“Strange Fruit” is a song which has always inspired me, it has made me cry, it has motivated me, it has aroused passion in me, and it has made me experience sorrow and grief all at the same times. Result is that it has become a strong inspiration for me. Sung by the legendary Billie Holiday based on the lyrics of a Jewish school teacher who was member of American Communist Party, the song is one of the strongest Artistic protests against Racism and Fascism. The bodies of young Negro lads hanging on tress after being lynched by God fearing, patriotic white Americans became allegorical symbols for poetic expression as “strange fruits”.
Taliban Justice, Pakhtunkhuawa
It’s not just a piece of music, or a piece of history which gives liberals kick thinking romantically of the “struggle” and than being grateful to American democracy which has defeated racism. The song and what it represents is some thing greater. When these crimes were being committed people were silent. Those were killing blacks were ordinary people church going people who thought they were doing a service to community. It was all being done in the name America, its values, and its national interest. When Abel Meeropol wrote the lyrics, he used a pseudonym Lewis Allan. Billie Holiday who sung it had to face persecution. Columbia refused to record this song. But these people persisted. They had to defy their country’s law and perceived interest to bring change. They dissented, they resisted and they protested.
Pakistani society is slowly giving in to Fascism. Our intellectuals are so obsessed with state and its interest that they are blind to the crimes being committed. In 71 they remained silent on Bengali Genocide. I have written about this before as well, here. All this was in the name of “national interest”. Now Baluchistan is the “scotoma” in Pakistani consciousness. Pakistan’s colonialism in Baluchistan is reaching its final oppressive stages. The case of Zarrina Murree was still fresh and no outrage was noticed in public opinion and now young student activist Qambar Baluch has gone “missing”. Malik Siraj Akbar of Daily times says here:
“There are confirmed reports that Qambar Baloch, a student of the 8th semester in Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) department at the Balochistan University of Information Technology and Management Sciences (BUITMS), has gone ‘missing’. He ‘disappeared’ on 12 February from Quetta city where he had been invited by some officials ‘to come for investigations’. Bold enough to face his investigators, Qambar had fixed the district compound area for the meeting with the ‘unidentified caller’ where he would meet him. Since then no one knows about his whereabouts.”
Qambar Baluch, Missing
Unspeakable crimes are being done in Baluchistan, extra judicial killings, torture, dispossession of whole population, a slow genocide of a sort but no news comes in the media. The simple sleeping pill our intellectuals have is “RAW” being involved in Baluchistan. With this Pakistani state gets right to do any thing it wants and no one will say a thing. Our collective “Big Bad India Syndrome”. Baluch anger is now out of control. The Nationalist, whom Pakistani establishment has been suppressing since day 1 and who despite that have remained pro Pakistan are now becoming irrelevant in front of angry young Baluch who are now fighting for “freedom”. A clear “Post nationalist” turn is visible in Baluch resistance. Unlike Baluch nationalists who were Marxists, Socialists and modernists. The post nationalist resistance is racist, violent and increasingly adopting International terrorist paradigm. This type of terrorism was virtually unheard of in Left wing military insurgencies. John Solecki’s kidnapping clearly indicating the influence of tactics of Al Qaida . Even more disturbing explanation could be that a part of Baluch
John Solecki , kidnapped
resistance has been infiltrated by Pakistani agencies that have long track record of this kind of terrorism in collaboration with Islamists. Baluchistan is a Bengal in making and Pakistani intellectuals and liberals are once again guilty of silence.
President Zardari today spoke about a “Taliban Take over” this too falls on deaf ears, though he himself is contributing to threat of Fascism by refusing to distance himself from imperialism. Islamic Fascism can never be defeated by USA’s war on terror which as empirical proof suggest has only helped increase it. Ahmad Rashid’s seminal work “Descent in chaos” explains it brilliantly as how United States policy is only causing “failed states”. Taliban’s reign of terror is continuing but it because the theory of “strategic depth” remains in place: Pakistani state keeping its links with groups and playing them against each other. All the networks and infrastructure remains intact. In the state of despair I listen to “Strange Fruit”. I want to believe Faiz Ahmad Faiz but I am loosing hope
Aatay Aatay yun hi dum bhar ku rukki hogi bahar
Jaatay Jaatay yun hi pal bhar ku khizan theri he
(If Autumn is here could Spring be far away?)
STRANGE FRUIT
Southern trees bear a strange fruit
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root
Black body swinging in the southern breeze
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees
Pastoral scene of the gallant south
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth
Scent of magnolia sweet and fresh
And the sudden smell of burning flesh!
Here is a fruit for the crows to pluck
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck
For the sun to rot, for a tree to drop
Here is a strange and bitter crop.
Sherryx's Weblog 
February 15, 2009 at 9:10 am
To me, the level of arrogance shown by the Pakistan Army side is amazing. As a particpant in the Baloch war for freedom, i can be racist, angry, and violent. I have a right to be so. But why is the Pak Army so?
I know most Pakis believe that Balochistan is not another Bengal. Why? because Baloch is much more weaker than Bangalis, in number, and in support. They belive that they already have won this war. Just a fw more to kill.
Our war also lost a lot of momentum, because of our stupid cease-fire, thinking that the enemy might show a little chivalry. But no, that wasn’t to be.
Now, we are deadlocked into do or die situation. Abducting Solecki is bad, but at times i wonder why not? why not more of this?
The lame British already declared us terrorists, so why not do some actual terrorising?
If we, the ones who demand freedom, are not killed within next one to two years, there won’t be many left who can speak nice about Pakistan.
