Sara Nazir: The province of Balochistan is more volatile to the Indian-initiated propaganda against Pakistan. Indian government wants to repeat the history of East Pakistan with the province of Balochistan in Pakistan.  On 17 February 2023, A woman named Mahal Baloch was captured by Pakistan’s Counter Terrorism Department from Balochistan. Pakistani forces claimed that the woman was involved in terrorist activities in Balochistan and backed the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF). On the other hand, Indian media seems more interested in the case of Mahal Baloch and propagating it as a suppression of women’s rights in Balochistan, whereas, the same propaganda was created by BLF on social media in which they were portraying Baloch ladies as a missing person.

Balochistan is the largest province of Pakistan by territory, having a higher poverty rate than other provinces. The resource-rich Baluchistan with a 52% of poverty rate has the higher poverty rate among other provinces of Pakistan. That is the cause behind its people getting trapped by foreign propaganda. The militant organizations are using the land and people of Balochistan against the state itself by giving its people training, subsequently, providing them with weapons. The land of Balochistan is being misused against the state by manipulating the women to conduct attacks and especially for the movement of explosive material.

Misperception against Mahal Baloch and Indian propaganda gives a blow to the sentiments of the Baloch people but the shreds of evidence have shown that she was involved in such activities even though forcefully. According to the initial reports, Mahal’s husband, Bebegar Baloch Nadeem (late) was part of BLF’s armed wing and her father belongs to the Central Committee of Baloch National Movement (BNM). The day she was arrested, she was carrying a suicide jacket with four to five kilos of explosive material which were going to be used against security forces in Quetta. According to details, Mahal who is a mother of two kids was forced to support the Militant organization by separating her from her children.

Mahal is not the only case in which women are being misused by militant groups in Balochistan. There are so many cases in which women forcefully or willingly, turned into suicide bombers. A similar case was seen in 2022 when a woman from a noble family named Shari Baloch blew herself up in a suicide blast in Karachi to target Chinese nationals. Later, her connections were found in the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA).

On another side of the story, India by using fake international media outlets is creating hype around the international community. Indian media portrays the case of Mahal as enforced disappearance by Pakistan’s Armed Forces and sensitive agencies. The objective behind Indian sympathetic behavior towards the Baloch people and women is to attack Pakistan’s Armed forces so the people of Pakistan especially Balochistan, can lose their trust in their forces. In doing so, it will be easy for Indian authorities and its intelligence agency ‘Research and Analysis Wing’ (RAW) to independently operate in Balochistan. Kalboshan Yadav, an Indian spy captured in Balochistan by Pakistani sensitive agencies, is an accurate example of Indian intentions and interest in Balochistan. Kalboshan, later in his confessional statement revealed that he belongs to the Indian navy and was sent to Pakistan with a mission to spread hatred and an anti-state narrative among the people of Balochistan. Kalboshan is currently under the custody of Pakistani authorities.

Another objective behind Indian propaganda in Balochistan is to threaten the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which is considered a milestone in not only Pakistan’s economy but also between China-Pakistan ties. There are so many cases in which Indian-sponsored militants have been captured in Balochistan and were involved in anti-state activities. Such activities by Indian authorities are aimed to spoil Pakistan’s soft image that Pakistan is vulnerable to international trade and investments. Where India is posing threat to the CPEC, and on the same page they want to isolate Pakistan. Narendra Modi in his statements has confessed it many times.

India being so-called the Champion of human rights is responsible for the human rights violations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJ&K) for more than 70 years. There are so many cases of human rights violations in Kashmir where women are being subjected to extra-judicial killing, rape, violence and murder. But Indian authorities as well as the international community have maintained silence over the issue. But why India is so much possessive about Baloch women? Where they are unable to provide the basic rights to the women of Kashmir, which India claims to be a legal part of their territory, is failed to maintain the rule of law and to provide human rights to the people of Kashmir. India should pay attention to the human rights violation in Kashmir rather than being sympathized with the Balochi women.

Where Balochistan is more vulnerable to foreign propaganda, Pakistan Armed Forces are doing their best to protect its territory from foreign propaganda and militants. It is important to maintain the security of the state to keep checking such activities which are sponsored by foreign actors in the land of Pakistan. There are so many women living in Balochistan but why Pakistan Armed Forces do not capture them all. Whenever there is someone who is involved in specious activities, have to pass through a process of investigation. Once the person is found innocent, he/she gets immediately released and send back home with honor and dignity. It is not like the way Indian media is portraying the picture of the Pakistan Army in Balochistan. To maintain peace and stability across the country, forces have to keep checking such vulnerable points.

Indian media is playing a significant role in promoting false narratives against the Pakistani government and forces. Not only Pakistani forces but every army have a process of investigating suspicious activities. Nations can only resist foreign threats once they trust their Armed forces. In the end, it is the state’s army that protects the country from external threats. The whole nation needs to understand that, If your army will not be there to protect you, some other country’s army will be there to capture you.