation, such statements by the Pakistan Army and its paramilitary forces are a deception and a betrayal of the people. “They have come to realize that the people cannot be coerced into supporting their enemy by force. The whole world is aware of Pakistani atrocities and the rise of religious extremism in Balochistan. Given the situation, by declaring us freedom fighters as miscreants through pamphlets, Pakistan wants to cover up its crimes. Yet, ironically, it is promoting terrorism in Afghanistan, Kashmir and many other areas,” explained Dr Allah Nazar.
The Baloch nationalist leader Dr. Allah Nazar Baloch further said that by mentioning the expulsion of families and relatives of Baloch fighters in those pamphlets, Pakistan has also confessed to its culpability that the families were also targeted under the pretext of collective punishment and forced to leave their homes as refugees on their own land and compelled to live a life of misery.
“Frontier Corps (FC) that is associating the chaos in Balochistan with us and deeming it as being disliked by Allah, need to learn some lessons from Islamic teachings. Almighty Allah, in the battle of truth and falsehood, always supports the truth and righteousness. The way Pakistan has occupied Balochistan by force; the struggle against such occupiers is justified by our traditions, religion, Almighty Allah and the international law,” said Dr Allah Nazar Baloch.
Dr Allah Nazar Baloch, Chief of Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) and revered leader of Balochistan’s Freedom Struggle against Pakistan. (Photo: News Intervention)
Dr Allah Nazar further added that such pamphlets are a routine ploy by the occupying colonial powers. They try to justify it by covering up the atrocities inflicted upon the common people but the Baloch nation is aware of the real face of Pakistan as well as their path to salvation. This great nation cannot be led astray at any cost.
Dr Allah Nazar Baloch is a medical doctor by qualification who is leading Balochistan’s freedom struggle for the last two decades. Pakistan Army commits some of the worst forms of human rights violations across Balochistan, which includes rapes, abductions and murders. Pakistan’s state policy of “enforced disappearance” and “kill and dump” of Baloch people has meant that more than 40,000 innocent Baloch people have lost their lives in the last fifteen years. Entire Balochistan is struggling for freedom against the illegal occupation of Pakistan, which has rattled Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
Pakistan’s Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances was neither ever intended to prevent the crime nor has made any attempts to recover victims, fix responsibility of culprits and bring them to justice.
‘Enforced disappearances’ isn’t a novel tool of repression used by the Pakistan Army against Baloch patriotic political segments and general people. During 1970’s Baloch uprising, there had been a few incidents of the use of forced disappearance and custodial killing by Pakistan Army of those political activists who were thought linked, in one or other way, to Baloch National cause.
Dilip Das and Sher Ali Marri are first reported victims of enforced disappearance during 1970’s. They were arrested by Pakistan Army while traveling to Jacobabad by train from Sibi. They had gone missing after their arrest and have never been seen or traced till today. In such another incident Mir Asadullah Mengal, elder son of Sardar Attaullah Mengal, a prominent Baloch nationalist leader and first elected chief minister of occupied Balochistan, along with Ahmed Shah Kurd, a friend of him, was abducted by Pakistan Army on February 6, 1976 from Karachi and both of them have never been seen again.
However Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, has furnished an account of the incident of enforced disappearance of Mir Asadullah Mengal and his friend Ahmed Shah Kurd in a book written by him in jail when he was imprisoned after a military coup d’etat against his government in 1977. According to that account of the incident Mir Asadullah Mengal and his friend were abducted and killed by the army in an operation and were buried near Thatta.
The story about the kidnapping and killing of Asadullah Mengal in 1976 written by the then PM Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in book which published after his hanging https://t.co/9x7CsS3dcu
Story about the kidnapping and killing of Asadullah Mengal in 1976 was written by former Pakistan PM Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.
Mr Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto wrote in the book that when he objected the abduction and killing of the son of a prominent leader and former Chief Minister in such an illegal manner then he was advised by army to deny the arrest and custodial killing of Mir Asaduullah Mengal and his friend Mir Ahmed Shah Kurd and claim that both of them have gone to Afghanistan for getting guerrilla training. Late General Hamid Gul, a former chief of Pakistan’s military spy agency ISI, in his interview has also given the same account of the incident that was written by former Prime Minister Zulfiqar Bhutto about the abduction and extrajudicially killing of Mir Asadullah Mengal and his friend Ahmed Shah Kurd.
Enforced disappearances of Baloch patriotic political activists on a large scale in occupied Balochistan originated in the beginning of 2000. Since then there is seen an increasing intensity in the use of such an inhuman and illegal practice by Pakistan Army, intelligence agencies and Frontier Corps (a paramilitary force). Initially families and friends of victims rushed to judiciary for relief against enforced disappearances of their loved ones by law enforcement agencies but courts, either due to their bias against Baloch people or pressure from Pakistan Army and spy agencies,were unwilling or unable to help the victims to get justice.
It’s pertinent to mention here that in the beginning LEA (Law Enforcement Agencies) used to hand over some of the victims, after illegal detention and torture, to police showing them arrested in criminal cases. Though everyone in civilian administration and courts knew that cases against the victims were totally bogus showing false date and venue of their arrest but courts still used to maintain such brazenly false cases based on concocted narrative of law enforcement agencies and police. Courts of all level were, and still are, reluctant to take notice of severe physical torture against the victims they had been or are being subjected to during their forced disappearance in military dungeons. The obvious reason behind such reluctance of courts is that the perpetrators belong to military, intelligence agencies and Frontier Corps (FC).
Baloch children protest against Pakistan’s gross Human Rights violations in Balochistan.
Like courts, the police was/ is also reluctant to register FIR (First Information Report) and investigate the cases of enforced and involuntary disappearances because police, a weak and corrupt civilian force, lacks the power, courage and support of so-called civilian governments and judiciary to register FIR and investigate the cases wherein the personnel of unbridled Pakistan Army and Law Enforcement Agencies are nominated.
From 2000 to 2008 there were more than one thousand cases of enforced disappearances in occupied Balochistan including cases of prominent Baloch patriotic leaders and activists Mir Abdul Nabi Bangulzai, Dr Allah Nazar Baloch, Akhtar Nadeem Baloch, Imdad Baloch, Dr Naseem Baloch, Yusuf Murad Baloch, Nawaz Jan aka Gahwar Jan Baloch, Wajah Wahid Kambar Baloch, Wajah Ghulam Muhammad Baloch the then Pesident of BNM, a pro-freedom political party, Mir Kadder Marri, and dozens of the activists affiliated with the Baloch Students Organization-Azad (BSO-Azad) and others. The above-mentioned leaders/activists were kept in military dungeons and subjected to severe physical and mental torture for long periods stretching from six months to two years or more and later were showed arrested in false cases of theft, bomb blast and treason.
Pakistan’s lower as well as apex courts failed to take notice of such afterthought cases and pass appropriate orders to prevent such unlawful arrests, detentions and torturing the victims and bring the perpetrators to justice. Instead the courts always stood by Pakistan Army and LEA (Law Enforcement Agencies) which, for all practical purposes, amounts to an encouragement to culprits continue with the commission of crime. So enjoying such impunity the perpetrators have continued to commit the crime of enforced disappearance till date.
