It was a revealing two-day visit to this new port city, which was arranged by ISPR for media persons basically to cover a function at the Gwadar Institute of Technology, a joint venture of Balochistan Government and Pakistan Army. The stooge Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Khan Raisani and General Kayani addressed the function. It was a rare occasion with all respects. The extempore remarks made by Army Chief in the middle of his speech were apparently overwhelmingly emotional in its tone and tenure but in substance the message was clear in its entirety.
 |
Balochistan (Green in the map), Pakistan. |
It was a public speech in which General Kayani had to go extempore emphasising the need for national unity that only could make Pakistan the most secured country in the world with all respects, strengthen Pakistan Army and promote prosperity. Taking advantage of the opportunity, the Army Chief referred to the fate of huge military set up of former Soviet Union; making his message for all and sundry loud and clear that public support was the lone element that factors in strengthening any Army. “Pakistan Army has scrapped its plans for establishing three more cantonments in Balochistan. And the last battalion of Pakistan Army will be withdrawn from Sui within next two months”, General Kayani told the audience. He went on saying that from now onwards the Frontier Corps (FC) would take the responsibility and discharge its duty on the directives of the provincial government, while Pakistan Army would focus only on the economic development in the province.
These extempore remarks clearly suggested that the Army Chief had given serious thoughts before making them public. By announcing withdrawal of army troops from Sui, he has brought to the end the controversy that Army was in any manner engaged in any undeclared military operation in the restive province where India was already supporting a low intensity insurgency. With this move Pakistan Army has finally shifted responsibility of maintaining law and order to the provincial government and to help create conducive conditions for the PPP-led stooge coalition to open doors for talks with those Baloch leaders involved in fanning militancy. Simultaneously, Gen Kayani has unveiled plans to give due representation to Balochs in Army by inducting 18,000 soldiers by 2012, which is a process initiated by Pakistan Army as a long term measure to bring Balochs in the fold of national security gamut. Nevertheless, background interviews and discussions with senior provincial govt functionaries and military revealed a bigger game plan of some anti-Pakistan entities.
