CSS Current Affairs | Sources of Funding for Insurgent Groups in Baluchistan
The following question of CSS Current Affairs is solved by Fatima Mushtaq under the supervision of Howfiv’s Pakistan Affairs and Current Affairs Coaches. She learnt how to attempt 20 marks question and essay writing from Sir Syed Kazim Ali, Pakistan’s best CSS and PMS English essay and precis teacher with the highest success rate of his students. This solved past paper question is attempted on the pattern taught by Sir to his students, scoring the highest marks in compulsory and optional subjects for years, and uploaded to help aspirants understand how to crack a topic or question, how to write relevantly, what coherence is, and how to include and connect ideas, opinions, and suggestions to score the maximum.
Outline
1-Introduction
2- Profile of Main Balouchistan’s Insurgent Groups in Pakistan
3- Importance of Funding for Insurgent Groups in Baluchistan.
4- Main Sources of Funding for Insurgent Groups in Baluchistan.
- ✓ Utilizing Criminal Activities
- ✓ Involving in Narcotics trafficking
- ✓ Funding through Charities Organizations
- ✓ Imposing Tax on Local People
- ✓ Funding from the Tribe’s head to achieve their motives
- ✓ Fundings from External Resources
- ✓ Providing Remittances by the Baloch Diaspora
- ✓ Transferring of capital under the guise of sectarianism conflicts
5-Critical Analysis
6-Conclusion
Answer to the Question
Introduction
Pakistan has faced terrorism for many decades. The rise in terrorism is due to the insurgency of myriad insurgent groups, mostly operating from Balochistan. Many terrorist organizations, such as the Baluch insurgent groups, such as Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), Baluchistan Liberation Front (BLF), Baloch Republican Army (BRA), United Baloch Army (UBA), and Lashkar-e-Baluchistan, have conducted terrorist attack across the country. To maintain their survival and to carry out their terrorist activities, they need funds. However, they have used multifaceted channels to collect funds for their terrorist activities, such as utilizing criminal activities, involving in narcotics trafficking, funding through charity Organizations, funding from external resources, and providing remittances by the Baloch’s diaspora. Hence, all these sources have supported these insurgent groups in Baluchistan
Profile of Main Balouchistan’s Insurgent Groups in Pakistan
Baluchistan has been entangled in the quagmire of insurgency for many decades. Economic graveness, sectarian conflicts, and regional power dynamics have fueled the insurgency in the province. However, there are myriads of insurgent groups that have gained their roots in the province, such as Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), Baluchistan Liberation Front (BLF), Baloch Republican Army (BRA), United Baloch Army (UBA), Lashkar-e- Baluchistan. Economic graveness, sectarian conflicts, and regional power dynamics have fueled the insurgency in the province. Balochistan Liberation Army, founded in 2002, is one of the most important militant groups that has carried out a number of attacks on security forces, infrastructure, and Chinese workers. The BLA’s Majeed Brigade, Azad Brigade, and Agha Mir Brigade are its offshoots. The BRA is involved in guerrilla warfare, which is linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. The UBA and the Lashkar-e-Baluchistan are involved in narcotics trafficking and extortion.
Importance of Funding for Insurgent Groups in Baluchistan
The importance of money for the operation of Insurgent groups has not been overlooked. They need financial support to maintain their survival and to carry out different activities. Rampant individual attacks need low-cost support; however, terrorist organizations need capital to recruit new members, inaugurate new camps and buy new weapons and communication devices. With the demand for food and shelter, they also need financial assistance for the families of suicide bombers and dead terrorists. According to the Terrorism Expert Hoffman, “Financial support is essential for the insurgent group to maintain their operational capabilities.” This highlights that funding for militant groups is considered the backbone for carrying out their operational activities.
Main Sources of Funding for Insurgent Groups in Baluchistan.
Baloch insurgent groups have used different sources to fund themselves on the landscape of Pakistan. Persistently, they changed their means of financial sources to maintain their easiness and safety. Their main motive is to maximize their wealth, showing their dependency on multiple sources through their internal and external sources.
- Utilizing Criminal Activities
Using different criminal activities has generated revenue for Baluchistan’s insurgent groups. In this regard, they used different tactics, such as kidnapping and extortion. According to the interior minister of Pakistan, in 2020, “500 cases of extortion and kidnapping have been recorded in Baluchistan, along with the estimated ransom payments of five to ten million dollars.” This shows that insurgent groups are involved in illegal activities to make money for themselves. Hence, insurgent groups have performed illegal means to gain their funds.
- Involving in Narcotics trafficking
Involvement in narcotics trafficking has helped Baluchistan’s insurgent groups to collect funds for themselves. They smuggle timber, antiquities, metals and non-renewable resources, such as oil, gas, and coal. Moreover, they deal in heroin and opium with their tribals in Afghanistan. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) 2019, “40 per cent of opium smuggled from Afghanistan through the Balochistan channel.” This highlights that Insurgent groups are involved in narcotics trafficking. Therefore, narcotics trafficking has assisted the insurgent groups in generating their capital.
