Pakistan

Musharraf’s Balochistan operation was a “mistake”

Asim Awan May 16, 2010

ISLAMABAD: Former chief of the army staff General Abdul Waheed Kakar has said that the killing of Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Bugti in a military operation in August 2006 was “a crime against Pakistan.”

General Kakar, a Pashtun from Balochistan, served as army chief from 1993 to 1996. In his first public appearance since retirement in 1996, Kakar spoke at a seminar on Balochistan held here on Saturday. General Kakar said Musharraf “committed a big mistake” by launching a military operation in Balochistan. Terming Nawab Akbar Bugti “a symbol of the federation” he said when he met Nawab Bugti he found that not only the Baloch leader had great respect for the Pakistan army but he also considered it a unifying factor for the federation.

He said killing Nawab Bugti was not only a crime against Balochistan but it was also a crime against Pakistan. Kakar said that the killing should be investigated and those held responsible should be tried. He said what the state has done to the people of Balochistan is totally unjustified. The seminar on “Friends of the Baloch and Balochistan” was organised and funded by former speaker National Assembly Syed Fakhar Imam and former Ambassador to the US Syeda Abida Hussain.

They were also joined in their effort by two prominent Baloch political figures Amanullah Gichki and Fazila Aliyani. A number of retired bureaucrats, generals, and activists addressed the seminar. Former ambassador Jahangir Ashraf Qazi commented that the state of Pakistan has waged five wars against Balochistan since 1948. He said alienation is a “poison to national identity” and called for addressing the problems of the restive province.

Former secretary foreign affairs Tanvir Ahmed Khan said if there is no Balochistan then there is no Pakistan. He said the people who live on the eastern side of the river Indus have a poor understanding of the people living on the west of the Indus. But the ex-bureaucrat’s optimism was not shared by young Baloch nationalist activists. A leader of the Baloch Students Organisation (BSO) Aleem Baloch said that the people of Balochistan were never involved with the struggle for Pakistan. He said Balochistan was annexed into Pakistan through force. He said the Baloch could not sacrifice their 8,000-year history for the 62-year history of Pakistan.

He said the Baloch have been deprived of their rights and their natural resources. Those who speak for their rights either get killed or abducted and disappear forever. Another BSO leader, Muhiuddin Baloch said that the Pakistani military, the media, parliament and judiciary have no concern for the plight of Balochistan. A former speaker of the Balochistan Assembly called for a new social contract between the centre and the province. Lieutenant General (retired) Salahuddin Tirmizi said that in other countries the intelligence agencies collect information and the governments make decisions. “But here the intelligence agencies make decisions”.

Fakhar Imam, who presided over the seminar, said it was unfortunate that democracy had not been allowed to truly function in Pakistan. He said the problems of the country could only be solved through an uninterrupted process of democracy with free and fair elections.

Published in the Express Tribune, May 16th, 2010.

COMMENTS (23)

SCEPTIC | 13 years ago | Reply Okay for a moment lets sympathize with the late Baluchi Leader for a while. Lets imagine that he would have established greater autonomy and brought bouts of unseen prosperity for the natives of his province by continuing his armed struggle against the state. But than would late Bugti not have done what Mujeeb of East Bengal was planning to do? Even an innocent child knows that this was a not a movement for greater autonomy but a separatist struggle against the Federation of Pakistan. When Bugti was made the chief minister of his province he never wanted to put our national flag on the car. He always kept preference for his party flag over our national flag on national flag. Some gesture of love for the nation! But on the other hand we know President Musharraf inspite of his administrative weaknesses and political mistakes that he made during his rule, had the courage to stand up against a tyrant who had kept his tribe backward under a virulent system of oppression and tyranny, which punished all those who wanted to seek justice under the law of our country. Late Bugti administered justice through his courts , at will shot army and law enforcement agencies , killed Kalpar Bugti's and drove thousands of them out of Dera Bugti, fired anti aircraft rockets and shells at all incoming government officials, attacked natural resources of the country and at random dismantled and destroyed government and private sector infrastructure supplying gas and oil to our economy . Then the questions we need to ask ourselves are given in the following :

why he opposed economic development in the province ? Why did he hide like hermit in a a mountain and attacked PAK Army? What were the ultimate political objectives of his struggle ? Was he funded by extraneous sources and powers in the region ? Was he justified in doing what ever he was doing ? Lastly did he brought this disaster upon himself ?

