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'The Baluch': a 25-minute video documentary.

Click to watch at vimeo: https://vimeo.com/106849279.

Click for coverage specific to the killing of Baloch nationalist leaders Nawab Akbar Bugti in 2006, Balach Marri in 2007, and the arrest of Balach Marri's brother political and human rights activist Herbiyar Marri and fellow activist Faiz Mohammad Baluch in London in December, 2007.
      
Friends, we retired thebaluch.com, but it will remain here, serving as an archive of news and events dating through August 2010.

Thank you all for your support! Long Live Balochistan!
thebaluch.com
  Archive of: Recent News Highlights:   | Articles, Essays, Interviews, Books:   | Human Rights, Events:
Archive of articles related to mining and exploitation of resources in Balochistan and the region...

This also applies in Balochistan: In Afghanistan, a Threat of Plunder, by Paul Collier, NYTimes, Jul 19, 2010; the model for development mentioned also seems worth exploring
New: Lord Nazir Calls For Probe Into Diversion of Floodwaters to Balochistan, The Baloch Hal, Sep 5, 2010; More MPs call for judicial probe into dykes’ breaching, by Tahir Niaz, DailyTimes, Sep 5, 2010
New: Three NATO Oil Tankers Set Ablaze, The Baloch Hal, Sep 5, 2010
BalochHal Editorial: Mistaking the Enemy, Sep 4, 2010; 75 killed, 200 Wounded in Quetta Suicide Attack, The Baloch Hal, Sep 4, 2010
ICRC provides flood relief, calls Balochistan 'severely affected region', by Ahmar Mustikhan, Examiner, Sep 3, 2010
2 FC personnel killed in Khuzdar attack, BLA claimed responsibility for the attack, BalochWarna, Sept 3, 2010
US to open consulate in Balochistan, says Patterson, The Tribune, Sep 2, 2010
US to help flood-hit in Balochistan: consul general, Dawn.com, Sep 1, 2010
Malik Siraj Akbar PANJGUR DIARY: Dr. Abid Shah — I, by Malik Siraj Akbar, Aug 29, 2010, Part II, Aug 30, 2010
"The recent enforced disappearance of three citizens in Panjgur — Dr. Abid Shah, Abdul Sattar Baloch and Safeer Baloch—allegedly by the Frontier Corps (FC) gives a warning sign that the “threat” is at everybody’s doorstep..."
Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur Indecent proposal, by Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur, DailyTimes, Aug 29, 2010
Jamil Bugti Calls for Re-demarcation of Provinces, The Baloch Hal, Aug 29, 2010
Sanaullah Baloch The great Baloch martyr, by Sanaullah Baloch, Daily Times, Aug 26, 2010; Balochistan ignored, Dawn, Aug 23, 2010
From before: 'CIA worked with Pak to create Taliban', by Sanjay Suri, India Abroad News Service, March 6, 2001: "I warned them that we were creating a monster..."
The Last Nawab, BalochHal editorial, Aug 26, 2010
Pakistan, Drowning in Neglect, NYTimes, Aug 25, 2010: "This is a place where peasants drown in rice fields they don’t own, where mud-and-brick villages are submerged to save slightly less expendable towns, and where dying villages stand next to airbases housing the most sophisticated fighter jets in the world. Such a country is owed more than just aid, it is owed nothing less than reparations from all those who preside over its soil. This includes politicians and bureaucrats..."
This is not the 70's, by Diagoh Murad, Diagoh Murad Blog, Aug 25, 2010
In the region: U.S. Leaves Iraq Much Worse Off, by Adil E. Shamoo, truthdig.org, Aug 23, 2010: "[M]ost people in the United States do not know what happened in Iraq and what is happening there now. Our government, including the current administration, looks the other way and perpetuates the myth that life has improved in post-invasion Iraq. Our major news media reinforces this message.
Major human crisis looms in Balochistan, TheBalochHal, Aug 22, 2010
Minister tasked with saving US airbase at the cost of the displacement of thousands, Asian Human Rights Commission, Aug 20, 2010: "According to the media reports, the Federal Minister of Sports along with soldiers from the army and a contingent of officials from the Sindh provincial government breached the Jamali Bypass in Jafferabad district of Balochistan province during the night between August 13 and 14 to divert the water entering the airbase which has remained in US Air Force hands since the war on terror started in 2001."
Global: Other Countries Probing Bush-Era Torture - Why Aren't We? by Shashank Bengali, McClatchy Newspapers, Aug 18, 2010
In the region: The US Has Lost in Afghanistan -- We Have to Come to Grips with What That Means, by Conn Hallinan, Aug 16, 2010
The Baloch Hal editorial: Why is CJP Afraid of Secularism?, Aug 20, 2010: "The CJP [Chief Justce of Pakistan] has further scared his liberal supporters. Even those who support the top judge’s argument that Supreme Court of Pakistan should have the power to play the “big brother” role in the country’s politics are equally concerned about the political feelings of the CJP. Who is going to guarantee that the Supreme Court, if granted more powers than the Parliament, is not going to convert the country into a theocratic state? What is going to happen to the rights of the millions of religious minorities who have been victim of the religious zealots over the years?..."
Quetta, Karachi: BSO-azaad and BNM activists protest against abductions of Baluch leaders, BalochWarna, Aug 20, 2010
Airbase near Jacobabad under US control, Senate panel told, by Imran Ali Teepu, Dawn.com, Aug 19, 2010
Akhtar Mengal’s uncle Nadir Gichki shot dead in Tump, by Mohammad Zafar, Aug 19, 2010
Baloch Hal Editorial: Turmoil in Panjgur, Aug 17, 2010
Two Balochistan towns face inundation, by Saleem Shahid, Dawn.com, Aug 17, 2010
Jamali demands Suo moto notice over diversion of flood water towards Balochistan, TheNation, Aug 16, 2010: "Jan Jamali strongly lambasted some of the sitting rulers who in order to trying to save Sindh and Jacobabad have diverted the flow of flood water towards Balochistan."
Pakistani forces crackdown in Baluchistan, dozens arrested including a leader of BNM, BalochWarna, Aug 16, 2010
Flood threatens more Balochistan towns, DailyTimes, Aug 16, 2010
Dera Allahyar, Rojhan Under Water; Usta and Other Towns Evacuated, The Baloch Hal, Aug 16, 2010
Pakistan's leaders should heed the lesson of Bangladesh, by Delwar Hussain, The Guardian, Aug 15, 2010: "Baluchis for example have been battling against the Pakistani army since they were forcibly incorporated into the state in 1947. Rather than ethnic diversity being at the root of this discontentment as some commentators suggest, it is the years of oppression, forced detentions, extra-judicial killings, exploitation and militarisation in these regions that is at the root of their resentment. This is no different to East Pakistan in 1970..."
New wave of floodwater threatens Pakistan, The Guardian, Aug 15, 2010: "Pakistanis are reluctant to contribute to government-run aid efforts, fearing that the funds will be siphoned off through corruption."
Massive Massive Violence Marks Independence Day Celebrations in Balochistan, The Baloch Hal, Aug 14, 2010
US Consul General Reaffirms Support to Balochistan, The Baloch Hal, Aug 14, 2010, US Consul General to Karachi William Martin: "The new American Consulate in Quetta will serve as an indispensable platform for the delivery of aid for reconstruction and development."
In the US: Secret Assault on Terrorism Widens on Two Continents, by Scott Shane, Mark Mazzetti and Robert F. Worth, NY Times, Aug 14, 2010
Independence Day: A Euphoric Day, by Diagoh Murad, Aug 10, 2010
Nations' international relations play an important role in the outcome of struggle for liberation, by M. Sarjov, Sarjau, Aug 10, 2010
Thinking outside the box/global solutions:
A Quick Sure Way to Defeating the Taliban, by Jonathan Marin, Aug 8, 2010: "Indeed, the United States and other NATO governments could buy the entire Afghan opium crop each year for far less than the cost of keeping soldiers in Afghanistan..."

Law Enforcement Against Prohibition: "LEAP does not promote the use of drugs and is deeply concerned about the extent of drug abuse worldwide. LEAP is also deeply concerned with the destructive impact of violent drug gangs and cartels everywhere in the world. Neither problem is remedied by the current policy of drug prohibition. Indeed, drug abuse and gang violence flourish in a drug prohibition environment, just as they did during alcohol prohibition..."

War on drugs: why the US and Latin America could be ready to end 40-year struggle, by Rory Carroll and Paul Harris, The Observer, Aug 8, 2010
Islamabad Refuses to Finance Water Schemes in Balochistan, The Baloch Hal, Aug 3, 2010>
Weakening Pakistani Hold In Balochistan, by B. Raman, reposted at BalochUnity, Aug 2, 2010
Subsidy on agriculture tube-wells withdrawn, by Saleem Shahid, Dawn.com, Aug 1, 2010
Mengal accuses government agencies of killing Baloch nationalists, The Baloch Hal, Aug 1, 2010
Flood Devastation Continues in Sibi, Kachhi Plains, The Baloch Hal, Jul 28, 2010
In the US: Obama Administration In Danger Of Establishing "New Normal" With Worst Bush-Era Policies, Says ACLU, American Civil Liberties Union, Jul 29, 2010; Torturing the Rule of Law at Obama's Gitmo, by Chase Madar, counterpunch.org, Jul 30, 2010; Democrat-backed terror bill would ‘gut Miranda rights’, The Raw Story, Aug 1, 2010
US announces special projects for Balochistan, The Baloch Hal, Jul 27, 2010
All Baloch shouldn't be tarred with same brush, by Cyril Almeida, Dawn.com, Jul 25, 2010
Unprepared again, Dawn.com, Jul 25, 2010
Kucinich Says White House Abused Its Power, Wants Forces Out of Pakistan, truthout.org, Jul 23, 2010: "According to a statement by Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), the White House has increased its military commitment to Pakistan without Congressional oversight or approval..." (U.S. Forces Step Up Pakistan Presence, by Julian Barnes, WSJ, Jul 20, 2010)
Thousands rendered homeless by flood in Balochistan, by Saleem Shahid, Dawn.com, Jul 24, 2010 Saturday, 24 Jul, 2010
Pakistan increases power of army strongman General Ashraq Kayani, The Guardian, Jul 23, 2010: "He is a favourite of the west despite the fact that he led the ISI from 2004 to 2007, exactly the period when the Taliban staged their comeback in Afghanistan, allegedly with the agency's support..."
In Iraq: Toxic legacy of US assault on Fallujah 'worse than Hiroshima', by Patrick Cockburn, The Independent, Jul 24, 2010
BLA claim to have killed 15 Pakistan army soldiers, BalochWarna, Jul 23, 2010
Rains Wreck Havoc in Balochistan, Jul 23, 2010
Kosovo's independence is legal, by Peter Beaumont, The Guardian, Jul 22, 2010: "UN court rules Decision in favour of Kosovo's independence could have far-reaching implications for other separatist movements"
In the US: How Psychologists Profit on Unending U.S. Wars, by Bruce E. Levine, counterpunch.org, Jul 22, 2010
Report: Whither Pakistan? Growing Instability and Implications for India, IDSA Task Force Report, Intellibriefs.com, Jul 21, 2010
Why Iran is Bombing Iraq, and Why the U.S. Isn't Doing Anything About It, by Dennis O'Brien, huffingtonpost, Jul 20, 2010, includes clip of Willem Marx's report from Northern Iraq
From before: Balkanizing Pakistan: A Collective National Security Strategy, by Michael Hughes, Huffington Post, Jul 6, 2010 Wendy Wendy
Iran Accuses U.S, Pakistan of Supporting Terrorism, by Jay Solomon, Wall Street Journal, Jul 20, 2010: "Tehran has long accused the U.S. and Pakistan of training and arming Jundullah..."
Global: Calling All Future-Eaters, by Chris Hedges, Truthdig, Jul 19, 2010: "Our moral obligation is not to structures of power, but life..."
BNP Policy Not to Be Changed On Teenagers’ Dictations: Akhtar Mengal, The Baloch Hal, Jul 20, 2010
Situation in Iranian Balochistan: An Update, by B. Raman, South Asia Analysis Group, Jul 20, 2010
Environmental: Greenpeace finds evidence of GM rice contamination in China's emergency grain stores, by Jonathan Watts, The Guardian, Jul 20, 2010: "Some environmental activists suspect scientists and biotechnology companies may be deliberating spreading genetically modified rice into seed supplies, paddy fields and supermarkets so they can declare de facto approval of the products..."
The Iranian revolutionary guards started an indiscriminate anti Baluch crackdown, BalochWarna, Jul 20, 2010
A hidden world, growing beyond control, by Dana Priest and William Arkin, WashingtonPost, Jul 19, 2010 (orig.)
For validated independent news: Project Censored International
In Pakistan: Trade deal promises bright future for Afghanistan's farmers, An agreement signed between Kabul and Lahore will permit access through Pakistan to India's lucrative markets, by Jon boone, Guardian, Jul 19, 2010; Pakistan denies India land transit route to Afghanistan, DailyTimes, Jul 19, 2010, "To tackle the issue of unauthorised trade, it has been agreed that tracking devices will be installed on all transport units and a mechanism for custom-custom information sharing will also be established..." (background: The Radcliffe Line is drawn through Wagah); Wagah – The tragicomedy of India-Pakistan, Reuters, Apr 23, 2010
Taxes in Pakistan Widen the Divide of Rich and Poor, by Sabrina Tavernise, NYTimes, Jul 18, 2010: "This is a system of the elite, by the elite and for the elite,” said Riyaz Hussain Naqvi, a retired government official who worked in tax collection for 38 years. “It is a skewed system in which the poor man subsidizes the rich man..."
In the region: Afghan Envoy Holbrooke and Senate in La La Land, by Medea Benjamin, alternet.org, Jul 18, 2010: 'Holbrooke chided his predecessors who had trained Afghan security forces for years, at enormous costs, without realizing that we had to also teach them to read and write. Literacy, he assured the senators, is now part of our training. No one asked why the Taliban fighters, who are also illiterate, were outmaneuvering both the Afghan security forces and U.S. military...Holbrooke assured the senators that we are helping Afghans develop their resources and strengthen their economy. Oh yes, he added, we want to make sure that the U.S. has “a level playing field” in getting access to those minerals...Senator Lugar who supports the war but remarked, during the hearing, that the U.S. had become stuck in a “slow-motion caravan to ultimate failure."'
Baloch Hal Editorial: Gilani Must Respect GoB’s Stance on Reko Diq Project, Jul 17, 2010 (from before: Balochistan pledges to run Reko Diq, by Syed Fazl-e-Haider, May 27, 2010)
Iran accuses US and UK of supporting group behind mosque attacks, CIA denies claims it has been backing Jundullah, the Sunni separatist group which has claimed responsibility for the bombs, by Ian Black, The Guardian, Jul 16, 2010

In the US: The Fall of Obama, by Alexander Cockburn, Counterpunch.org, Jul 16-18, 2010: "It’s awfully early in the game to say it, but, as Marlene Dietrich said to Orson Welles in Touch of Evil, 'your future is all used up.'"

In the region: Hearts, minds and the same old warlords, by Stephen Grey, Le Monde diplomatique, Jul 2010
Comprehensive security for OGDCL in Balochistan areas, by Khaleeq Kiani, Dawn.com, Jul 14, 2010
Raisani Seeks a Viable Proposal to Run Reko Diq Project, The Baloch Hal, Jul 13, 2010
On the topic of good governance--in short supply everywhere: an example of how the US government increasingly does NOT represent its citizens, but rather corporate interests. The fact that US marine scientists can NOT get access to important taxpayer-funded government data regarding the oil spill--while BP can--is a case in point. NOAA Hoarding Key Data On Oil Spill Damage, by Dan Froomkin, Jul 13, 2010
Balochistan Martyr's Day, Jul 15: Click on image for details of the second Baloch insurgency led by Nawab Nouroze Khan, poster by Baloch Vanguards
Balochistan Belongs to Balochs; No “Equal Status” for Others: BNP, The Baloch Hal, Jul 12, 2010: '...BNP central secretary general Habib Jalib Baloch said Balochs were not bound under any circumstances by the international agreements signed between Islamabad and different countries of the world on projects related to the Baloch resources.“The Baloch people were not consulted while inking these projects. Therefore, we do not abide by their terms and conditions,” he said...'
Global: On creativity: The Creativity Crisis, Newsweek, Jul 10, 2010
In the region: Revealed: How strategy to train Afghan forces is in deep trouble, IoS investigation finds Afghan army and police riddled with addicts, illiterates and insurgents, by Jonathan Owen and Brian Brady, The Independent, Jul 11, 2010
New: The world and Persian have ignored violence against Baluch for so long, by M. Sarjov, Sarjau, Jul 5, 2010 reposted at BalochUnity, Jul 10, 2010
Pakistan Raises Bramdagh Bugti’s alleged presence in Afghanistan With US Authorities, The Baloch Hal, Jul 9, 2010
Balochistan On the Verge Of A “Civil War”: Telecommunication Minister, The Baloch Hal, Jul 8, 20110: "[Dr. Ayatullah Durrani] warned that if the attitude of ‘hot heads’ did not change, the situation could take an ugly turn pushing the province close to a ‘civil war’..."
Fashionable dreams in Balochistan, DailyTimes, Jul 8, 2010
University Of Balochistan On The Brink Of Closure Due To Fiscal Crunch, TheBalochHal, Jul 7, 2010
Balochistan Diary: Chamalang project: bury the past, buy the future, by Saeed Minhas, DailyTimes, Jul 6, 2010 (from the editors: if anyone has further details on this project, please send them to us: For ex., it says Rs 800 million have been collected, out of which 1/2 has gone to security and social programmes. How much of that 1/2 has gone to social programs? Do the poor benefit?)
Editorial: Unreasonable Obstruction To A US Consulate In Balochistan, TheBalochHal, Jul 6, 2010
CIA And Pakistan Locked In Aggressive Spy Battles, by Adam Goldman and Matt Apuzzo, AP, Jul 5, 2010: "...Bumping up against the ISI is a way of life for the CIA in Pakistan, the agency's command center for recruiting spies in the country's lawless tribal regions. Officers there also coordinate Predator drone airstrikes, the CIA's most successful and lethal counterterrorism program. The armed, unmanned planes take off from a base inside Pakistani Baluchistan known as "Rhine."