When Justice Iftekhar Muhammad Chaudhry was Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, he formed a special bench for entertaining petitions regarding enforced disappearances. Aforesaid Bench tried to make the perpetrators accountable to some extent. His such daring annoyed Pakistan Army who furiously responded by suspending the constitution, arresting the Judges and imposing emergency in the country.
After the 2008 general elections as usual a weak civilian government headed by PPP’s Yusuf Reza Gelani, was formed in Islamabad who obviously lacked authority to have any sway in policy matters pertaining to army’s high handed strategy in occupied Balochistan, Waziristan and foreign affairs. Though Gelani administration, after hesitation, restored the ousted judges of apex judiciary but still both of them– civilian executive and apex judiciary absolutely failed bring the inhuman crime of enforced disappearance to an end and punish the perpetrators.
The ‘so called’ civilian government of Pakistan, after its apparent inability and failure to curb the crime of enforced disappearances and bring the culprits to justice, constituted the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (COIED) in March 2011 intending to buy time, mask its incompetence and powerlessness, deflect national and international criticism and pretend it is serious about addressing enforced disappearances. The reluctant Supreme Court of Pakistan also availed the creation of so-called “COIED” as an opportunity for face saving and disassociating itself from its primary duty of protecting the lives, liberty and legal rights and freedom of people including the right of free and fair trial. By transferring pending cases to COIED, the Supreme Court disposed of all petitions pertaining to enforced disappearances without any relief to the victims.
International Law describes “Enforced Disappearance” as a crime against humanity. All states are duty bound to prevent the practice of such a crime and bring the culprits responsible for the crime to justice. But the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearance (COIED) in Pakistan is performing contrary to the intent of law and justice. The platform of COIED and its procedures are being used and are instrumental to– 1-deny justice to the victims in one or other way, 2-discourage the registration, reporting and pursuing complaints of enforced disappearances by misbehaving and threatening to the helpless complainants. 3-defeat the justice by adopting complex, costly and exhausting procedures and using delaying tactics, 4-deflect the national and international criticism, 5-deceive international Human Rights bodies and thereby avoid any interference and accountability by such international entities, 6-exonerate the perpetrators of the crime by purposely creating an environment of impunity and unaccountability.
The COIED (Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances) has never showed any gesture of seriousness towards the task vested with. During long nine years of its creation the probe body never bothered to establish its branches and hold periodical hearings in the far flung armed-conflict ridden regions of occupied Balochistan. It’s meant to make the probe body inaccessible to poor families of victims who are living in remote mountainous regions lacking the means to afford expenditures of such costly litigation, travel to Islamabad, food and lodging there. Overwhelming majority of victim families aren’t only poor but also uneducated having not enough understanding of alien languages, laws, and legal procedures. That is why thousands cases of enforced disappearances in occupied Balochistan are going unreported and unfollowed.
Apart from above mentioned hurdles, there have always been complaints against the COIED’s Commissioners’ of deliberately misbehaving and harassing the complainants, mostly females, aimed to restrain them from pursuing the cases of their missing loved ones. It’s believed that COIED (Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances) commissioners harass and humiliate the complainants on behest of army and law enforcement agencies responsible for the crime.
Though it’s a primary requisite of the administration of justice to decide every case on merits but contrary to that golden rule of law the COIED has regularly been dismissing cases on procedural and technical grounds and thereby has been denying and defeating the justice. That is why a huge majority of the victim families from occupied Balochistan even don’t think of making a complaint to Pakistan’s COIED (Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances), courts or police. They deem making complaints to such state institutions a futile exercise, waste of time and money.
Another major reason for not reporting the cases of enforced disappearances in occupied Balochistan is that army and intelligence officers usually approach the victim families and threat them if they disclosed or reported the enforced disappearance of their family member then victim would be killed and dumped.
During the so called hearings before COIED (Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances) the complainants are treated like criminals while the representatives of perpetrators-army and intelligence agencies are given protocol and opportunity like members of the commission to question, reprimand, even threat and humiliate the complainants. Such insulting behavior of COIED commissioners and representatives of army and intelligence agencies is another massive hurdle in reporting and pursuing the cases.
COIED was formed and given task to trace whereabouts of missing persons and fix responsibility on individuals or organisations responsible for the enforced disappearances. But a brief glance at performance of the COIED reveals that the probe body neither intended ever to prevent enforced disappearances nor has made any sincere attempts to recover victims, fix responsibility of culprits and bring them to justice. Though on various occasions COIED has been claiming the credit of tracing whereabouts of a number of victims and getting them released but during the long nine years of its so called inquiry and investigations it has even not held a single perpetrator responsible.
The COIED has entirely failed to make a workable mechanism for the protection of victims, complainants, witnesses and their families.
Justice Javed Iqbal, the head of COIED (Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances) has many times publicly alleged that missing persons actually aren’t missing, they have either joined freedom fighters in mountains or are hiding abroad. Such is the false narrative put forth by army and intelligence agencies with mala fide intention of shading doubts about enforced disappearances and hiding their crimes. Toeing to such a false narrative of perpetrators manifests that the COIED isn’t an impartial and reliable probe body. Actually COIED has designedly been collaborating with culprits to suppress the cases of enforced disappearances and voices raising against army and intelligence agencies.
The impunity that army and intelligence agencies are enjoying in occupied Balochistan, encouraged them to expand the enforced disappearances operations in Sindh, Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan regions. The cases of enforced disappearances, notably of journalists, are occasionally reported even in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan.
Not only Baloch but also Sindhi, Pashtun, Kashmiris and people of occupied Gilgit-Baltistan regions also disbelieve COIED and view it as a tool in the hands of army and intelligence agencies using to suppress the cases of enforced disappearances. On September 12, 2020 Nasrullah Baloch, the Chairman of Voice for Baloch Missing Persons blamed the COIED for further complicating the issue of enforced disappearances. Here is the link of said statement The Enforced Disappearances Commission is further complicating the issue of missing persons – Nasrullah Baloch | The Balochistan Post.
Such explicit collusion of COIED with culprits is the sole reason the probe body is being extended again and again for last nine years, despite the fact it has entirely failed in its task of providing justice to the victims, fixing the responsibility of culprits responsible for the crime and bringing the perpetrators to justice.
While enjoying full impunity the Pakistan Army and intelligence agencies are using enforced disappearance as policy to suppress the dissent of any form across the country and regions under its colonial occupation. In occupied Balochistan Pakistan Army and intelligence agencies abduct everyday dozens of civilian people including elderly men, women, children, youths and sometimes whole families and after humiliation and torture some of the victims are released while others go missing in military dungeons for an uncertain period.
It’s crystal clear from the power structure in Pakistan that Army and intelligence agencies dominate all state pillars including legislative, executive, judiciary and media. In view of Pakistan’s such a power structure there is no hope of impartial and effective inquiry in the crime of enforced disappearances, fixing the responsibility of culprits and bringing them to justice by any Commission formed by Pakistan.
