By Rahul Kumar
New Delhi, March 16: Globally, Baloch organisations are known for their armed resistance in their fight for independence against Pakistan. The Balochistan National Movement (BNM) has intertwined itself with the global civil society elevating the Baloch cause internationally. Senior leaders of the BNM are taking up the cause of their struggle with parliamentarians in the UK and in Europe.
Led by Khalil Baloch, the BNM has been at the receiving end of the Pakistani military which is known to have killed hundreds of BNM workers, including former leader Ghulam Mohammad Baloch in 2009.
The BNM also runs the autonomous Zrumbesh Broadcasting Corporation-a multi language media network.
India Narrative catches up with Ahmed Baloch, the foreign policy campaigner of the BNM in Central London. Ahmed throws light on the changes taking place in the Baloch society, the internationalisation of their cause and how the Baloch refugees in the UK strive to live and make their struggle heard in the right quarters.
As the head of the foreign policy division, Ahmed interacts with international NGOs, civil society organisations and elected representatives in the UK. "We usually begin with a 15-minute presentation on the history of Balochistan and then talk about human rights violations".
His work is not as easy as he makes it out to be.
Internationalisation of the Baloch Struggle
Ahmed highlights how its youth wing-the Baloch Students Organisation (BSO)-participated in World Social Forums (WSF) in 2004 in India and later on in Pakistan. "We held a seminar on the human rights issues facing the Baloch people in Karachi during the WSF. A number of international organisations like Amnesty International, Oxfam and ActionAid came to know about the Baloch issues at this time", says Ahmed.
Baloch activists run into strong and well-organised Pakistani opposition. Over years, Pakistani organisations have become united and act in coordinated collaboration with the Pakistani High Commission in London. The Baloch probably number just 2,000 in all of the UK and find it difficult to get a sympathetic hearing.
Ahmed says that for long the Baloch independence struggle was called "a low-level insurgency. We caught the attention of the world after the attacks on the Chinese consulate in Karachi as well as on the stock exchange. The attack on the Pearl Continental hotel in Gwadar was against Chinese investors. These attacks focused international attention on Balochistan".
(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)
--indianarrative
( 418 Words)
2022-03-16-12:30:04
Source: IANS
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