(from the editors: AP would better serve its readers if its writers would spend time in Baluchistan, study ts history and troubles. The writers would then know that serving up cliches like 'lawless tribal region' in reference to Baluchistan, only strengthens the hands of the lawless who govern Pakistan.)
BLA disowns killing of girls, threats to NGOs, Baluch Sarmachar, Jul 4, 2010
July 8, 1948: Click to read about the Battle of Harboi, essay about Prince Abdul Karim's Baloch-led armed resistance against Pakistan, the first of five rebellions. Posted by Baloch Vanguards
Balochistan Diary: Trust deficit keeps growing, by Saeed Minhas, DailyTimes, Jul 5, 2010: "Failing to tend to development or even the basic needs of the massive population, especially the youth, which now forms more than 57 percent of the total population of the province, political bigwigs and revolutionaries of the past are finding themselves useless in the face of aggressive, jobless and neglected youths. Many seasoned politicians, who consider themselves champions of Baloch rights and are known for holding the flag of rights-struggle since partition days, expressed concerns at development in a post-Bugti scenario..."
Thousands Of NATO Trucks, Tankers Stranded On National Highway, TheBalochHal, Jul 4, 2010
“Balochistan Refuses land for US, UK Consulates”: Senior Minister, The Baloch Hal, Jul 4, 2010: "While the progressive people in Balochistan had widely welcomed the US official decision to establish a consulate in Balochistan, the religious right wing, which is supportive to Taliban, used the recent Facebook controversy to muster enormous anti-US feelings during its protests against the popular social network to link the caricature row with the setting up of a US consulate in Quetta..."
Balochistan: Not an Internal Matter, by Diagoh Murad, Jul 4, 2010
: Reko Diq, TCC and the Future of Baloch, by Gwaraam Baloch, BalochUnity.org, Jul 1, 2010 (reposted here)
In the region: Hunza, Pakistan (Disaster), video documentary by Nisar Ahmed. Recounts how the disaster unfolded and how the Pakistan government failed the citizens of Hunza.
Baloch people have expectations from Gwadar Port: Raisani, DailyTimes.com.pk, Jul 1, 2010
Iranian revolutionary guards attacked Baluch villages under Pakistan’s occupation, by Archen Baloch, Gwank.org, Jun 30, 2010
Dr Jumma Khan Marri Energy Security In Exchange For Independence, by Dr. Jumma Khan Marri, Countercurrents, Jun 26, 2010 (also at nyc.indymedia, japan, indymedia
Karzai met Kayani, ISI chief for 'talks' with Haqqani: report, Hindustan Times, Jun 29, 2010 (more on this topic)
Dr. Wahid Baloch and Joe Biden 2010
Baloch leader meets Vice President Joe Biden, draw his attention to the Balochistan's situation, BSO-NA.org, Jun 25, 2010
Renewed strains between Islamabad and Washington, by Ahmed Rashid, BBCNews.com, Jun 25, 2010
Local reports on attacks and counterattacks in Balochistan, Jun 20, 2010
From before: Balochistan on the brink, by Zulfikar Shah, Rally Pakistan, Jun 18, 2010: "Today, the danger of the dismemberment of the country is greater than ever before. The time has come for Pakistan’s civil-military establishment to change its attitude towards the people and their problems. Let the federating units be given provincial autonomy so that a just socio-economic contract may be implemented..."
In the US: High court upholds anti-terror law, by Mark Sherman, AP, Jun 21, 2010: "The court ruled 6-3 Monday that the government may prohibit all forms of aid to designated terrorist groups, even if the support consists of training and advice about entirely peaceful and legal activities..." (also, What Counts as Abetting Terrorists? by the editors, NYTimes.com, Jun 21, 2010: David Cole-"According to today’s Supreme Court decision, advocating for human rights and peace can be prosecuted as a “terrorist” crime, punishable by 15 years in prison..."
From Dad Shah to Regi, by Malik Siraj Akbar, TheBalochHal, Jun 21, 2010
Iran hangs Sunni militant leader Abdolmalek Rigi, BBCNews, Jun 20, 2010; Profile: Iran's Jundullah militants, by Roger Hardy, BBCNews, Jun 20, 2010; Abdolmalek Rigi hanged at dawn, BBCNews Urdu, Jun 20, 2010
Quetta car bomb blast kills soldier, Dawn.com, Jun 20, 2010
Balochs resent Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline: BNP, Baloch Hal, Jun 19, 2010
Hafeez Hasan Abadi The Grieving ceremony of Raskoh (Chagai) in Washington, by Hafeez Hasan Abadi, translated By Diagoh Murad (original: DailyTawar)
Oman to provide $45m grant for Gwadar development projects, by Mohammad Zafar, DailyTimes, Jun 19, 2010
Editorial: End of Mercy (Corps)?, Baloch Hal editorial, Jun 15, 2010
Gas pipeline project will benefit Balochistan immensely: Raisani, by Mohammad Zafar, DailyTimes, Jun 15, 2010
Iran to execute Abdolmalik Regi soon (Parsdaily News), BalochWarna, Jun 15, 2010 (additional: arrest news and video; report of 'confession'; report on hanging of Abdul Hameed Rigi, brother of Abdul Malik Rigi)
Aid group halts Pakistan work after employee slain, Dawn.com, Jun 15, 2010; Mercy Corps shuts down offices in Balochistan after its driver’s murder, The Baloch Hal, Jun 15, 2010
Mai Jori Jamali
photo: Dawn.com
Headstrong peasant woman challenges feudal lords, by Mohammad Hussain Khan, Dawn.com, Mar 17, 2010: "I will contest the forthcoming local bodies’ elections as there can be no better way than to fight injustices. I will fight as long as I am alive...perhaps she may be among the few to have carried out her election campaign on a donkey cart because of the shortage of resources..."
Hafeez Hasan Abadi The interests of Russia and America in Balochistan, Crucial time for Baloch leadership to make right decision, by Hafeez Hasanabadi, gwank.org, Jun 14, 2010
In the region: U.S. Identifies Vast Riches of Minerals in Afghanistan, by James Risen, NYTimes.com, Jun 14, 2010
From before: ‘Final Solution’ Frenzy – Part Four: Final Solution for Pakistan, News Central Asia, May 1, 2010: "...There are three main pillars of the ‘Final Solution’: 1. Cut the western half of Balochistan from the rest of Pakistan and declare it ‘international strategic corridor’..."
protests in Quetta over killings of BSO members
Protests in Balochistan over killings of BSO activists, Jun 13, 2010; source: TheBalochHal.com
Iran approves "peace pipeline" deal with Pakistan, Dawn, Jun 13, 2010: "...The pipeline will connect Iran's giant South Fars gas field with Pakistan's southern Baluchistan and Sindh provinces..."
BNF appeals International Aid Agencies and Baluch Nation to help flood victims, BalochWarna, Jun 11, 2010; Gwadar Flood-victims protest over inadequate relief, The Baloch Hal, Jun 11, 2010; Baluch Kumakaar relief camp photos
Two BSO-Azad activists gunned down in Khuzdar, The Baloch Hal, Jun 11, 2010
US Consul General meets CM Raisani, The Baloch Hal, Jun 11, 2010
CM declares Gwadar, Pasni, Jiwani declared calamity-hit areas, The Baloch Hal, Jun 8, 2010; BNF appeals International Aid Agencies and Baluch Nation to help flood victims, BalochWarna and Baluchsarmarchar, Jun 8, 2010
In the region: With U.S. Aid, Warlord Builds an Afghan Empire, by Dexter Filkins, NYTimes.com, Jun 5, 2010

Pakistan army

Report: Pakistani Forces have seized water supplies in Kashaf, Bor, Bashali, Sabzal Bazar, Katris and adjoining areas in Makauran, Baluchistan. (full report, compiled from local sources); Release: International community should intervene in Makuran Balochistan, against the new wave of violence by Pakistan Army, forwarded by Asian Human Rights Commission from BHRC, Canada, Jun 4, 2010

BHRC Release: Baloch Human Rights Council (Canada) expressed its deepest concerns over the new wave of gross human rights violations committed by the Pakistani army soldiers in the Makaran region of Balochistan..., Toronto, Jun 1, 2010.
Forward
by Imtiaz Baloch: "While a brutal paramilitary crackdown continues unabated against the Baloch, and while Ahmadis and Shias are being brazenly massacred by the Establishment assets, the protests by Pakistani civil society and their Islamist allies are mostly limited to the 9 Turks killed by the IDF..."
Pakistan evacuates 60,000 as cyclone Phet looms, Dawn.com, Jun 3, 2010
Canada’s transnational mining industry implicated in abuses, by Sakura Saunders, The Dominion, Jun 2, 2010 (reposted at BalochUnity)
U.S. urged to intervene: Pakistan military operation in Mekran, by Ahmar Mustikhan, Balochwarna.com, Jun 2, 2010 (source)
Balochistan set to have first science centre, Dawn.com, Jun 1, 2010
Pakistani military is currently carrying out massive operation in Gwader District of Baluchistan, BalochWarna, Jun 1, 2010
Professor Saba Dashtyari reaffirms call for Balochistan’s independence, TheBalochHal, May 31, 2010
Hafeez Hasan Abadi
Hafeez Hasan Abadi
Announcement of the Establishment of USA Consulate in Quetta, by Hafeez Hasan Abadi, May 30, 2010
Police kill BNP worker during Quetta protest, DailyTimes, May 30, 3010
Ahmed Rashid Before the Endgame America's Fatal Flaws in Afghanistan, by Ahmed Rashid, Der Spiegel, May 26, 2010
Pakistan: Can the United States Secure an Insecure State?, by C. Christine Fair, Keith Crane, Christopher S. Chivvis, Samir Puri, Michael Spirtas, Intellibriefs, May 25, 2010
Balochistan, Power Politics and the Battle for Oil, by John Stanton, Global Research.ca, May 25, 2010
Excerpt from an Interview with a European Journalist about Smoldering Balochistan, by by Hafeez Hasan Abadi, May 24, 2010
Balochistan govt to buy shares in PPL, The Baloch Hal, May 21, 2010
Pakistan fears establishment of US consulate in Quetta: US proposal for new consulate in Quetta a ‘security risk’, by Iqbal Choudhry, DailyTimes, May 21, 2010; The Construction of USA Consulate in Balochistan & the Aftermath, interview with Mr. Kachkol Ali by Gwank.org, trans. Diagoh Murad, May 16, 2010
Johann Hari: Islamists, their victims, and hypocrisy, by Johann Hari, The Independent, May 20, 2010: "On the day we allowed two al-Qa'ida members to remain, two other young people waited for the police to see them, and hand them over to men who will kill them"
The Baloch Hal editorial: The insecure women of Balochistan, May 17, 2010
Baloch-Pashtun clashes erupt; 40 injured; 20 arrested; universities shut down, The Baloch Hal, May 17, 2010
Pakistan's military and intelligence agencies turn a blind eye to extremist religious groups, the Taliban and Saudi influence--see its results:
A blind eye to Saudi influence in Balochistan closes school
photo source: dawn.com
New: Balochistan schools receive TTP’s threatening letters, Dawn.com, May 15, 2010; Private schools threatened in Mastung against “western-style” uniform, The Baloch Hal, May 15, 2010
Skeptic Life blog: Acid Attack on Three Sisters in Balochistan!!!, by Imran Baloch, May 15, 2010
The Times Square Bomber: Home-Grown Hatred?, by Ahmed Rashid, The New York Review of Books, May 14, 2010
"...Not surprisingly, the Zardari government, the army, and Pakistani politicians have also muddied the waters...Islamabad continues to fudge the paramount issue—the need for Pakistan to launch a comprehensive campaign against all extremist groups rather than the hit-and-miss anti-terrorism measures it is presently pursuing. That selective campaign leaves untouched the Afghan Taliban based in Pakistan—including Mullah Omar and other top leaders..."
From before: Malik Siraj Akbar writes blog: How Panjgur is losing the battle, Sep 25, 2009
Now Jihadi groups are inserting their influence on Baluch tribal chiefs, Sarjau, May 11, 2010
BLUF asks ICRC and all UN agencies to leave Balochistan, The Baloch Hal, May 15, 2010; BRA/BRP disown threats to ICRC’; term it agencies’ conspiracy against Baloch movement, May 15, 2010
TCC distributes certificates among students, The Baloch Hal, May 15, 2010
US to open a “small consulate” in Balochistan, TheBalochHal, May 14, 2010: "The United States of America is planning to establish a “small consulate” in Balochistan to supervise development projects in the province, confirmed US Ambassador to Pakistan, Anne W Patterson on Thursday..." (post at Express Tribune)
Making the impossible possible, by Kalsoom Lakhani, Dawn.com, May 14, 2010
Marri-Mengal tussle: Please stop the music, May 14, 2010
Photos of US ambassador Anne W. Patterson’s visit to Balochistan, TheBalochHal, May 13, 2010; US ambassador Patterson meets CM Raisani, May 13, 2010
Farmers’ strike paralyses Balochistan, by Shahzad Baloch, The Express Tribune, May 11, 2010
Recent Pak high-level meetings with Baloch leaders, including: Shahbaz Sharif calls on Ataullah Mengal, May 9, 2010
An unfriendly foreign education project for Balochistan, by Malik Siraj Akbar, TheBalochHal, May 9, 2010
“Mango diplomacy” will further divide the Balochs, by Malik Siraj Akbar, TheBalochHal.com, May 9, 2010
Mental harassment of Baloch women, by Parveen Naz, TheBalochHal, May 8, 2010
US Consul General visits Khan of Kalat palace
US diplomat meets Khan of Kalat family, The Nation, May 2, 2010, orig article (on facebook)
Houbara Preservation Society Quetta
Above: Houbara Protection Organization and Chagai Conservation Society Celebrated the International Migratory Bird Day in Quetta (apnarakshan.org), May 8-9, 2010
In Canada: Dr. Zaffar Baloch speech at the UFT “Conference on the Canadian Mining Industry,” reposted at BalochWarna
Balochistan
May 7-9, 2010: Mining (in)Justice: At Home and Abroad conference), Baluchsarmachar, May 7, 2010: "Mining (in)justice: at home and abroad is a conference on the Canadian mining industry (including Tar Sands) set to take place in Toronto on the weekend of May 7-9, 2010. It will feature leaders in movements against Canadian mining companies both within and outside of Canada and provide space for growing our own movements in alliance with communities impacted by this industry." (report)
houbara
The Houbara Protection Organization: Please visit this remarkable organization's website and donate to their efforts to protect the houbara bustard and promote education.
View of a Health Center in Dukki, 2010--known for its many coal mines and coal production in Pakistan. Less than 1% percent of the vast revenues earned, however, is spent by the Pak central govt. on impoverished Dukki.
New site to launch within the next couple months: www.panjgur.com

