Latest news with #Muhajirs
Hindustan Times
7 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Exiled MQM leader Altaf Hussain's urgent appeal to PM Narendra Modi over Muhajirs
Altaf Hussain, the exiled founder of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), has issued an urgent appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to take note of the alleged persecution of the Muhajir community. Muhajirs, who are Urdu-speaking migrants from India that settled in Pakistan post-Partition, were the focus of Hussain's plea, which he delivered during a live broadcast from London. Praising Modi's support for the Baloch people, Altaf Hussain said it is a brave and commendable act. He further urged Modi to voice his support for the Muhajir community, which Altaf claims has faced decades of systemic discrimination, violence and state-sponsored oppression in Pakistan. Highlighting the oppression by Pakistan's military establishment, Altaf Hussain said since Partition, Muhajirs have never been acknowledged as rightful citizens of the country. "The MQM, which has consistently fought for the rights of marginalised communities, has endured multiple military actions,' he said. According to him, these actions have led to the deaths of more than 25,000 Muhajirs and has led to the disappearance of thousands more. He also denounced recent occurrences in the United States, particularly a pro-Pakistan event that took place in Dallas, Texas, on May 23. Hussain mentioned that the Pakistani Consul General in Houston, Aftab Chaudhry, showcased a video at the event depicting Altaf Hussain and the MQM as Indian agents, a claim the MQM leader argues is part of a wider disinformation strategy designed to undermine the Muhajir cause. Hussain expressed that Muhajirs have been rendered voiceless and powerless in Pakistan. He urged Modi to highlight the struggles of the Muhajirs at international platforms and to collaborate with global human rights organisations to ensure their safety, dignity, and fundamental rights. "The Muhajirs are unarmed and endure dire living conditions. For over 61 years, they have faced repeated cycles of economic hardship and physical destruction. Their plight can no longer be ignored," he said. (With ANI Inputs)
India Gazette
7 days ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
MQM leader Altaf Hussain urges PM Modi to raise Muhajir persecution at global forums
London [UK], May 28 (ANI): The exiled leader and founder of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Altaf Hussain, has made an urgent request to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking him to bring attention to the persecution of Muhajirs (Urdu-speaking migrants from India who migrated to Pakistan after Partition) at international venues. This appeal was made during a live broadcast from London. In his remarks, Hussain commended PM Modi for his public support of the Baloch people, calling it a brave and commendable act. He further urged PM Modi to also lend his voice in support of the Muhajir community, which he claims has faced decades of systemic discrimination, violence, and state-sponsored oppression in Pakistan. 'Since the Partition of India, the military establishment in Pakistan has never completely recognised the Muhajirs as legitimate citizens,' Hussain said. 'The MQM, which has consistently fought for the rights of marginalised communities, has endured multiple military actions, leading to the deaths of more than 25,000 Muhajirs and the forced disappearance of thousands more,' he added. He also denounced recent occurrences in the United States, particularly a pro-Pakistan event that took place in Dallas, Texas, on May 23. Hussain mentioned that the Pakistani Consul General in Houston, Aftab Chaudhry, showcased a video at the event depicting Altaf Hussain and the MQM as Indian agents, a claim the MQM leader argues is part of a wider disinformation strategy designed to undermine the Muhajir cause. Hussain expressed that Muhajirs have been rendered voiceless and powerless in Pakistan. He urged PM Modi to highlight the struggles of the Muhajirs at international platforms and to collaborate with global human rights organisations to ensure their safety, dignity, and fundamental rights. 'The Muhajirs are unarmed and endure dire living conditions. For over 61 years, they have faced repeated cycles of economic hardship and physical destruction. Their plight can no longer be ignored,' he said. (ANI)
News18
18-05-2025
- Politics
- News18
State-Engineered Repression Of Urdu-Speaking Muhajirs Who Left India In Search Of Dreamland Called Pakistan
