By: Ahmar Mustikhan
WASHINGTON D.C.: "We have heard enough of this nonsense called Pakistan," a Baluch journalist Ahmar Mustikhan urged U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) and requested the U.S. political leadership and government to hold direct talks with the Baluch leadership.
He urged Casey, who is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, to become the voice for the hapless people of Baluchistan in the U.S. Senate.
Concern was writ large on Casey's face as he spoke of a 911-style threat emanating from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas in Pakistan Wednesday at a breakfast gathering of the Asia Society here at the Army Navy Club.
The military leaders in Pakistan have apparently deceived the U.S. that they have little control over F.A.T.A., though it is well-known in Pakistan that the offices of the country’s political agents exercise full authority in those areas.
However, with the onset of the Operation Enduring Freedom in neighboring Afghanistan in 2001, Pakistan’s dreaded Inter Services Intelligence reportedly annihilated as many as 300 tribal notables called maliks in F.A.T.A. to pave the way for the emergence of the Taliban in the area. This policy of Islamabad saw the rise of the shadowy Baitullah Mehsud in F.A.T.A.
Casey voiced concern that Pakistan army and I.S.I. were beyond the pale of control of Pakistan's political leadership.
He expressed anguish over the lack of congressional oversight on the $6.5 billion in direct cash that has been given to Pakistan's treasury under the Coalition Support Fund since the start of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Casey was Pennsylvania Auditor General for eight years and State Treasurer for two years, and believes in making government more accountable to U.S. taxpayers.
Casey is following the credo of his father, the late Governor Robert P. Casey, who believed: "All public service is a trust, given in faith and accepted in honor."
The U.S. senator called for the need of a comprehensive political strategy if the mission of the International Security Assistance Force is to succeed in Afghanistan. Myopic adhocism has traditionally marred a sound U.S. policy in southwest Asia, and Casey acknowledged that so far only tactics have been devised to counter terrorist threats from the lawless F.A.T.A. area.
He said I.S.A.F. commanders in Afghanistan reported they saw Pakistani ambulance transport the injured Taliban, who had attacked the I.S.A.f. troops, out of harm’s way.
The month of June saw 45 members of the I.S.A.F. killed, highest number of fatalities since the launch of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, outpacing Iraq by far. As many as 40 nations, including non-N.A.T.O. Muslim members, were represented in the I.S.A.F. force of 52,700 as of May.
An additional, more than 12,000 U.S. troops are deployed under the U.S. commitment to Operation Enduring Freedom.
More than 6,500 people died in 2007 as result of suicide attacks, roadside bombs and combat-related violence, the Pentagon reported recently.
Mustikhan, founder of the American Friends of Baluchistan, in a reference to the sacrifices of the I.S.A.F. in Afghanistan said, "I salute General David McKiernan and his predecessor General Dan McNeill. If ever they decide to visit Baluchistan, the Baluch people would welcome them with open arms."
McKiernan is now the commander of the I.S.A.F. in Afghanistan.
Mustikhan is a proponent of a "50-year Vision for Peace and Stability in Afghanistan and Baluchistan," and staunchly advocates a peaceful Balkanization of Pakistan on the lines of the former Soviet Union.
"The father of the Islamic Bomb, Dr. A.Q. Khan, revealed that Pakistan army and I.S.I. were complicit in his underworld nuclear arms bazaar. Days later there was a bomb blast in Kabul that left more than 40 killed and the Afghan government blamed the I.S.I.," Mustikhan commented.
He also handed a letter to the U.S. Senator that said Baluchistan area in both Iran and Pakistan was in turmoil as the Baluch never mentally accepted the forcible and illegal annexations of their motherland.
He drew the attention of the U.S. senator the plight of the Baluch people.
His letter said, "Masters of one of the richest lands on earth, a huge chunk 240,000 square kms was annexed by Iran in 1928 as part of the British forward policy. Though these territories were nominally under British control, the U.K. looked the other way. Another part of Baluchistan, nearly 350,000 square kms, was granted independence by the British in August 1947 but was illegally annexed by Pakistan in March 1948."
Mustikhan expressed grief over the genocide of the Baluch people in Pakistan and Iran.
"Thousands, including former governor and chief minister of Baluchistan Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti have been killed. The Pakistan Army is now building its cantonment at his village in Dera Bugti in a show of brute force."
He condemned the I.S.I. role in undermining the sovereignty of the democratic government in neighboring Afghanistan, headed by President Hamid Karzai.
"In the past there were many world actors--including the U.S.--. who had a hand in bringing miseries to the Afghan people. But while the rest of the world has made amends to Afghanistan and the U.S. has sacrificed nearly 600 lives since the start of Operation Enduring Freedom, Pakistan has continued to support the Taliban. At the same time, Pakistan has used the arms it got in the name of the war on terror to crush secular Baluch nationalists."
Mustikhan sought Casey's help in the peaceful legal battle of Baluchistan that holds a promise for enduring peace in southwest Asia.
"Under the De Jure Ruler of Baluchistan, Khan of Kalat Suleman Daud Ahmedzai, the Baluch are knocking at the doors of the International Court of Justice at The Hague. This case could result in a peaceful Balkanization of Pakistan on the lines of the former Soviet Union. This we believe is one of the smartest ways to end bloodshed in southwest Asia. The Baluch will never allow their territories to be used against the brotherly people of Afghanistan."
He urged Casey to establish direct contact with the Khan of Kalat, who is now in self-exile in London. |
