Passing out parade of Baloch recruits held in Quetta

[air marshal]

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Passing out parade of Baloch recruits held in Quetta

QUETTA, Dec 30 (APP) - Passing out parade of Baloch recruits was held at EMC center Quetta Cantonment on Friday.

Chief Logistic Staff Lieutenant General Abid Pervez was the chief guest while a large number of civil and military officials were also present on the occasion.

CLS, Lieutenant General Abid Pervez addressing the ceremony reiterated that Pak Army was committed to induct maximum youth from the Balochistan in the armed forces of the country.

“About 5000 youth from Balochistan had been recruited in the Army during the prevailing year,” he said adding Army in collaboration with Balochistan government is committed to play its role in the development of the province.

He said training classes in Balochistan Institute of Technical Education (BITE), renovation, construction of damaged health and education structures in flood-stricken areas, setting up Quetta medical institutes and work on the Kasa Marbel projects are some of major steps taken by Army for development in Balochistan.

Lt General lauded dedication of Baloch youth during training session and said Balochistan is rich in talent and efforts afoot to bring them on par with students of other provinces.

Earlier, he gave away prizes among the passed out recruits for their distinction during the training period.

[asad71]

1. The paradox is that the Baloch Regt doesn't have many ethnic Balochis. Also the Regimental Centre is located outside Baluchistan. Similar paradoxes remain in other regts also.

2. PA must start thinking of outgrowing this British colonial legacy. Have a corps of infantry like the US, or rationalize the present regimental set up.

[somebozo]

well increased number of baloch recruits in the army means bad news for the local wardlords who thrive with their private millitias hate filled towards the state

[air marshal]

[TaimiKhan]

1. The paradox is that the Baloch Regt doesn't have many ethnic Balochis. Also the Regimental Centre is located outside Baluchistan. Similar paradoxes remain in other regts also.

2. PA must start thinking of outgrowing this British colonial legacy. Have a corps of infantry like the US, or rationalize the present regimental set up.

First of all, Having a training centre in some other place doesn't means anything. Punjab Regimental Centre is in Mardan (KPK-NWFP), does that means anything ?? No. Also Punjab Regiment doesn't means it has Punjabis only, rather they have mix soldiers from Punjab, Pushtuns, Balochs and others. These are just designations to honor the 4 provinces, that's it. These Baluch new recruits get inducted in all the arms, not just Baluch Regiment formations.

[Bossman]

1. The paradox is that the Baloch Regt doesn't have many ethnic Balochis. Also the Regimental Centre is located outside Baluchistan. Similar paradoxes remain in other regts also.

2. PA must start thinking of outgrowing this British colonial legacy. Have a corps of infantry like the US, or rationalize the present regimental set up.

It is not a paradox. This is true for all regiments in PA. Despite the names, composition of regiments are not based on ethnicities. Regimental Centres are usually also outside the named province. For example regimental centre for Punjab Regiment is in Mardan in Pakhtun Khawa province and of the Azad Kashmir Regiment in Punjab. Of the six Infantary regiments in PA, only three have British legacy i.e. Punjab, Baluch and Frontier Force. Azad Kashmir, Sindh and Northern Light were raised after independence. The infantry regiment is an administrative military organisation and not a field formation. All the battalions of a regiment do not fight together as one formation, but are dispersed over various formations. There is US style Corp or Branch overlay on top of the regimental structure. Other branches of PA like armoured also have regiments. The regimental structure adds significant value especially in driving espirite de corp, loyalty and welfare of troops.

[Oscar]

First of all, Having a training centre in some other place doesn't means anything. Punjab Regimental Centre is in Mardan (KPK-NWFP), does that means anything ?? No. Also Punjab Regiment doesn't means it has Punjabis only, rather they have mix soldiers from Punjab, Pushtuns, Balochs and others. These are just designations to honor the 4 provinces, that's it. These Baluch new recruits get inducted in all the arms, not just Baluch Regiment formations.

That has been a change in trend.. began in the 90's.
Initially there was this system.. One must credit some fine gentlemen at the top tier of the armed forces in the 90's for the change in thinking.

I do agree that we must drop the names of provinces from the regiments..
Simply name them sequentially... or some more "emotional" bond.