Despite its undertaking to UNO’s Human Rights Council and other relevant organizations, Pakistan didn’t enact laws to declare the enforced disappearances a crime. Each of the successive governments of Pakistan have been making such false promises just to by time and spend their tenure.
Therefore it seems highly proper and timely for the UNO and International Criminal Court to commence investigations into the cases of enforced disappearances, a crime against humanity, in occupied Balochistan, trace the whereabouts of victims, fix the responsibility of perpetrators and bring the culprits to justice.
Construction of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple has started at Ayodhya. Alok Kumar, International Working President of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) provided latest updates about Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in this conversation with Vivek Sinha, Editor-in-Chief News Intervention. Alok Kumar also explained the gambit behind Halal certifications, and the devious mindset of certain individuals when they mock Hindu Gods and Goddesses in the garb of artistic liberty and freedom of expression.
Vivek Sinha: Welcome to News Intervention. All of us are keen to know about the latest updates on the construction of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple at Ayodhya. Please let us know about the ongoing activities… Alok Kumar: Well as you know, all obstacles have been removed. We submitted our plans to the Ayodhya Development Authority and they have been sanctioned. We had to pay a hefty fee of Rs 2.11 crore to them, but the plans are in readiness. The soil testing has been completed. The big metal road to take heavy material has been constructed. Larsen & Toubro has set up their site office and we are now at the stage of piling for the foundations, and we hope to complete the construction within three years or a little bit more.
Vivek Sinha: Has the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic hampered the construction activities? Alok Kumar: Yeah it slowed (initially)…. but then came a stage when we decided not to wait for the Crornavirus pandemic to go away and therefore we decided to start the construction and invited the Prime Minister for it. They said that there must be only 150 guests and we agreed to that. We are building a temple made only of stone. No iron, no cement will be used and the temple would have an estimated life of more than 1000 years. So Corona slowed and obstructed, but our resolve to complete the temple construction in three years from now has overcome the obstacles.
Vivek Sinha: Will the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple at Ayodhya be similar to ancient Indian temples? Is the temple architecture inspired by ancient Indian temples? Alok Kumar: Of course, yes. Sompura ji who are the architects for the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple were also the architects for the reconstruction of Somnath Temple. They are a family who have been designing and constructing temples for generations so they have a lot of experience in Indian temple architecture and this would be the finest temple.
Vivek Sinha: Let us move on to a different topic, about the Halalonomics—the economics of Halal. The business of Halal is a bit controversial, yet I would like to know your views on this topic… Alok Kumar: This is not only a bit controversial, rather we have substantial objections to it. This is economic expansionism of Islam. We are for a secular economy. In England there are only 4% Muslims but every restaurant has a board that they serve only Halal meat, and for that you have to take a certification. (Swami) Ramdev ji (Patanjali) has taken that certification, Sri Sri (Ravi Shankar) has taken that certification. That (Halal) certification is given by designated Muslim organisations and they charge a hefty fee for that. So they get enriched for their religious affairs. We pay for that in the form of increased price of the goods and then from the meat they travel to food, medicines, and now a mall is coming up in Gurugram which proclaims that it is Halal certified.
So therefore it is a sort of economic domination of the principles, tenets and people of Islam over the followers of other religions. Somebody told me about a Shabad in Gurbani which ordains them not to eat Halal meat. Halal is rather a very cruel way of killing an animal. Killing an animal to a person like me is bad, but killing the animal with merciless cruelty is the worst. So I am happy that some good people in India have started a campaign to curb Halal meat and to promote Jhatka. The Indians should not yield and the serving of meat should not be restricted to serving only Halal meat including in the Indian Army.
Vivek Sinha: Is the VHP going to take an official stand on it… Alok Kumar: The VHP as an organisation has taken no stand on it yet, but then all of us are convinced that Halalonomics is bad for the religious amity. And for a secular economy we will join the fight as individuals.
Vivek Sinha: It’s argued that Hindus per se do not have any religious objections to eating Halal meat so why is it that the Hindus are objecting to Halal meat and why is Vishwa Hindu Parishad taking up an aggressive stand against Halal meat? Alok Kumar: I told you that there is a Shabad in Gurbani against it (Halal). So there are religious objections also and there are objections on the point of cruelty, and three we see it as an organised conspiracy to impose Islamic perceptions and tenets on us. And the money in certification of Halal goes to them. So I see every reason to propagate that there should be no exclusivity in food.
Vivek Sinha: Do you think that a portion of Halal certification money is being diverted towards radical Islamic fundamentalism and also for Islamic terrorism? Alok Kumar: We do seriously suspect that. Because lots of money is being collected by Islamic organisations which are approved for Halal certification. We do really suspect that the money from those sources may be directed towards Islamic propagation and terrorism.
Vivek Sinha: A few weeks back some people made derogatory comments on Maa Kali. And very often we see people making fun of Hindu Gods and Goddesses…and then taking refuge in freedom in expression. Your comments. Alok Kumar: We all have heard about Heresy Courts and the Papacy Courts, which are religious courts. And blasphemy laws still exist in Pakistan and other countries. Very recently we heard of an incident where some person had made a derogatory remark about the Prophet in Saudi Arabia and though the family of the person who was killed in the process had pardoned them yet they have been sentenced for life. The blasphemy courts routinely punish people in Pakistan on the charges of speaking against the Prophet or Islam or the Quran.
Recently there was a cartoon against a Hindu Goddess and somebody responded to it with a cartoon on Prophet Mohammed and tens of thousands of people assembled in Bengaluru and they attacked property and people, three persons were killed, the house of the MLA gutted. Can it be a one sided affair? They go on abusing the Hindu Gods and the “secularists” are telling us to be tolerant. And when somebody makes some comment on Mohammad saheb then all those lessons of tolerance go and the person is condemned for inciting hatred. The time has now come for a balanced view. And the balanced view is that I have a right to propagate my religion which includes my right to criticize Christianity and Islam and that right is limited to be within the limits of decency. Those who cross the limits of decency are criminals and should be punished.
VHP President Alok Kumar is also a Senior Advocate in the Supreme Court of India. (Photo: News Intervention)
Vivek Sinha: I am reminded of a famous painter MF Husain, who painted the nudes of Hindu Goddesses, which was dubbed upon as artistic liberty and freedom of expression. Do you think the paintings come under the ambit of freedom of expression? Where can we draw this line about artistic liberty and freedom of expression? Alok Kumar: Well, this line should apply to all irrespective of which religion one does belong to. Those paintings were extremely hurtful to the Hindus and I can’t even describe the details of it. And I saw a painting that he (MF Husain) painted of his mother all dressed in sober clothes and looking nice and good. Her mother was well dressed looking down, being humble and in good taste. Do we have the same right towards our Goddesses? Why does he paint them in nudes? And in other vulgar poses? And why is it that Hindus are asked to tolerate it? I am sorry. You may call me a bigot or a communal but we will not tolerate it.
