Death squads and deception: How Pakistan is trying to wash its army’s hands of Balochistan atrocities

New Delhi, Oct 8 (IANS) Pakistan has been suffering losses at the hands of the Balochistan Nationalist Army (BLA) and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Balochistan. With a minerals deal on cards with the United States and the upcoming China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Project 2.0 (CPEC), Pakistan has to assure these countries of security guarantees.

Looking at how things have unfolded, it became clear that the Pakistan army has been unable to beat down these groups. To understand how desperate Pakistan is in its fight against the BLA and TTP, it has decided to appoint death squads in Balochistan. These death squads are part of Pakistan’s shadow operations in the region, and to take this forward, it has appointed the deadly and ruthless Mir Shafiq-ur-Rehman.

Officials say that Rehman would be in charge of the operations that the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) would undertake in the region. He would ensure that the arms are supplied to the group, and he would oversee the setting up and operations of the death squads in Balochistan.

The Pakistan army has committed heinous offenses against the Baloch people. The army has been accused of genocide in the region, and the same has not gone down too well with the international community.

Moreover, both the US and China would want to do business with a country whose army indulges in the genocide of innocent people, including women and children. There have been complaints of torture, forced disappearances, and rape in the region.

Human rights groups across the globe, too, have flagged these issues on several occasions. All this does not gel well for Pakistan, which is desperate for international aid both in terms of funds and military assistance.

Taking into account the global situation and also the embarrassment that the Pakistan army has faced in Balochistan, it decided to launch terror groups in the region to battle the BLA and TTP. A battle between these groups would not look like killings by the state. Instead, it would appear to be a terror attack. Pakistan is aware that if US interests are hurt in the region, it would boost military aid to the country.

Intelligence assessments suggest that Rehman has already gotten to work. Rehman, who is a tribal leader from Khuzdar, is an old-time asset of the ISI. An Intelligence Bureau official says that roping him in clearly suggests that the task at hand is not just big, but of utmost importance for Pakistan.

Rehman is currently setting up safe houses for the terrorists of the ISKP. In addition to this, he has also decided to rope in men from the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed. His job would be to coordinate the actions of these terrorists. The plan is to create death squads and carry out suicide attacks not just on the TTP and BLA, but also on the people of Balochistan.

This is, however, not the first time Rehman has operated in Balochistan. In the past, too, the people of the region have accused him of operating death squads. However, this time around, the plan is to do it on a much larger scale. A huge consignment of arms is on its way to Balochistan.

Many ISKP terrorists are being pulled out of Afghanistan to undertake operations in Balochistan under the watch of Rehman. The ISI has decided to bomb the people of Balochistan into submission, and this means that the operations would be undertaken on a mighty scale.

This is a classic shadow war by Pakistan to absolve its army of any genocide allegations. Experts say this is a dangerous game and may completely change the equations in the region. They, however, add that this bluff would be called out soon, and Pakistan could be exposed soon.

–IANS

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