Hameed Sheikh as Omar Baloch in "Kandahar Break" directed by David Whitney
Film: http://www.kandaharbreak.com/
Spoiler alert: the Baloch are saviors in this film. The movie is set in Afghanistan in 1999 and includes scenes with Baloch freedom fighters who explain their struggle. Additional links: synopsis, youtube, youtube2.
Fan on facebook (back story), filmed, in part, in Kanak, Baluchistan. (cnn video and interview with Hameed Sheikh; interview with director David Whitney)
Jirga for including Rajanpur, DG Khan in Balochistan, The News, May 3, 2010
Global: Water pollution expert derides UN sanitation claims, by Juliette Jowit, The Guardian, Apr 25, 2010
Seminar discusses impact of conflict on Balochistan’s politics and economy, The Baloch Hal, Apr 21, 2010
Baloch Woman killed, 200+ activists detained in massive search operation in Quetta, The Baloch Hal, Apr 20, 2010; also reposted at BalochWarna; statement by BSO-NA, statement by BHRC-Canada
Poetry: Burning Reality, by Diagoh Murad, Apr 19, 2010
CM Raisani for alternative energy sources, The Baloch Hal, Apr 20, 2010
Balochistan-The Other Side of the Story, by Moign Khawaja, Neo Martian's Notes, Apr 18, 2010, reposted at BalochUnity
U.N.’s Bhutto Report Says What Pakistanis Already Know About Spy Agency and Army, by Sabrina Tavernise, NYTimes, Apr 16, 2010 (original report by UN)
Pakistan suicide attack kills 10 at Quetta hospital, BBC News, Apr 16, 2010; Eight, including journalist, killed, 35 injured in Quetta suicide blast, The Baloch Hal, Apr 16, 2010
Acid attack: Violence against women is against the Baluch tradition, by M. Sarjov, TheBalochHouse, Apr 17, 2010; Editorial by The Baloch Hal: Acidifying two little sisters, Apr 16, 2010; Two sisters injured in acid attack, by Urooj Zia, Balochwarna.com, Apr 15, 2010, reposted from TheNews
Second attack on Balochs students in Punjab within a week, reposted at BalochWarna from source at sagaar.org, Apr 15, 2010
U.N. Report Finds Faults in Pakistani Bhutto Inquiry, by Sabrina Tavernise, NYTimes, Apr 15, 2010
Video: Beautiful Chotok Waterfalls, Khuzdar, Balochistan
Existence of horrific disease in Kachchi a serious blow on face of humanity in 21st century, TheBalochHal, Apr 6, 2010
In the region: How the Americans are propagandized about Afghanistan, by Glen Greenwald, Salon.com, Apr 5, 2010
In the region: Karakorum Highway and the Indian Option, by CN Anand, Desicritics.org, Apr 2, 2010
APCA to hold long march to wards Islamabad, The Baloch Hal News, Mar 29, 2010
Video: BSO-BNF rally in Lyari, Karachi, youtube.com, Mar 27, 2010: Mar 27, the day Balochistan was annexed to Pakistan by force, is observed as a 'Black Day'

Mir Hazar Khan Marri and Baloch national struggle, a historical analysis, by Shah Nawaz Marri, Mar 27, 2010, balochunity.org
The war on WikiLeaks and why it matters, by Glen Greenwald, Salon.com, Mar 27, 2010
Foreigner has interests in preserving Pakistan, by M. Sarjov, Balochunity.org, Mar 27, 2010
Release: BSO-NA opposes Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline accord, termed it as “Grand Religio-Commercial deal of the century”, by BSO-NA.org, Mar 27, 2010: "We consider Balochistan as an occupied territory and Pakistan has no legal and moral right to sign any such deal.”
Dr. Zaffar Baloch interview on Gwank Radio, gwank.org, Mar 28, 2010
Balochistan: Pakistan's broken mirror, by Madiha R Tahir, TheNational, Mar 25, 2010
Unjust Demands, by Diagoh Murad, Mar 25, 2010
Conference calls for new social contract, by Mohammad Hussain Khan, Mar 24, 2010
Educationist shot dead by the BLA in Quetta, by Saleem Shahid, Dawn, Mar 23, 2010
In the region: U.S. may expand use of its prison in Afghanistan, by David S. Cloud and Julian E. Barnes, LA Times, Mar 21, 2010
Global, from before: Billionaires and Mega-Corporations Behind Immense Land Grab in Africa, by John Vidal, Information Clearing House, Mar 11, 2010
Baloch Women Panel protest against occupation of Baloch lands, BalochWarna.com, Mar 20, 2010; Balochistan seeks return of land from Pak Navy, The Nation, Mar 23, 2010
Hindu-Sikh Minorities in Pakistan: The Vanishing Communities, by Maloy Krishna Dhar, Frontieir India, Mar 19, 2010; reposted at Intellibriefs
Jal Jihad a ploy to hide Pak Punjab stealing Sindh & Balochistan water, Bharti Jain, Mar 17, 2010, reposted at Intellibriefs
Two Nato tankers attacked in Balochistan, Dawn.com, Mar 16, 2010
Karachi 'water mafia' leaves Pakistanis parched and broke, by Alex Rodriguez, LA Times, Mar 15, 2010
Four Baloch students including three females awarded 5 years each on 2010/3/15, Balochwarna.org, Mar 15, 2010
In the region: Tarbela Dam & Karkoram Highway Threatened in Pakistan, by C.N. Anand, DesiCritics.org, Mar 13, 2010: "...The difference between the earlier two situations of 1841 and 1858 and now is that Pakistan has created a lot of assets in the form of the Karkoram Highway (KKH) with many bridges, and the world's largest earth and rock-fill dam, the Tarbela dam." related links:

youtube link about Attaabad, Hunza, afer landslide; youtube; Aga Khan Development: The Sinking Paradise of Gojal in Upper Hunza, by Dr Shahid Siddiqui, The Ismaili News, Mar 7, 2010; more incredible photos
In the region: GBUM in support of Diamer dam protest and condemning Pakistani atrocities, TheBalochHouse, Mar 2010
Reko Diq at melting point, by Syed Fazl-e-Haider, atimes.com, Mar 12, 2010; reposted at TheBalochHouse
Germans, Italians for investment in Balochistan, TheBalochHal.com, Mar 11, 2010
Operator hopeful of salvaging $3bn copper venture, Dawn.com, Mar 10, 2010; reposted at TheBalochHouse
Rigi’s arrest helped the Iranian regime reconsolidate itself, by Reza Hossein Borr, Mar 9, 2010
In the U.S.: Calling All Rebels, by Chris Hedges, Truthdig.com, Mar 8, 2010
New discovery: The Baloch House website: a new blog for those monitoring events and trends in Balochistan.
Culture Day Mourning, Mar 7, 2010, by Diagoh Murad, Baluch Sarmachar, Mar 7, 2010
Kebab originated in Balochistan: Making it contemporary, by Jackie Pinto, Mar 7, 2010
Balochi grammar: A Grammar, Phrase Book and Vocabulary of Baluchi (as Spoken in the Sultanate of Oman), by Major N.A.Collett MA FRAS, publ: 6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles and late of the Sultan's Service, 1983
Mysterious disease kills hundreds of kids in Bolan, by Bari Baloch, TheNation.com, Mar 6, 2010
Top Baloch Rebel Leader Arrested by Iranian Intelligence, by Trapped Truth, Feb 23, 2010
The plot thickens: The arrest of Abdul Malik Regi; something seems fishy, by R. Denaro, Mar 5, 2010; Rigi's Escape Plan Foiled by Iranian Fighter Jets, Intellibriefs, Mar 2, 2010: "Later on Friday, in a televised confession, Abdolmalek Rigi said that in a Dubai meeting with CIA agents, the United States offered to provide him with military aid to wage an insurgency against the Islamic Republic of Iran..." (question: Does this mean that Rigi had NOT been doing biz with the US as long claimed by Iran?);
Kamal Khan The Baloch House: Great Iranian Baluchi vocalist Kamal Khan dies, Tehran Times Art Desk, Mar 4, 2010
In the region: Exit from Afghanistan: Playing the Game and not learning the lessons, by D. Padma Kumar Pillay, Mar 3, 2010; originally posted at Institute for Defence Studies & Analyses
In the region: Iranian DNA or Fear of Déjà vu?, by Tara Mahtafar, PBS.org, Mar 3, 2010: "Is the Green opposition beset by the inability of Iranians to work together, or is it simply trying to avoid repeating the mistakes of 1979?..."
New: Blast claims lives of two students in Khuzdar, Dawn.com, Mar 3, 2010; Pakistan FC attacked Cultural function in Balochistan, Two killed, Balochwarna.com, Mar 3, 2010; Khuzdar: Blast in a cultural show in Engineering University, BSO-Na.org
US to supply 1000 bomb kits to Pakistan: report, Dawn.com, Mar 3, 2010
The Second Deception, by K. Subrahmanyam, reposted at Intellibriefs, Mar 2, 2010
'Break up Pakistan into four Independent States, by Indian American Intellectuals Forum (IAIF), Memorandum to U.S. State Dept., Mar 1, 2010, Intellibriefs
Pakistan: A dangerous mixture in Balochistan, Source: IRIN, posted at alternet.org, Mar 1, 2010
Resources in Mongolia: Mongolian Harvard Elites Aim for Wealth Without ‘Dutch Disease,’ by Michael Forsythe, Bloomberg.com, Feb 16, 2010
The End: of The Baloch Hal, Feb 12, 2010
Pakistani security forces targeting Baloch students, BalochWarna.com, Feb 16, 2010; Balochistan government helpless in front of Pakistan’s notorious intelligence agencies, Balochwarna.com, Feb 13, 2010
Development = Exploitation, by Diagoh Murad, Feb 11, 2010
Complete provincial autonomy for federating units: Nawab Raisani, The Baloch Hal, Feb 10, 2010
Provinces’ differences soar over water distribution, The Baloch Hal, Feb 9, 2010
Recent articles by Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur: includes Is a rollback possible? which details Baloch IDP and refugee experiences from the late 70s (click for full pic)

Professor Jean During
Music: Dar brings Baluchi music to Kuwait, Arab Times Online, Feb 2, 2010: "On Monday, Feb 8, Dar Al-Athar Al-Islamiyyah introduced their friends and patrons to the fascinating world of ‘Baluchi Music and Trance Healing’ at the Al-Maidan Cultural Centre through a lecture, images, beautiful sound bites and a rare and unpublished video footage shot in Karachi, Pakistan..."
Balochistan is no Bangladesh, by Sushant Sareen, The Baloch Hal, Jan 20, 2010
From before: Queen of Balochistan: Jennifer Musa, Irish nurse who became head of a tribe in Baluchistan and dedicated her life to its interests, Telegraph, Jan 18, 2008
Also see: Irish-born woman is ‘Queen of Balochistan’, Dawn.com, Dec 14, 2006
From before: Balochi Oral Tradition, by Sabir Badalkhan, 1992: "...Balochi oral tradition needs the urgent attention of folklore scholars...the most urgent necessity is to interview living minstrels and record their repertoires, for all of them have reached an advanced age and no new minstrels have emerged for decades...
From before: 1883: The Land of The Five Rivers and Sindh, by David Ross, London (see page 51 re: Balochistan...)
Historical footnote on Baloch tribes from Martin Axmann's 'Back to the Future': "...A Brahui tribe is based primarily not upon agnatic kinship like an Afghan tribe, but upon common good and ill; in other words, it is cemented together by the obligations airsing fromt he blood-feud, and heterogeneity, rather than homogeneity. This is the striking feature of its composition. Round a nucleus several groups of diverse orgin, including Afghan, Baloch, Jat, and even some freed slaves, gathered together in time of emergency and ultimately became consolidated into a tribe...All comers gained easy admission to the tribe. As soon as a man joined the tribe, he became a permanent participator in its fortunes both good and ill. Then having shown his worth, he was given a vested interest in the tribal welfare by acquiring a portion of the tribal land, in return for which he was bound to share all tribal responsbilities...Starting therefore with the principle of participation in common good and common ill, participation in the tribal land came to be the essence of tribesmanship." p. 38, Oxford U Press, 2008.
Observations on political parties: Though System Failure by Stephen Hayes of The Nation (Jan 14, 2010) is about American democracy 'pitched precariously on the tipping point of oligarchy,' he describes a phenomenon that can be found anywhere in the world. Psychology can explain some of this, but the overall description is interesting:

...In 1911 the German democratic socialist Robert Michels faced a similar problem, and it was the impetus for his classic book Political Parties. He was motivated by a simple question: why were parties of the left, those most ideologically committed to democracy and participation, as oligarchical in their functioning as the self-consciously elitist and aristocratic parties of the right?

Michels's answer was what he called "The Iron Law of Oligarchy." In order for any kind of party or, indeed, any institution with a democratic base to exist, it must have an organization that delegates tasks. As this bureaucratic structure develops, it invests a small group of people with enough power that they can then subvert the very mechanisms by which they can be held to account: the party press, party conventions and delegate votes. "It is organization which gives
birth to the domination of the elected over the electors," he wrote, "of the mandataries over the mandators, of the delegates over the delegators. Who says organization, says oligarchy."


Michels recognized the challenge his work presented to his comrades on the left and viewed the task of democratic socialists as a kind of noble, endless, Sisyphean endeavor, which he described by invoking a German fable. In it, a dying peasant tells his sons that he has buried a treasure in their fields. "After the old man's death the sons dig everywhere in order to discover the treasure. They do not find it. But
their indefatigable labor improves the soil and secures for them a comparative well-being."...
Video: Golbang Baloch's promo video @youtube!
Video-pictures of Quetta cinema: On May 31, 1935, Quetta suffered a great earthquake. At the time of the quake, Quetta's OPERA TALKIES cinema was showing the Hollywood movie CROSS COUNTRY CRUISE..." (check out other videos of the earthquake at this link).
New Baloch TV station: www.rozhn.tv is the first Balochi TV on the internet. RozhnTV covers Western Balochistan, as well as the wider scope of Baloch news, culture and entertainment. If you are on facebook, please join Rozhn tv's group here.
Classics: On Colonization: The Wretched of the Earth, by Frantz Fanon, preface by Jean-Paul Sartre, 1963 (pdf)
Video: A very brief chat with Begum Jamila Khan regarding her dedication to education.
Kalat, 2006.
Video: Historian and former court minister of the Khan of Kalat Ahmad Yar Khan Brief gives a brief account of the establishment of the first primary school for girls in Kalat in 1947.
Video: In this clip, Agha Aziz and Agha Nauroz show us the site of old Kalat palace. Note: Agha Nauroz Ahmadzai was tragically killed in 2008. (We apologize for the quality of the sound recording--we were no match for the winds of Kalat.)
New: Pakistan awards six exploration blocks, Oil & Gas Journal, Feb 5, 2010
New: Water Management employees threaten self-immolation, The Baloch Hal News, Jan 28, 2010
New: Baloch Lawyers not to take part in Supreme Court Bar Association’s protest, BalochWarna.org, source: Daily Tawar, Jan 27, 2010
New: Desperate Pakistan, Desicritics.org, by CN Anand, Jan 25, 2010: "Pakistan is on an IMF administered drip."
U.S. Offers Pakistan Drones to Urge Cooperation, by Elisabeth Bumiller, NY Times, Jan 21, 2010
Pakistan spooks act as U.S. journalists, Washington informed, by Ahmar Mustikhan, NowPublic, Jan 22, 2010
I’m ready for direct talks with Army: Hayrbyar Marri, The Nation, Jan 14, 2010
Crisis Cell interview with Hairbyar Marri, youtube.com (part II, part III)
New: What the future may hold, by Iqbal Jafar, Dawn.com, Jan 14, 2010
Could the Pakistani Government Fall over Karachi Violence? What would it Mean for Obama's War on al-Qaeda?, by Juan Cole, Informed Comment, Jan 11, 2010
Thousands protest against “Genocide” of Baloch people in Karachi, Balochwarna.com, Jan 11, 2010
Brief analysis on Military Intelligence and ISI based induced terrorist organization MQM and ‘puppets on unseen strings’, by Gull Baloch, Jan 11, 2010
Baloch Hal editorial: Bloodshed in Karachi, Jan 9, 2009; Over 50 suspects nabbed from Lyari, Geo.tv, Jan 9, 2010; Karachi Baloch on the Crossroads, by Diagoh Murad, gwank.org, Jan 8, 2010
Developing Gwadar as an Additional Supply Route for US Millitary, A Report of the CSIS Transnational Threats Project and the Russia and Eurasia Program, IntelliBriefs, Jan 5, 2010 (orig. source)
Historic NFC Award inked, dawn.com, Dec 30, 2009: "The provincial share of the divisible pool would increase from 47.5 percent to 56 percent in the first year of NFC and 57.5 percent in the remaining years of the Award. Under the new formula, Punjab would get 51.74 percent from the divisible pool, Sindh 24.55 percent, NWFP 14.62 percent and Balochistan 9.09 percent.

from thebaluch: It is interesting to read how variables determining the distribution of financial resources are weighted (see the Dawn.com article below). The formula assigns a low value to factors that characterize Balochistan (poverty and area) and a high value to the variable that benefits Punjab (population). More importantly, revenue generation, presumably to which Balochistan contributes a great deal through its gas and natural resources, is weighted a paltry 2.5% (If anyone can tell us how 'revenue generation' was defined, please email us at wj@thebaluch.com. If we are wrong, if Balochistan's revenue generation is, in fact, not significant, and we have not correctly understood the progressiveness of this agreement, please do educate us). The article further states that Punjab has given up 1.27%, Sindh, 0.39% and NWFP 0.26% while Balochistan has gained. Hmmm, let's see, 1.27% + 0.39% + 0.26% adds up to the kingly sum of 1.92%, not much of a change.
Still, the Baloch Hal reports there will be a big jump in revenue for Balochistan: from Rs 60 billion to Rs 200 billion in the next fiscal year and that "In a way, Punjab had surrendered 18 per cent of its share while Federal Government had surrendered 10 per cent. All these resources will be given to the smaller provinces of Sindh, NWFP and Balochistan." This may be progress, but Balochistan will only receive 9.09% of the pool and that still seems insufficient to us.