Vivek Sinha: Sure, I get your point. What is next on the agenda of VHP…. Alok Kumar: We will complete the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple. It is paramount. We will put all our resources in the construction of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple. After the Coronavirus pandemic eases we will go to the 400,000 villages across India, organise Ram Poojas, processions, we will go to the houses of 11 crore Hindus, collect funds for the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple and in the process we will try that as the temple rises in Ayodhya a temple rises in every Hindu heart, and every Hindu is reminded that Ram went to Kewat Raj called him a friend. When Kewat referred to himself as being of the so-called “low caste”, Ram responded back and said that he does not believe in the high or low of castes or of mankind. He only knows the relationship of love and devotion. Ram also went to the hut of Shabari so we will bring this social harmony. The annihilation of caste and samrasta of Hindu society will be our priority. Like Ram went to the Ahilya’s Ashram and gave her back her garima, the respect and modesty, we will also do that to every woman in the country.
We shall work for the development of Scheduled Castes and Tribes in social and economic fields and on health issues. We have made an ambitious Setu Yojana where we shall work for taking the benefits of government schemes particularly to the Scheduled Castes and tribes, getting them new skills, establishing them in business and industry not as employees but as masters. We will focus on cow-based agriculture, no chemical fertilizers, pesticides or insecticides. In the coming years we will invest all our efforts to reenergize the Hindu society into a positive vibrant society.
Vivek Sinha: We often hear about temple ruins being found in foreign countries, Indonesia, Cambodia, Pakistan… Is the VHP planning to restore these Hindu temples found in foreign lands? Alok Kumar: Yes, at least in preserving them. And in a limited way, yes we are doing it. Some temple remains were found in Multan, Pakistan. And we went to the Pakistan High Commission and requested them to hand over the temple remains to the Indian government. So in our little way whatever efforts we can make to preserve such temples we are doing that because these temples belong to the whole mankind. When the Bamiyan Buddha Statues were demolished, it was a loss to mankind. And so I would ask everybody, particularly the Europeans, who are so keen to save the statues of those who had advocated slavery during their time, these temples are world’s heritage and they must be saved and preserved for future generations.
An interesting story doing the rounds in the Indian Capital revolves around the former Finance Minister P Chidambaram who does not lose a single opportunity to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Except, every time he fails to cover his tracks and gets heavily trolled.
Chidambaram’s twitter messages criticising the government on the Farm Bill brought a large number of protests, and almost like the ghost of Julius Caesar stirred his conscience, especially in the light of his alleged role, and the alleged role of his favourite bureaucrats, Ramesh Abhishek and KP Krishnan in destructing National Spot Exchange Limited. Till the time of the Rs 5,600-crore payment hit the exchange — remember it was not a scam of the magnitude one sees almost every month — NSEL was considered the best example of what is now popular as Atmanirbhar Bharat or Digital India.
Chidambaram’s alleged role in destructing NSEL has been well documented. That the former FM and his favourite bureaucrats did not like the meteoric rise of Jignesh Shah, the promoter of NSEL, and reportedly wanted to favour the National Stock Exchange (NSE), now in the heat of a serious colocation scandal. For almost 24 hours, the twitter handle of the former FM was bombarded with comments from those who felt a genuine Made In India institution was destroyed. It was like many Caesar’s ghosts appearing to Brutus (read PC) and stirring his conscience for his past acts as well as disturbing him as he pondered his future battle. The messages highlighted works of Shah, a man who once created some of India’s finest exchanges before manipulative politicians and scheming industrialists queered his pitch. Many are now surprised as to how Shah, chairman emeritus of 63 Moons Technologies, the rechristened version of the Financial Technologies – the erstwhile parent holding firm for all the exchanges founded by him – has emerged as a Phoenix, a mythical bird with fiery plumage that lives up to 100 years.
Very few know NSEL was one of Shah’s smallest ventures.
In a landmark judgment on April 30, 2019 the Supreme Court prevented government’s move to merge NSEL with 63 Moons Technologies, and now, other courts are opening up the bank accounts and assets of 63 Moons Technologies. The big issue of corruption that once PC and his men heaped on Shah has not stuck on the sleeves of this affable visionary. Court orders are absolving him of all the charges one after another as no agency could prove even a single paisa of wrongdoing on his part, nor on the part of his companies.
Seven years have passed since NSEL got engulfed in the crisis, Shah has routinely maintained it was an “employee fraud” done in connivance with some defaulter brokers. He has said the crisis could have been solved in a month and half but for a political conspiracy hatched at that time to help his business rivals. Shah, who had to eventually exit all the exchanges and related businesses set up by him, including the flagship Multi-Commodity Exchange (MCX), is still hopeful about the resolution as also about punishment to all those who were party to the fraud. He has tremendous faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He has been trying hard to work on the recovery process and refund of dues to all genuine claimants, the cash trail of Rs 5,600 crore that is missing has been established and assets worth over Rs 8,000 crore of defaulters have been attached. There is more, Rs 3,300 crore of decrees and arbitration awards have been obtained and the same for the balance amount was underway.
The 52-year-old Shah, popular as India’s Exchange Man, had successfully launched 14 exchanges across six continents, a global record. He has been hauled over the coals but he has always said he has had great faith in the judiciary. His companies were number one in commodities trading, electricity, currency, bonds and in everything they were doing.
63 Moons has filed a defamation suit, seeking Rs 10,000 crore in damages, against Chidambaram, Abhishek and Krishnan, alleging it was facing continuous “targeted and mala fide actions” in the wake of an “engineered payment default crisis” at the NSEL.
It was on July 12, 2013, the Forward Markets Commission (FMC), the then regulator of commodity exchanges, directed NSEL to give an undertaking that it would not launch any fresh forward contracts of one-day duration—for which it was given permission earlier—and settle all the existing contracts on their respective due dates. The FMC move triggered tremendous panic in the market, sellers emptying their godowns to meet their other commitments, and defaulting on their NSEL commitments, resulting in the otherwise avoidable payment crisis at NSEL on July 31, 2013.
It is important to see the crisis in its totality. For example, as sudden withdrawal of cash by depositors creates trouble in a bank, likewise the order to settle all outstanding contracts alarmed the market, leading to an otherwise avoidable payments crisis. The crisis was blown out of proportion. It was alleged that 16,000 investors had lost Rs 5,600 crore on NSEL.
One needs to remember that NSEL was not an investment vehicle, but a trading platform for buying and selling plantation and farm commodities and their products. More importantly, the Bombay High Court on August 22, 2014, observed that these so-called investors were nothing short of “bogus traders”. Let us not forget that in that very order, the court specifically observed that the then Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Maharashtra government “had not found any money trail leading to either NSEL or FTIL and that the entire money lay with 25 defaulters. This was again, after one year, was independently confirmed by the EOW to the then Union ministry of consumer affairs.
The recent colocation scandal at NSE has again established that the brokers — who routinely lure exchange officials — are the true culprits behind financial scandals at the markets. And when such mischievous deeds are done in the face of regulations, government officials in regulatory bodies, as also in the ministries, and even the ministers concerned, are involved behind such nefarious acts.
