It is to be ascertained whether the US has consented to Pakistan’s agenda for repressing the unarmed devout Muslims of Balochistan or being scared of its main financial partner, China, that might be the reason for its knee-jerk reaction to the impending human catastrophe in the mineral-rich region.
The violence in Balochistan, which was an independent country in 1947, when India was partitioned, has increased many times during the past few years.
Apart from the violence and growing confrontation between the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and the Pakistani army could be explained due to the pressure of two foreign powers China and the US.It cannot be denied that both China and the US -led West have huge financial stakes in the region which is blessed with precious metals such copper gold, zinc and quality marble mines. Apart from the legal mining, the Pakistani generals also share huge profits with their Chinese associates by allowing illegal mining. Interestingly, the senior officers make money from mining, junior officers have a network for obtaining Iranian oil, which cannot be officially imported from Tehran.
It is quite known that Washington never hesitated in sacrificing its rhetoric on human rights or the cause of democracy or even strategic alliances, for the sake of the financial interests. Therefore, it is not surprising that both China and the mandarins in Washington are ready to endorse the military operations in Balochistan. They hardly bother that the Pakistani army, which has failed to control the BLA, has unleashed terror against the unarmed civilians. The government and the GHQ have released a few casualties, but the details regarding killing of the Baloch Muslims are still under wraps.
The crackdown on Balochistan has been unleashed following the high-level visits from Beijing in recent months.
The Pakistani army and the Chinese companies have common financial interests in the province. They have been mining precious metals worth millions of US dollars thus cornering huge unaccounted wealth.
It is no more secret that the ongoing military operation named as the Azm-e-Istekam or Resolve for Stability, has been initiated with the support of China and the blessings of the US. The two countries have been the beneficiaries of this loot for the past 20 years. Therefore, the ongoing protests in the troubled region has to be crushed without being bothered about the human rights issues and democracy
A Repeat of Bangladesh-During the 1971 Bangladesh War the US and China had joined hands to crush the movement for democracy. The allegation that India is supporting the BLA may not have much substance, because the people of Bangladesh could be rescued with the help of the USSR., but China has already invested millions of US dollars in the province and assured full support to the Pakistani army with latest weapons.
The recent military coup in Bangladesh believed to be a joint venture of the CIA and China with the Jamaat-e-Islami indicates that the Whitehouse has reverted to its old tricks. The recent anti-democratic rhetoric being adopted by the US-led West and its media on the forceful eviction of the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina in Dacca recently.
Their policies remind us of the 1971 uprising in the then East Pakistan, The then US President Richard Nixon had not only endorsed the genocide committed by the Pakistani Muslims, he has also threatened India for supporting the movement for democracy. It appears history is repeating itself. In 1971, India was accused of supporting the democratic rights of East Pakistan, now Bangladesh. Again, the Pakistani politicians and media are blaming India for the uprising of the poor Muslims of Balochistan demanding their legitimate democratic rights.
It is being asked whether the USA would prevent the repeat of the ongoing genocide in the province, the answer, perhaps, may not be encouraging, especially in the backdrop of the ongoing Russia -Ukraine War and the Hamas -Israel conflict. The Biden Administration has done little to defuse the crisis in the war zones.
Meanwhile, there are indications that both the US and China have told Pakistan to crush Balochistan without worrying about issues like human rights and adverse media coverage.
Forty nine years later after the Bangladesh War, China is again supporting the Pakistani army, however, with unlimited financial assistance and state-of-the-art weapons, including drones and howitzer guns.
It also reconfirms that the West and China have little concern for the poor Muslims of the Indian subcontinent. They had ensured that the Pakistani army should not be tried for the war crimes in Bangladesh, where it had
decimated about three million Bengali Muslims and more than two million Bengali Muslims women between 15-60 were raped.
During the Bangladesh War, the US under the then President Richard Nixon had not only sent its Seventh Fleet equipped with nuclear weapons
in the Bay of Bengal to boost the prospects of the Pakistani army to win the war. Nixon had also appealed Beijing to attack India for supporting me Mukti bahini, an irregular army, resisting the genocide in the then East Pakistan.
Chinese Mining in Balochistan– For the past 20 years, the Chinese companies have been digging gold and copper in this region, but instead of accruing any benefits to the local people, the Dragon’s business model, though repeatedly pronouncing the rhetoric of Communism being dedicated to the poor, has been an improved version of the European colonial powers.
With China being the manufacturing hub offering cheap labor to the mostly US-based multinational corporations for the re-export has been the biggest ally of the West in the global financial agenda. It, perhaps, could be the reason that despite the US sanctions on Iran and Russia, China has been purchasing oil and gas from them, thus ensuring cheaper energy supplies to the Chinese industries serving the West’’s financial agenda. This tacit understanding with the Dragon is now being extended to the crushing of the innocent poor Muslims of Balochistan.
Name any precious mineral, the womb of this region has it. Apart from the huge reserves of copper and gold, the province has silver ,lead, zinc, chromite, gypsum, coal, steel, high quality marble and other precious minerals in the belly of this region blessed by Indus Suture Trieste silhouetted against the formidable high Himalayan region.
The Colonial Agenda-Interestingly, since 1999s, especially after the fragmentation of the USSR, China has emerged as the closest ally of the West. It has been serving colonial interests as a proxy of the West. In fact, it has excelled the West in looting the poor countries of Asia and Africa exploiting their natural resources. Therefore, it is not surprising that the West is keeping a Sphinx-like silence against the repression of the Baloch people.
The British had one corporation, East India Company (EIC), to promote unprecedented profits and expand the British Empire, but China has a number of private outfits to outwit its challengers across the continents. The EIC could bribe the members of the House of Commons for getting exclusive rights to occupy huge territories of Asia and could flood opium in China, and also to raise army and sign treaties with the Indian kingdoms, including the Mughal rulers.
It appears, Beijing has excelled the colonial powers with the setting up of Chinese companies owned by the ruling Communist Party and its People’s Liberation Army.
In South Asia, with the blessings of the USA, it has been endorsing the crushing of the democratic movement in Myanmar, the unceremonious removal of the elected government in Bangladesh and now the ongoing crack down on the people of Balochistan seeking democratic rights.
Zaradai’s Dilemma -With the tacit approval of Beijing, the Pakistani Army has begun its military operations against the hapless Muslims of Balochistan. It appears that the Pakistani President, Asif Ali Zardari, a Baloch, who had been married to Benazir Bhutto, appears to be helpless. She was eliminated by the country’s Deep State, presumably the proxies of the Inter Services Intelligence or ISI. He, however, never criticized the army or the ISI. Before Benazir’s killing, the army dictator, Zua-ul-Haq had got PM Z.A. Bhutto, father of Benazir, was deposed and later hanged in a sham judicial trial l. In spite of the murders in his family, Zardari has always tried to be on the right side of the GHQ.
The civil society in Pakistan is scared of the ongoing military operations against the unarmed people of this region. The political analysts, such as Nazam Sethi, who favor a meaningful dialogue between the army and the people of the region, are not sure of the outcome.
Both the army and the two foreign powers are not ready to sacrifice their financial interests.The army generals have also been minting huge profits by collaborating with the Chinese companies. They jointly conduct illegal mining of gold and copper in the region. The superannuated army bosses of Pakistan acquire huge properties in Canada, Australia, America and Britain. The juniors in the uniform, however, earn by smuggling on the sensitive borders with Afghanistan and Iran.
Gopal Misra has been associated with national and international media. His books on journalism and geo-politics have been well-appreciated. Views are personal.