Balochs mark Premier Gillani’s Balochistan visit with widespread protests, The Baloch Hal, Dec 29, 2009
Hafeez Baloch
Source: dailytawar.com
by Hafeez Hasanabadi: The mourning of hibernating consciences, translated by Zrombesht, Dec 28, 2009; The announcement of Balochistan package, translated by Archen Baloch.
Balochistan: BSO-NA's response to Federal Govt Package, statement by Dr. Wahid Baloch, IntelliBriefs, Dec 23, 2009
Hina Rind elected first female Baloch journalist as KPC GB member, The Baloch Hal, Dec 22, 2009
Baluchistan's Sovereignty and The Emerging Empire - II, by Ahmad Marri, Dec 22, 2009
Balochistan refects deal and fights on for freedom, by Peter Tatchell, The Samosa, Dec 15, 2009
Other options to military surges: Afghan Enclave Seen as Model for Development, by Sabrina Tavernise, NYTimes.com, Nov 12, 2009
Balochistan to get one hundred billion in next fiscal year, The Baloch Hal, Dec 13, 2009
Baloch separatists unmoved by package, talks offer, by Mumtaz Alvi, Dec 13, 2009
New NFC formula a step towards provincial autonomy, CM Raisani, by Bari Baloch, TheBalochHal, Dec 13, 2009
Khan Suleiman Daud Khan Ballistic exile, by Murtaza Ali Shah, TheBalochHal, Dec 9, 2009 (reposted from The News)
Cases against Bramdagh Bugti, Dr. Allah Nizar, 87 others withdrawn: Balochs categorically reject the government “drama”, vow to continue struggle, by Malik Siraj Akbar, The Baloch Hal, Dec 9, 2009: 'Dr. Lehri said the government was “joking” with the Balochs by offering them packages and amnesty. He complained that a central leader of his party, Sangat Sana, had been whisked away by the intelligence agencies days after the announcement of the Balochistan package by the federal government...'
List of 992 missing people issued, Dawn.com, Dec 9, 2009
The AfPak apparition: The Baloch people are paying a very real price for a videogame war on a phantasmagorical land, by Kamila Shamsie, Guardian.co.uk, Dec 8, 2009
A Military coup in Pakistan? by Tarek Fatah, Globe and Mail, Dec 8, 2009
Khan Suleiman Dawood Khan's reaction to the Balochistan package, youtube, Dec. 7, 2009
The Baloch Hal editorial: Drone strike on Balochistan: Where is the right target? Dec 7, 2009: "...Our biggest fear is that if international journalists and observers are not allowed entry inside Quetta and other parts of Balochistan, the anti-Baloch elements in the country’s armed forces and intelligence networks will possibly mislead the Americans and direct the drone strikes on the Baloch population..."
Special Report on Balochistan, The News, Dec 6, 2009
Pakistan's Insider Jobs? by C N Anand, Desicritics.org, Dec 5, 2009
New: The Balochistan Package: Band-Aid on a Bullet Wound, by Alia Amirali, BalochUnity.org, reposted from The Friday Times, Lahore, Dec 4, 2009
The Baloch Hal Editorial: Sectarianism: A threat to secular Balochistan, Dec 4, 2009
Hyrbyair Marri interview with Geo News, Balochwarna.org, Dec 4, 2009
Hyrbyair Marri speech and Q&A session at Oxford University, (Part II, Q&A: Part I, II, III, IV, V) Dec 3, 2009
Separatists, Islamists and Islamabad Struggle for Control of Pakistani Balochistan, by Chris Zambelis, The Jamestown Foundation, Dec 3, 2009
Neutral BBC’s one sided attitude, by Hafeez Hassanabadi, trans. by Zrombesht, Dec 3, 2009
Take the War to Pakistan, by Seth G. Jones, NYTimes, Dec 3, 2009
Baluchistan - The Forgotten Cause, by C.N. Anand, Desicritics.org, Dec 2, 2009
The reasons Westeners not interested in Balochistan issue, by Zrombesht, gwank.org, Dec 1, 2009
The only solution to the Afghan problem, by Hafeez Hassanabadi, trans. by Archen Baloch, orig. publ. at dailytawar.com, Nov 30, 2009
Expats in Germany all for Baloch rights, by Meera Jamal, The Baloch Hal, Nov 28, 2009
Pakistan conspiracy theories stifle debate, by Ahmed Rashid, BBC News, Nov 27, 2009
In the region: Blackwater's Secret War in Pakistan, by Jeremy Scahill, Nov 23, 2009; Marines plow ahead with anti-poppy campaign in Afghan district, by Tony Perry, LATimes.com, Nov 29, 2009; Afghans Detail a Secret Prison Still Operating on a U.S. Base, by Alissa J. Rubin, NY Times, Nov 28, 2009; 2 Afghans allege abuse at U.S. site, by Joshua Partlow and Julie Tate, The Washington Post, Nov 28, 2009; Afghanistan runs on well-oiled wheels, by Pratap Chatterjee, atimes.com, Nov 19, 2009; Paying off Afghanistan's warlords, by Pratap Chatterjee, Salon.com, Nov 17, 2009; Why the Afghan Surge Will Fail, by Conn Hallinan, Foreign Policy in Focus, Nov 12, 2009
Balochistan: too small an olive branch, by Qurratulain Zaman, OpenDemocracy.com, Nov 27, 2009
Pakistan frets over expected US military surge, Dawn.com, Nov 26, 2009: "‘Sending more troops to Afghanistan, there’s fear that the influx of militants may be towards Balochistan,’ Gilani told a news conference." (comment: At the Nov. 21 Baluchistan International Conference, foreign policy researcher Raja Karthikeya spoke of the danger of Pakistan conflating Taliban/militant and Baloch national groups. We will post his article when we receive a copy.)
On Balochistan package: Announcement of package is to pave way for military operation: Dr. Allah Nazar Baloch, gwank.org, reposted at balochwarna.org, Nov 27, 2009; Hyrbyair Marri interview with BBC News Urdu, Nov 25, 2009; Editorial: Reactions to Balochistan package, Dailytimes.com.pk, Nov 25, 2009; Balochistan real issues not addressed, says Imran, reposted at The Baloch Hal, Nov 26, 2009; Balochistan nationalists reject package, by Amanullah Kasi, Dawn.com, Nov 25, 2009
Karachi Press Club protest

Karachi Press Club. Nov 24, 2009: Rally and hunger strike over missing Balochistan National Party members: Kabeer Baloch, Attaullah Baloch and Sadullah Baloch
StudentProtestor Balochistan Package; Too Little Too Late!!!!!, by Imran Baloch, Skeptic Life, Nov 24, 2009
ISI helped Taliban supremo Mullah Omar flee from Quetta to Karachi, Times of India, Nov 20, 2009
US: Expert who infuriated India offered key post, by Aziz Haniffa, Rediff.com, Nov 20, 2009: "Pakistan continues to support the Afghan Taliban. This means that Pakistan is undermining the very war on terrorism that it has received a handsome reward allegedly to support."
Khan Suleiman Daud Khan Khan of Kalat seeks international guarantors, by Amanullah Kasi, Nov 16, 2009
Oxford: A seminar titled “The Conflict in Balochistan – Why has it happened and what is its future?” was held at the University of Oxford, Department of Politics and International Relations, coverage at BalochWarna.com, Nov 16, 2009 (video links to come)
Baloch nationalists pessimistic about government package, by Malik Siraj Akbar, DailyTimes.com.pk, Nov 16, 2009: 'Balochistan Agriculture Minister Mir Asadullah Baloch said the “civil and military bureaucracy in Islamabad was trying to bluff the Baloch through packages, to divert attention from seeking complete provincial autonomy”.'
From Kabul to Kashmir, by Selig Harrison, Time Magazine, Nov 2009
Too fat to fight, by Alexander Cockburn: "Increasingly, young Americans are getting too fat to fight, which is just as well – because the antiwar movement is in terrible shape, probably because yesterday’s peace marchers are all too busy on weekends jogging, careening along on their bikes or going to yoga classes..."
Leave Afghanistan to the Afghans, by Patrick Cockburn, Nov 9, 2009
Afghanistan's Sham Army, by Chris Hedges, Truthdig.com, Nov 9, 2009: “It is this system of waste and private profit from public funds that keeps Kabul in ruins. It is this system that manages to feed Westerners all across the country steak and lobster once a week while an estimated 8.4 million Afghans—the entire population of New York City, the five boroughs—suffer from chronic food insecurity and starvation every day. When you go to Bagram Air Base, or Camp Phoenix, or Camp Eggers, it’s clear to see that the problem does not lie in getting supplies into the country. The question becomes who gets them. And we wonder why there’s an insurgency.”
Baloch economy, Dawn.com, Nov 10, 2009: "IN its latest economic report on Balochistan the World Bank has not presented us with good news. Pakistan’s poorest province is growing poorer.."
Defending the Arsenal, In an unstable Pakistan, can nuclear warheads be kept safe? by Seymour M. Hersh, The New Yorker, Nov 16, 2009
On American troops:
'Undeployables' sent to the Afghan front, by Dahr Jamail, and Sarah Lazare, atimes.com, Nov 10, 2009; and When war comes home, by Dahr Jamail, atimes.com, Nov 10, 2009
Pentagon Pouring Your Money Into Afghanistan: Are They Preparing for a Very Long War?, by Nick Turse, Tomdispatch.com, Nov 9, 2009
'Pakistan is the problem in Balochistan', Observer Research Foundation, Nov 6, 2009
Destabilizing Baluchistan, Fracturing Pakistan The Triangle of Jundallah, the Taliban, and Sipah-e-Sahaba, by Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya, Global Research.ca, Nov 2, 2009
New to us: blog Skeptic Life, by Imran Baloch
Video: Himalayan glaciers under threat, Chris Morris reports, BBCNews, Nov 2, 2009
New: Secy Board of Education Balochistan shot in Quetta, Dawn.com, Oct 31, 2009
Ban on criticising president, army, judiciary proposed, by Irfan Bukhari, DailyTimes.com.pk, Oct 30, 2009: "...It was noted that some anchorpersons unduly criticise state institutions and ridicule prominent personalities and recommended that there should be a check on that. Another member said there were certain anchorpersons who criticised the ideology of Pakistan. “This is not acceptable as it is against the national interest,” he said..."
AFP/FilePhoto
AFP/File Photo

Balochistan ignored, Dawn editorial, Oct 27, 2009: "Today there is a feeling in Balochistan that the province is part of the federation on paper alone, at the mercy of a state that continues to exploit its natural wealth and quell any sign of dissent with disproportionate force. Promises by the centre mean little, for the simple reason that they have rarely been honoured..."
Malik Siraj Akbar interview on Deutsche Welle about Jundullah chief, DW-World.de, Oct 21, 2009
30 killed in Iran blast, Jundollah claims responsibility, Dawn.com, Oct 18, 2009
Iran suicide bombing kills Revolutionary Guard commanders, by Robert Tait, The Guardian, Oct 18, 2009; Iranian commanders assassinated, BBC News, Oct 18, 2009
Raisani briefed on hazardous emissions from gas fields, Dawn.com, Oct 18, 2009: "...PPL’s gas extraction and processing plant in Sui emitted over 36 tons of sulphur. ‘This toxic gas has been emitted for decades without any monitoring and its effects on environment have not been assessed,’ an official said..."
Taliban trying to establish base in Balochistan: US, by Saleem Shahid, Oct 15, 2009
Resource investment risky in Balochistan, Dawn.com, Oct 14, 2009
Tackling Baloch bitterness, by Shahid Kardar, Oct 12, 2009: "Of Balochistan’s total budgeted revenue receipts 94 percent are expected to flow from the federal government, highlighting both the heavy dependence on federal transfers and the huge mismatch between the assigned responsibilities of the province and the wherewithal available to it to discharge such obligations..."
‘Balochistan solidarity campaign’ to be launched, by Malik Siraj Akbar, reposted at BalochUnity.org, Oct 10, 2009

Peter Tatchell (l) and Karlos Zurutuza (r) receive Shaheed Nawab Akbar Bugti Award

Video acceptance speeches:
Peter Tatchell's speech and here
Karlos Zurutuza's speech
Hairbyar Marri's speech and here, other videos

Baluch journalists threatened, sacked for telling truth: Marri, by Ahmar Mustikhan, BalochWarna.com, Oct 7, 2009
Shaheed Nawab Akbar Bugti Award to be granted to two European journalists, Mr. Karlos Zurutuza and Mr. Peter Tatchell, on behalf of American Friends of Balochistan on October 4, 2009 in London. Click here for details regarding location. Everyone is invited to attend.

Karlos Zurutuza
Los baluches necesitan que el mundo les preste atención, by Karlos Zurutuza, Gara.net, Sep 7, 2009 (left: Karlos Zurutuza)
Bizenjo’s autobiography launched, TheNews, Sep 30, 2009

Be sure to check out this fascinating video essay by photog Thomas Dworzak with commentary by Ahmed Rashid. (Scroll down to watch 'Taliban 2009' video.)
The View From Pakistan's Spies, by David Ignatius, WashingtonPost.com, Sep 29, 2009
U.S. Says Taliban Has A New Haven in Pakistan, by Pamela Constable, WashingtonPost.com, Sep 29, 2009
From before: Baloch Ethnic Nationalism in Pakistan: From Guerrilla War to Nowhere?, by Adeel Khan, June 2003: "In 1962, when Henry Kissinger was in Pakistan on a troubleshooting mission for US President J. F. Kennedy, a local journalist asked him to comment on Baloch insurgency. His answer was: 'I wouldn't recognize the Balochistan problem, (even) if it hit me in the face.'"
Interview with Brahmdagh Bugti: ‘Some Balochis support sardari, others democracy', by Qurat ul ain Siddiqui Dawn.com, Sep 28, 2009
US threatens airstrikes in Pakistan, by Christina Lamb, TimesOnline, Sep 27, 2009: "The United States is threatening to launch airstrikes on Mullah Omar and the Taliban leadership in the Pakistani city of Quetta as frustration mounts about the ease with which they find sanctuary across the border from Afghanistan."
WB-supplied fund for NWFP, Fata and Balochistan, by Baqar Sajjad Syed, Dawn.com, Sep 24, 2009: "But, diplomats here said donors ‘clearly lacked confidence in Pakistan's resource distribution mechanism' and feared that these areas might not benefit from the funds given to the government..."; US fears aid will feed graft, DailyTimes.com.pk, Sep 24, 2009
Pakistan, Iran helping Taliban: McChrystal, DailyTimes.com.pk, Sep 24, 2009
In the region: The Huge Hole in Gen. McChrystal's Afghan Counterinsurgency Strategy, By Franklin C. Spinney, Counterpunch.org, Sep 22, 2009; 'The Obama Administration Has Completely Failed', Human rights lawyer Tina Foster talks to SPIEGEL about detainee abuses in the US military prison in Bagram, Afghanistan and her disappointment with the Obama administration.