An Indian farmer walking through his paddy field. (Representative Photo: PTI)
The markets would have been in safe hands if NSEL had functioned. Let us not forget that for generations, millions of India’s small and marginal farmers have been living in abject poverty because of problems that exist in the country’s tightly controlled agriculture sector. If exchanges that benefit the farmers existed, the nation would not have been a massive dip in farming as an occupation. NSEL’s vision was to liberate Indian farmers from the archaic mandi structure and free them from the shackles of middlemen, the very reason why the Modi government has passed the three farm bills.
Global Times is famous (or infamous) for saying that black is white and vice-versa; and at the end, arguing that everybody should admire Red China. For the past five months, the tabloid has described the situation in Ladakh as one of India’s own making; it continues the Communist Party long tradition of telling lies (remember the Great Leap Forward and its claims of bumper harvests at a time when more than 40 million Chinese died of starvation). Today, Global Times continues to reverse the roles and change the facts.
Take the example of the joint statement and five-point consensus reached by the Indian and Chinese foreign ministers at the end of their recent meeting in Moscow. While admitting that it is “a substantial step in cooling down the current border situation, exceeding the expectations of most international observers,” Global Times squarely put the blame on India: “The successful implementation of the joint statement, however, depends on whether the Indian side can truly keep its word,” as if Delhi is not keeping its word.
It is not difficult for the tabloid to find ‘experts’ to corroborate its conclusions; one Qian Feng, director of the research department of the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University in Beijing told the Communist publication: “…given India’s past history of breaking consensuses reached at such meetings, some Chinese experts stressed that it’s still too early to pin high hopes on its implementation.”
However, the history of modern China is a tale of broken promises. Hardly two months after Mao solemnly announced the birth of the People’s Republic of China from the Tiananmen Square, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) annexed Xinjiang, closing down the Indian Consulate General in Kashgar in the same stroke.
Delhi was told that the new regime would have to renegotiate all its former agreements, a position untenable in international law.
By taking over Xinjiang, Mao controlled the western borders of the Middle Kingdom, he could access trade with Central Asia and block any possibility of Soviet southward advance; for the first time, he also came in contact with the Indian frontiers, particularly the Aksai Chin area; a few years later, Beijing built a road across Indian territory linking up Xinjiang with Tibet.
The first broken promise was about the Indian Consulate in Kashgar, despite Beijing’s promises, it would never be reopened. At the same time, Beijing repeatedly told the Uyghurs that the PLA had come to help them to develop the area; the Uyghurs still do not understand how they have been ‘helped’ during all these decades.
India foolishly kept the closure of its Kashgar Consulate secret because “nothing could be done about it,” but that is another story.
Then came the invasion of the Roof of the World, called by Mao the ‘liberation’ of Tibet. A two-phase operation was meticulously planned by the Great helmsman; the first part culminated in the Battle of Chamdo in 1950, which saw the Tibetan forces being decimated; after the winter had passed, the Communist regime started the second phase, a diplomatic one; the weak Tibetan State was forced to put its thumbprint on an agreement allowing Communist China to take over the Land of Snows.
An ‘Agreement on Measures for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet’, better known as the ‘17-Point Agreement’ was signed (‘under duress’ according to the Dalai Lama) in Beijing on May 23, 1951 by Ngabo Ngawang Jigme, the former Governor of the Eastern Province of Kham, then a prisoner of war.
The Tibetan delegates were ‘trapped’ into this (the seals of the Tibetan government had to be forged for the purpose, but never mind). The consequences for Tibet would be most momentous; not only Tibet would lose more than its independence, because here too, China would not keep its promises.
On September 9, 1951, soon after the Tibetans had signed on the dotted line, several thousand PLA troops entered Lhasa under the command of General Wang Qimei; subsequently 20,000 troops began to occupy the most strategic points on the Tibetan Plateau. India had a new neighbour.
India shares boundary with Tibet and not with China.
The next step for Beijing was to subdue the Indian government with a well-orchestrated propaganda of ‘eternal friendship’ between the two Asian giants; the Hindi-Chini-Bhai-Bhai honeymoon between Delhi and Beijing began to flourish.
In April 1954, India and China signed the so-called Panchsheel Agreement about Tibet, to which the Tibetans were not even invited to participate. India’s long border with Tibet (now China) was wishfully deemed settled in the process; Delhi thought that by signing this hasty agreement, it had ‘fixed’ the border.
But two months later, the ink on the treaty had hardly dried, the Chinese troops walked into Indian territory; the PLA entered for the first time in Barahoti, a small flat grazing ground located in today’s Chamoli district of Uttarakhand.
It was another broken promise, the first two of the Five Principles (‘Panchsheel’) spoke of ‘Mutual respect for each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty and Mutual non-aggression’.
In April 1958, for the first time, officials of India and China sat together to try and sort out the issue. It was a first rehearsal for the long negotiations which would take place in 1960; both led nowhere.
As a compromise in Barahoti, India agreed that Chinese ‘unarmed’ patrols could visit the place in summer till the case was solved; Beijing never kept its promise and repeatedly sent armed soldiers to Barahoti.
Sixty-two years after the negotiators agreed to be unarmed, the Chinese still cross the Tunjun-la and armed personnel walk into the desolate area.
Many more examples could be cited, i.e. the agreements of 1993, 1996 or 2005 on the borders which are often forgotten. For example, Article VII of the 2005 Guidelines said: “In reaching a boundary settlement, the two sides shall safeguard due interests of their settled populations in the border areas.” It was clearly referring to Tawang, but a few months later, Beijing started claiming again the area; to the long list of broken promises, one can add the decision for a disengagement arrived at during the recent five rounds of talks between the Corps Commanders in Ladakh. Where is the disengagement today?
Considering China’s track record in the matter, Global Timesshould be less arrogant, but it is apparently impossible.
If one goes by tactical doctrines taught in army schools of instructions all over the world, then the attack launched by Third Battalion of the Jat Regiment [3 Jat] of Indian Army against well-fortified Pakistani defences in Dograi on the outskirts of Lahore during 1965 Indo-Pak conflict should not only have failed, but have ended with its complete annihilation as all the odds were against this battalion. But not only did 3 Jat defy every parameter prescribed in tactical manuals considered essential for attacks to succeed, but it went on to embellish history of warfare with a spectacular account of battle that will continue to stupefy armchair analysts as well as inspire soldiers.
In order to pose a direct threat to Lahore, 15 Infantry Division of Indian Army was tasked to capture Dograi and cross the Ichoggil canal. To achieve this, 3 Jat was ordered to capture the intervening Pakistan Army locality at Gosal Dial and once this attack succeeded, another battalion (15 Dogra) would move ahead and capture Dograi. The operations commenced on September 6, and 3 Jat, commanded by Lt Col [later Brig] Desmond E Hayde), crossed the international border (IB) at 4 AM and moved with such amazing stealth and speed that the enemy was taken by complete surprise.
Though 3
Jat succeeded in capturing Gosal Dial, thus clearing the way for 15 Dogra to
capture Dograi, a problem cropped up. In the process of clearing the area from
international border to Gosal Dial, 15 Dogra had suffered heavy casualties and
so the task to capture Dograi and the bridge over Ichhogil canal was instead
assigned to 3 Jat. Despite having just fought a battle, the brave Jats didn’t
pause for a well-deserved rest, but instead immediately rushed forward and
captured the bridge over Ichhogil canal.