Last Updated: What began as political marginalisation has evolved into a state-sponsored campaign of violence, exclusion, and erasure In a nation supposedly created as a homeland for Ashraf Muslims, the very architects of Pakistan – the Urdu-speaking Muhajirs – have become its most persecuted and abandoned minority. What began as political marginalisation has evolved into a state-sponsored campaign of violence, exclusion, and erasure. Nowhere is this more brutally evident than in the military police crackdown during the infamous 1992 'Operation Clean-Up', which left thousands dead and millions terrified. Cities like Karachi and Hyderabad were effectively turned into open-air prisons for an entire ethnic community. FROM FOUNDERS TO TARGETS The Urdu-speaking Ashraf Muslims who migrated from India to Pakistan during the 1947 Partition – collectively known as Muhajirs – were instrumental in building the foundations of the Pakistani state. They led the bureaucracy, judiciary, media, and education sectors in the country's early decades. Yet, as political power became centralised in the hands of the Punjabi military elite and Sindhi political class, the Muhajirs found themselves increasingly sidelined. The emergence of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) in the 1980s was not an act of terrorism, as the state portrayed – it was a political reaction to systematic exclusion, land and job discrimination, and ethnic profiling. Today, nearly 16 million Muhajirs – approximately 7.6 per cent of Pakistan's population – reside in urban Sindh. Yet, they remain politically voiceless, economically deprived, and culturally vilified. The repression of Muhajirs reached a gruesome climax in June 1992, when Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's administration, under military command, launched Operation Clean-Up. Ostensibly a campaign against crime, this operation rapidly mutated into a genocidal mission targeting MQM sympathisers and the broader Urdu-speaking populace. According to reports by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, between 2,000 and 3,000 Muhajirs were killed in 1992 alone. Over the next seven years, the total number of those killed, disappeared, or tortured exceeded 10,000. Mass graves were discovered on the outskirts of Karachi. Once-thriving neighborhoods like Orangi Town, Liaquatabad, and Latifabad in Hyderabad turned into war zones. Children were abducted. Women were assaulted. Entire families were burned alive in raids carried out under the silent watch – or direct participation – of state forces. Torture cells operated from Rangers' headquarters, local police stations, and unofficial military dungeons. Meanwhile, Pakistan's judiciary remained disturbingly silent – effectively complicit in this slow, systematic genocide. NASEERULLAH BABAR: THE BUTCHER OF KARACHI The name Naseerullah Babar still sends shivers down the spine of many Muhajirs. As interior minister during Benazir Bhutto's second tenure (1993 to 1996), he led what he chillingly referred to as a 'cleansing" of Karachi. Babar issued shoot-on-sight orders, granting blanket authority to security forces to kill on suspicion – no trial, warrants, or accountability. Babar had famously declared: 'We will clean Karachi at any cost.' That cost was paid with the lives of innocent Urdu-speaking civilians. Reports from the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) from that time documented widespread enforced disappearances, extrajudicial executions, and institutionalised torture – all carried out under the watch of Babar's interior ministry. Instead of being held accountable, he was celebrated as a national hero. Among Babar's enforcers was Chaudhry Aslam, a so-called 'encounter specialist", who functioned more like a death squad leader than a law enforcer. Under the guise of anti-terror operations, Aslam became infamous for extrajudicial killings, particularly of young Muhajir men. More than 100 deaths are attributed to his unit – many in staged shootouts or during custody. Human rights organisations like HRCP and Amnesty International repeatedly flagged his operations, citing enforced disappearances and custodial torture. Yet, Aslam was never punished. Instead, he was awarded medals – another chilling example of how Pakistan's deep state rewards impunity. The Pakistani state didn't limit its war on Muhajirs to police and military operations; it also outsourced violence to criminal gangs. Zeeshan Qadri, linked to the 2012 Baldia factory fire that killed 258 workers – most of them Muhajirs – operated under the political protection of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). Similarly, Bahadur Shah, a notorious gangster from Lyari, carried out deadly attacks on MQM strongholds using grenades and automatic weapons – often with logistical and intelligence support from the state. While the MQM was relentlessly demonised as a terrorist group, the state itself armed criminal militias responsible for killing Urdu-speaking civilians. This calculated hypocrisy laid bare the ethnic and political motives behind the violence. MASSACRES THAT STILL HAUNT Long before Operation Clean-Up, the warning signs were there. In 1986, during the Qasba-Aligarh massacre, more than 300 Muhajirs were slaughtered by ethnic mobs while law enforcement watched passively. In 1992, dozens of mourners at a funeral in Khajji Ground were gunned down in broad daylight. These were not spontaneous riots. They were planned massacres – part of a broader strategy to terrorise, silence, and ultimately erase a community. