Let’s not blur the lines between Activism and Terrorism

Taking lead from the current trend in the country, LUMS – Lahore University of Management Sciences’s Professor invited the so-called human rights activist Mr. Abdul Qadeer Reki, commonly known amongst the masses as “Mama Qadeer” in the seminar held in Islamabad on 9^th April, 2015. Other members in the panel included Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur, Aasim Sajjad Akhtar, Sajjad Changezi, editor of “Daily Times” Rashid Rahman, and Farzana Majeed. Mama Qadeer, who is himself chairman of VMBP (Voice for Baloch Missing Persons) claims that his son, Jalil Reki was killed by the agencies of Pakistan, and has since surmounted much popularity and support from the separatist and anti-state groups of the country. As a matter of fact, Jalil Reki was not killed by the agencies; instead he was killed in one of the fights between Baloch tribes’ coalition Amann Lashkar and BRA ( Balochistan Republic Army) .

Jalil was a member of BRP (Balochistan Republic Party), a separatist organization who claimed responsibility for the bombing and destruction of the country’s national heritage site, Ziarat Residency in Quetta, besides being a part of other illegal and terrorist involvements.

Similarly, Mama Qadeer’s own past is quite disreputable. Qadeer used to work in UBL (United Bank Limited) in Quetta. He was fired by UBL, due to his fraudulence activities. Henceforth, Mama Qadeer has been involved in speaking out against the law-enforcing agencies of the country. He claims that Pakistan’s military is behind the killing of numerous innocent people, termed as ‘Missing Persons’ by the VMBP organization. These missing persons in reality are trained insurgents, specially trained in specific places of Afghanistan and India to fuel cross-border terrorism in Pakistan.

With such a colorful background and anti-Pakistan motives, the government did right to cancel Mama Qadeer’s seminar. However, there has been much frenzy about the topic, most of which was created in support of Mama Qadeer. Interestingly, the cancellation of 9^th April’s event is being termed as an anti-Balochistan move, ironically, for a person who even though calls himself a Balochi but does not believe in Balochistan being a part of Pakistan!

How is then silencing him because of his potent anti-state? Balochistan is a land laden with history of patriots, sacrifices, injustices even and for a past few years a nexus for geo-political turmoil. Balochis, a vast majority of them, are patriotic people, whose ancestors envisioned a united Pakistan, full of opportunities for the region’s youth. However, many of the region’s landlords have made sure to give the province a fate which is otherwise. It is important to be noted that such separatist and terrorist organizations do NOT represent the sentiments of Balochs. Whoever does wrong must be brought to justice, but thankfully, the nation’s people are not so naïve so as to believe every so-called human rights activist who spews negativity against the country’s very own guardians and upholders of justice as the culprits behind the terrorist war of the country, when the facts, documented incidents and proofs all say so otherwise. Sorry Mr. Qadeer but you can’t fool the nation’s youth any more, at least not all of them, because there is a difference between activism and championing terrorism, and you, with your own personal history, affiliations and financing, side with the latter! In the end i am utterly amazed by such an unwise and unpatriotic initiative by LUMS (Lahore University of Management Sciences). Such a blunder was never expected from an educational institute of such stature and repute.