February 15, 2009 at 11:08 am
I understand each and every word you say. I support Baluch cause fully. Even if Baluch nation state will not be what i think it should be, i will support it. My commentary is political because i dont think that non political terror will win Baluchs a homeland. You speak of Bengal. They had a political movement which was augmented by militancy at a crucial moment.The way for Baluch is not that of Bin Laden but one that was chosen by Mir Bazenjo etc. A progressive struggle and a clear programme.Time for Baluch leadership to give their agenda to Baluch people
February 15, 2009 at 11:23 am
Moreover my gut feeling is that its not Baluch resistance but our pals the ISI who it seems have infiltrated the resistance.
February 15, 2009 at 12:11 pm
Well, the ISI angle doesn’t really sit well with me on this one. I do think it is one of our boys, who saw an opportunity. It is clearly not linked to our main struggle, where we believe the military form should be given the top most priority at the moment. You might have noticed that there are almost no abductions, kidnappings etc in all these years of our war. Abductions is clearly not a preferred strategy, but i do see its benefits. Talibans have been using it real nice.
A military agenda is always a political one. Even through violence, our aims and goals are political. Aren’t the abductors of Mr. Solecki making a political statement? Look at their demands.
Please do remember that, dialogue and that sort of bullshit was always the first choice. It just doesn’t work. Our enemy isn’t really open to these ideas. So, it has to be an eye for an eye, which will, of course, leave us all blind.
By the way, how do you envision a Baloch nation state?
February 15, 2009 at 12:30 pm
Well i dont see Taliban with such admiration to follow their strategy. As i see it, these tactics have not helped Taliban. Taliban is not a resistance, its a fascist group. It doesnt believe in libertarian politics so it doesnt care about people, it can kill innocent people. It works with states, not with people.
If Baluch resistance want to choose states over people, they will get media attention and they will be feared, but they will never get public support. Just like Taliban they will be just a pawn in a great game.
My vision is a socialist subcontinent with socialist democratic republics which will solve nationalist questions of Baluch and Pashtun people. To solve Baluch national question . Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan all 3 countries must be willing to give up territory , capitalist nation states never do that, a socialist government is another story
February 15, 2009 at 2:22 pm
“It doesnt believe in libertarian politics so it doesnt care about people, it can kill innocent people.”
And not just the innocent people of the other side. Militant groups [and militant states] treat the lives of their own people as dispensable, to be sacrificed for the political causes.
February 15, 2009 at 6:16 pm
Great post, Sherry, as always.
Baloch: while you think that Solecki has been taken by one of your boys, what is the possibility that Taliban/Al Qaeda / ISI are behind this act of terror, in the guise of the Baloch organisation, to achieve more than one aims.
February 15, 2009 at 6:23 pm
Thanks Abdul. You are very kind.Thats what i am saying, very hard to tag the boys. Many of the OBL boys are also working for ISI.
They have a long history of infiltrating the Left wing Pakistani groups.
February 16, 2009 at 7:09 am
Well, obviously this is very much a possibility. But usually, i don’t go for conspiracy theories.
Today is the day the deadline is supposed to be over. We will see. Here are my predictions;
If it is us, Mr. Solecki won’t be killed. He will be freed, because we do belive in dramatic gestures like these. The issue was to higlhight the Baloch situation. That has been achieved. Rehman Malik is right when he says that the abductors’ deamands are unrealistic. It is really unrealistic to expect Pak Army to let Baloch women prisoners go.
If it is MI, then obviously, we will see Mr. Solecki butchered on camera, and the Baloch cause will have to live with the black mark on our foreheads.
I have to say that the Paki infiltration into our Armies are relatively very low. It is our polictial leadership that they has been bought or blackmailed into submission.
Sherry, How do you envision a Pakistani state without Balochistan? Will it have three provinces, will Pashtuns also opt for their original pre-50s status, etc?
Thanks.
February 16, 2009 at 8:06 am
Oops. We won’t be knowing Mr. Solecki’s fate today. Dealine has beene extended.
February 16, 2009 at 10:34 am
Well written Sherry!!Its an open secret of the conspiracies by the ISI and other security agencies whom have always performed the worst things for their interests.
Whom could forget the Bengali Genocide,whom can forget the killings of innocent people in All provincies generally and in Baluchistan particularly.Many more worst examples can be given and now the date instrument is for the pakistani security agencies is that first they breed,harbour and financied these all extremist elements in the society and after getting the job done they will kill them for their own interest and sake,Lal Mosque is an example and the so called Holy Jihad is another example.
February 16, 2009 at 3:53 pm
Thanks Harri for your wonderful comments. We need to keep reminding people of these sad facts.
February 16, 2009 at 3:57 pm
Baluch
It will never be a “Pakistani State” which will give Baluchs and Pashtum right of self determination. It will always be a revolution which will defeat this state and will re-form state, will give the right of self determination to those nationalities who want it. and for that all nationalities of Pakistan will have to launch a struggle based on “class unity”. The National question is ultimately linked with the class question. With class struggle a pro-people state is formed which than gives rights.
On it own Baluch resistance cannot get their land
February 17, 2009 at 3:57 pm
Qambar Baluch is released. we are very happy to hear this news and we hope all Baluch prisioners including Miss Zarina Murree will be released as well as Mr Solecki
http://gmcmissing.wordpress.com/2009/02/17/qambar-baloch-released
August 1, 2009 at 4:01 am
shoking news.
June 28, 2010 at 11:03 am
YOU ARE SHOCHING SO BEST
April 23, 2010 at 2:21 am
Scary..
June 28, 2010 at 10:57 am
I’M MUSILIM TALIBAN IS THE SOLIDER OF OUR RLIGION FEW NATIONES LIKE UAS TO CONTROL ALL MUSLIM CUONTRYES SO ALL MUSELIMES STAND AGINEST IT ALL BLEESS YOU