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, the Pakistani media – under the thumb of the military and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) – imposed a near-total blackout on Muhajir persecution. Journalists who tried to expose the truth were exiled, intimidated, or killed. The MQM was framed as an Indian proxy, and Muhajirs were branded as traitors – justifying the bloodbath in the name of national security. Even in the digital age, censorship continues. In 2023 alone, more than 1,200 social media accounts were suspended for raising concerns about Muhajir disappearances or criticising the military. The Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act has become a digital blasphemy law – used not to protect citizens, but to criminalise truth-telling. THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES: 2025 AND BEYOND Despite claims of democratic progress, the systematic repression of Muhajirs continues in 2025. The 2024 general elections saw blatant gerrymandering of Karachi's constituencies to dilute the Muhajir vote. Enforced disappearances remain common. According to the HRCP's 2023 report, at least 44 Urdu-speaking political workers were abducted in Karachi that year alone. None have returned. Economically, Muhajirs remain excluded from civil services, police forces, and government jobs. Despite Karachi contributing over 20 per cent of Pakistan's gross domestic product (GDP), its Muhajir-majority neighbourhoods face chronic power outages, crumbling infrastructure, and relentless police brutality. GLOBAL SILENCE, NATIONAL HYPOCRISY While Pakistan continues to posture as a champion of global Muslim causes – from Kashmir to Palestine – it has waged a decades-long war against its own citizens. The silence of the international human rights community is deafening. No tribunal has investigated the 1992 atrocities. No court has indicted the generals, ministers, or encounter specialists behind this genocide. This is not just a domestic failure, it is an international disgrace. A HUMAN APPEAL FOR JUSTICE As a human being, and as someone who believes in justice, I say this: Muhajirs do not seek revenge. Muhajirs seek acknowledgement. They demand truth, accountability, and dignity. Those responsible for the 1992 massacres must be named and prosecuted. The disappeared must be brought home. The media blackout must end. And Pakistan must confront the truth of what it has done. top videos View all Until the state reckons with its crimes against Muhajirs, it cannot truly be called a democracy. It will remain, in essence, a militarised ethnic state built not on unity, faith, and discipline, but on blood, silence, and impunity. (Shariq Adeeb Ansari is the national working president of the All India Pasmanda Muslim Mahaz. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18's views) tags : Islam Muslims religion Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: May 18, 2025, 07:00 IST News opinion Opinion | State-Engineered Repression Of Urdu-Speaking Muhajirs Who Left India In Search Of Dreamland Called Pakistan
India.com
05-05-2025
- Politics
- India.com
Understanding Pakistan's Provinces and Disputed Territories
(File) Pakistan comprises four main provinces—Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), and Balochistan—along with two disputed regions, Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), which India claims as its own territories. Each region has its unique demographics, cultures, and challenges. A recurring theme across these regions is the perception of Punjab's dominance in political and resource allocation matters. Below is a detailed breakdown of each province and disputed territory, including their population (as per the 2023 census), area, ethnic composition, key issues, and grievances, particularly concerning Punjab's influence. 1. Punjab: The Powerhouse Capital : Lahore : Lahore Population : 127,688,922 (2023) : 127,688,922 (2023) Area : 205,344 km² : 205,344 km² Ethnicity : Predominantly Punjabis (~45% of Pakistan's population), primarily Muslim. Minorities include Christians and a small number of Sikhs. Saraikis and Muhajirs also live here. : Predominantly Punjabis (~45% of Pakistan's population), primarily Muslim. Minorities include Christians and a small number of Sikhs. Saraikis and Muhajirs also live here. Key Issues : While Punjab is Pakistan's most developed province, southern regions like Bahawalpur and Dera Ghazi Khan feel neglected, citing disparities in infrastructure and public services. : While Punjab is Pakistan's most developed province, southern regions like Bahawalpur and Dera Ghazi Khan feel neglected, citing disparities in infrastructure and public services. Grievances: Other provinces perceive Punjab as monopolizing political power and resources, leading to calls for more equitable distribution and even the creation of a separate South Punjab province. 