Mir Nasir Khan (1749-1817)
From 1975: Mir Nasir Khan (1749-1817) from Inside Baluchistan, by Khan-e-Azam Mir Ahmed Yar Khan Baluch, Royal Book Company, 1975. (pdf)
Publication from 1904: The Baloch Race. A Historical and Ethnological Sketch, by M. Longworth Dames, London, 1904
Gas exploration hampered by Balochistan security situation, by Tahir Niaz, DailyTimes.com.pk, Sep 21, 2009
Baluch hero Bugti calls for referendum under UN aegis, by Ahmar Mustikhan, Sep 20, 2009
Twelve high profile terrorists nabbed in Quetta, Dawn.com, Sep 17, 2009; also see: balochwarna.org coverage
Government solution = no solution: Baloch amnesty linked to renouncing of terrorism, by Khawar Ghumman, Dawn.com, Sep 18, 2009; "According to government sources, the amnesty will be announced if Baloch militants and activists promise to renounce anti-state activities." (see BalochUnity.org coverage)

PM to discuss package with Baloch leaders, by Ahmed Hassan, Dawn.com, Sep 16, 2009; ‘Govt to announce Balochistan package soon’, Dawn.com, Sep 17, 2009
Pak purchased weapons worth US $ 4.5 bn in 2005-08, rediff.com, Sep 17, 2009
Balochistan initiative, by Dr Rashid Ahmad Khan, reposted at balochunity.org, Sep 15, 2009
Witness to violence in Swat valley, eyewitness reports collected by BBC Urdu's Abdul Hai Kakar, BBCNews.com, Sep 14, 2009
Nationalists want more Baloch on PPP committee, by Zulfiqar Ghuman, DailyTimes.com.pk, Sep 13, 2009
Is Baluchistan becoming another East Pakistan?, by Kuldip Nayar, The Sunday Times, Sep 13, 2009: "Baluchistan may go the same way if Islamabad does not wake up to the excesses committed in the province. Shooting down one's own people for asking for a place in the sun is creating a cleavage which will be difficult to fill. After the experience of Bangladesh, Islamabad should have learnt the lesson..."
Malik may visit Kabul to meet Brahmdagh, By Syed Irfan Raza, Dawn.com, Sep 12, 2009
Los baluches necesitan que el mundo les preste atención, by Karlos Zurutuza, Gara.net, Sep 7, 2009 (left: Karlos Zurutuza)
Sep 6, 2009: Munir Mengal, chairman of Baloch Voice, Paris, France, was the special guest of 'Nacht Der Median' (Media Night) in Hamburg, Germany.
The event was attended by more then 1,200 media personalities. Hamburg Press Club president, Mr. Karlheinz Hauser, welcomed Mr. Mengal to the event and said that Baloch Voice will add a new chapter to media history when it airs. Mr. Mengal gave a detailed briefing about the situation in Balochistan, the closings of newspapers, Baloch abductions, and BLA, BLF, and BRA groups. Please follow links for German coverage here and here.
I am not anti-tribalism: Bramdagh Bugti, by Malik Siraj Akbar (in Urdu), Sep 5, 2009 (Ham Shahri, Oct 4, 2009 issue)
Banok Karima: the Baloch Leila Khaled, by Malik Siraj Akbar, Sep 4, 2009;

Video of Baanok Karima Baluch Speaking in Mand, Aug 12, 2009
Interview with Baloch woman, BBC Urdu, Sep 3, 2009
Balochistan Rugs. Interview with Jerry Anderson. This text is related to the album about rugs. (Thanks to Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur for making us aware of this book.)
Gas firms blocking rehabilitation of Bugtis: JWP, Dawn.com, Sep 2, 2009
Khan of Kalat speech on the Anniversary of Nawab Akbar Bugti's death, Aug 30, 2009
Iran will start laying gas pipeline in Pakistan next year, by Ijaz Kakakhel, DailyTimes.com.pk, Sep 1, 2009
A Bombing in Baluchistan, NYTimes.com, Aug 31, 2009
HRCP slates ‘bid to gag Balochistan newspapers’, DailyTimes.com.pk, Aug 29, 2009: "The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on Friday called upon the government to respect the freedom of press in Balochistan and end the “virtual siege” of independent newspapers' offices in the province..."
Quetta blasts disrupt rail traffic, gas supply, Dawn.com, Aug 29, 2009
U.S. Accuses Pakistan of Altering Missiles, by Eric Schmitt and David E. Sanger, NYTimes.com, Aug 29, 2009: “There’s a concerted effort to get these guys to slow down,” one senior administration official said. “Their energies are misdirected.”
Administrative costs could halve US aid: Tareen, DailyTimes.com.pk, Aug 28, 2009
Balochistan: Are the Balochis ready for external support?, posted at balochunity.org, Aug 28, 2009
Restive Balochistan, Dawn editorial, Aug 27, 2009
High time to take up Bugti murder case, by Amir Mir, Aug 27, 2009; Bugti's son seeks murder case against Musharraf, reposted at BalochWarna.com
Bugti anniversary: 'Down with Pakistan' day marked in Washington D.C., by Ahmar Mustikhan, newsvine.com, Aug 26, 2009;
BBC interview with Khan of Kalat, Aug 26, 2009: In Balochistan, only the military has a say.
Recipients of the Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti Reporting Award, 2009

Karlos Zurutuza


Peter Tatchell
Two Euro journalists to get Nawab Bugti award, NowPublic, Aug 25, 2009
CM Balochistan calls for provincial autonomy, Dawn.com, Aug 25, 2009
“Extreme military pressure” forces closure of daily, Reporters Without Borders, Aug 25, 2009
Is the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services more politically sensitive than generally assumed?, Aug 24, 2009: 'lists 'Baluchistan (Pakistan)' as a change of address option.
Balochistan to be transit route for IP gas pipeline, The News, Aug 23, 2009
 
>> MORE IN NEWS ARCHIVE...
 
from before:
articles by Karlos Zurutuza, http://www.gara.net/paperezkoa/20090618/142798/es/La/alargada/sombra/de/los/minaretes/dorados/de/Zahedan/ Photos from West and East Balochistan by Karlos Zurutuza
Note: The four articles below by Karlos Zurutuza were published in Spanish in June, 2009, by gara.net:

Islamabad should have attacked the Taliban in Pakistan a long time ago (trans. Daisann McLane);

East Baluchistan: The forgotten, endless war (trans. by Daisann McLane);

Other articles in Spanish:
Baluchistán: una guerra olvidada que no cesa; Otra jornada de lucha en Quetta, capital de Baluchistán; Islamabad tenía que haber atacado a los talibán en Pakistán hace mucho tiempo; La alargada sombra de los minaretes dorados de Zahedán, Gara.net, Jun 18-29, 2009
 
>> MORE IN NEWS ARCHIVE...
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur New: A tragedy within the tragedy, by Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur, DailyTimes, Sept 5, 2010
"...The Baloch sufferings raise not an eyebrow; the missing are still missing; Zakir Majeed’s family has been on hunger strike at the Quetta Press Club for months now but to no avail, Chakar Marri and Zaman Khan Marri are still missing along with hundreds others. I wonder if Mr Martin Mogwanja realised that the ‘tragedy within a tragedy’ holds true for both the sufferings of the Baloch due to natural calamities as relief is malevolently restricted and the state atrocities that they have been bearing since 1947."
New: (Please click for Sep 5, 2010 Jaffarabad update); Social Sangat and Baloch Publication have initiated a new campaign to help flood victims. You can read about this initiative on facebook and visit the Social Sangat website for information on how to donate.
HelpingHands
Dawn editorial: Balochistan’s woes, Aug 27, 2010: "Even in the flood relief operations, Balochistan has largely been left to fend for itself..."
Two local organizations that can be counted on to put your donations to work to help kids like these above. Please give generously.
Update: Aug 30, 2010: Our friends at Social Sangat (below) have sent us this update: In Karachi they have just collected medicines and goods from the Baloch community of Muscat, Oman, for the relief camp at Jaffarabad. Parveen Naz is still in Karachi, meeting with organizations, and has just learned that a Karachi-based organization will provide one million rupees' worth of medicine and and food goods. Also they met with Karachi's Baloch community in Liyari and the youth are starting a ''door to door'' campaign to raise funds and collect goods for the camp in Jaffarabad. If you can donate goods or $, please visit their website for info on how to contribute!
To help flood victims send donations to:
Karachi Student Welfare Forum
To send donations via Western Union:

A/C No: 01683981901
Bank's Name: Standard Chartered Bank, Johar Branch Account
N.I.C No: 41203-4632578-3

Name of the Organization: Karachi Student Welfare Forum
Mobile no: 0333-7070755, 0345-2958997
Location: Karachi, Sindh
E-mail: kswforum@gmail.com

To help flood victims send donations to:
The Baloch Publication and Social Sangat
(using Western Union or Moneygram, or whatever option one prefers):

Title: SANGAT LIBRARY AND SOCIAL SERVICES
Account Number: 40335315 1000164
Bank Name: Muslim Commercial Bank Ltd. 
Branch code: MCB- 0562. Usta Muhammad Balochistan Bank
SWIFT Code: MUCBPKKA

For further details: 
Miss. Parveen Naz, (Editor The Baloch Mag)
Email: naz.parveen@ymail.com, missjeeap@gmail.com
+92 333 3505644

Mr. Khalid Mir (Director Social Sangat)
Email: khalidmir.88@gmail.com, socialsangat@gmail.com
+92 345 3838131
Ahmed Rashid The Anarchic Republic of Pakistan, by Ahmed Rashid, The National Interest, Sept-Oct, 2010
"THERE IS perhaps no other political-military elite in the world whose aspirations for great-power regional status, whose desire to overextend and outmatch itself with meager resources, so outstrips reality as that of Pakistan...Pakistan’s civilians, politicians and intellectuals are helpless; they cannot make the deep state see sense as long as the West continues its duplicitous policies of propping up the military-intelligence establishment in opposition to popular society while demanding that the Pakistani civilian government wrest back control of the country..."
1 million people face starvation in Balochistan, says minister, by Mohammad Zafar, DailyTimes, Aug 24, 2010: [Senior Minister] Sadiq Umrani, who also belonged to Naseerabad, has said that the chairman of National Disaster Management Authority had stopped the different NGOs from helping the flood survivors in Balochistan..."I have spent a week in Naseerabad division and have seen no official from the local administration or any member of non-government organisations (NGOs) in the flood-hit area, and people are living in the open without food and clean drinking water"...
Destruction of the angry glaciers, by Nizamuddin Nizamani, DailyTimes, Aug 24, 2010

The Karachi Student Welfare Forum is raising money to help victims of the floods in Sindh. They have already managed to send two power boats and 3 inflatable boats for rescue work, as well as rations for 500 families for up to a week, now they are working a volunteers and supporting people who are coming from affecting areas. Please give generously. (More details and information on how to donate)

To help flood victims:
To send donations via Western Union:

A/C No: 01683981901
Bank's Name: Standard Chartered Bank, Johar Branch Account
N.I.C No: 41203-4632578-3

Name of the Organization: Karachi Student Welfare Forum
Mobile no: 0333-7070755, 0345-2958997
Location: Karachi, Sindh
E-mail: kswforum@gmail.com

Mehreen Zahra-Malik From before: Politics of Alarm, by Mehreen Zahra-Malik, The Baloch Hal, Aug 6, 2010
Hayrbyar Marri August 11, 2010 Interview: Hayrbyar Marri, Baluch liberation leader, by Karlos Zurutuza. Reposted from the Spanish original at gara.net
On the 63rd anniversary of Baluchistan's declaration of independence, Hayrbyar Marri, a prominent leader of the Baluch cause, speaks in an exclusive interview about one of the world's most forgotten conflicts. "There is only one point to negotiate with Pakistan—insists Marri—and that's the unconditional withdrawal of all occupation forces."
Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur Sarmad lives on, by Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur, DailyTimes.com.pk, Aug 8, 2010
Murders Most Foul, by Malik Siraj Akbar, The Baloch Hal, Aug 6, 2010
Ahmed Rashid
photo: Arif Ali/AFP
The Taliban's New Target, Losing Faith in Pakistan's Future, by Gerhard Spörl, Der Spiegel, Aug 5, 2010
"...But where would their revolution begin? Ché, their idol had fought his way out of the mountains and into the cities. Pakistan was their Cuba. And their mountains were in Balochistan, a poor province where the mountain tribes, as tested by war as their Afghan counterparts, had been fighting for independence, or at least autonomy, for years..."
Dr. Jumma Marri If Yes to Kosovo Why not Balochistan? By Dr. Jumma Khan Marri, Aug 3, 2010
Iran and Pakistan have been looting Baluchistan resources, because Baluch have no power to stop them, by M. Sarjov, Sarjau, Aug 3, 2010; Claim to independence is clear political objective for the Baluch masses, by M. Sarjov
Balochistan: Behind an Iron Curtain, by Vikram Sood, NewKerala, Aug 3, 2010, reposted at intellibriefs
Weakening Pakistani Hold In Balochistan, BalochUnity, Aug 2, 2010
Dara Shikoh: still persecuted, by Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur, DailyTimes, Aug 1, 2010: "History’s false and biased version has fully been exploited for the ulterior motive of strengthening the elite’s hold over all facets of life and implementing their version of Islam..."
Mandatory Decision Taken Imprecisely, by Diagoh Murad, July 29, 2010: "...In the meantime the family members of Zakir Majeed are on a hunger strike which has entered its 74th day and still no Court or Judicial inquiry commission has been able to respond to their demands..."
New: Special Report from Balochistan - I, by Amir Mateen, The News, Jul 25. 2010
Julian Assange Inside the Fog of War: Reports From the Ground in Afghanistan, NYTimes.com, Jul 25, 2010 (via wikileaks.org);

Pakistan Spy Service Aids Insurgents, Reports Assert

interview with Julian Assange

Updates: The U.S. 'war on terror' produces even more madness:

WikiLeaks must be stopped, by Marc A. Thiessen, WashingtonPost.com, Aug 3, 2010

Today Anwar, tomorrow, who knows? Lawyers Seeking Terror Suspect’s Case Sue U.S., by Charlie Savage, NYTimes, Aug 3, 2010; Aug 3 follow-up article: Why We Sued to Represent Muslim Cleric Aulaqi, by Bill Quigley, truthout.org op-ed: "...What this case is really about is not Aulaqi but about our government disregarding the rule of law..."

The US lays the groundwork to go after Julian Assange: WikiLeaks 'has blood on its hands' over Afghan war logs, claim US officials, by David Leigh, The Guardian, Jul 30, 2010

Wikileaks Posts Mysterious 'Insurance' File, Wired.com, Jul 30, 2010 (in case anything happens to Julian Assange, i.e., abduction by US law enforcement.)

Do Disclosures of Atrocities Change Anything? by Alexander Cockburn, counterpunch.org, Jul 30, 2010 (Note: the same seems to apply in Balochistan. We have been documenting disappearances/killings of Baloch since 2006, yet reports of these atrocities appear to have no effect whatsoever on Pakistan's government officials, elites or military.)

Penchant for self-destruction, by Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur, DailyTimes, Jul 25, 2010
Knight, not pawn: Habib Jalib Baloch, by Dr. Mohammad Taqi, The Baloch Hal, Jul 23, 2010
Burning issues in troubled Balochistan, by Abubakar Siddique, atimes.com, Jul 22, 2010: "But the more than 8 million predominantly pastoral Balochis are an impoverished lot. They face state discrimination in Iran and Pakistan and wait for a day when their lives will be more important to regional states than the mineral resources and trade routes in their lands..."
Stop the Baloch's bleeding, by I.A. Rehman, Jang.com, Jul 18, 2010 (scan of article)
Another nail in the coffin, By Sheikh Asad Rahman, The Baloch Hal, Jul 18, 2010
Sanaullah Baloch End of endurance, by Sanaullah Baloch, Jang.com, Jul 18, 2010; and Blood Blood Balochistan, The Baloch Hal, Jul 18, 2010 (in Urdu)
Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur Resenting the yoke, by Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur, DailyTimes, Jul 18, 2010
Karlos Zurutuza Bombings in West Balochistan, a predicted disaster, by Karlos Zurutuza, Jul 17, 2010 (original Spanish version published by Gara.net)
Balochistan Situationer: Moderate bridges continue to cave in, by Saeed Minhas, Daily Times, Jul 17, 2010: "Seen from the social scientist’s point of view the reasons are simple: looming poverty, joblessness, lack of development, dictatorially-run political establishments and last but not the least, the recurring use of force to hush up all public demands need urgent and immediate attention, claimed few remaining and willing-to-talk academicians in the province..."
BalochHal Editorial: Adieu Comrade Jalib, Jul 15, 2010; audio interview with Malik Siraj Akbar, Deutsche Welle (Voice of Germany), Jul 15, 2010
Ahmed Rashid Petraeus’s Baby, by Ahmed Rashid, July 2010
Life on the Geopolitical Fault Lines: Does Contemporary History of Balochistan Reflect Poland’s Past? – Part II, by Belaar Baloch, Jul 14, 2010; Part I, Jun 26, 2010
Balochistan: Not an Internal Matter, Pt II, by Diagoh Murad, Jul 13, 2010; Part I, Jul 4, 2010
”Ultimately, the World Will Have to Directly Negotiate With the Balochs”: Sardar Khair Baksh Marri, Trans. from Sindhi news interview by Malik Siraj Akbar, Jul 11, 2010
Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur Small mistakes, by Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur, DailyTimes, Jul 10, 2010
Malik Siraj Akbar A HUGE congratulations to Malik Siraj Akbar! Balochistan journalist Awarded Humphrey Fellowship 2010-11, The Baloch Hal, Jul 8, 2010
"Whose Projeny - Part III, Part I, and Part II, by Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur, BalochUnity and DailyTimes, Jun 20, Jun 27, and Jul 4, 2010
"The Pakistani state and elite have not only always turned a blind eye to the venomous hate and intolerance preached by millions of pulpits that adorn this ‘land of the pure’, but have also actively promoted it. They patronised preachers of murder and mayhem, thereby creating an atmosphere of fear and intimidation in which no one can object to their sinister and pernicious dogmas. Extremists have been allowed to hijack culture, morality, history, attitudes, and even the minds of people.
Malik Siraj Akbar BalochHal editorial: How Much Support For Jundullah Is Too Much? Jun 30, 2010
"...The Baloch movement needs to have clearly defined answers of several crucial questions to satisfy the rest of the world about the structure of a proposed independent Balochistan. Such a roadmap should implicitly define the relationship between the state and religion; role of tribalism and the status of women and religious as well as ethnic minorities in an independent Balochistan, the ultimate goal for which parties like BNF are struggling right now. BNM has adopted a timely stance and rightly warned BNF not to compromise on Baloch nationalist ideology by backing religious fundamentalism. By supporting religious fundamentalists, Baloch nationalists would be compromising on their ideological foundations and make it more difficult for the international community to support the Baloch movement..."
BalochHal editorial: National Party’s Political Suicide, Jun 28, 2010
Life on the Geopolitical Fault Lines: Does Contemporary History of Balochistan Reflect Poland’s Past? Part I, by Belaar Baloch, Jun 26, 2010
Malik Siraj Akbar BalochHal editorial: Imposing Arabic language on Baloch children, by Malik Siraj Akbar, Jun 19, 2010: "...the government of Balochistan stunned everyone on Friday with its ridiculous decision to introduce Arabic language from class one to class tenth all over the province..."