These answers cannot be provided in one go or session. This requires marathon thinking at a marathon level. But I still believe that President Musharraf whose greatest achievement was the revival of economy ( which doubled over the last seven years since 1999 in dollar per capita terms) and it's growth rate (averaging 7% plus) after years of inactivity and slowdown , wanted to use the extra fiscal space that was created after 9/11 to develop all backward regions of the country. I believe Bugti sahib should have been more patient and should not have taken to the gun without giving the establishment a last chance to deliver. What were the results of his action and also of those who opposed the philosophical idea and concept regarding the creation of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan before him, such as Mujeeb ? Both fell to the gun. So this our future generations should remember that if the cause is unjust then those who pick the gun in vain, also fall inconclusively and controversially in vain. Mujeeb was slaughtered by his own army and so was Bugti . What Bugti wanted to achieve was another East Pakistan , and what Mujeeb achieved was never later to be accepted by all Bengali's. An evidence to this are cricket matches played in Bangladesh , where you still hear chants of PAKISTAN ZINDABAD ! PAKISTAN ZINDABAD ! Even if god forbid Baluchistan opts for armed separatist struggle again under the guidance of misguided cynical leaders such as Bugti , they too will not be able to separate the ideological blood and bonds that exist between our people. What Musharraf had done may have been a crime if contested in any courts of law , but then do remember that again courts only administer written law and not nationalistic fervour and morality. thank you.

BB | 13 years ago | Reply Baloch people nowadays are getting out of hand... We hate Punjabis, we hate Pakistan, free Balochistan... Give me a break... You are a part of Pakistan... Accept it... Stop killing teachers and performing Karo-Kari or youir so-called 'honour killings'... to get respect you have to earn it. Yes, what Mushie did with Nawab Akber Bugti was terrible and he will suffer the consequences... But what the mind frame of an ordinary Baloch is these days is just sickening.

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Tariq Ashraf | 13 years ago | Reply Musharraf is one of the best army generals in Pakistan. He know how to rule in the country & people are talking about kargil it was not Musharraf mistake it was Nawaz Shareef mistake who went to USA and surrenderd. At his time our currency,import export is absolutely fantastic our stock exchange is achieving higher and higher points and you Rutab you are saying god save Pakistan from Musharraf you should have to pray that god please save Pakistan from the thief Zardari and Nawaz Shareef AMEEEEEEN............

Aristo | 13 years ago | Reply @Karim Baloch: No offence but Mr. Baloch please tell us one thing as I have been very anxious to know as to why barring Quetta, 99% of Balochistan continues to live in the stone age.

Daniyal Khursheed | 13 years ago | Reply I have some choice words for other groups as well but I dare say the Tribune will not publish that (and rightly so!) so why make exception for some? I can't help but be amazed at the chauvinism of Mr. Karim; it is somewhat amusing to see the capacity of hatred of some self-styled Baloch. Punjabi this, Punjabi that. If you set aside your paranoia you will see that Pakistan is not the only multinational state with more than one ethnicity living side by side. It is the 21st century not the 15th century BC. Also the insinuation that people on the "east of the Indus" have no "history and identity of their own" is remarkably ridiculous but frequently made by Indians styling themselves as disenfranchised Pakistanis. However, if indeed the "identity and history" you take pride in is the one which condones injuring 40 students of other ethnic groups in a university, killing professors who look different than you, and burying your women alive because it is part of your cherished "tradition" then I am glad Sindhis, Punjabis and indeed Indians do not share such an identity.

Khan | 13 years ago | Reply Tell me what crimes did the Baloch people committed that led to the use of helicopter gunships, aerial bombardment, poisoning of drinking water, displacement of thousands of men, women and children and hundreds of young men detained by the agencies and classified as 'missing'. Did these people unleash suicide bombers in the cities, did threaten attack security personnel in Rawalpindi, Lahore or Rawalpindi? Were they responsible for causing havoc in New York, London and Madrid? Do they flog women, behead men and threaten to take Pakistan back to the stone age? The answer is: No! All these people have been asking is for their just rights as Pakistani citizens for the past 60 years, instead of being treated as a colony to be exploited by the rich and influential. When Musharraf unleashed his forces, some of the Baloch retaliated by what they have been doing for the past thousands of years when faced with an overpowering oppressor - they took to the hills to wage a guerilla war. If anyone is guilty of treason it is that arogant buffoon Musharraf, whose answer to any form of opposition was arrest, smash and destroy. (Can anyone forget the day the Chief Justice was placed in house arrest, his children prevented from going to school and witnessing on TV the CJ of Pakistan having his hair being publicly pulled by some scum from an agency?) As the Hero of Kargil's wise and able predecessor General Kakkar has said on record: 1. The killing of Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Bugti in a military operation in August 2006 was “a crime against Pakistan.” 2. Musharraf “committed a big mistake” by launching a military operation in Balochistan. Musharraf must be made to pay for his crimes against Pakistan.