The retreating Pakistan Army’s attempt to demolish this bridge was partial, while it was rendered unusable for vehicles, but it could be still crossed by foot and taking advantage of this, Lt Col Hayde along with two companies crossed over and reached as far as Batapur. However, the exuberance of having secured a foothold over Ichoggil canal was short lived as 3 Jat was ordered to fall back to Gosal Dial on the same day due to lack of reinforcements, non-availability of immediate replenishment on account of damages caused by Pakistan Air Force strafing of its administrative convoy and inability of the controlling Headquarters to be in communication with the unit.
This allowed Pakistan Army to reoccupy Dograi and realising its importance, inducted additional troops who were supported by tanks to beat back any Indian attack. So, when 3 Jat was ordered to recapture Dograi on September 19, it was pitted against a formidable force level and to make matters worse, the enemy knew that the Indian Army would reattempt the capture of Dograi. In order to capture Dograi, [which was held by 16 Punjab’s two companies, reinforced by elements of 8 Punjab, 2 Baluch, 18 Baluch along with recee and support detachments], it was essential to evict the enemy from Mile 13, which in turn was held by two companies of 16 Punjab.
The two phased attack plan entailed 13 Punjab capturing the enemy locality at Mile 13 in Phase 1 by midnight on the night of September 20/21, and thereafter 3 Jat would use this area as a firm base to attack Dograi from the North at 1.30 AM on September 22 and capture it in Phase 2. However, due to stiff resistance, the Mile 13 was only partially captured by midnight and this implied that Phase 2 would have to be delayed until Mile 13 was cleared of the enemy. But the audacious Lt Col Hayde wasn’t the type who would go by the book– not in war, at least! So, he decided to go ahead with the attack on Dograi as planned.
Basic tactical doctrine stipulates that for any attack to succeed, the minimum attacker to defender ratio should be 3:1, as reduction in the same would invariably lead to failure. This meant that with four companies available, 3 Jat could have attacked only one company defended locality of the enemy at a time. This wasn’t acceptable to Lt Col Hayde because attacking enemy localities one by one would provide the defender the scope of either reinforcing the locality under attack or counter-attacking captured localities by moving troops from positions not addressed and this could end in a failure for the attacker
Being as
unconventional as he was audacious, Lt Col Hayde decided to attack the two-company
strong locality of the enemy supplemented by additional detachments with two of
his companies. The enemy was well entrenched and very determined but in the
fierce battle that ensued and culminated in hand to hand fighting, the Jats
proved to be more resolute. Lt Col Hayde
describes the situation thus: “Once my boys closed in with the
enemy on the objective, very intense and severe hand-to-hand fighting had to
take place, because it was difficult to get the enemy out of their trenches.
The enemy for obvious reasons was not very keen to leave their trenches and we
for very obvious reasons had to get in there and push them out…”
Lt Col’s Hayde’s daring plan assaulting Dograi keeping an attacker to defender ratio of even less than 2:1 worked, and this remains an unbeaten record in the annals of modern warfare!
Indian soldiers from the 3 Jat Battalion sitting atop the Pakistani tank after capturing Dograi from Pakistan Army in the 1965 Indo-Pak War.
That the fall of Dograi was something that the Pakistan Army couldn’t digest is evident from the fact that within 24 hours the enemy launched four determined counter attacks in an attempt to recapture this locality, but the indomitable Jats held their ground and beat them back. Had ceasefire not been declared on September 23, God alone knows how many more attempts the Pakistan Army would have made. However, for 3 Jat, this spectacular victory came at a very heavy price- while five officers and 59 soldiers attained martyrdom, six officers, five Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs), and 142 men were wounded.
But these
weren’t the only casualties that 3 Jat suffered- since the commencement of the
war till September 20, the battalion had lost one officer, one JCO and 23
soldiers, while three officers, three JCOs and 72 sustained injuries. In
overall context, out of a total 552 all ranks that participated in these
operations, 322 either gave the supreme sacrifice or sustained injuries on the
battlefield. This translates into more than 58 percent casualties, implying
that one out of six men of 3 Jat who fought the Battle of Dograi, either didn’t
return home or came back with the ‘red badge of courage’.
So, while these figures speak volumes about the valour and sacrifices displayed by all ranks of 3 Jat, the ferocity with which the Jats fought can be gauged from the fact that while the enemy lost 305 soldiers, 108 soldiers of all ranks (including Commanding Officer of 16 Punjab) were taken prisoners. Number of Pakistani soldiers who were injured and had been evacuated by retreating Pakistani troops, though not known is expected to be quite heavy. Besides this, 3 Jat and its affiliated armoured squadron from Scinde Horse destroyed six tanks and captured six others intact.
While the exemplary valour and sacrifice of all ranks is commendable, the fact that 75 percent of officers were either killed or injured clearly indicates that in keeping with the age-old ethos of the Indian Army, these officers led from the front. The crowning glory for 3 Jat is that Lt Col Hayde was himself amongst those injured and by continuing to lead his troops in battle, this rare combination of professional competence and personal courage proved that he was a true leader who “knows the way, shows the way and goes the way”!
In the world of today, information has been identified as the biggest asset; it is utilised by nations for creating beneficial narratives on the one hand and dissension within inimical domains on the other. Authoritarian regimes are masters in the use and misuse of information. It is so because they can ensure full internal secrecy and simultaneously apply underhand means to gather external information and use it to their advantage.
China has taken the front seat in this ignominious activity and become a master in propaganda. It has gained more proficiency than Russia and Germany who have held top positions earlier. Propaganda, when applied to engineer adversarial acts against India, holds special significance for China and follows in letter and spirit the famous quotes of their strategist Sun Tsu, “Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting,” and, “The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.”
Information Warfare is carried out through the People’s Liberation Army Strategic Support Force (PLASSF). It is used to influence and intimidate in equal measure. The concocted mind games aim at sowing seeds of self doubt within the Indian polity.
China has a huge array of multimedia tools to carry out “Information Operations.” It leverages online operations, audio visual productions and of course the traditional media of newspapers and television news channels. It reportedly controls more than 3,000 public television channels in the world, over 150 pay TV channels, around 2,500 radio stations, about 2,000 newspapers and 10,000 magazines and more than three million internet sites.
The biggest and by far the most important asset in this propaganda machinery is the Global Times. It is a tabloid that has been appropriated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and now attempts to pass off as a daily newspaper. Earlier it came out only in the Chinese language for internal consumption; in 2009 it started publication in English to cater for “international readership.” CCP openly acknowledges ownership of this media outlet and holds it responsible to comment on issues with a national perspective. Global Times is reported to have a reach of nearly 2 million followers. It is from this newspaper that the world gets to know what China thinks, notwithstanding the fact that the reportage is biased, speculative, toeing the line of the CCP and always telling half truths, if not blatant lies. It is the main asset of the PLASSF. All other media vehicles take a cue from this tabloid for their propagandist responsibilities. The newspaper, therefore, has emerged as the headquarters of the obnoxious Chinese “dirty tricks department.”