"...This is clearly a politically motivated decision of the government of Balochistan to please some Arab sheikdoms. Learning Arabic language in the contemporary world is totally meaningless for the Baloch kids or the children of any other non-Arab nation. Arabic does not hold any significance in today’s world where English-speaking countries like the US dominate all technological advancements. While teaching English at primary level makes sense, Arabic even does not merit a second thought as a more pressing issue right now is the induction of mother tongues at schools and colleges...

The Sun in the Sky: The Relationship between Pakistan's ISI and Afghan Insurgents, by Matt Waldman, Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, Kennedy School of Govt, Harvard University, June 2010 (pdf)
Sanaullah Baloch Citizens, not subjects, by Sanaullah Baloch, Dawn.com, Jun 14, 2010
"Many governments across the world make use of disasters as an opportunity to reach out to marginalised masses and address their grievances. But Islamabad’s confused and biased establishment exploits disaster as an opportunity to further suppress communities under the pretext of national security..."
Lackadaisical urgency, by Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur, DailyTimes, Jun 13, 2010: "The claims that the army’s replacement by the FC has eased the ‘state of siege’ situation in Balochistan are fallacious..."
Khuzdar Balochistan Baloch Hal editorial: Khuzdar bleeds again, Jun 13, 2010; Widespread protests in Balochistan against killing of BSO activists, The Baloch Hal, Jun 12, 2010
One Myth, Many Pakistans, by Ali Sethi, NYTimes.com, Jun 13, 2010: "Some years later, in a secluded college library in Massachusetts, I read a very different account of the Two-Nation Theory. Here I learned that it was devised in the 1930s by a group of desperate Muslim politicians who wanted to extract some constitutional concessions from the British before they left India..."
ParvezHoodbhoy Reflections on the Flotilla massacre, by Pervez Hoodbhoy, Viewpoint, Jun 11, 2010: "Israel is responsible for abductions and disappearances, but does anyone have an estimate for the number of "disappeared persons" in Baluchistan?"
Microcosms of the state, by Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur, DailyTimes, Jun 6, 2010: "It was the handiwork of a well organised group and probably not the first time that heroin travelled ticketless to Karachi..."
Battle for Pakistan, by Najam Sethi, The Baloch Hal, Jun 5, 2010
The Question of Balochistan, by Urooj Zia, The Baloch Hal, May 31, 2010
New-Gara.net Spanish version: Pruebas nucleares en Baluchistán este, by Karlos Zurutuza, May 29, 2010; English version: Nuclear testing in Balochistan: a local physician´s testimony, Interview by Karlos Zurutuza, 2009, Apr 3, 2010
photo by Karlos Zurutuza
A child in Dalbandin, an area affected by the radiation. Photo by Karlos Zurutuza
Nuclear testing in Balochistan: a local physician´s testimony, Interview by Karlos Zurutuza, 2009, first published in English, Apr 3, 2010
Hunza, May 29, 2010: "Overtopping" has begun. For coverage of evolving crisis, scroll down the page.
Pakistani Ineptitude - Mega Flood Looming, by CN Anand, DesiCritics.org, May 27, 2010
The charge of the Chainsaw Brigade, by Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur, May 23, 2010, BalochUnity.org
Religion as a panacea for Baloch nationalism, by Malik Siraj Akbar, TheBalochHal, May 21, 2010 (reposted at BalochUnity)
Baloch nationalism gone wrong, by Malik Siraj Akbar, TheBalochHal, May 20, 2010
Talibanisation creeping into Balochistan, by Jan Assakzai, May 19, 2010, reposted at BalochUnity
Strategic mess, by Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur, DailyTimes, May 16, 2010
Karlos Zurutuza
Karlos Zurutuza
An interview with journalist Karlos Zurutuza, by Sara Etxart, NoticiasdeGipuzkoa, May 14, 2010: "The indifference of the international community towards the Baloch issue is outrageous." (Spanish original)
Balochistan: a flawed policy, by Sanaullah Baloch, Dawn.com, May 12, 2010
Hunza, May 29, 2010: "Overtopping" has begun.
A new ghost political party, Gilgit-Baltistan National Congress, emerges at international stage, PamirTimes, Jun 15, 2010
Daily coverage of rising waters and affected areas at: http://pamirtimes.net/
Pakistani Ineptitude - Mega Flood Looming, by CN Anand, DesiCritics.org, May 27, 2010
Karakoram traders flee border post, by Syyed Fazl-e-Haider, Asia Times, May 21, 2010
15 ft remaining for a spillover to take place, Pamir Times, May 20, 2010
Army moves in to evacuate vulnerable population in Hunza – Nagar and Gilgit, PamirTimes.net, May 16, 2010
Karakorum Highway
The likelihood of a flood from the Attabad landslide, by Professor Dave Petley, Durham University, England, May 15, 2010
Multiple dimensions of the Hunza disaster, by Dr. Shahid Siddiqui, May 15, 2010: "...The most painful part of the issue was the downplaying of the disaster by the federal and local authorities. They tried to create the impression that everything was either all right or under control. The reality, however, was just the opposite..."
Quick meltdown inevitable? Simulation of the erosion process of landslide dams due to overtopping considering variations in soil erodibility along depth, by D.S. Chang and L.M. Zhang, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences
Pakistan PM to visit Attabad lake amid flood fears, BBCNews, May 14, 2010
Army plays down risk of flooding to villages, Dawn.com, May 13, 2010. As CN Anand, however, notes in The Hanzkuts of the Lost Horizon, "It does not need an expert to realize that the need of the hour was to was to work day and night and pare down the height of the block to the maximum possible...Locals have complained that during day time, a full eight-hour shift is not being carried out..."
Tarbela Dam & Karkoram Highway Threatened in Pakistan, by CN Anand, Mar 13, 2010
Karakorum Highway submerged between Ghulkin and Gulmit, PamirTimes, May 12, 2010; Tarbela can absorb Hunza lake water, Dawn.com, May 12, 2010
The Hanzakuts of The Lost Horizon-Imminent Catastrophe, by CN Anand, Desicritics, May 10, 2010: "A catastrophe that occurs once in a hundred years is imminent in the next 20 days..."
Indian plot against Northern Areas, by Sajjad Shaukat, SanaNews, May 9, 2010
[Citizens' Voice] “We have spilled blood for this country, our needs should be fulfilled” (interviews, Pt I, Pt II), May 8, 2010
Karakorum Highway and the Indian Option, by CN Anand, Apr 2, 2010
Aljazeera's coverage: Pakistan landslide engulfs villages, Mar 13, 2010
From before: Chairman of the Balawaristan National Front (BNF) Abdul Hamid Khan's remarks to Bangkok conference.
Pakistan: Quo Vadis?, by B. Raman, South Asia analysis Group, May 14, 2010: "While the Pakistan Army feels confident that it will be able to crush separatist movements in Balochistan and Sindh despite the imagined Indian role, it does not have a similar confidence with regard to the Pashtuns...Unless Islam is demilitarized and sent back to the mosques and madrasas where it belongs, Pakistan stands in danger of being weakened and destabilized by its own creations..."
The bridge of indignities, by Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur, DailyTimes, May 9, 2010
In the US: What makes the Times Square bomber different from other Pakistani terrorists, by Ahmed Rashid, May 5, 2010
Two wrongs never make a right, by Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur, DailyTimes, May 2, 2010
Winning the Battle of Algiers, by Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur, DailyTimes.com.pk, Apr 25, 2010
Full Frame: Lost in Balochistan, a photographer documents life with the Balochistan Liberation Army, by Marc Wattrelot, Special to Global Post, Apr 23, 2010
Shammed Amendment, by Diagoh Murad, Diagoh Murad blog, Apr 23, 2010
"The Supreme Court no longer talks of the missing persons”, An exclusive interview with Nasrullah Baloch, chairman Voice for Missing Baloch Persons (VMBP), The Baloch Hal, Apr 21, 2010
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (www.pta.gov.pk) has characterized this website as carrying 'blasphemous' content. As we see no religious material on this website, I can only interpret this to mean that the Pakistan government regards itself as god, or at a miminum, sacred. It has a high opinion of its achievements.
Conned again, by Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur, DailyTimes, Apr 18, 2010
Balochistan-The Other Side of the Story, by Moign Khawaja, Foreign Policy Journal, Apr 18, 2010; Between the Lines: Hardliners, sideliners..., by Moign Khawaja, Apr 26, 2010
Interview with Ahmed Rashid: Ascending From Chaos? By Jan Singfield, Majalla Magazine, Jeddah, Apr 16, 2010
Grim Future Awaits, by Diagoh Murad, BalochWarna.com, Apr 11, 2010
Peter Tatchell: The people of Baluchistan have a right to self-determination, by Peter Tatchell, The Independent, Apr 14, 2010
VIEW: Falling back on tribal structure, by Nizamuddin Nizamani, DailyTimes, Apr 3, 2010

A child in Dalbandin, an area affected by the radiation. Photo by Karlos Zurutuza
Nuclear testing in Balochistan: a local physician´s testimony, Interview by Karlos Zurutuza, 2009, first published in English, Apr 3, 2010

Dulip/Johnny Dass alias Dali
Balochistan Darkness Visible - Bleeding War In Pakistan Province, Eurasia Review, Apr 1, 2010
Historical: A Page from the Past, by Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur: "In keeping with the Pakistani tradition of camouflaging history a vital chunk of the country’s past has been shrouded in mystery for over 20 years. This was the period of 1973-1977, when the Baloch rose in revolt against a state that had relentlessly oppressed them for decades and military operations against the Baloch people were at their peak."
Historical: Please also see Mir Ali Mohammad Talpur's account: Memories of Another Day: Part I, Part II, Part III, Newsline Special, June 2009.
ANALYSIS: Qu’ils mangent de la brioche, by Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur, DailyTimes, Apr 4, 2010
Assessing Article 370, by Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur, DailyTimes, Mar 28, 2010
Pakistan’s other fault lines, by Sanaullah Baloch, DailyTimes, Mar 28, 2010
Editorial: Inquiry Commission for missing persons, The Baloch Hal, Marr 25, 2010
IPI: the Baloch perspective, by Sanaullah Baloch, Dawn.com, Mar 22, 2010
Masters, not friends, by Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur, Daily Times, Mar 21, 2010
New by Robert Fisk: Into the terrifying world of Pakistan's 'disappeared', by Robert Fisk, The Independent, Mar 18, 2010; The mysterious case of the Grey Lady of Bagram, Mar 19, 2010; As things get worse in Pakistan, the optimism continues to soar, Mar 20, 2010
British terror trial: UK collusion with Musharraf's dictatorship, by Peter Tatchell, Naked Punch, Mar 21, 2010
U.S. may expand use of its prison in Afghanistan, by David S. Cloud and Julian E. Barnes, LA Times, Mar 21, 2010
Missing persons, Dawn editorial, Mar 20, 2010
Encountering fundamentalism, by Nizamuddin Nizamani, DailyTimes, Mar 17, 2010
In the region: Fiction of Marjah as City Was US Information War, by Gareth Porter, Inter Press Service, Mar 8, 2010, reposted at truthout.org: "It turns out, however, that the picture of Marja presented by military officials and obediently reported by major news media is one of the clearest and most dramatic pieces of misinformation of the entire war..."
In the region: AfPak dialectics can work in India’s favour, by Sushant Sareen, Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, Mar 9, 2010, reposted at Intellibriefs
MehranBaloch
Mehran Baloch, Jang.com.pk
From before: Interview with British Baloch Leader, Mehran Baloch, by Murtaza Ali Shah, The News on Sunday, reposted at America at War, Dec 27, 2009
Malthus’s disciples, by Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur, DailyTimes, Mar 7, 2010: "There are some 23,300 nuclear weapons, made and maintained at enormous cost and enough to destroy the earth a thousand times over, in the arsenals of eight states..."
The Balochistan truth, by Sanaullah Baloch, DailyTimes.com.pk, Mar 3, 2010
Midas’s gold, by Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur, DailyTimes.com.pk, Feb 28, 2010: "Barrick’s track record is pathetic... Considering the environmental consequences, all licenses to Reko Diq should be cancelled.
"Musings on Pakistan" Random Thoughts, by Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur, DailyTimes.com.pk, Feb 14, 2010
What Happened in New Delhi conference?, by Malik Siraj Akbar, Feb 11, 2010
I Come Not To Praise Charlie Wilson, But To Bury Him,’ By Melissa Roddy, The Public Record, Feb 11, 2010
From before: On the matter of Pakistan, by David Dienstag, Jezail.org, Aug, 2009
From before: Iranian Baloch & Social Innovation: A Critical Look, by Dr. Ahmad Reza Taheri, 2009: "...as is the case with other societies, in order to develop a culture of innovation in Balochistan, attention must shift on effective education...It is only through a mental revolution that one can improve one's culture and update one's religious beliefs..."
From before: Conflict in Dera Bugti, by Nizamuddin Nizamani, originally published in Dawn.com (with detail on underground resource revenue distribution)
The extraordinary wildlife of Balochistan's Hingol National Park is endangered for a number of reasons. Because this and other parks could be a valuable source of revenue for the Baloch people if promoted as sustainable eco-tourism and photography, as well as make a huge contribution to a variety of fields in science, we will cover more on this topic in the future. For now here is an introduction to Hingol National Park. And here is a link that describes opposition to hunting these magnificent creatures. More to come...
Buy land — they’re not making it anymore, by Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur, DailyTimes.com.pk, Feb 7, 2010
A short discussion on a few nuisance but necessary questions about Baloch national freedom struggle, by Hafeez Hassanabadi, Translated by Zrombesht, orig. source: dailytawar
Islamabad’s ‘gunboat’ policy, by Sanaullah Baloch, Dawn.com, Feb 1, 2010
Sanaullah Baloch: "...The broader aim underpinning the recent daylight murders of senior Baloch leaders is to prevent at all costs any mobilisation among the Baloch, or the raising of their political consciousness. Islamabad is using inhumane methods to intimidate Baloch political activists, seeking by such means to render impossible any organised struggle against the colonisation and exploitation of Baloch land and resources..."
Understanding the Baloch insurgency, by Alok Bansal, Pragati, The Indian National Interest Review, Feb 2010
Anti-Baloch clique? — II, by Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur, DailyTimes.com,pk, Jan 31, 2010;
also: Anti-Baloch clique? — I, By Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur, TheBalochHal, Jan 16, 2010
Interview with Sardar Sherbaz Khan Mazari: 'Baloch have reached point of no return', by Sajid Hussain, TheNews, Jan 31, 2010, and BalochWarna
Balochistan’s unattended IDP crisis, by Malik Siraj Akbar, DailyTimes.com.pk, Jan 31, 2010
Pakistan the oppressor, by Peter Tatchell, Guardian.co.uk, Jan 28, 2010 (full set of links to Peter Tatchell's coverage)
It is wrong to perceive that the Baluch nationalism is the ambition of a few, by M. Sarjov, intellibriefs.blogspot.com, Jan 28, 2010,
Gates Sees Fallout From Troubled Ties With Pakistan, by Elisabeth Bumiller, NYTimes.com, Jan 24, 2010: "Pakistani journalists asked Mr. Gates...whether the United States would expand the drone strikes farther south into Baluchistan, as is under discussion. Mr. Gates did not answer."
"Parallel Government," The FC in Balochistan, by Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur, Jan 23, 2010
"...The US provides the 80,000-strong force $ 75 million a year for five years from the $ 750 million FATA package. It also sustains FC in Balochistan because it is supposedly performing the duty of guarding Balochistan (from its own people I suppose?)..."
The age of the killer robot is no longer a sci-fi fantasy, by Johann Hari, The Independent, Jan 22, 2010: "You can't appeal to robots for mercy or empathy - or punish them afterwards."
Pakistan may get drones - but implications of robotic wars are very grave, Jan 22, 2010: interview with Peter Singer, author of Wired for War.
A CM's Heart Change, source: The Frontier Post, Jan 21, 2010, reposted at Ostomaan.org
Plans to sabotage the Balochistan package, by Malik Siraj Akbar, The Baloch Hal, Jan 20, 2010
Balochistan is no Bangladesh, by Sushant Sareen, The Baloch Hal, Jan 20, 2010, also posted at intellibriefs; Balochistan: Sardars Vs Middle class Leaders, Intellibriefs.blogspot.com, Jan 21, 2010
A case study on the lack of democracy and socio-economic development of Balochistan, by Sheikh Asad Rahman, The Baloch Hal Exclusive, Jan 19, 2010
Afghanistan: only the first move in the grand chess game for control of Central Asian resources, by Michael Payne, Jan 9, 2010: "So if anyone still thinks that the surge in Afghanistan is strictly intended to defeat the Taliban and the remnants of Al-Qaeda, it's time to think again. This is the new launching point for the eventual control of the Balochistan region..."
What do Haiti and Balochistan have in common?
One is currently exploited by a central government and the other was brought to its knees by the French, Spanish and American governments. This article below is relevant because it is conceivable that Balochistan could throw off one yoke only to find itself pressured by a new set of smooth operators.