[TaimiKhan]

That has been a change in trend.. began in the 90's.
Initially there was this system.. One must credit some fine gentlemen at the top tier of the armed forces in the 90's for the change in thinking.

I do agree that we must drop the names of provinces from the regiments..
Simply name them sequentially... or some more "emotional" bond.

Sir, not sure about which system you are talking about, but one of my great grand father even being a Pushtun was in the Punjab Reg and he led the first Pak Army UN mission as the CO of that Punjab unit way back in 1950s i believe, Burma i think so was the destination and he was product of Dhera Dun Academy and after partition joined a Punjab Regiment, then his son also joined the same unit. Plus i know so many officers and jawans of mix ethnicity working in different regiments from the 60s, 70s & 80s. So am not sure which trend are you talking about.

[Mujeeb47]

This step of PA should be appreciated. Balochistan is a backward province. PA gives opportunities to Baloch youth to flourish their abilities. Definately nice step.

[53fd]

1. The paradox is that the Baloch Regt doesn't have many ethnic Balochis. Also the Regimental Centre is located outside Baluchistan. Similar paradoxes remain in other regts also.

There are more Baloch people in Sindh & elsewhere in the country than Balochistan itself. And many ethnic Balochs from those provinces are in the Army as well. The PA is doing a fine job in Balochistan, & this is a great initiative, but a lot more needs to be done to bring prosperity to the province. It is high time Balochistan & the Baloch people get their due, & we can destroy the stranglehold of the Sardars who are hell bent on exploiting their own people.

[fatman17]

Sir, not sure about which system you are talking about, but one of my great grand father even being a Pushtun was in the Punjab Reg and he led the first Pak Army UN mission as the CO of that Punjab unit way back in 1950s i believe, Burma i think so was the destination and he was product of Dhera Dun Academy and after partition joined a Punjab Regiment, then his son also joined the same unit. Plus i know so many officers and jawans of mix ethnicity working in different regiments from the 60s, 70s & 80s. So am not sure which trend are you talking about.

do you know the unit no of your great/grand father?

---------- Post added at 08:37 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:36 AM ----------

i have the history of the 1st punjabis - 1856-1956. it has names of all officers serving in the punjab regt

[TaimiKhan]

do you know the unit no of your great/grand father?

---------- Post added at 08:37 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:36 AM ----------

i have the history of the 1st punjabis - 1856-1956. it has names of all officers serving in the punjab regt

He served in the 2/16 Punjab Regiment, originally known as 31st Punjabis, then 2nd Battalion 16th Punjab Regiment and after partition became 14th Punjab. He commanded 13th Punjab, 15thPunjab and another one also. His son came into 13th Punjab.

31st Punjabis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Pak_Sher]

More opportunities similar to this should be provided as job opportunities to Balochistan Youth.

[asad71]

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1. The Baloch (pre-71 spelling Baluch) Regt has a checkered history dating back to 1798. All these pertain to constituting elements serving in the armies of the Madras Presidency and the Bombay Presidency. Fast forwarding we see the present constituting Regts as fols: 10/8 Punjab with Center at Lahore, Bahawalpur Regt with Center at Dera Nawab Shah and 10 Baloch with Center at Karachi. The 10 Baloch Regimental Center was moved to Quetta in 1956.The amalgamations and the emergence of the present Baloch Regt is formalized by the declaration of The Baloch Day, 07 May 1957. The opening of the present Center at Abbottabad took place in Dec 1957.

2. A free nation with its own ideology and values to follow, ought to have armed forces which should not give appearance of a mercenary force but a people's military force. As such both India and Pakistan would do well to break up completely with the dirty colonial past where the youth gave life for expatriate masters at times fighting on the wrong side. In modern day armies, the American Revolutionaries were very careful in following this. Hodson, Skinner, Napier, Wellington, etc should not be eulogized. Indian Muslim soldiers fighting against the Caliph of Islam or the Mahdi of Sudan, to name a few only, were made use of by the imperialist masters.

3. People even in rural SA are now far more aware and conscious. Putting too much strain on what a simple soldier holds to be dear to his ideological upbringing, may cause uncontrollable disaffection.