Islamabad, supported by Beijing, will use the Karachi terror incident as an opportunity to not only intensify but also justify the kidnappings, and target killings of Baloch nationals by the ISI
New Delhi: Baloch leaders in exile have expressed serious concerns on Pakistan using the terror attack on the Karachi Stock Exchange as an opportunity to carry out large-scale human rights abuses and assassinations of Baloch nationals.
Influential Baloch activists pointed out that these brazen crimes against the minority populace would now be conducted under the cloak of anti-terror operations as part of Islamabad’s retaliatory strikes against the terror incident.
On 29 June, four armed men attacked the PSX building in Karachi. The incident left eight people dead, including the four gunmen, who were claimed to be part of the Baloch Liberation Army’s (BLA) secessionist militant group.
Baloch leaders voiced their fears that Islamabad, which has vowed to avenge the terror attack, would now not only intensify but also justify the daylight kidnappings, and brazen target killings of Baloch nationals by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) teams.
Islamabad’s plans against Balochistan have also found a support in the official statement released by China, a day after the attack. The statement published by the China Radio International, a state-controlled international radio broadcaster of Beijing, read ‘China condemns every form of terror operation, and strongly supports Pakistan in its attack on terrorism.’
This statement is turning fears of peace and human rights activists true, as they project profound attacks and methodical operations on academicians, journalists, minority leaders by the combined Pakistani and Chinese forces in Balochistan soon.
BLA Refutes Involvement in PSX Incident
Contrary to some media reports and viral social media posts, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has refuted the claim of taking responsibility for staging the terrorist attack on Karachi stock exchange.
Spokesperson (BLA) Azad Baloch confuted the reports claiming that the attack was plotted by a BLA-alliance secessionist militant group.
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“We want to inform the Baloch nation and the international community that the BLA has nothing to do with the Karachi Stock Exchange attack. Attacking public places is not part of BLA’s strategy,” Baloch said in his conversation with TheNews21.
Soon after the attack couple of photographs were uploaded on social media sites, identifying the four gunmen who had carried out the strike as Tasleem Baloch alias Muslim, Shehzad Baloch alias Cobra, Salman Hammal alias Notak, Siraj Kungur alias Yaagi, of the BLA’s so-called Majeed Brigade, named after BLA commander Abdul Majeed Baloch.
Baloch was quick to state the four men seen in the terror attack, who were using the group’s title, had been expelled from BLA since a long time.
“These men were expelled from BLA and were working for another BLA outcast member Bashirzaib. He was an area commander and was suspended for violating the organization’s code of conduct. The BLA had also revoked his membership,” Baloch said while adding that the suspended Bashirzaib then formed an organizational alliance called BRAS with Gulzar Imam, another expelled member of the Baloch Republican Army (BRA) and the BLF.
According to BLA, the armed coalition is run under the supervision of the Iranian Intelligence Agency and has no ties or alliances with them.
“The BLA has time and again denied any alliance or ties with BRAS through an official statement. We have clarified our positions in our statements of December 2017, August 2018, and July 2019. Thus, the men involved in the attack was neither part of the BLA nor were they affiliated with the expelled group that accepted the responsibility of KSX attack using BLA’s name,” Baloch said while highlighting that such attacks continue to strengthen the narrative of enemy states instead of the Baloch national movement.
“They are empowering Pakistan and China by justifying these attacks and making the Baloch independence movement a global terrorist movement. The Baloch youth have to make wise decisions at every step so that they are not exploited by such opportunist elements,” Baloch said.
Chinese Survey Team in Pishukan
The words of BLA spokesperson came a day after a few social media reports claimed to have spotted a team of Pakistan army officers, and local armed men providing security cover for a Chinese survey team in the village of Pishukan – 82 km away from the port city of Jiwani.
Speaking on this development, Jamal Nasir Baloch, Head of Foreign Affairs Department, Free Balochistan Movement said that the Chinese officials and teams are deeply involved in and around the district of Gwadar because they are building the port and a naval base in Jiwani.
“Pakistani intelligence agencies and Chinese officials have created networks of criminals in different regions of occupied-Balochistan, where Chinese projects are being built. Such networks are terrorist in nature, who commit human rights violations, extra judicial killings, and abductions at the order of local Pakistani intelligence and military officers,” Baloch said.
