Pakistan has been using these Islamic fundamentalist groups to quell the Baloch nationalist movement, a spokesman of the UK-based Baloch Nationalist Movement (BNM) has claimed.
Speaking in an exclusive interview to ANI here, BNM spokesman Hammal Haider said: “This is the Pakistan Government’s policy, they are making these Islamic groups in Balochistan powerful in order to quell Baloch nationalists.”
“It is crystal clear that Pakistan has been using these Islamic fundamentalist groups to safeguard their interests, it’s evidently clear that in province of Afghanistan and other places, Pakistan’s intelligence agencies are using them for their petty interests,” he added.
He also claimed that the militant Lashkar-e-Jhangvi has the support of Pakistani intelligence agencies to commit gruesome acts of violence in Balochistan.
“No government force is doing anything against them. They have the support of the ISI. We believe they are doing this to counter the Baloch nationalist struggle in Balochistan,” Haider said.
Haider further said that the situation in Balochistan is getting worse day by day due to the state’s policy.
He claimed that violence and violation of human rights of political activists and sympathisers of the Baloch national cause were on the rise because elections were round the corner.
“We have been condemning this because this is the worst kind of humanitarian crisis in Balochistan, as it has been described in the human rights organization. We condemn this and we will be raising our voice against this gruesome state policy,” Haider said.
“We have the sympathy and support of our people. We will not stop this and will continue our struggle against such atrocities committed by the state,” he added.
He further said that it is true that there is no government in Balochistan.
“It is the army, and, it has always been army which has been ruling Balochistan. There is army rule in Balochistan, there is no government rule. They say they have an assembly, but it is a puppet and a ‘rubber stamp’ assembly,” he said.
When asked whether efforts were on between various political parties to arrive at a consensus on the way forward to realise the goal of self-determination for the Baloch people, Haider replied in the affirmative.
“Yes, this is our policy to make a consensus between the political parties, Baloch nationalist parties who demand freedom,” he said.
He also admitetd candidly that it is true that there were rifts in Baloch nationalist ranks.
“But it is high time to get united in a single front and make a common front to fight the occupiers in Balochistan. So, we are negotiating with other political parties, and, we believe that sooner or later, we are going to form a common front in order to fight the occupiers,” Haider said.
“We have to mobilise the people. This is only possible if we form a common front. In this way, we will be able to put pressure on state institutions and the army, and convince international organizations and the powers to support us,” he added.
“Let me be clear about one thing, that the youngsters, the old, the women, all want freedom from Pakistan, no autonomy, no some rights, but freedom,” Haider said.
“And, it is evident there that youngsters, the women everybody, is sacrificing their lives for freedom. Many of them are missing, or killed. So, this is evident that they only want freedom,” he added.
He also warned that China is not only a danger for the Baloch, but for the entire world.
“China, with their expansionist ideas, I think, they are building the Gwadar Port just to safeguard Pakistani interests and to dominate the world. They want to dominate the world both economically and politically,” he said.
“Supporting a terrorist state like Pakistan and Iran means that they can do anything to safeguard their interests. If the Gwadar Port is built, we might suffer, but the world will also suffer,” he concluded. (ANI)