ALERT: A Pakistani Government Official Caught Telling Brahamdagh Bugti: 'Declare Balochistan Independence While You Still Have A Chance'

This hard evidence adds to the existing circumstantial evidence that some foreign governments have successfully cultivated high-level moles in Islamabad.

By AHMED QURAISHI

Wednesday, 5 August 2009.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan"”Pakistan's Balochistan province is under attack.  Pakistanis should be in no doubt now and must begin to question their government.  And question it hard.

This is the latest: 

-         A stunning telephone conversation between a Pakistani official and Indian-backed terrorists in Balochistan;

-         Permission for US Marines to land on Pakistan's southwestern coastal area in a mock invasion;

-         And a consortium of three western companies want to circumvent Gwadar and get government's approval for a mini-seaport instead.

These are three startling developments that point not just to criminal negligence on the part of the elected federal Pakistani government but to collusion at some high level within the Pakistani government.  We know that a few who claim to represent Pakistani Balochis are completely sold out to the agenda of two or three countries in the region.  What is new is connivance in Islamabad.  If something is going to happen to Pakistan's Balochistan, it will not be possible without inside help.

Alarmingly, this follows the credible information that a group of foreign-backed terrorists who claim to represent Pakistani Baloch are planning in coordination with at least two foreign governments to declare the 'independence' of Pakistan's Balochistan province three days before Pakistan's Independence Day celebrations on 14 August.  The move, if happens, won't change anything on the ground but would a score a point for the anti-Pakistan forces gathered on Afghan soil.

Let's get into the details of the latest alert:

1.       US MARINES IN BALOCHSITAN:  According to an alert today by BRASSTACKS, an Islamabad-based security monitoring center, and I quote: "The US Marine Corps has reportedly been allowed [by the Pakistani government] to land around Makran coast in Pakistan's Balochistan province.  The pretext is that the marines are conducting some anti-narcotics exercise in Afghanistan and the supposed landing in Pakistan's Balochistan is part of that exercise.  The timing is not only dangerous but could pose a srious threat to Pakistani national security because the rulers in Islamabad have allowed the US Marine landing at a time when the US has stationed a large number of troops in the Afghan province of Helmand bordering the Balochistan province of Pakistan."

2.      A MOLE IN ISLAMABAD: A senior member of the elected federal government in Islamabad urged Brahamdagh Bugti in a telephone conversation recently to expedite the declaration of independence "while you have the chance."  The said official is a senior member of the government.  If this tape were to be released publicly, the said official could face treason charges.  The irony is that the said official often makes strong statements about defending Pakistan's national integrity and strategic interests against the anti-Pakistan forces gathered on the Afghan soil.

3.      A WESTERN COMMERTIAL SEAPORT: The third interesting activity in Balochistan has to do with the three western companies.  One of them is the Tethyan Copper of Australia in collaboration with Canadian mining firm and another from Chile, (all have joint ownership of the copper-gold deposit at Reko Diq in Balochistan.  According to BRASSTACKS, the three companies want to build an exclusive small port (commercial jetty) near Gwadar port some 30 miles towards Karachi.  One or more of them also have Israeli links of some sort, most probably in terms of equity, which is in itself should make this the concern of national security experts in Pakistan because of the growing Israeli covert role in the region, which is not documented by the western media but is well known to Pakistan, India, Afghanistan and other countries in the region. 

The location of the resource-rich Reko Diq in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province

According to the BRASSTACKS alert, this project for "an exclusive small port-like facility indeed should be looked upon with high suspicion.  The main question here is:  Why the small port in the presence of a new modern port like Gwadar in close proximity?  Who will be using this new port facility apart from these companies?  What will be the security plan for this jetty and who will be looking after the security?  Foreigners from native countries of the three companies will freely use this new mini-seaport."

This situation will represent a grave security breach from Pakistan's standpoint, particularly in an area like Balochistan that already is the focus of third-country-sponsored terrorism emanating from Afghanistan.

To quote the BRASSTACKS alert:

"To understand the entire situation and the security concerns for Pakistan linked with demand of these foreign companies, the background of all these companies is a must to looked into.  Reko Diq is a small town in Chagai District, Baluchistan having the world´s largest Gold and Copper reserves.  According to reports US $ 65 Billion natural deposit have been sold for US $ 21 Billion to Tethyan Copper of Australia which has taken the contract to develop this mine while Barrick Gold Corporation of Canada (a Jewish company) and Antofagasta of Chile have a joint-ownership of the copper-gold deposit at Reko Diq.  The Reko Diq deposit is being explored by Tethyan Copper Company Pty Ltd (75%) and the (BDA) Balochistan Development Authority (25%).  Tethyan Copper Company is held jointly (50:50) by Barrick Gold Corporation and Antofagasta Minerals.  So far, three foreign companies have purchased stakes in the strategic copper and gold assets setting off a cycle of `change of foreign ownership´ of Reko Diq copper project. Pakistan has only 25 per cent stake in the Reko Diq copper project.  The rest of the 75 per cent stakes had first been transferred to BHP Billiton, the Anglo-Australian mining giant and then BHP Billiton under a `deed of waiver and consent´ transferred it to the Australian TCC and now TCC has sold its 19.95 per cent stake to Antofagasta Minerals."

Pakistan's strategic southwestern province of Balochistan is facing a real, focused threat.  The federal Pakistani government, controlled by individuals with strong links to Washington, are showing criminal negligence in this regard.  The government has so far failed to put Britain on the spot for providing sanctuary for terrorists committing arson and terrorism inside Balochistan and openly calling for the breakup of the Pakistani state.

To provide media cover and legitimacy to these terrorists, strong lobbies in Washington and New Delhi are trying to use the media to revive the debate on how Pakistan became independent from Britain and how Balochistan 'acceded' to the new nation.

We do not have much trust in the capability of the Pakistani government to rise to the occasion.  But to the national security practitioners and experts and the managers of the state foreign policy and public diplomacy, it is important that Pakistan not be drawn into this debate. 

Pakistan is a reality.  We cannot and will not revisit events going back half a century or more in time just because this happens to suit the strategic interests of the United States, NATO, or India.

Islamabad needs to question why the governments of Britain, India and the United States are supporting terrorism in Pakistan through indirect support to terrorists claiming unilateral representation of a large segment of the Pakistani nation.

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The BRASSTACKS alert has been quoted here under special arrangement.