APC on Balochistan

Balochistan is the latest victim in the dirty game of settling scores with Pakistan’s military and intelligence. Unfortunately, some Pakistanis have joined two foreign countries in this goal. Bad governance in our southwestern province is a domestic issue
But using this issue to blackmail Pakistan, foster terrorism and provide sanctuary to terrorists in Europe is tantamount to a covert war that we must take seriously.
This is not about human rights. This is payback for refusing to submit to American policy in the region that seeks to turn Pakistan into an American-Indian vassal.
The Pakistani government and military must become vocal in raising the rights violations of Pakistani Baloch, college teachers and civil servants killed by BLA terror in cold blood for refusing to act against the motherland.
America should not be our enemy. Not everyone in Washington DC wants a war with Pakistan. But some powerful lobbies do. And it is possible we are seeing the usual good-cop-bad-cop routine from Washington. This is why we must not take US statements disowning the congressional hearing at face value.
Don’t give US government too much benefit of the doubt. Instead, Pakistan should demand specific US actions.
The United States must demonstrate goodwill by ceasing indirect meddling in our affairs through hearings, media leaks and covert support on the ground to our enemies.
It could start by designating the BLA a terrorist group and ordering the CIA to cooperate with Pakistan in eliminating its terror bases in US-controlled Afghanistan.
Instead of shielding terrorists in Europe, Washington can cooperate with us on bringing to justice the killers of innocent Baloch and other Pakistanis murdered in cold blood.
The participation of the Pakistan director of Human Rights Watch in this American political effort is shocking. The director, who is a Pakistani citizen, lent his organisation’s credibility to a politically motivated hearing targeting Iran and Pakistan for strategic reasons serving US foreign policy.
Is this acceptable to Human Rights Watch?
The director failed to condemn BLA terror against local Pakistani Baloch. Those who refuse to work against Pakistan are murdered. Threatening letters are sent to Baloch families that refuse to submit to the terror group. Any Pakistani Baloch political activist that doesn’t endorse BLA terrorism is killed.
The terror group has tried to incite language-based unrest by killing non-Baloch speaking Pakistanis but failed. The strong evidences of foreign-sponsored terror are completely ignored.
Why is the Pakistani director of the HRW taking sides in a strategic wrangle between two countries? Is he politically biased? If so, does that make him liable to Pakistani laws on anti-state activities? Our law ministry and foreign office must look into this.
To settle scores with our military and intelligence, some Pakistani politicians are silent on BLA terror and the role of a few Pakistanis in self-exile acting as willing instruments of other countries.
Has the US media ever given air time to OBL or Zawahiri? Does the Indian media ever interview Hafiz Saeed? Once they have raised arms and killed Pakistani civilians and soldiers, self-exiled leaders of the BLA have lost the right to act as politicians who deserve air time or newspaper space in Pakistan.
Our debate over Balochistan should not turn into an anti-military carnival to meet special agendas. The proposed all-parties-conference on Balochistan should discuss the role of powerful local politicians in preventing the access of Pakistani Baloch to good schools and healthcare.
It should take a clear position on rejecting foreign interference in domestic issues. It should outlaw individuals cooperating with foreign governments and spy agencies under the pretext of rights and grievances. No nation accepts this. So shouldn’t we.

The writer works for Geo television. Email: aq@paknationalists.com