'Forced accession': Shutter-down strike in Balochistan
The flow of traffic on the National and RCD Highway between Quetta to Karachi, Taftan and Nasirabad was suspended. The strike was backed by other nationalist parties and Baloch Students Organisation (BSO), but there were no statements issued.
A partial strike was observed in Quetta, where Baloch populated areas like Saryab, Berwary, New Saryab, Joint Road and other parts of the city remained closed.
All the educational institutions in Quetta, Mastung, Kalat, Naushki, Kharan, Panjgur, Washuk, Turbat, Mand, Industrial Town of Hub, Sibi, Kacchi, Nasirabad, Jaffarabad, Khuzdar and other townships also remained closed.
“This was a black day for the Baloch nation because Pakistani forces invaded Balochistan and forced accession to Pakistan,” the BNF said in a statement.
COMMENTS (28)
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@Rizwan: " ... Pakistan just has 4 or 5 major ethnic groups while India has dozens of ethnic groups. We can’t give each ethnic group their own country. ... "
Paradoxically, because there are so many "ethnicities" in India, ones ethnicity does not matter.
It is time for Pakistan to introspect and take corrective steps so that dissatisfaction/agony of Baloch people does not reach on the brink of breaking. Grievances of Baloch people should be properly addressed.
Pakistan just has 4 or 5 major ethnic groups while India has dozens of ethnic groups. We can't give each ethnic group their own country. Pakistan is not a huge country.
So some trouble makers have taken money from anti Pakistani agents to create trouble. This doesn't change the fact that the majority of Baluch are pro Pakistani and all the work of the anti state criminals operating from Afghanistan will be wasted.
Those who are aware of the correct history know that forced accession actually took place on this day 64 years ago.. Those who don't know about the real history they can beat about bushes and can make senseless comment as evident from the comments made above...
This first step towards solving the Balochistan problem is to accept the real problem which is of 64 years of oppression. Then we can move forward. If we remained in state of denial then another east Pakistan like debacle will be knocking on our doors.
I guess we should borrow a chapter from Indian army in Kashmir and Punjab...not an able body male was left in the house and india is the largest democracy in the world.
Poor people who only want to earn living for them and their families closed the shops due these THUGS threatening to destroy the opened shops. We are PAKISTANIS and will remain Pakistani. The bunch of this minority loosers will loose at the end as their masters are shortliving and enjoying life in self declared exile.
If they don't like us, let them go, why stop them?
the london of pakistan in fire tisk tisk tisk i wish peace returns to quetta so i can go back
I dont really care where Kalat state was or how Balochistan acceded to pakistan. It must stay within the borders. This isnt Bangladesh with 100 million or so people seperated by 1,000 miles of hostile India, this is a province populated by around 15 MIllion people of whom less than 10 MIllion are Baloch and of whom only a handful want so called independence. Why do I advocate crushing them, cause its the easiest thing to do. yes given the choice between genocide and losing balochistan my pick is genocide, go ahead hate me, i really dont care.
Neither mega-development programmes nor a thousand apologies are good enough unless the grievances of the people of Balochistan are addressed.
How subjects of the state think and feel !!! Reality check.
Elie,
Iron? Pakistan army has already used stainless steel fist and results are there for all to see.
Baloch are people too.
Well, iron hand policy has led to current state of affair. Use of force and mutilated bodies will deepen the divide. Baloch youths are horribly dissatisfy with Pakistan. Ostrich attitude and threatening comments are not going to resolve this issue.
I suggest that Supreme Court of Pakistan should conduct a full-fledged inquiry and also listen to Baloch leaders, experts, youth and victims via video link, ensure their security as Memo Commission is listening to Mansoor Ejaz.
@MAD:
Dear for God sake, have a break. Go and study the history of partition and then comment. Kalat state was not in the subcontinent and what happened then after is part of the history (not in the Pakistan studies book).
@MAD So anyone who disagrees with your viewpoint should be killed. Maybe you are in need of a psychiatrist.
Forced accession ... forced conversion .... is this the reality of Pakistan ?
It is time the leaders got together and stopped this nonsense by mutual discussions. It will be suicidal if Balochistan is allowed to go Bangladesh way. It is time for the leaders to show their statesmanship. Before things go out of control and as usual violence starts, the leaders must act. Please address any specific grievances of the people of Balochistan immediately.
A very sad day indeed. Time has come to do a serious introspection if survival as a nation is an objective. Otherwise living in a state of denial, like some of the comments to this news suggest, will further accelerate the gradual evaporation of an already truncated nation.
A very sad day. Everything's going tits up in every major cities of our country.
Balochistan isn't comprised of Baloch only. It has got considerably large Pushtun population and let's not forget the minorities. I know for a fact that majority of Baloch don't want a separate country (many of my friends are educated Baloch). Only a handful of Baloch (the trouble makers backed by illiterate serdars) hold such views. But the government really needs to address the problems faced by people of Balochistan. If the government chose to turn a blind eye to their miseries, things are going to turn very ugly. Uglier than 70s.
After forced Conversion now ET wants to prove that this is forced accession
Nonsense, all parts of British India had to go to India or Pakistan and no region or state was allowed to be independent. And the baluch jirga did accept union with Pk. Same happened in all Indian states. However, India later abolished states and rajas and merged all areas with India while we retained special status for some areas.
The UN should be called in to arbiter this problem. I don't see any alternative to holding a plebiscite. If the majority of the Baloch - not just the 100-odd sardars, want independence, the matter would be different. But until then, we cannot have a few youngsters living abroad to dictate terms to Pakistan.
Perhaps its time for a repeat then. And this time anyone who objects should be killed.