The lukewarm charter

Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur

Balanced civil-military relations are essential for the success of not only a state, but also of any society or civilization. Whenever and wherever the military has gained predominance and influence disproportionate to its real value and usefulness; there the inexorable and inevitable rot has set in, leading to eventual degeneration, downfall and disintegration of that entity. This is exactly what we see unfolding here. The predominance of the military here has been the core problem but it has never ever even been examined, let alone challenged.

The military here has not only acquired enormous economic, political and social supremacy but has also institutionalized it, and therein lies the problem. It no longer considers the power, pelf and privileges it enjoys as a favour from the nation, but considers it an inheritance which is non-negotiable. It has gradually increased its influence and involvement in affairs of state and become the sole repository of political, social and economic power.

Dec 26: Shaheed Abdul Rahim Zardkoohi

Dec 25: Shaheed Nawab Nouroze Khan

David and Goliath

Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur

The title of this piece risks inviting the ire of our overly sensitive ruling elite, who hate being compared with anything that is not heroic and glorious. I find myself hard-pressed to find a more suitable title when an overwhelmingly superior force is pitted against a small but resolute group of people demanding rights over their resources and a life with dignity.

Quite recently, General Musharraf had said that these weren’t the seventies and the Baloch nationalists wouldn’t even know what hit them. Though in bad taste, it was true; military technology has progressed by leaps and bounds because the world can only be dominated through the barrel of the gun. Weapons development has always been the basic tenet of faith for the oppressors.

Dec 20: Battle of Noodaz Fort

Dec 20: Shaheed Shafi Baloch

Click to download the Book (in PDF)

Click to download the Book (in PDF)

Dec 16: Malik Mohammad Panah

Dec 14 : Abdul Karim Shorish

Fixing up

Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur

Force has been called ‘the midwife of history’ by Marx; this ‘midwife’ however needs to be used judiciously in resolution of conflicts because time and again it has not only proved useless and dangerous for the users but also destructive for them. Yet, they never desist from its use.

Probably an intrinsic flaw in the psyche of the powerful pushes them inexorably towards seeking solutions based on use of force. Resolution of contradictions by force becomes second nature for them, simply because they have very easy access to overwhelming force which they can and do use indiscriminately on the flimsiest of pretexts, the basic principle in their creed being arbitrary ‘fixing up’.

Dec 10: Shaheed Faisal Baloch