Baloch pro-independence leader Dr Allah Nazar, commenting on renowned Indian writer Arundhati Roy’s statement on Pakistan, has said that we were thinking that Ms Roy is a human rights activist. She writes on human rights issues. She is highly knowledgeable. And hoping that some day she will bring forth the serious human rights violations being committed in Balochistan. But instead she utterly rejects the ground realities altogether. Instead of trying to make herself aware of the history of this region, her words are evident of her ignorance.
Dr Allah Nazar Baloch said that ignorance of Arundhati Roy was a surprise because Pakistan’s military brutality does not require any introduction or explanation. Yet here are some facts before Arundhati Roy:
First, it was Pakistan’s army that invaded the newly established Balochistan (from British rule) on March 27, 1948. They not only usurped our sovereignty but also started the Baloch genocide which continues to this day. And it has intensified over time. Thousands of Baloch have been killed by this time. Thousands are incarcerated in Pakistani army jails. Millions of people suffer from forced migration.
Secondly, it was Pakistan that massacred millions of Bengali people right before the eyes of Arundhati Roy. Hundreds of thousands of Bengali women were raped. When India reached to help the Bengalis, ninety thousand Pakistan Army troops surrendered.
Thirdly, in Pakistan’s history most of the time there has been a direct military rule and basic human rights have been suspended. While during the so-called democratic periods, the army has run the government from behind the scenes as it does today.
Fourthly, in the Pashtun areas besides Balochistan, the naked aggression of Pakistani army is visible to the whole world. Thousands of Pashtuns have been killed. Thousands are missing. Millions are under siege in the military-sponsored camps after the forced evacuation.
Fifth, the overwhelming military barbarism in Balochistan and Pashtun areas reminds the World War II era where the Pakistani army is attacking with heavy artillery, warplanes and gunships. A human tragedy has been born here from Pakistan’s war crimes. The human tragedy of Baloch and Pashtun has shaken the world’s conscience.
But Arundhati says that “Pakistan army was never used against its own people”. Her statement not only makes her commitment to human rights questionable but also shows the complete disregard of Pakistan’s history.
Dr. Allah Nazar Baloch said that Balochistan has been turned into a cantonment. On every five kilometers, Pakistani army outposts and camps are set up where the disgrace of honorable Baloch has become a commonplace. After the signing of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project agreements, the way the villages and settlements on its route are being bombed and destroyed by military operations, only those wearing Pakistani spectacles cannot see. Otherwise the rest of the world can see clearly. All the people like Arudhati Roy have different options: whether they present their writings and speeches with truth or keep themselves ignorant of the circumstances and favor falsehood.
“The responsibility of historians is the heaviest and the highest,” Dr Baloch said. They fuel the future in order to help future generations to choose the right path. In such a case, if a person like Arundhati Roy shuts her eyes on Pakistan’s conduct and forms her self-righteous opinion, then surely she is oblivious of her responsibilities.
This has greatly hurt the sentiments of Baloch people, especially the families of Baloch national martyrs and thousands of missing persons. The Baloch people hope that she will correct this mistake and do justice to history. And of course the Bengali nation is expecting the same.