Karim Baloch | 13 years ago | Reply It is finally said that those people living on the east of the Indus do not understand those that live on its west. There is no similarity between those living on east and west of the Indus save for the professed faith in common religion which even then has its differences and meanings to those on each side of the Indus divide. The Baluch and Pashtuns having been Muslim far longer than the relatively recently converted Panjabi who's traditions do not correlate to those of Baluch or Pashtungs but are rooted in Hindu social structure and history which have little influence west of the Indus save on those who's roots also lie east of it. Those that live on the west, the Baluch and Pashtun nations, want only what is theirs and to live in peace and prosper in their own lands and live by their own way of life and tradition. They have no imperial ambition against those who live to their east. But those that live east of the Indus, the Panjabi and Urdu speaker particularly, have no identity or unique history of their own. They share these with India which they wish they didnt. Therefore they seek refuge in the history and culture of others and hold imperial ambitions against other peoples that they share no roots or history with. Whether this be Baluchistan, Afghanistan or Gilgit-Balitstan the Panjabi elite wants to control and dominate these to satisfy their own perverse insecurity complex and hollowness of being a people with no history or identity that they can call their own. The Panjabi tries to cut ties that bind them to their Indian origin and have tried for 65 years to attach themselves to the identity and history of their western neighbours by fabricating an entirely new and empty identity they call Pakistan. A nation with no history or sense of self. But Pakistan can exist only if it recognizes its federal structure and composition of 2 distintive elements, 1 on the west, the other 1 on the east. Each with their own further divisions. Recognition or disolution, that is the final solution.

Bangash | 13 years ago | Reply If killing warlord Bugti was a mistake than anti-terror operations in Karachi and northwest are a mistake as well.

rutab | 13 years ago | Reply musharaf is making political party to complete the series of his mistakes.God save pakistan from musharraf and agencies implementing foreign agenda.

surprised | 13 years ago | Reply I don't know what is more shocking: that the group, while bemoaning ad nauseum the perceived injustices, made no mention of the thousands who have lost their lives because of the terrorism of Baloch thougs or that there was a woman( presumably Baloch) in attendance. Until now the only women we hear hailing from the land of a thousands sardars are, unfortunately, either those who are buried alive or the ones who have acid spilled on their faces by their misogynist menfolk!

Faraz | 13 years ago | Reply Those Pakistanis who are not balochis and have had an experience of doing some business within Balochistan can easily understand that how patethic these Balochis are. The most corrupt and cheater nation in the country. Whatever Musharraf did was necessary. Thank God that he made us get rid of a traitor Bugti.

Imran Ali | 13 years ago | Reply Musharaf Operation against Baloch Sardar was right. He had challenged rit of government.Our Coward political leaders has provided ways to such people to set up their own governments in their respective areas. Has any one talked about thousands of people who were stranded in regime of Baloch Sardar and were not allowed to go back to their homes??????

Aristo | 13 years ago | Reply As a nation, we have not been able to identify our SHAHEEDS and TRAITORS. When they are alive they are labelled as traitors and once they are dead, they are revered and become SHAHEEDS. I am hunderd percent sure that Mr. Musharaf is being labelleld as a traitor by the Punjabi elite and media these days and if God for bid he is killed in near future, then the same lot will start revering him and will lable him a SHAHEED.

Pakistani | 13 years ago | Reply Was everything alright with Baluchistan before Musharraf's operation, or Musharraf just brought it out from under the carpet. Baluchistan would never ever progress till the time the sardars are gone! they are depriving their people and keeping them illiterate...Musharraf's mistake was that he tried to get rid of them. Such ideas never excel in Pakistan. Baluch will remain under developed for the next "8000 years" if they dont get rid of sardars!