- Funding through Charities Organizations
Charities organizations have swelled the coffer of the militant groups of Balochistan. There are multiple organizations that provide funding to different militant groups. For instance, Al-Furqan Foundation Welfare Trust and Al-Rahmah Welfare Organization (RWO) are the two Pakistan-based proscribed charitable Organizations that have worked under the guise of philanthropy, providing funds to Taliban, Balouch separatists and other militant outfits in the country. This depicts that charity organizations are involved in rendering assistance to militant groups in Balochistan. Thus, separatist groups in Balochistan have received their revenues through charitable entities.
- Imposing Tax on Local People
Imposing taxes on local people has paved another way for accumulating capital for the separatist group in the province. Based on religion, charity and training, they are plundering the local people of the province. According to the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS), 2019, “Local people support insurgent groups through taxes, which has an estimated revenue of up to five million.” This shows that local people have supported the insurgent groups through tax channels. Hence, taxes on the local people of the province supported the separatist group in creating their wealth.
- Funding from the Tribe’s head to achieve their motives
Tribes’ heads allocate the funds to the separatist groups to support their motives. Ambition of tribes’ masters to keep their dominancy over common people, funding militants to gain political patronage in the province. For instance, the Bugti Tribe supports the Balochistan Liberation Army, the Marri Tribe supports the Balochistan Liberation Front, and the Mengal Tribe supports the Balochistan Republican Army. This explains that tribes also help the militant groups in the province. Therefore, funding from tribes’ heads has paved the way for financial assistance of insurgent groups.
- Fundings from External Resources
Funding from external resources has contributed to fulfilling the strong separatist groups in the province. Both India and Afghanistan’s intelligence agencies, such as RAW and NDU, are involved in funding separatist groups, transferring money with the help of multiple legal firms and informal monetary transactions, such as Hawala and Hundi. In a press conference, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Pakistan military spokesman Major General Babar Iftikhar, 2020 has claimed that India had so far distributed Rs.22 billion among the terrorist groups.” This highlights that India has backed the militant groups in the province through legal and illegal transactions. Thus, external funding has funded separatist groups in Baluchistan in the province.
- Providing Remittances by the Baloch’s Diaspora
Baloch’s diaspora has provided remittances to the militant groups in the provinces. These people who live outside of the country are the puppets of Western countries, spreading propaganda against Pakistan. For this purpose, they assist the separatist groups to destabilize the country. According to the Institute for Strategic Studies Research and Analysis, 2019, “30 per cent of Baloch diaspora in Europe and North America supports insurgent groups financially. This decodes that the diaspora has helped the militant groups through remittances and Hundi. Hence, Baloch’s diaspora has also financially backed the separatist group in the province.
- Transferring of capital under the guise of sectarianism conflicts
Sectarianism conflicts in the provinces have locked the separatist groups financially. Middle East rivals such as Saudi Arabia and Iran have backed the Sunni-Shia conflict in the country, especially in Balochistan. Saudia was a staunch supporter of the Deoband School, while Iran supported the Shai school of thought. To support their ideologies, they funded different separatist groups to promote their agendas in the province under the mask of religious support. For instance, Saudia has funded 7 billion dollars to madrassas to promote Sunni ideology in the country. Especially in Baluchistan. This shows that the Saudi-Iran conflict has funded militant groups in the province. Therefore, sectarian conflicts have helped the militant groups in the province.
Critical Analysis
Terrorism has encompassed the whole country. The seed of terrorism that has sown during President Zia’s era has caused devastating impacts on the landscape of Pakistan. Different militant groups participated in terrorist activities across the country; however, Balouch insurgents were active in conducting attacks on forces, civilians, and Chinese workers. This reason is that many organizations, tribal masters, local people, and foreign countries have backed them, providing millions of dollars to destabilize Pakistan. Currently, they have again bolstered their roots and conducted attacks on civilians, especially Punjabi people. For example, there was an attack on buses in the Baluchistan incident. This shows that these militants are active, hurting the sentiments of the state. Hence, militant groups of Balochistan are involved in fueling terrorist activities in the country.
Conclusion
Baloch militant groups have fostered a terrorist environment in the country. They are involved in illegal activities because they have received millions of dollars in their vaults by utilizing criminal activities, involved in narcotics trafficking, funding through charity organizations and external resources, and receiving remittances from the Baloch diaspora. This explains that making money through illegal channels and foreign resources has become the practice of routine life. In this regard, they have conducted thousands of attacks on innocent civilians, Chinese workers, forces, and military installations in the country. Therefore, the militant groups of Balochistan are the main culprits of the sorry state of their province and country, pursuing their own financial interests.
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