Already international players are stepping in to ask Pakistan why Balochistan canceled a mining contract. This article by respected scholar Noam Chomsky is harrowing and a must-read for anyone who is interested in global trade and power: The Tragedy of Haiti, by Noam Chomsky, reposted in truthout.org, orig. published in 1993. To read full article, please be sure to click through all 'segment' links.
The Surge: A Strategic Opportunity needs to be Exploited, by Belaar Baloch, Belaar's Perspective, Jan 13, 2010: "It is this uncertain environment that will ultimately create a strategic opportunity for the Baloch to further their interests; and, it is up to our leadership to determine how to wisely plan the initiatives to seize this opportunity which lies at our doorstep..."
From before: "The Marines and U.S. officials in Khan Neshin are trying to bypass corruption and inefficiency by working directly through [Massoud] Balouch." U.S., Taliban compete to help Afghan towns; Bypassing Kabul's corruption helps U.S. effort, but retaining talent is hard, MSNBC.com, Dec 29, 2009
Luckless Gwadar, by Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur, DailyTimes.com, Jan 10, 2010: "Sham mega events and failed mega-projects are no answer to the aspirations of the people..."

Vice Magazine has published several language editions of the article titled 'A meeting with Lashkar-e-Balochistan,' by Karlos Zurutuza: German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, English; For other editions of this story: gara.net (download pdf in Spanish), The Diplomat, and at thebaluch: A meeting with Lashkar-e-Balochistan, by Karlos Zurutuza, Nov 17, 2009

For entertainment (what imagination!): RAW organizes seminar with aim to target Baluchistan, by Christina Palmer, TheDailyMail.com, Jan, 2010
Balochistan: Ground Zero. A piece about the exploitation of Balochistan, by Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur, reposted from DailyTimes, com.pk, Jan 1, 2010
The price of ‘Pakistan Khapay’, by Malik Siraj Akbar, taqaza.com, Jan 1, 2010

Ahmar Mustikhan
"Aren't you afraid that the Americans might use you tactically, against the Taliban, and then, like the Kurds, abandon you once you have outlived your purpose?" - Stewart J. Lawrence poses questions for Ahmar Mustikhan
Interview: Foreign and defense policy expert Stewart J. Lawrence interviews Ahmar Mustikhan: Baluchistan and the Af/Pak War, Dec 30, 2009, Counterpunch.org, reposted at Intellibriefs
Interview with Mehran Baloch: Baloch sardars are stooges of establishment, by Murtaza Ali Shah, The Baloch Hal, Dec 28, 2009
The Balochistan 'package,' by Sanaullah Baloch, Dec 21, 2009
Baloch Hal Editorial: Baloch journalist under terrorism charges, Dec 17, 2009
Contempt of Court and the Pakistan Army, by CN Anand, Desicritics.org, Dec 17, 2009
Dec 12, 2009: The Sindhi American Political Action Committee (SAPAC) is pleased to announce the launching of its website! www.sindhpac.org
A meaningful amnesty, by Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur, The Baloch Hal, Dec 12, 2009
The darkest December, by Ahmad Faruqui, Dawn.com, Dec. 7, 2009
Text highlight: Remarks by Selig Harrison at the Baluchistan International Conference, Nov 21, 2009: "...This is the key to understanding why Pakistan is so dysfunctional. It’s an artificial political entity. The British put together five ethnic groups that had never before co-existed in the same body politic historically. The Bengalis were the biggest. They outnumbered all of the other four combined—the Punjabis, the Pashtuns, the Baluch and the Sindhis. Five became four of course when Bangladesh seceded [in 1971]..."
Development: The Saindak Saga, by Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur, reposted from the DailyTimes.com.pk, Dec 5, 2009; Editorial: Outstanding dues of Sui Gas, The Baloch Hal, Dec 3, 2009
Andrew Eiva
Video highlight: Speech (Part I, Part II, Part III) by Andrew Eiva at Baluchistan International Conference, Nov 21, 2009. Mr. Eiva is best known for his impact on policy and the selection of effective weapons systems during Afghanistan's struggle against Red Army occupation. Currently, he is working on a concept for the Sudanese resistance to use their oil and gas reserves as a tool for unity and victory. Eiva thinks a similar approach could benefit the Baluch drive for independence. Do not miss Mr. Eiva's background info at jezail.org.
World Siindhi Congress Also, please visit World Sindhi Congress for information regarding its work and past collaborations with Baloch groups on events like the Baluchistan International Conference.
Text highlight: Humaira Rahman spoke of the self-determination trap at the Baluchistan International Conference on Nov 21, 2009. Here is a link to the article by Marc Weller she referred to in this segment of her speech.
World Bank's Balochistan Economic Report, WorldBank.org, Nov 6, 2009: summary and full report
Bitter Truth by Diagoh Murad, Nov 29, 2009
The Baloch ‘Intifada,’ by Sanaullah Baloch, Dawn.com, Nov 23, 2009: Started soon after the military takeover of Gen Pervez Musharraf, the Baloch popular resistance to oppression is now entering its 10th year.
Exclusive: The War against Baloch, by Sanaullah Baloch, The Baloch Hal, Nov 20, 2009: "No other state in the world so openly assassinates or defends state murders and mass repression as legitimate instruments of rule. Islamabad is using the most brute and inhuman methods to track down and kill leading Baloch political activists."
New online newspaper! The Baloch Hal. From Editor-in-chief MALIK SIRAJ AKBAR: "...The Balochhal, which is a Balochi word for Baloch news, intends to bring the news from Balochistan as it happens. We are a team of young media professionals without biases towards any religion or political ideology. Ours is a liberal and secular policy under which we will provide equal coverage to all stakeholders in Balochistan."
A meeting with Lashkar-e-Balochistan, by Karlos Zurutuza, Nov 17, 2009: "The enemy tries to portray us as terrorists, but the Baloch have only been defending themselves from the illegal occupiers since day one. Today we all pursue the same goal: the liberation of Balochistan”, remarks the leader of this battalion of 20 guerrillas...

For other editions of this story: gara.net (download pdf in Spanish), The Diplomat and Vice Magazine
Where is the Chief Justice of Pakistan?, by Malik Siraj Akbar, Malik Siraj Akbar writes, Nov 15, 2009: "Voice of the Missing Persons (VMP) is a newly formed organization in Balochistan. It comprises of the family members of the disappeared people’s families. No one takes an interest in their issues anymore, they complain. Everyone is scared to speak in their support."
Predatory mining in Balochistan and Afghanistan: Afghan cash starts going to China, by Syed Fazl-e-Haider, atimes.com
From before: Jewel in the Crown: Reqo Diq Copper and gold Deposits in Balochistan Province of Pakistan, Sold for a Song, by Dr. Babur Zahiruddin, Economistan.com, Sep 13, 2009
Pakistan creates its own enemy, by Muhammad Idrees Ahmad, Le Monde diplomatique, Nov 2009: Asif Ezdi: "...because the state has failed [the youth], massively and comprehensively: the wellspring of Islamic militancy in Pakistan is to be found in the alienation of the mass of the population by a ruling elite that has used the state to protect and expand its own privileges, pushing the common man into deeper and deeper poverty and hopelessness."
"We shouldn't identify Jundallah with the resistance in Western Balochistan as whole."
- Ismail Amiri
IsmailAmiri
Interview with Ismail Amiri, by Karlos Zurutuza, Nov 4, 2009
TajMuhammadBreseeg

Taj Muhammad Breseeg,
photo by Karlos Zurutuza
“The antagonisms between the clans have disappeared; today our people are united in the fight against the state.”
Interview with historian Taj Mohammad Breseeg, by Karlos Zurutuza, Nov 2, 2009
Pakistan's Other Problem Area: Baluchistan, by Ishaan Tharoor, Time.com, Nov 1, 2009
Voice of reconciliation, Interview with Tahir Muhammad Khan, TheJang.com, Nov 1, 2009: "The dream of an independent Balochistan is over 80 years old. The Baloch are in search of their identity. They possess territory, they own resources, they have their language and culture, they take pride in their history, unconquered by any one. The creation of Muslim Pakistan was a romantic division; that dream is over. Therefore, the classic nationalism is once again reemerging."
Balochs in Iran, the “enemies of God,” story and photos by Karlos Zurutuza, originally published in Spanish by gara.net
Iran
Zahedan, Iran
Press Review: Killing of Balochistan’s Education Minister, by Malik Siraj Akbar, Daily Times editorial, Oct 27, 2009
Appeasing Iran by Belaar, In Search of Baloch National Interest, Oct 25, 2009 (also see Iran's Ethnic Tinderbox, by John R. Bradley)
Iran, Balochistan and Pakistan: The Next Insurgent Frontier?, by Saad Khan, huffingtonpost.com, Oct 24, 2009
The riddle of Baluchistan, by Hamida Ghafour, TheNational, Oct 23, 2009
Inside Balochistan's Ravaged Heartland, by Qurratulain Zaman, Tehelka, Issue 43, Oct 31, 2009
Ahmed Rashid Takes On the Crisis in AfPak, by Ahmed Rashid, The National Interest Online, Oct 21, 2009: "...Worse, Pakistan is far less resilient than it was a few years ago. Even as Pakistani officials bluntly criticize Holbrooke for linking Afghanistan and Pakistan in his “AfPak” strategy, some Pakistanis already see a chronic “Afghanization” of their nation. Current realities include a collapse of law and order in parts of the country, state institutions riddled with corruption and ineffectiveness, a justice system that cannot deliver, a crashing economy with severe joblessness, increasing ethnic tensions and a strong separatist movement in Baluchistan province..."
Jundallah: Profile Of A Sunni Extremist Group, by Abubakar Siddique, Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty: Oct 20, 2009: "...Analysts suggest that the turmoil in this part of the world will rise unless regional states rethink and reconfigure their relations with their own citizens and with their neighborhood..."

Asad Rehman
Revisiting the Che Guevara-like days of Baloch resistance movement with Asad Rehman, interview by Malik Siraj Akbar, Malik Siraj Akbar writes, Oct 19, 2009
The Pakistan Army's Political Gamble, by Ahmed Rashid, The Daily Beast, Oct 17, 2009: "The military launched a massive public-relations exercise, briefing key TV talk-show hosts and journalists who were urged to whip up public opinion against the U.S. aid bill..."
Without democracy in Pakistan, forget victory in Afghanistan, by Tareq Fateh, Globe & Mail, Oct 14, 2009: "Military elites are stoking anti-U.S. hysteria to cripple Islamabad’s fight against the Taliban...For the first time in U.S.-Pakistan relations, American aid will be directed at Pakistan's economy and social infrastructure and not entirely toward its armed forces. The result is an uproar among the beneficiaries of the country's military-industrial complex whose sense of entitlement seems to be in a state of disbelief..."
Opinion: War and Peace, by Alexander Cockburn, counterpunch.org, Oct 9-11, 2009: "...There have been two moments in the last 40 years when life might have improved for ordinary Afghans, particularly women. The first came with the the reforming left regime of the late 1970s, destroyed by the warlords with US backing. The second arrived with the US eviction of the Taliban in 2001-2, which was welcomed by many Afghans. But at this stage in the game, simply by definition, no American intervention overseas can be anything other than a ghastly disaster, usually bloodstained. Allready the US had too many chits out to the warlords of the Northern Alliance. The US “nation building” apparat is irreversibly corrupt – with a network of $250,000 a year consultancies, insider contracts, and beyond that a de facto stake in the drug industry now supply most of the West's heroin and opium."
US-Pakistan: a client cannot defy but conforms, by Belaar, In Search of the Baloch National Interest, Oct 10, 2009
Britain to train Pakistan’s Frontier Corps troops in Baluchistan, by Jeremy Page, TimesOnline, Oct 9, 2009
Book Review: Transforming Pakistan: Ways out of Instability by Hilary Synnott; reviewed by Krishnan Srinivasan, The Telegraph, Calcutta, India, Oct 9, 2009: 'According to [Synnott], India sees no advantage in promoting anarchy in Pakistan; Siachen has little or no strategic importance; Zardari and his party are deeply unpopular; Urdu as a national language is not an “entirely successful” device; the “strategic depth” that the Pakistan military craves for in Afghanistan is “a baffling idea”; the Pakistanis failed to create a pliable government in Kabul after the Soviet pullout; and there are limits to the ISI's control over militants...'
Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur Will TRC work? By Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur, Oct 7, 2009
"Remember that this commission became possible only when the scenario changed completely after the white minority under F.W. de Klerk accepted the principle of majority rule in 1991 and negotiated the end of apartheid with the ANC..."
Comment: The Truth and The Lies, by Diagoh, Pakistan (word)
Pakistan's Pashtuns, looking for statehood, may look to Taliban, by Ben Arnoldy, Christian Science Monitor, Oct 4, 2009
Sikander Hayat Jamali (1942-2009), Dr. Shahida Jaffrey Jamali remembers her illustrious husband, The Friday Times, reposted at Malik Siraj Akbar Writes, Oct 1, 2009
Chasing Taliban into Balochistan, by Belaar Baloch, In Search of Baloch National Interest, Oct 1, 2009
From before: Baloch National Interest and the Middle East Conflict, by Belaar Baloch, In Search of Baloch National Interest, Feb 11, 2009
The Quetta Shura, by Malik Siraj Akbar, Oct 1, 2009: "Nothing embarrasses and irks Pakistani spymasters more than the issue of Talibanisation in Quetta..."
Congratulations to Ahmed Rashid:
Ahmed Rashid (author of 'Taliban' and most recently, 'Descent Into Chaos') has won an award for the Best Columnist of the Year in Spain and will be presented this award at a formal state dinner by the King and Queen of Spain.

Photo: AhmedRashid.com
Pakistani journalist Ahmed Rashid discusses the challenges facing President Obama in Afghanistan and Pakistan on NPR's Fresh Air Radio, Oct 1, 2009
Country of Constant Sorrow: McChrystal's Afghan Desolation, by Vijay Prashad, counterpunch.org, Sep 30, 2009
Poetry: This Balochi poem by Gul Khan Nasir is translated by the famous Urdu poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz. Nawab Nawroz Khan's story is a tragic one. I will try to find an English translation.

Malik Siraj Akbar
New: How Panjgur is losing the battle, by Malik Siraj Akbar, Sep 25, 2009 (original): "I was told that a lot of money was coming from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and many other Arab countries these days to radicalize the Baloch society...
Religious schools are mushrooming. Outsiders are nipping to the town to get education from the religious schools lavishly funded by Arab countries. Interestingly, the language centers that once played a magnificent role in the development of the society have now began to teach the kids the translation of short Quranic verses, the six Kalimas and the religious prayers prescribed for eating, sleeping etc."
The Balochistan ‘package', by Sanaullah Baloch, Dawn.com, Sep 21, 2009: "[Central govt.] control works through three interrelated mechanisms: a) Divide and rule... b) Economic dependence... c) Co-optation: involving the non-dominant elite like greedy tribal chiefs, feudals, drug tycoons and corrupt politicians through partial dispensation of benefits and favours...The Baloch have given 60 years to Islamabad to change the fate of the region but have, instead, been showered with bombs and bullets. Political, economic, social, educational and cultural values have been all but destroyed in the province..."
Face to Face, “The entire world is open to us, why should we confine ourselves to this country": Interview with Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri, by Amir Zia, Newsline, Sep 2009
New York Review of Books: To Live or to Perish Forever: Two Tumultuous Years in Pakistan, by Nicholas Schmidle, reviewed by Ahmed Rashid, Sep 15, 2009 (original here)
"Much has been made of Pakistan as a potential failed state on the verge of breakup, yet if there is even a remote chance of that happening it will not be because of the Taliban, but because of an underlying crisis that has been studiously ignored by the West—the separatist movement in Balochistan. "
Also reviewed by Ahmed Rashid: Seeds of Terror: How Heroin Is Bankrolling the Taliban and al Qaeda, by Gretchen Peters
Country for sale?, Dawn editorial, Sep 14, 2009: "...But there is little criticism of how our own government is threatening the country's territorial integrity by engineering the lease of millions of acres to foreign investors...Arab conglomerates are to be leased vast tracts of land and will be allowed to repatriate all produce and profits, even in the case of a food deficit..."
Jewel in the Crown: Reqo Diq Copper and Gold Deposits in Balochistan Province of Pakistan, Sold for a Song, by Dr. Babur Zahiruddin, Economistan.com, Sep 13, 2009
If I compromise on Baloch movement, my followers will kill, replace and forget me, says Bramdagh Bugti, by Malik Siraj Akbar, Malik Siraj Akbar writes, Sep 10, 2009

Shazain Bugti, APP photo
The Baloch perspective, By Murtaza Razvi, Dawn.com, Sep 10, 2009
In the region: An Outside-The-Box Look at Afghanistan, New Ideas for Lasting Peace and Stability, by Ahmad-Shah Duranai-Khan, Apr 17, 2009. Mr. Duranai posted this pdf in response to an article of Ahmed Rashid's;
In Afghanistan, Let's Keep It Simple, WashingtonPost.com, Sep 6, 2009;
also worth reading about: the 'cockamamie schemes' to raise cashmere goats (only the Americans could come up with this).
Essay: “Los Churreteros” By Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur, Sep 5, 2009

Speech by Mahdim Baloch on occasion of meeting held to honor Nawab Bugti, Aug 30, 2009: "We are facing a very slow, but very calculated genocide on the part of the Pakistan government..."