Global Times has remained on the forefront of the Chinese propaganda machinery all through the ongoing India-China conflict in Eastern Ladakh, as it was earlier during the Doklam and other incidents of border related tension between the two countries.
During the Galwan face-off in mid-June, when India reported the loss of its three soldiers including Col. Santosh Babu, the Global Times slammed Indian media for “unprofessional reporting.” Alongside, its Editor-in-Chief, Hu Xijin, issued a warning through a personal tweet. “Based on what I know, Chinese side also suffered casualties in the Galwan valley physical clash. I want to tell the Indian side, don’t be arrogant and misread China’s restraints as being weak. China doesn’t want to have a clash with India, but we don’t fear it,” he wrote. This unsolicited advice, its timing and crude presentation clearly indicates the nexus between the PLA and the tabloid.
When the clash escalated, leading to the loss of 20 brave Indian soldiers and almost twice the number of casualties reported on the Chinese side, it was Global Times again that came out in aid of the beleaguered Chinese military a week later. It did admit to Chinese casualties but with a twist. “If China releases the number which is less than 20, the Indian Government would again come under pressure: Observer.” The “Observer” was added to shed all responsibility for the authenticity of the post.
A cursory look at the headlines of other pieces written by the tabloid mainly in the name of two reporters Yang Sheng and Liu Xuanzun make the embedded “yellow journalism” of Global Times very clear. “India underrates China’s will to defend every inch of territory” wrote Yang Sheng on 3 September. “Indian troops’ tactics won’t help with negotiations with China: experts” said the writers on 9 September, a little before the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting of foreign ministers of the two countries. Such articles, invariably quoting unknown experts and analysts, are being published in the newspaper on a daily basis. This is crude out and out propaganda.
The Global Times is also a conduit for purchasing the services of certain collaborators within India. On 19 September, Delhi Police arrested a senior journalist, Rajeev Sharma, for allegedly violating the “Official Secrets Act.” According to the Delhi Police, Sharma passed sensitive defense and strategic information to Chinese intelligence officials in Kunming. Also arrested were a Chinese woman and her Nepalese companion who could be his handlers. In the course of investigations it has emerged that Sharma wrote for the Global Times from 2010 to 2014, it was during this period that he was recruited by a Chinese intelligence agent named Michael. How many more Sharmas are on the payroll of Chinese intelligence and Global Times? Definitely, many skeletons will come out of Sharma’s closet.
Journalist Rajeev Sharma was arrested by the Delhi Police on September 19, 2020 for passing on classified defense-related information to the Chinese intelligence officials. Rajeev Sharma wrote for Global Times from 2010 till 2014, when he was recruited by the Chinese intelligence agencies.
As a response to the Rajiv Sharma issue, Hu Xijin has said that “Global Times” has a large number of special writers and ordinary authors all over the world, and, “it is very common for someone to write for us from India.”
Chinese media influencers are often termed as a key Line of Effort (LoE). They may be crude but are adept at identifying and targeting democracies like India that believe in freedom of speech and expression. Half truths repeated with regularity often impact gullible minds. Some so-called defence experts, who have to speak but are not privy to information, fall prey to Chinese misinformation and quote it as a credible source to the detriment of the nation.
So far as its internal security is concerned, China has no qualms in the use of its high technology threshold to stop the flow of such information that CCP and PLA deem unfit for consumption of its local population. A recent such example is the ban on the WION website in China.
It is imperative for all Indians and especially Indian media to remain ever vigilant of the machinations of the evil Chinese propaganda machinery. We should not allow it to take advantage of our democratic norms to exploit and weaken us with the spread of misinformation through distorted and biased narratives. It is best for us to keep absolute faith in our armed forces who are shouldering, most successfully, a very challenging responsibility on our borders. We need to always remain assured that they will give their lives but never let down the nation. If India remains steadfast, the Chinese hybrid war capability will get nullified and it will lose its inherent strength.
The United States Commission on
International Religious Freedom spoke to the release of A Dao, a pastor with the
Montagnard Evangelical Church of Christ.
In Vietnam, he was arrested on August 18, 2016 when returning from a conferencing
covering East Timorese religious freedom.
USCIRF Commissioner James W. Carr said,“I am delighted that Pastor A Dao is free, even as I lament the fact that prison robbed him of four years of his life.”
Carr went on to elaborate that this release is important for the Vietnamese government because this shows some improvement in the conditions surrounding the right to freedom of religion. Potentially, this is an augury of the release of other individuals who are serious about advocacy for religious freedom as things develop on the rights front in Vietnam in the future, as others are in jail, still.
Nguyen Bac Truyen is listed as one such case. The USCIRF went on to urge the Vietnamese government to ensure local authorities protect the “freedom and safety” of A Dao if he wants to return to his home community.
A Dao, according to the USCIRF, has been advocating for fellow church members for years in terms of the ability to enjoy freedom of religion in Vietnam’s Central Highlands. However, in April of 2017, he was tried and sentenced for imprisonment for 5 years because of “helping individuals to escape abroad illegally,” which is stipulated in the Penal Code of Vietnam under Article 275.
A Dao claims that he was tortured into giving a confession. Given the five year sentence, he was not expected to be released until August 18, 2021.
“I hope that his release is a sign of Vietnam transitioning from an anti-God totalitarian state to a country in which religion in general and Christianity in particular can be openly practiced. This also shows the importance of American elected officials speaking out against oppression and promoting the importance of religious freedom throughout the world,” Representative Glenn Grothman stated, “Religion should not be a tool to oppress any person nor a stain on their character. I hope other American Congressmen familiarize themselves with the oppression that religious minorities, which in many parts of the world are Christians, have to deal with on a daily basis.”
The
USCIRF 2020 Annual Report
argued for the U.S. Government to support religious freedom projects in Vietnam
with further funding. In June of 2020, the country update from the USCIRF spoke
about “religious prisoners of conscience in Vietnam.”
Pakistan Army’s military operation continues at Gichak, Meshkay in district Awaran of occupied Balochistan and one person went “missing”. Pakistani forces have been conducting large scale operations in different parts of occupied Balochistan since last month.
Local Baloch sources told News Intervention that the military operation is in full swing at Awaran, Gichak, Meshkey and surrounding areas. They said that the Pakistani forces cordoned off Pirandar, Jakro, Allah Bakhsh Bent, Darman Bent, Himal Bazaar, Tulgi Valley, Ghulamu, Kandahar and Bakshi Bazaar areas of Awaran and all adjoining localities since Monday morning. One person has gone missing after being taken into custody. The missing person has been identified as Bashir Ahmed who is a shopkeeper who has been taken into custody and shifted to an unknown location.
Click on the YouTube link to watch this news analysis.
The Pakistani forces also looted houses in different areas during these operation and have set them on fire.
Balochistan’s charismatic leader Dr Allah Nazar tweeted about the fire lit up by Pakistani forces in different areas of occupied Balochistan.