2. Sindh: The Financial Hub Capital : Karachi : Karachi Population : 55,696,147 (2023) : 55,696,147 (2023) Area : 140,914 km² : 140,914 km² Ethnicity : Sindhis (~14% of Pakistan's population), Muhajirs (Urdu-speaking migrants), Pashtuns, Balochs. Small Hindu and Christian communities. : Sindhis (~14% of Pakistan's population), Muhajirs (Urdu-speaking migrants), Pashtuns, Balochs. Small Hindu and Christian communities. Key Issues : Karachi, the economic center, faces challenges like urban overcrowding and infrastructure deficits. Rural Sindh struggles with poverty and inadequate public services. : Karachi, the economic center, faces challenges like urban overcrowding and infrastructure deficits. Rural Sindh struggles with poverty and inadequate public services. Grievances: Sindhis often accuse Punjab of overexploiting the Indus River's water resources, adversely affecting agriculture in Sindh. 3. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK): The Frontier Capital : Peshawar : Peshawar Population : 40,856,097 (2023) : 40,856,097 (2023) Area : 101,741 km² : 101,741 km² Ethnicity : Predominantly Pashtuns (~15% of Pakistan's population), with minorities including Hindkowans. : Predominantly Pashtuns (~15% of Pakistan's population), with minorities including Hindkowans. Key Issues : KPK faces security challenges due to its proximity to Afghanistan, along with economic underdevelopment and limited access to quality education and healthcare. : KPK faces security challenges due to its proximity to Afghanistan, along with economic underdevelopment and limited access to quality education and healthcare. Grievances: Residents feel marginalized in national decision-making and believe that Punjab receives a disproportionate share of national resources. 4. Balochistan: The Resource-Rich Outcast Capital : Quetta : Quetta Population : 14,894,402 (2023) : 14,894,402 (2023) Area : 347,190 km² : 347,190 km² Ethnicity : Balochs (~5% of Pakistan's population), Brahuis, and Pashtuns. : Balochs (~5% of Pakistan's population), Brahuis, and Pashtuns. Key Issues : Despite being rich in natural resources like gas and minerals, Balochistan remains underdeveloped, with poor infrastructure and limited access to basic services. : Despite being rich in natural resources like gas and minerals, Balochistan remains underdeveloped, with poor infrastructure and limited access to basic services. Grievances: Balochs allege that Punjab exploits their resources without adequate compensation or investment in the province, fueling separatist sentiments. 5. Gilgit-Baltistan: India's Claimed Territory Capital : Gilgit : Gilgit Population : 1,492,924 (2017) : 1,492,924 (2017) Area : 72,971 km² : 72,971 km² Ethnicity : Diverse groups including Shina, Balti, and Burusho speakers, predominantly Muslim (Shia, Sunni, and Ismaili). : Diverse groups including Shina, Balti, and Burusho speakers, predominantly Muslim (Shia, Sunni, and Ismaili). Key Issues : The region lacks constitutional recognition and representation in Pakistan's national parliament, leading to political disenfranchisement. : The region lacks constitutional recognition and representation in Pakistan's national parliament, leading to political disenfranchisement. Grievances : Locals feel neglected in terms of development and infrastructure, with their resources being utilized without corresponding benefits. : Locals feel neglected in terms of development and infrastructure, with their resources being utilized without corresponding benefits. Note: India considers Gilgit-Baltistan an integral part of Jammu and Kashmir, illegally occupied by Pakistan since 1947. 6. Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK): India's Territory Capital : Muzaffarabad : Muzaffarabad Population : 4,045,366 (2017) : 4,045,366 (2017) Area : 13,297 km² : 13,297 km² Ethnicity : Primarily Kashmiri Muslims, with communities of Paharis and Gujjars. : Primarily Kashmiri Muslims, with communities of Paharis and Gujjars. Key Issues : The region faces economic challenges, limited political autonomy, and infrastructural deficits. : The region faces economic challenges, limited political autonomy, and infrastructural deficits. Grievances : Residents express dissatisfaction with the lack of genuine self-governance and allege exploitation by the central authorities. : Residents express dissatisfaction with the lack of genuine self-governance and allege exploitation by the central authorities. Note: India asserts that PoJK is an integral part of its territory, illegally occupied by Pakistan. Why the Anger Against Punjab? Punjab's significant population and economic clout translate into substantial political influence. This dominance often leads to perceptions of unequal resource distribution, marginalization of smaller provinces, and centralized decision-making, fueling regional grievances and calls for greater autonomy. Looking Forward Addressing these regional disparities requires a commitment to equitable resource distribution, inclusive governance, and genuine federalism. Recognizing and respecting the unique identities and needs of each province and territory is essential for Pakistan's unity and stability. ——E.O.M ( The author Girish Linganna of this article is an award-winning Science Writer and a Defence, Aerospace & Political Analyst based in Bengaluru. He is also Director of ADD Engineering Components, India, Pvt. Ltd, a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany. You can reach him at: girishlinganna@ )
