Rethinking Islam with Sultan Shahin

Current affairs

12 Apr 2010, NewAgeIslam.Com 62 years down the road, Islamic terror fails to convert Balochs into Pakistani Pakistan, the so-called Land of the Pure, is bereft of history. In fact the word Pakistan did not exist in the Urdu dictionary until the 1940s while Baluchistan was a sovereign country on the world map way back in the 17th century, Baloch nationalists say. There is no love lost between the Baloch and Pakistan. The Baloch have not forgotten the forced annexation of their homeland and on Saturday life came to a standstill all over Baluchistan as the Baloch marked the darkest day of their history -- the 62nd anniversary of the Pakistani occupation. -- Ahmar Mustikhan 62 years down the road, Islamic terror fails to convert Balochs into Pakistanis By Ahmar Mustikhan Mar 28, 2010 Quetta, capital of Occupied Baluchistan, presented the look of a ghost town Saturday. It was 62 years ago when Baluchistan was forcibly merged into Pakistan at the point of gun. Being slapped and beaten up by Pakistan military officers and fearing for his life Baloch ruler the Khan of Kalat Mir Ahmedyar Khan signed a so-called Instruments of Accession with Pakistan founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah on March 27, 1948. Texas-sized Baluchistan thus lost its short-lived independence that was granted to it by the British on August 11, 1947 -- separately from India and Pakistan. Pakistan, the so-called Land of the Pure, is bereft of history. In fact the word Pakistan did not exist in the Urdu dictionary until the 1940s while Baluchistan was a sovereign country on the world map way back in the 17th century, Baloch nationalists say. There is no love lost between the Baloch and Pakistan. The Baloch have not forgotten the forced annexation of their homeland and on Saturday life came to a standstill all over Baluchistan as the Baloch marked the darkest day of their history -- the 62nd anniversary of the Pakistani occupation. Not s soul moved in Quetta and other towns of Baluchistan as a complete wheel jam and shutter down strike was observed on the call of the pro-independence coalition of different political parties and pressure groups called the Baloch National Front, according to BBC Urdu. Pakistan has deployed more than 140,000 regular troops and over 35,000 Frontier Corp to crush the Baloch demand for independence, but more and more Baloch, including women, are defending their homeland by all means possible. Even in Pakistan commercial capital of Karachi, the Baloch protesters took out a rally from the old town of Lyari that chanted slogans Death to Pakistan or Pakistan murdabad. The Baloch resistance is being led by by a young troika that is called the "Three Shining Stars of Baluchistan": Mir Hyrbyair Marri, Nawab Brahumdagh Bugti and Dr. Allah Nazar Baloch. Many Baloch accuse the then Khan of Kalat, Mir Ahmedyar Khan of being chicken-hearted and a coward for being forced to affix his signature on the Instruments of Accession, but his grandson Mir Suleman Daud, who has sought refuge in the United Kingdom, has vowed he will not rest at peace until Baluchistan is freed. Meanwhile, the pro-Pakistan National Party suffered a major jolt as one of its key leaders, Kachkol Ali Advocate, who is now based in Norway came out with a statement on the Balochi language Radio Gwank in which he said parliamentary politics in Pakistan is a hoax. Many National Party leaders, who are fedual lords, think it makes good business sense to toe the line of the Punjab. Two leaders of the largest Baloch Students Organization [Azad] Dr. Munir Baloch and Naseer Baloch were among scores of Baloch independence protesters arrested by the Pakistani occupation authorities Saturday. Source: BalochWarna.com Ahmar Mustikhan is a journalist of longstanding who blogs at: http://mustikhan.newsvine.com/ URL: http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamCurrentAffairs_1.aspx?ArticleID=2685