Meanwhile, Pakistani forces cordoned off Kalan, Tir Kashi, Ragha and other areas in Meshkay while new checkposts have been set up at various places. The forces have also detained several herdsmen and transferred them to an unknown location.
The livelihood of the people in these areas is dependent on animal husbandry and agriculture.
They say that to every rule there is an exception and this observation holds good in politics. When elected governments all over the world are accused by opposition parties of having lost public confidence those in power invariably dismiss these charges leveled against them by reaffirming that they continue to enjoy support of the masses. But Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan conveys the same message in a different way — he simply reiterates that his government is in no danger of falling since it has an “excellent relationship” with the army and that “the military completely stands by all the democratic government’s policies.”
However, it would be unfair to single out Imran Khan as the only prime minister who has subserved himself and his political party to the powerful military, because in Pakistan it has always been the army and not the government that’s been calling the shots. Of course, there have been some who did show some spine by standing up against the military’s gross interference in the country’s internal and external affairs, but those who dared to do so paid a very heavy price for their temerity of crossing swords with the Pakistani Generals.
In what has been widely condemned as “judicial murder,” Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was sent to the gallows by Gen Zia ul Haq since the military dictator considered him a potential threat. His daughter Benazir Bhutto Zardari was assassinated soon after her return from self-exile, and in his statement before the anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi, American journalist Mark Siegel testified that he was present when Ms. Benazir Bhutto received the threat call from Musharraf, but the General denied this allegation. Though Gen Musharraf wasn’t implicated, there are no convincing motives to suggest that Siegel had trumped-up this charge against Gen Musharraf. But even if this allegation is false, by recording in its concluding remarks “that security arrangements for Ms. Bhutto were fatally insufficient and ineffective”, the impartial three member UN commission of inquiry has left nothing to imagination!
Former
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif enraged the army twice and is lucky to have
survived. In 1999, he was ousted in a military coup and exiled after he sacked Gen
Pervez Musharraf. The second time was in 2017, when he dared to convey it to the
military that Rawalpindi needed to act against terrorists which it was shielding
to avoid the imminent danger of Pakistan’s international isolation. As the news
of this meeting and details of what was discussed were published in Dawn,
Rawalpindi was severely embarrassed and it started gunning for Sharif.
Officially, Sharif met his nemesis after being found guilty of financial impropriety by the courts in what is referred to as the Panama Papers case and since his fate was decided by the judiciary, the army didn’t have any overt role in it. But Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui, a serving judge in Islamabad High Court has disclosed that “The ISI [Pakistan Army’s intelligence agency] had asked the Chief Justice [CJ] to make sure that Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz should not come out of jail before 25 July election. It also had asked him not to include me in the bench hearing the appeal of Nawaz Sharif and his daughter on Avenfield case.” Siddiqui even went on to say that “the CJ told ISI that he would make a bench of its choice.” Accordingly, there are good reasons to believe that the military ‘got’ Sharif through the judiciary!
So, when the army’s writ runs throughout Pakistan, where was the need for the Imran Khan government to lay The Criminal Law (amendment) Act Bill, 2020 in National Assembly for amending Pakistan Penal Code 1860, and the Code of Criminal Procedure 1898 in order to protect the armed forces against being ridiculed, brought to disrepute or defamed by making such acts criminal offences? Aren’t existing laws to protect individuals and organisations against malicious slander good enough? Doesn’t this proposed amendment impinge on right to freedom of speech as stipulated in Article 19 of Pakistan’s Constitution? Finally, when Pakistan Army has been braving a host of wide-ranging allegations for more than seven decades, why does it NOW need crutches of the law to defend itself? Could it be that the public has now become more discerning and doesn’t respect the army and feels that it’s no more a holy cow?
However, the army does command great respect in Pakistan and this is evident from the remark that “There is in this country no dearth of admiration for our armed forces,” which appears in Dawn’s editorial (September 17). Therein it has also been logically argued that “No one would ridicule or defame them [armed forces] when they acquit themselves honourably in their duty to safeguard the nation’s territorial integrity. It is only when they stray from that path into the dirty world of politics and business that they render their institution controversial.”
So, if the people of Pakistan express their annoyance against the armed forces, then they aren’t fully to blame because Rawalpindi’s high-handedness and shady acts at times are indeed infuriating. For example, when a CIA official expressed apprehensions that the secret deal allowing US drones to fly over Pakistani territory and engage targets may get comprised, Gen Pervez Musharraf trivialised the intellect of his own countrymen by saying, “In Pakistan, things fall out of the sky all the time.” How can any full-blooded Pakistani ever overlook such a crass remark which makes Pakistanis look like a bunch of buffoons? Similarly, isn’t his claim that “Military rule has always brought the country back on track, whereas civilian governments have always derailed it,” display utter contempt for all those not in uniform as well as towards the institution of democracy?
It’s Rawalpindi’s palpable disdain for democratic values and its ‘the army can do no wrong’ attitude that galls the public. How can anyone keep silent when Director General Inter Services Public Relations (DGISPR) Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor used his official twitter handle to belittle the Office of the Prime Minister by posting that “Notification on Dawn Leak is incomplete and not in line with recommendations by the Inquiry Board. Notification is rejected”? Who is the army to accept or reject notifications issued by the PMO? Or, using a relatively junior army officer was intentional and meant to remind Sharif that it’s not Islamabad but Rawalpindi that has the final word in Pakistan?
Next, how can the army spokesperson publicly warn Pashtun Tahafuz Movement [PTM], a social movement working for Pashtun human rights by declaring that “Their time is up”? Doesn’t army generals issuing ultimatums to rights organisations convey to the world that Pakistan is a ‘banana republic”? Similarly, isn’t the former DGISPR’s snide retort- “You have a deep attachment with missing persons (but) so have we,” that was given to a very senior journalist who asked a question on enforced disappearances, uncouth? Lastly, how does the army expect not to receive flak from human rights organisations, the media and intelligentsia when the DGISPR in question makes the nauseating remark that “We don’t wish that anyone should be missing; but when its war, you have to do a lot of things- as they say, all is fair in love and war; war is very ruthless” ?
Dawn’s editorial has hit the nail on the head by noting that “This country has lived through multiple military dictatorships; and senior security forces personnel, retired and otherwise, run vast corporate concerns. Parliament must not place these areas beyond the scope of fair comment, which is made in the public interest and thereby constitutes a defence against a charge of defamation.” Corruption and wrongdoing, whether its institutionalised-like illegal construction of Pakistan Navy Sailing Club at Rawal Lake and a whopping 90 acres of agricultural land ‘grant’ to former army chief Gen Bajwa, or under-the table dealings like the alleged fortune amassed by Lt Gen Asim Bajwa (Retired) is bound to invite adverse public reactions.
However, with The Criminal Law (amendment) Act Bill, 2020 being
tabled in the National Assembly, it appears that the army isn’t amenable to making
amends by ending meddling in politics and cleansing itself of the filth of
corruption- acts that angers the public most. So, while the Dawn editorial is
bang on target in analysing this issue in detail, but its closing view that “surely
the military itself would rather not be seen as so intolerant of constructive criticism,”
seems to be completely off the mark!
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