The Print
28-04-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Nishikant to Himanta, BJP leaders back ‘free Balochistan, split Pakistan' after Pahalgam attack
On 24 April, two days after the Pahalgam attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking at an election rally in Bihar, vowed that the punishment for the attack would be 'beyond the imagination' of the terrorists. 'Today, from the soil of Bihar, I say to the whole world—India will identify, track, and punish every terrorist and their backers. We will pursue them to the ends of the Earth.' Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said Balochistan will 'become a new nation', while BJP MP Nishikant Dubey also spoke of supporting a separate Balochistan. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has likewise voiced support for the Baloch freedom movement. New Delhi: As the Union government explores several military options in response to the Pahalgam terror attack following initial diplomatic measures, multiple BJP leaders have indicated that India's response may focus on supporting the cause of Balochistan's independence, similar to how Indira Gandhi aided the creation of Bangladesh in 1971 by supporting freedom fighters in then-east Pakistan. Since then, the Union government has already used diplomatic action by downsizing the diplomatic mission, stopping visas, closing the Atari border, and putting the Indus Waters Treaty on hold. In that time, many BJP leaders have supported the cause of the Balochistan rebels openly. Also Read: In touch with both India & Pakistan, US calls for 'responsible' solution after Pahalgam attack BJP leaders back Baloch movement On Sunday, Goa CM Sawant declared that 'Pakistan is on the verge of a split, and Balochistan will be a new nation'. Addressing BJP workers Sunday in Panaji, Sawant said, 'Bharat was one country. After it was divided, India and Pakistan were formed. In 1971, Pakistan was divided into two countries and a new country of Bangladesh was born. Again, a new country called Balochistan is likely to be born.' Sawant is not the only one. MP Nishikant Dubey was the first BJP leader to declare that 'Balochistan will be formed and Pakistan will be divided into pieces' soon after the terror attack. Following PM's speech in Bihar, on 24 April, in a post on X, the BJP MP said, 'Now Pakistan will be divided into pieces. You can assume that a separate Balochistan will also be formed.' Referring to Pashtun independence activist Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, he added, 'The Pakhtunistan of Simant Gandhi's dream will be formed. Sindh is already separate because of the Muhajirs. A ruined Pakistan will look annihilated.' 56 इंच के चौड़े सीने के साथ माननीय प्रधानमंत्री मोदी जी को मैंने आज बिहार में शिव तांडव की मुद्रा में देखा, अब पाकिस्तान के टुकड़े होंगे, मानकर चलिए अलग बलूचिस्तान भी बनेगा, सीमांत गांधी जी के सपनों का पख़्तूनिस्तान भी बनेगा, सिंध तो मुहाजिर के कारण अलग है ही। बर्बाद पाकिस्तान… — Dr Nishikant Dubey (@nishikant_dubey) April 24, 2025 A day after his first post, Dubey shared a video of Baloch activist Naela Quadri Baloch. While sharing the video on X, Dubey wrote, 'India is the mother of Pakistanis, said exiled Prime Minister of Balochistan Nayyal Qadri. We will kill the blood-sucking Pakistanis by cutting off their water supply and torturing them. The Prime Minister's 56-inch chest will destroy Pakistan.' In a third post on Balochistan, posted the same day, Dubey shared a post claiming Baloch Army fighters had eliminated 10 personnel of the Pakistan Army in a remote-controlled IED attack in a market in a suburb of Quetta. Dubey wrote, 'The Balochis finished off the Pakistan Army. Pakistan will now be torn into pieces like our tukde-tukde gang, 56 inch.' Meanwhile, Assam CM Sarma in a post on X Sunday, while expressing solidarity with the Baloch freedom struggle, said, 'Today, the Balochistan movement stands as a symbol of an indigenous people's enduring aspiration for dignity, rights, and control over their own destiny — a struggle marked by immense sacrifice, resilience, and an unbroken spirit for freedom.' The Balochistan freedom movement traces its roots to the tumultuous events of 1947–1948, when the princely state of Kalat, representing