Dr. Charles Graves with Munir Mengal.

Baluch Youths and the Baluch Liberation Movement - Part 1.

   

Articles : By Dr Shahswar K
The future of any nation always falls into the hands of its present generation. Each consecutive generation is the interconnecting link between the past and the future. In turn every generation is the product of the collective experience of their ancestors. The current generation in Baluchistan has bestowed the historical inheritance of previous generations. Transmission of all the experience, knowledge, good and bad to the next generation is involuntary consequence of one’s place of birth. One’s birthplace is entirely accidental. The offspring, somehow, instinctively slot in their heritage as if it is an identity of their own creation. Each generation is an end result of a different time. The necessities and requirements of their time demand different moral, social, political, legal, cultural and economic structures. This is because history indiscriminately tends to put forward different challenges in front of each newcomer while preserving its unique, striking continuity. Corresponding to the reality of time each passing generation also leaves their exclusive historical footprint on the repository of their history.

No child can decide the social, cultural, economic, political and legal conditions in which he or she is born. These conditions are pre-determined. Baluch children in Baluchistan cannot choose the place and the conditions in which they wish to be born. These conditions are prearranged and do not develop out of their conscious will and desire. Children everywhere are lumbered with a pre-set of a given repository legacy. They are presented with a toolkit that contains the tools, skills, knowledge and experience to survive in their distinctive environment. This baggage is the most vital source of maintaining and taking forward their unique way of life.

At its core every ancestral heritage carries a dynamic catalyst constituent. This is a form of building block that nurtures the embryo of further social, cultural, political, technological and economic transformation. We bequeath from our ancestors an encyclopaedia of knowledge and skills that feed our time-machine of progress. But there are always two sides to this story. On one hand if we use what we inherit delicately and wisely, our heritage can pave the way to greater prosperity, harmony, equality, tolerance and liberty. In contrast, if historical baggage is accepted uncritically it will remain hollow. Under these circumstances a stagnated society will be amenable to widening poverty, cruelty, bigotry, intolerance and subjugation.

Each social and national setting contains both these potential elements. Under suitable conditions both sides can be nurtured. At all times these two elements coexist side by side. It is the domination of one over the other that will either make or break a nation. The needs of all types of dictatorship will not advance beyond the degenerative elements of our heritage. For this reason under all types of political and religious dictatorship; the humane, democratic, dynamic and progressive elements will stagnate. The retreat would be considerably greater when a nation is under illegal occupation. If the occupying states happened to be comprised of criminal and fundamentalist interests the outcome would tantamount to catastrophe. These states deliberately target the youth of the nation under their illegal occupation. They design and forge a tag of bondage and hang it on the neck of every child that is born in the conquered nation.

In order to create a sense of legitimacy to expropriation of other nations’ land much of the occupying states’ plan is to impose a false history, culture, language, moral, aesthetic and social values. The invaders deliberately wish to discard and forget about the pre-occupation era as soon as they can. By denying completely the inheritance of the subjugated nation they grossly exaggerate their claim of being in charge of every facet of life of the nation under their occupation. To posit subjugation and yet expect vitality and development of one’s national heritage is self-contradictory. Such purposive actions under the yoke of colonialism, in the course of time, will substitute deception with truth. Ignorance replaces knowledge. Tyranny overshadows liberty. Stagnation and poverty surpass progress and development in a way that conforms to the desires and needs of the occupying states. The colonial system entices compulsive fraudsters into a cartel of conspiracy and gives them infinite power to manipulate, distort and control the conquered nation.

It should be born in mind that by a systematic plan of brainwashing the youth of subjugated nation, the occupying states then will inject the venom of timidity and submission. In this way they try to turn the youth of the subjugated nation into an instrument of self-destruction. They force them to deny their history, culture, language, music, art, moral, aesthetic and social values. Hence, they pave the way for total dependency to their oppressive rule. These dependencies come in form of economic, political, legal and also religious dependency. Combination of systematic deception, dependency, unrestrained cruelty and fear will destroy the actual potential, energy, motives, incentives, desire and the impetus for change and improvement.

To be continued ..

Dr Shahswar K is a Baloch political and Human Rights activist, and the co-ordinator of International Voice for Baloch Missing Persons in United Kingdom. He is a Senior Lecturer in Economics at London Metropolitan University, UK. He is the author of "Money and its Origins".

Mother of abducted Baloch student threatens Self-immolation in front of UN office.

Family of zakir majeed baloch

The Voice for Baloch Missing Persons and family of abducted Baloch student Zakir Majeed Baloch took out a protest rally on Saturday 8 June 2013 for safe release of Zakir Majeed Baloch. Mr Majeed was abducted four years ago on 8 June 2009 from Mastung area of Balochistan. 

The rally was led by the Vice Chairman of Voice for Baloch Missing Persons, Qadeer Baloch, and the family of Zakir Majeed. A large number of Baloch activists and students took part in rally to express their support with family of enforced-disappeared person in Balochistan. 

The participants of the rally were carrying placards, banners and images of the abducted Baloch. They chanted slogans against disappearances and for the release of their loved ones. 

Addressing the rally speakers said that government officials of different levels gave them false hope and assurance that their relatives will be released but they failed to fulfil their promises. A large number of abducted Baloch have been killed under-custody by Pakistan army and other security agencies. 

“Even the Chief Justice of Pakistan has failed to recover the enforced-disappeared Baloch activists. He has been saying that he will take action against those responsible for abduction of innocent Baloch but so far has not taken any practical steps to implement his orders,” said the speakers.

Meanwhile, the sister of Zakir Majeed Baloch held a press conference at Quetta Press Club and read a message from the mother of Baloch student. 

According to the message of Zakir Majeed’s mother her son was abducted on 8 June 2009 from Paring Abad area of Matung in Balochistan. She said her son was innocent but if the security agencies have any proof against him then he should be presented to a court and punished according law of the land. 

She said her son’s only crime was that he’s a Baloch student and was active in politics. “Politics in Balochistan has become a crime,” she said.

“We are hearing the statements of the new Chief Minister that he will recover the abducted Baloch person but such rhetoric are not new to us as we have been hearing them from past many years. I am still living with the hope that tomorrow my son will be released,” Message of Zakir Majeed’s mother read. 

Addressing the United Nations in her message she demanded form the UN to take action against her son’s abduction and pressurise Pakistani to release him. “If my son is not released, I will set myself alight in front of the office of United Nations. For which UN will be responsible.”

She also urged the Amnesty International, Human Right Watch, UNHCR and other international human rights organisations to play their role for her son’s release. 

Meanwhile the Baloch social media activists have started a campaign on twitter for the release of Zakir Majeed and other abducted Baloch persons using hashtag #FreeZakirMajeed to create awareness about enforced-disappearances in Balochistan.