BALOCHISTAN - PROTESTS ROIL PROVINCE AFTER

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KARACHI 000131

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/14/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER PK
SUBJECT: BALOCHISTAN - PROTESTS ROIL PROVINCE AFTER
NATIONALIST LEADER FOUND DEAD

REF: KARACHI 34

Classified By: CLASSIFIED BY CONSUL GENERAL STEPHEN FAKAN FOR REASONS 1
.4 b and d.

Summary:
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1. (C) The mutilated bodies of Baloch National Movement
(BNM) General Secretary Ghulam Mohammad and two other Baloch
nationalists were found near the southern Balochistan city of
Turbat on April 8. The discovery sparked violent unrest in
many urban centers throughout Balochistan, including protests
that closed the Hub ) Chaman road for a day, and in some
areas of Karachi. Sixteen people were killed in the rioting
and police made 30 arrests. Militant Baloch nationalist
groups have claimed responsibility for the killings of police
and coal miners. Ghulam had been a member of a high-level
committee working to resolve Baloch "missing persons" issues
with the GOP as part of the negotiations for the release of
kidnapped United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Quetta Office Director John Solecki. No one has been
formally accused of the killings, although many Baloch
nationalists have blamed GOP intelligence agencies, without
presenting any evidence to support this accusation. By April
13, the situation in Balochistan and Karachi were returning
to normal.

Baloch Leader Found Near Abduction Point
--------------


2. (C) On April 8, authorities found the body of Baloch
National Movement (BNM) General Secretary Ghulam Mohammad
Baloch around 20 kilometers from the southern Balochistan
city of Turbat. He was taken by unidentified armed persons
from his attorney's office in Turbat along with two other
Baloch nationalists, Lala Munir and Sher Mohammad Baloch, on
April 4. Initial reports from POL sources indicated that all
three bodies were mutilated and had been dead for some time.

Played Role in Negotiations for John Solecki release
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3. (C) Baloch was a member of a high-level committee formed
by tribal leader Harbiyar Marri and Interior Minister Rehman
Malik to negotiate for the release of United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees Quetta Office Director John
Solecki, kidnapped on February 2 by members of the
Balochistan Liberation United Front (BLUF) (reftel). He had
met with USG and UN officials during the negotiations and
represented Baloch interests in discussions with the GOP
about the nationalists' demands for accountability of alleged
missing persons.

Widespread Unrest in Balochistan
--------------


4. (C) After the discovery of the bodies became known on
April 9, residents in many areas of Balochistan and parts of
Karachi reacted angrily. In the ensuing violence, 16 people
including four police in the Jaffarabad district, were
killed. Six coal miners were among the dead. The
Marri-tribe dominated Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed
responsibility for killing the miners. The Bugti-tribe
affiliated Baloch Republican Army (BRA) claimed
responsibility for killing the police officers. Police have
reported around 30 arrests in connection with the unrest.


5. (C) Media and Post sources reported grenade attacks and
bomb blasts in various areas of the district. Rockets were
reportedly fired at security posts in Kalat and Dera Bugti
districts. Businesses in Quetta and other major urban
centers in Balochistan, including Pashtun dominated areas,
shut down in protest on April 9 and did not reopen until
April 12. Quetta police fired teargas at protestors in the
city and higher educational institutions there have closed
until April 15.


6. (C) During the rioting, protestors burned four banks and
a UN vehicle in Quetta. They also burned Pakistan People's

KARACHI 00000131 002 OF 002


Party (PPP),Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q),and Balochistan
National Party-Awami (BNP-A) offices in Panjgur, and Turbat.
Rioters also torched the office of the District Coordination
Officer (DCO) and a number of other official and private
buildings in Turbat. Three shops were destroyed in Gwadar.
The paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) took over security from
local police forces in urban centers. By April 13, the
situation had begun to return to normal

Protests in Karachi
--------------


7. (C) In Karachi, protests broke out in areas with a large
Baloch population. Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) leader
Altaf Hussain led a pro-Baloch gathering (addressing the
crowd by telephone from London) on April 11, calling for a
high-level judicial inquiry into the deaths. The
Sindhi-nationalist Jeay Sindh Quami Mahaz party rallied to
denounce the killings. Residents observed a transportation
strike and the Baloch National Front (BNF) led a rally
attended by around 2,500 people, in front of the Karachi
Press Club (near the Consulate) on April 12.

Hub ) Chaman Transit Blocked
--------------


8. (C) POL and RSO sources reported that around 200
protestors blocked the Hub - Chaman road in the vicinity of
the central Balochistan city of Khuzdar on April 9. (Note:
As of April 10, the road had been reopened. End note.)
Railroad tracks in the Quetta to Chaman route were reportedly
blown up on April 11 and again on April 12. Note: The
damage was minor. The railway has been repaired and is now
operating. End note.)

Nationalist Political Parties Protest Killing
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9. (C) Many Baloch political parties - Balochistan National
Party-Mengal (BNP-M)),National Party (NP),Balochistan
National Movement (BNM),the Baloch National Front (BNF),and
the Pashtun-dominated Pakhtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP)
all joined in the call for an official inquiry into the
killings. Several of the nationalist parties went further,
specifying that they wanted an official UN (instead of a GOP)
investigation.

Comment
--------------


10. (C) Although many Baloch leaders, including provincial
Finance Minister Muhammad Asim Kurd Gaillo, have accused GOP
intelligence agencies of the abductions and murders, there
has been no real evidence to support this claim. (Note:
Suspicion of the GOP has always run high among Baloch
nationalists and they frequently accuse GOP agencies of
actions against them, often without any proof. End note.)
Yet, by coming out in public in order to help secure
Solecki's release, Ghulam Mohammad and other Baloch leaders
had warned they were risking their lives and exposing
themselves to retribution or detention by Pakistani
intelligence.


11. (C) For the moment, the incident has united Baloch
nationalists and appears to have garnered some sympathy from
their traditional rivals, the Pashtuns. MQM appears to be
seizing the opportunity to build support among the Baloch as
it vies to expand its party base outside of Sindh. Post
notes that the BLA's claimed attack on coal miners served to
highlight the nationalists' frustration over exploitation of
the province's natural resources ) an issue that is at the
heart of their insurgency. While the deaths will most likely
not destabilize the province, it may add to the list of
perceived injustices the nationalists will probably point to
in their ongoing struggle with the GOP.
FAKAN