Motherland and sacrifice
Ali Kachkol
The Balochistan Post
Metaphysics philosophers say that if religion is removed from the life, national state will replace the God.
As Baloch poet G. R. Mulla says: “I congratulate you Mulla on your pilgrimage, but I love my motherland as much as my eyesight” (Mobarak bet tra mola tai haj tai kaba. Mana cho dedaga doste mani mate watan mola).
For the purpose of elaboration, the concept of sacrifice can also be seen in the words of Schleiermacher who writes: “may it be the mission of my freedom, to bring me nearer to this necessity. May it be my highest goal to be able to wish to die”.
An Uzbek poet referring to Uzbekistan says: “So that my generation would comprehend the Homelands worth, Men were always transferred to dust, it seems. The homeland is the remain of our forefathers, we turn into dust for this precious soil”.
The sacrifice of Rehan and his father Aslam Baloch renaissance the sacrifice of Ibrahim and Ismael. But there is a distinction between Ibrahim and his son and Aslam Baloch and his son; Ibrahim and Ismael were willing to sacrifice in the name of religion, but Aslam Baloch and his martyred son did their sacrifice for a noble cause, their motherland. Baloch is a phoenix nation by virtue of Balochistan’s mountainous topography and the chemistry of resistance is in the blood of Baloch for their motherland, due to which, a strong culture of sacrifice is emerging within the Baloch.
Nationalism sometimes demands people to sacrifice for the collective interests. This sacrifice is often voluntarily done for the greater good and either for the purpose of freedom of nation or to protect the people of a nation. This sacrifice by Rehan and all the other Baloch martyrs who sacrificed their lives, and all the women and children who are suffering the torture in torture cells; illustrate the concrete will and determination of the Baloch. It also portrays the extents the Baloch are willing to go for their nation.
In my personal opinion, whatever the method would be for the resistance, the Baloch should not at any cost let down the momentum of resistance till the victory. Unfortunately, our senior Baloch leadership knowingly caused us irreparable loss by supporting the exhausted and failed constitutional politics of Pakistan. Yesterday, after the sacrifice of Rehan on the death anniversary of GhausBaksh Bezanjo, I wished that respectable Mr. Bezanjo and other senior leaders had continued nationalism in its genuine spirit, which is resistance. But, at the last phase of their lives, all our senior leadership had given up their resistance movement, except Nawab Kherbaksh Marri.
I frankly submit to Baloch nation that without there struggle for a nation state, there is no nationalism and the so-called “nationalists” do not qualify to be called nationalists, because nationalism means sacrifice for a nation state. This prime tenet is missing is missing in parties who call themselves nationalists but practice constitutional politics of Pakistan, a system that is totally failed and exhausted due to stratocracy and kleptocracy, instead of democracy.
Our motherland is being exploited by Pakistan and China for its resources and strategic location, without any consent of the aboriginal Baloch. Baloch are robbed from their natural resources like natural gas, coal and gold and now these two countries have even started occupying their property for the construction of CPEC. Baloch people are forcibly displaced from their ancestral hometowns.
Baloch have continuously raised their voice against this injustice to inform the western community for years, but due to ignorance and double-policy of the west, we have been totally ignored. The Western community is bound to take action against this according to the UN´s 1960 Declaration on granting independence to colonial countries and people. A clause of this declaration states: ‘The subjection of people to alien subjugation, domination and exploitation constitutes a denial of fundamental human rights, is contrary to the Charter of UN and is an impediment to world peace and co-operation.’
Our liberation movement is according to UN Charter but Pakistan has seriously been violating this Charter. Pakistan and China are violating Limburg Principle, in the name of national security and counter terrorism. The article 64 of Limburg Principle is clearly being violated, which states: “National security cannot be used as a pretext for imposing vague or arbitrary limitation and may invoke only when there exist adequate safeguards and effective remedies against abuse”. Similarly article 65 of Limburg Principle states: “systematic violation of economic, social and cultural rights undermines true national security and may jeopardize international peace and security, a state responsible for such violation shall not invoke national security as justification for measure aimed at suppressing opposition to such violation or at perpetrating repressive practice against its population”.
It would be reasonable to point out here that Baloch people have frequently approached all international and local institutions including UN that Pakistan has been committing genocide, ethnic cleansing, crimes against humanity and war crimes in accomplice with China in the vicinity of CPEC. All these crimes are being committed on the pretext of national security and counter terrorism.
In this respect we have also referred an eminent international lawyer Hugo Grotius´s views “If tyranny becomes so unbearable as to cause the nation to rise, any foreign power is entitled to help an oppressed people that has requested its assistance”. All our struggle to approach the western community is to enlighten them about Balochistan and to stop this unending impunity and atrocity, there has been no response from the west. Rather, they have criminally been aloof of their due responsibility so far.
Since, the international state community UN and its sister institutions are not listening to our cry in such an alarming situation, there is no other option and alternative left for the Baloch except sacrifice.
Ali Kachkol is a human rights lawyer and Ex opposition leader & Minister of Balochistan Assembly. He is currently affiliated with BNM.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of The Balochistan Post or any of its editors.