much of what is today Balochistan, sought to maintain its sovereignty after the end of British colonial rule. Despite initial negotiations for… — Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) April 27, 2025 Not the first time This is not the first time the Indian government has referenced the Balochistan freedom cause as a means of deterrence against Pakistan's state-sponsored terrorism policy targeting India. In 2016, PM Modi created a diplomatic flutter after he referenced the people of Balochistan in his Independence Day speech. This was widely seen as a shift in India's foreign policy—openly supporting the Baloch freedom struggle as a counterbalance to Pakistan's interference in Kashmir. In his speech, Modi accused Pakistan of glorifying terrorism, referring to a Taliban attack on a school in Peshawar in 2014 in which more than 130 children were killed. 'On the other side, terrorism is being glorified. When innocent people are killed in terrorist attacks, there are celebrations. How governments are formed through inspiration of terrorism. The world will understand this difference clearly,' PM Modi said. He then said he wanted to 'greet and express my thanks to some people, adding that the 'people of Balochistan, Gilgit, and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir have thanked me, have expressed gratitude, and expressed good wishes for me.' That year, the Indian government was grappling with unrest in Kashmir following the death of militant Burhan Wani in a gunfight with security forces. Then-Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif called Wani a 'martyr' of the Kashmir cause. A day before Modi's Independence Day speech, Sharif and Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit dedicated their 70th Independence Day to the 'freedom of Kashmir from Indian rule'. Soon after Modi's speech, Pakistan's foreign affairs adviser Sartaj Aziz accused India of meddling in Pakistan's internal affairs. He said, 'PM Modi's reference to Balochistan, which is an integral part of Pakistan, only proves Pakistan's contention that India, through its intelligence agency RAW, has been fomenting terrorism in Balochistan.' Balochistan, Pakistan's largest province, shares borders with Afghanistan and Iran. It is rich in minerals and fuel resources and hosts the deep-water port of Gwadar—a key component of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and China's Belt and Road Initiative. China has a significant presence in Balochistan. A day after the Pahalgam attack, Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif brought up the Balochistan issue. He alleged, 'Whatever is happening in Balochistan, India has a hand in it, it is their patronage—whether they are doing it sitting in Afghanistan or somewhere else. But there is a long history of India's patronage wherever terrorist attacks are taking place inside Pakistan.' Just last month, militants from the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) ambushed the Jaffar Express carrying 440 passengers on March 11, killing 21 passengers and four paramilitary personnel. Following the attack, Pakistan's Army Chief had to reassure foreign investors that Pakistan would provide robust security to protect their interests. 'Long-term deterrence' Many BJP leaders admit that this is the 'right situation' for India to establish long-term deterrence by supporting Baloch rebels and increasing the pressure on Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and army. This, particularly at a time when Pakistan is fighting multiple domestic crises. However, they acknowledge that this decision involves multiple considerations and must be viewed holistically by the government, especially on whether to support rebels directly or through covert means. Jagannath Sarkar, BJP MP and member of the standing committee on defence, said, 'Supporting Balochistan rebels in their freedom struggle is one of the steps the government should explore. The Indian government can take a tit-for-tat response by intervening in Balochistan. It will serve as a long-term deterrent against Pakistan.' Another BJP MP from the standing committee, Rajiv Bhardwaj, told ThePrint, 'The entire country is behind PM Modi. Now it's up to the Prime Minister and the defence minister to decide the appropriate response after consulting the chiefs of the armed forces.' However, many security experts warn that such a move could escalate into full-scale war. They argue that India must clearly define its political objectives before directly confronting Pakistan over Balochistan, especially given China's strategic interests in the region. Direct intervention by India could open another front with Beijing. Former Army Chief General V.P. Malik told ThePrint, 'India will have to use every possible method to punish Pakistan, whether overt or covert.' (Edited by Sanya Mathur) Also Read: Pakistani media is in denial mode on Pahalgam, busy correcting Indian TV anchors' Urdu
