Pakistan’s ISI launches holy war against “Baloch” and NATO supply line in Pakistan

Formal announcement was made by such powerful ISI partners as Jammat u Dawa,, leaders from Kashmiri jihadi groups and other likeminded militant organizations who are brought under one umbrella called “Defense of Pakistan”. In Balochistan a similar shadowy organizationhas been claiming the killings of Baloch activists in past on the pretext thatBaloch political activists are agents of India and Jews. This announcement of Jihad against Baloch and NATO supplies was cheered by such prominent military figures as Hamid Gul and son of former army chief and dictator Zia ul Haq. MeanwhilePakistan and Iran in their recent high level discussions have agreed to carry on with controversial gas pipeline project that travels through heart of Baloch homeland, a territory jointly occupied by Iran and Pakistan. Recent visit of Iranian president to Pakistan was specifically focused on suppressing Baloch national struggle for freedom and an agreement on political power sharing in Afghanistan after NATO withdrawal in near future.

Baloch freedom struggle, an indigenous secular movement that has been going on since occupation of Balochistan by Pakistani forces, has a strange relationship with western powers. During Afghan war eara Baloch were fighting with militant religious forces then called “mujahedeen” but western governments were pouring money and equipment to these religious militant outfits to defeat Soviet Union.In recent times Pakistan’s Army under Musharraf dictatorship received billions of dollars in aid and military equipment to fight Taliban’s. It has been now documented that the surveillance equipment and military funds were used for
genocide of secular Baloch people whereas Pakistan’s military provided safe heavens to international religious terrorists. Pakistan’s military kept Osama Bin Ladin in a fortress at military town away from battle zone and US drone attacks. Similarly key Taliban leaders are based in Quetta and Loralai Cantonment areas, where they are busy planning sophisticated attacks on NATO forces in Afghanistan.

NowISI is coordinating a second group of loosely linked militant terrorist organizations such as Jammat u Dawa, Kashmiri groups and some local religious group to launch a holy war against Baloch and NATO supply line through Balochistan, with an objective to annihilate secular Baloch nationalist groups and increase attacks on NATO supplies (once they are open) by non-state actors. It seems probable that Pakistan’s ISI and Iran’s regime have been to set aside their differences, at least temporarily, on their preference for Shite and Sunni religious militant groups in Afghanistan.

Creationof an independent, secular and stable Balochistan is the best option to prevent ISI involvement in Southern Afghanistan as well as putting adequate pressure on Iran to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons. An independent Balochistan also offers a safe route for logistic supplies to Afghanistan and elsewhere in the region through its Gawader port. But it requires, on part of western policy makers, a major shift from reliance on Pakistan’s military and ISI to supporting indigenous national independence freedom movement of Baloch nation.