Ishtiaque Mahmood | 13 years ago | Reply It has become nature of our nation that we keep quit at the time of any sad event and our criminal silence finishes after occurrence of such events. Why don't these generals and bureaucrats go to court against Musharraf ?

spin kane | 13 years ago | Reply Musharaf was an ordinary army officer,he should have never gone beyond the rank of a brig.But the flaws in the promotion system in the Army made him the COAS.An officer with a vision would have never gone for Kargil misadventure.He had the typical mindset of army officers,looking down on politicians and civilians with contempt.He was not a well read person,knowing little about economy,social sciences ,history and political science.He was over confidant and believed in the power of force and guns.Bugti was part of Pakistan Movement,a prominent Baloch leader whose death has seriously damaged the Federation.

spin kane | 13 years ago | Reply Gen Waheed Kakar was the most honest COAS this Army ever had.On his son's wedding he wrote in the invitation cards that please do not bring any gifts.He returned all the gifts brought by the invitees.On the other hand Aslam Beg,the jihadi,received gifts of millions on his son's wedding.Hamid Gul is no different.The media ran a campaign against Kakar because Nawaz Sharif was removed from power once Kakar was the COAS,and the fact that he is a Pashtun.Since his retirement he has never been involved in politics and has never appeared on media.

rutab | 13 years ago | Reply MUSHARRAF COMMITTED A HUGE CRIME, I AGREE, BUT WHO WILL BELL THE CAT NOW.

Saleem | 13 years ago | Reply The root cause is contradiction between words & deeds. Pakistanis say they are Muslims. But they constitute one of the most corrupt people in the world, not all of them, many of those who have been or currently have the power, and most of those who could get their hands on some opportunity to make easy money, and at different levels, not only the top level. Military has been rewarding its senior officers acreage of valuable lands in the best locations, politicians have grabbing valuable lands using sneaky tactics. Other Provinces should be required to buy at the market prices & make payment to Baluchistan government. Likewise Baluchistan government should be required to pay for at the market price to other provinces. Leaders should be held accountable for personal finances, for not balancing the budget, and subject to regular audits by private professional audit companies. Also, bad decisions cannot be equated to murder, because it is possible the death may have happened during the cross fire between two combatant groups, and self defense & upholding the writ of the government could be the motive. It is not likely Musharaf killed Bugti with a motive or personal reason. Anyway, the right thing is to provide the proof, evidence in the supreme court of law to prove that Muhsarraf had personal reason to kill Bughti, and it did not happen as a result of cross fire between two combatant groups. Justice is the right of every human being.

Khan | 13 years ago | Reply If some of the so-called Baloch stop violence in the province, the entire nation would raise voice for Baloch rights. undoubtedly Balochistan has been overlooked in all walks of life in every era but since Musharraf took over, he smashed every thing, which pose catastrophies and miseries for residents. unrest has since been prevailed in some of the areas of Balochsitan but not in the entire Balochistan province. some incidents like assassiantion of Bugti and other political leaders ignited fire, however, now the present democratic coalition government should make efforts to bring the sitaution into normalcy Moreover, it would have been better that the friends of Balochsitan could launch such seminars prior to armed struggle initiated by some so-called Baloch nationalists who even did not spare woman in the province.

Rafay | 13 years ago | Reply If some of the Baloch stop obsessing with who is Balochi and who is not may be their province could move forward with time. All around Pakistan we see shops, banks, businesses and indeed people branching with unrestrained abandon from one part of the country to another. No one stops a trader from Karachi opening a shop in Faisalabad or Peshawar but heck you can get killed even if you are a woman and a teacher in Balochistan. I hoped the "friends" of Balochistan condemned the ethnic cleansing and terrorism by Baloch "nationalists" as well...

Khan | 13 years ago | Reply General Waheed Kakar was possibly the finest army chief in recent history. He was a professional soldier who openly abjured from getting his hands dirty in politics. Even during the infamous Ghulam Ishaq and Nawaz Sharif tussle, he played fair. When General Kakar says Akbar Bugti was “a symbol of the federation” and that his murder by Musharraf was “a crime against Pakistan”, one has no reason to doubt his judgement. It follows therefore that among the charges that Musharraf ought to face (along with treason under Article 6 for abrogating the constitution in 2007 and the killing of Benazir Bhutto) is the murder of Akbar Bugti and the treasonous disestablishment of Balochistan. If we had justice in Pakistan, Musharraf ought to be taken to task for his crimes and punished accordingly.

Nadir El Edroos | 13 years ago | Reply Why don't these generals raise these(valid) points at the time of the said event? They always have something to say a few years down the line. It serves little purpose but to raise further questions and to question their motivations.

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