Release: Baloch Human Rights Council (UK): The Baloch And Sindhi Paid Tribute To Nawab Bugti, Sep 2, 2009
Washington awakens: US senators raise Balochistan issue, Dawn.com, Sep 2, 2009: "Senators Carl Levin and Jack Reed of the US Senate's Armed Services Committee and Edward Kaufman of the Foreign Relations Committee stressed the need for complete peace in Balochistan and asked the government to settle all outstanding issues with the Baloch people..."

Gathering for disappeared at Quetta Press Club,
photo by Karlos Zurutuza
Iran-Pakistan Joint Military Offensive Against East Baluchistan, by Karlos Zurutuza, translated from the Spanish by Elena Arengo (orig. publ. gara.net, Aug 30, 2009
Blood ONCE AGAIN ignites fire in Balochistan, Malik Siraj Akbar Writes, Sep 1, 2009: "Violence broke out in various districts of Balochistan on Monday after the recovery of the dead body of another Baloch nationalist leader..."
Balochistan situation getting bleaker by the day, by Malik Siraj Akbar, The Hindu, Opinion, Sep 2, 2009
The Gulf Widens, by Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur, Sep 1, 2009


Akhtar Mengal, Baluch National Party Leader, photo by Karlos Zurutuza

Esta operación unirá a la resistencia baluche a ambos lados de la frontera, Interview with Akhtar Mengal, by Karlos Zurutuza, gara.net, Aug 30, 2009 (in Spanish)

"This operation will unite the Baluch resistance on both sides of the border."
We should receive a new report regarding military operations in southern Balochistan shortly, but in the meanwhile, I am posting what appears to be the first official acknowledgement that Iranian rockets have been fired into the southern province of Balochistan: Iran Fired Rockets To Pakistani Control Balochistan, BPP.com, Aug 22, 2009
Dr. Jumma Khan Marri, Baloch political leader and son of the legendary Baloch leader Mir Hazar Khan Marri who led the Baloch freedom struggle in the 1970s and 1980s.
'India only gives moral support to Balochistan', interview with Dr. Jumma Khan Marri by Sheela Bhatt, rediff.com, Aug 24, 2009
Series by Malik Siraj Akbar: Day 4: FC’s attack on Balochistan’s fearless Press, Aug 24, 2009

Day 3: Khakis Press, Repress, Suppress
, Aug 23, 2009

Boots, guns, tanks now come to Daily Balochistan Express/ Azadi, Aug 21, 2009
Why Bleed Balochistan?, by Murtaza Razvi, Aug 24, 2009:
"It is becoming clear to an increasing number of Baloch people that while the state wants their resources, it has little empathy for them...
With local governments about to be disbanded and no clear plan in sight to revamp the system, it is the economically depressed districts and even entire provinces, which will suffer most...
The army is not known to have solved any of Pakistan's problems — at wartime or in peace — when left to its own devices. Its interference in public affairs has compounded our challenges and distorted the normal course of events. Its commercial interests pursued at the expense of the people are well documented. Ms Jahangir is right in asserting that Balochistan cannot be left to military decision-making mechanisms. The situation calls for political engagement among all concerned..."
New: Make Balochistan a priority, Dawn editorial, Aug 23, 2009
New: Balochistan burning: Great Game over Gwadar Port, By Ameen Izzadeen, The Sunday Times, Aug 23, 2009 (comment from editors)
Balochistan-Pakistan's Other Colony, by Vikram Sood, posted at bso-na.org, Aug 23, 2009: "Pakistan's largest province and most backward state is resource rich and geo-strategically located astride the energy routes from the Persian Gulf and as a gateway to Central Asia..."
Army running Pakistan's foreign policy: Asma Jahangir (chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan), Times of India, Aug 13, 2009: Apart from ruthlessness of the army that we witnessed in former East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) or were witnessing today in Balochistan, the military didn't even have a clear perception of the major issues that confronts the country, Jahangir said at a lecture on "Democracy and Human Rights in Pakistan: A dead-end"... "Recently there has been some development work in Balochistan, but it has not been carried out according to the wishes of the people of Balochistan, and the only set of people benefiting from the work are the Pakistan Army," Jahangir was quoted as saying by the Daily Times newspaper.
Let the dice fall, by Kamran Shafi, Dawn.com, Aug 18, 2009
The Afghan pipe dream, by Pepe Escobar, atimes.com, Aug 20, 2009
What Pakistan Should Really Worry About in Balochistan, by Patricia Lee Sharpe, WhirledView, Aug 20, 2009
Bye Bye Asaap, by Malik Siraj Akbar, Malik Siraj Akbar Writes, Aug 18, 2009: "Since the government decided to move a tank outside the Asaap offices, it has remarkably worsened the situation. Due to this, all of our staff members are panicked and unable to concentrate on their professional responsibilities. Everyone knows that Asaap began its publication amid very unfavorable circumstances. Since the outset, the paper has stood on a clear policy about Baloch and Balochistan..." also, see: “If a book is to disintegrate a country then there is nothing that can integrate a country,” Dr. Naseer Dashti and We all love Jan Dashti, also by Malik Siraj Akbar
New translation: East Baluchistan: The forgotten, endless war, by Karlos Zurutuza, gara.net, Jun 29, 2009. New translation by Daisann McLane, Aug 17, 2009

Akhtar Mengal photographed by Karlos Zurutuza


Khair Bux Marri


School children


Ataullah Mengal

Other photos by Karlos Zurutuza: East Balochistan, West Balochistan, and the insurgency
Editorial, Dawn.com: Baloch ‘independence’, Aug 13, 2009.

thebaluch.com comments: While one may argue the wisdom of "altering physical boundaries," the dawn.com editorial statement cited below is disingenuous and misleading.* Please see the text of the Aug 11, 1947 Standstill agreement and the text of Kalat State's Memorandum to the Cabinet Mission, 1946.

Interestingly, we also found the below text in an online archive, copyright UK Parliament, titled "Kalat" (HC Deb 11 March 1948 vol 448 c182W):

"...Mr. Donner asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations whether his attention has been drawn to the refusal of Kalat to join Pakistan; and whether it is intended to offer, without prejudice to Kalat's relationship to the Dominion, a treaty of friendship and/or alliance to the Khan.

Mr. Gordon-Walker: My attention has been drawn to a Press report that Kalat has refused to accede to Pakistan. I have no reason to believe, however, that negotiations have come to an end. I understand that a standstill agreement is in force..."

*(from dawn.com editorial, Aug 13: "... According to the then ruler of Kalat, the agreement had been to accept the state's unique status and to incorporate it into Pakistan as an independent and autonomous unit along the lines of countries that are part of the European Union today. But this has never been proved and is rejected by Pakistan...")
Editorial, Central Chronical: Balochistan civil war unnerves Pakistan, by MK Dhar, NPA, Aug 13, 2009:
"...Any talk of granting democratic, human and development rights to the people of Balochistan, struggling to shake off the yoke of Islamabad 's rule for decades, touches a raw nerve in the military-political establishment. Pakistan has still not recovered from the shock of the Khan of Kalat choosing independence over accession to Pakistan in the wake of the partition in 1947. He was forced to sign an accession paper after his palace was bombed by the Pakistan Air Force, making it clear he was doing so under duress and to ensure autonomy for Balochistan.

Ever since Islamabad has launched four major military campaigns against the Baloch people, killing thousands, but has failed to subdue them. They have been denied full autonomy, a fair share of development and resources and control of their natural wealth. They have opposed fundamentalism and attempts to bring them under the control of the mullahs, whom Gen Zia-ul-Haq and Musharraf had promoted. Islamabad has pushed in Al Qaeda and the Taliban into the province as a safe haven for operations against the US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, the people detest the presence of such foreign elements, as also the Army garrisons stationed in the province to continue military suppression of the nationalist forces.

To cover up its failure to integrate the Balochs, Pakistan has been looking for scapegoats and a hidden "Indian hand" for what is happening in Balochistan, with nationalists battling the Army and sabotaging vital communication links and the gas supply pipelines to show their resentment. The people continue to languish in poverty and ignorance, with little hope of relief with Islamabad having decided to tighten its military control. An informal media censorship has been clamped and nobody knows how many Baloch nationalists and Army personnel are getting killed in the continuing clashes..."
Stunning reversal: China calls halt to Gwadar refinery, by Syed Fazl-e-Haider, atimes.com, Aug 13, 2009: Cash-strapped Pakistan, which has had to accept more than US$11 billion from the International Monetary Fund, is threatened with the loss of a huge foreign investment after China said it had shelved its multi-billion dollar coastal oil refinery project at Gwadar, in southwest Balochistan province...
New: Balochistan celebrates I-Day in London, praises India, by Akanksha Banerji / CNN-IBN, Aug 13, 2009: "In an act of defiance, Balochistan celebrated its Independence Day in London three days before Pakistan’s official Independence Day..." (video link)

Report on London I-Day celebrations, by Faiz Baluch, Aug 13, 2009
New: Happy Independence Day, Balochistan!, by Daisann McLane, MsExPat at Correntewire.com, Aug 12, 2009
New: The 62nd Anniversary of Balochistan's unsuccessful bid for independence (Part I): Pakistan's Baloch: Life on the margins of Punjab, by Karlos Zurutuza, gara.net, August 11, 2009. (English translation by Daisann McLane, Spanish original).
New: The 62nd Anniversary of Balochistan's unsuccessful bid for independence (Part II): Baluch of Iran: the "enemies of God", by Karlos Zurutuza, gara.net, Aug. 12, 2009

New: The 62nd Anniversary of Balochistan's unsuccessful bid for independence (Part III): "The Baluchis have only two choices: death or slavery", by Karlos Zurutuza, gara.net, August 13, 2009

click for more articles archive . . .
 
Balochistan history in brief:
* Pakistan's Baluch Insurgency by Selig Harrison, Le Monde Diplomatique, Oct. 2006; For other articles and book by Selig Harrison
* For perspective by Ahmed Rashid (author of 'Taliban' and 'Descent into Chaos'): Frontier Years Give Might to Ex-Guerrilla's Words, by Jane Perlez, NY Times, Jul 5, 2008
* Interview with Ahmed Rashid by Munizae Jahangir from her documentary 'The Baloch Battlefield.'
* Waiting for the Worst: Baluchistan, 2006, by Nicholas Schmidle, The Virginia Quarterly Review, Spring 2007
* Balochis of Pakistan: On the Margins of History (right click to download pdf) by Foreign Policy Centre, London, Nov. 2006
* Back to the Future-The Khanate of Kalat and the Genesis of Baloch Nationalism 1915-1955, by Martin Axmann, Oxford University Press
* Baloch Nationalism: Its Origin and Development, by Taj Mohammad Breseeg, 2004; for pdf

Nicholas Schmidle
From before: Waiting for the Worst: Baluchistan, 2006, by Nicholas Schmidle, The Virginia Quarterly Review, Spring 2007
from before: Pakistan Kicked Me Out. Others Were Less Lucky., By Nicholas Schmidle, Washingtonpost.com, Feb 3, 2008

Nicholas Schmidle website
From before: Frontier Years Give Might to Ex-Guerrilla's Words, by Jane Perlez, NY Times, Jul 5, 2008: "... Fresh out of Cambridge University in the late 1960s, and steeped in the era's favorites — Marx, Mao and Che — Ahmed Rashid took off for the hills of Baluchistan, a dry, tough patch of western Pakistan. He stayed for 10 years."
From the New York Times, 1947:

Related articles from the NY Times
From Before : Crisis in Baluchistan: A Historical Analysis of the Baluch Nationalist Movement in Pakistan, by Justin S. Dunne, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey CA

From before: Balochistan, The Invisible War, Politics, natural resources and war in remote Pakistan, by Merrill Findlay
From 1838: thank you to the University of Texas for this magnificent map of "Beloochistan," published by "The Society for the diffusion of Useful Knowledge," August 15th, 1838. Note the population of Curachee 15,000 (yes thousand) and Kelat 20,000 and Kwettah 400.

From before: Balochistan: missing the point, by Ayaz Amir, Dawn.com, Mar 25, 2005

From before:
Balochistan, A Backgrounder, by Priyashree Andley, Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, Special Report, Oct 2006
Click for stunning photo of Balochistan landscape; for other photos by Kamran Safdar, click here
>> MORE in ARTICLES ARCHIVE...
Treaties, agreements and letters exchanged with the British govt. and/or Pakistan:
(right click to download pdfs; 14 relates to accession agreement)
From "Inside Baluchistan": Appendices 1-5, 6-13, 14, 15-19; All: 1-19
Books:
In Afghanistan's Shadow: Baluch Nationalism and Soviet Temptations. Selig S. Harrison. New York and Washington: Carnegie Endowment, 1981
BOOK: The Baloch and Their Neighbours: Ethnic and Linguistic Contact in Balochistan in Historical and Modern Times, Carina Jahani, Agnes Korn (eds.), Sep 28, 2007
Of global importance: The Shock Doctrine, by Naomi Klein, The Telegraph, Sept 22, 2007: "A new gangster class capitalises on conflicts . . ."; in Truthout.org: "The Shock Doctrine" is a powerful tour de force . . . In an age of corporatism partnered with corrupted political elites, it's must reading . . ."; Interview
Baloch Nationalism: Its Origin and Development by Taj Mohammad Breseeg, 2004. To download a pdf of Mr. Breseeg's dissertation, click here.
Inside Baluchistan, Political Autobiography of Khan-e-Azam Mir Ahmed Yar Khan Baluch, Ex-Ruler of Kalat State. Ahmed Yar Khan, Royal Book Company, 1975
Geography
http://www.transpakistan.com.pk/balochistan.htm
Map of Baluchistan through the ages, click for larger version; purchase book at amazon.
click for more articles archive . . .
New: Balochistan: Amnesty official - Violations Belong Alongside Those In Iraq, Afghanistan And Gaza, UNPO.org, Sep 2, 2010; reposted from Examiner
Demonstration: International Voice for Baluch Missing Persons (U.K section) to protest against enforced-disappearances, When: Sept 5, between 12-5pm
Where: In front of 10 Downing Street
New: Flood Situation in Balochistan "A Tragedy within a Tragedy", reposted at balochwarna from reliefweb, Sep 2, 2010: ""I have worked in humanitarian crises all over the world, but I had never seen a situation as devastating as in Balochistan", said Mr. Kebede [Rep of UNHCR], "I owe it to the people there, to put this on the table and help end their plight."
Feature: From the Baloch nightmare to the British "Guantanamo", as told to Karlos Zurutuza and Wendy Johnson, Sep 1, 2010
Faiz Baluch

From thebaluch editors: Our friend Faiz Baluch has traveled a remarkable journey, one that started with efforts to win the release of Baloch prisoners in Pakistan and culminated with his own arrest and incarceration in Britain's Belmarsh Prison. Faiz was eventually declared not-guilty on all charges, but he still awaits a decision regarding his appeal for asylum in the UK.

Faiz's story affected us in an unexpected way. When we started this website in 2006, a young man named Imran started to send us articles to help populate our site. They were often scholarly, some anthropological, some historical--by respected writers like Selig Harrison. But one day Imran quit emailing. Since many Baloch of the diaspora are rightly concerned about the long reach of their respective governments, I hadn't asked Imran about his friends. I speculated that he had become busy with school or was traveling. In any case, I had no one to ask. Months went by till finally one day I got a call from London. A lawyer was on the line. She said, 'I'm calling to speak to you about your friend Faiz Baluch--you know him as Imran. Your friend is in prison on charges related to terrorism.'

I was speechless. The Baloch have long suffered the consequences of rapacious government, but here this young man, leaving his home for the safety of the West, had found himself trapped in our own Kafkaesque War on Terror. Faiz's account is first and foremost about the Baloch of Balochistan, but it also serves to remind readers about the very real dangers associated with the West's War on Terror.

Poem and personal testimony: When will the Balochs stop being victims of the Pakistani paramilitary forces? by Khalid Hayat Jamaldin, Aug 31, 2010
Waheed Baloch Press release: "We want our loved ones not any packages" (mother of missing Kabeer Baloch), full statement, Aug 31, 2010
Press Release: Nawab Bugti Remembered by the Baloch and Sindhis in the UK, BalochWarna.org, Aug 30, 2010 (resolution)
The Missing Baloch: The Tragedy of Zakir Majid, by Imtiaz Baloch, Aug 30, 2010
(above) BNM (Malir Zone & Liyari Zone) Token Hunger Strike & Protest in front of Karachi Press Club, Aug 28, 2010
Photo tribute to Shaheed Rasool Bakhsh Mengal, Baluchsarmachar, Aug 28, 2010
Press Release: Pakistan: Thousands Of Persons Remain Missing, Human Rights Council, Fifteenth Session, submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organisation with general consultative status, Aug 27, 2010
Another Bullet-Riddled Body Found in Khuzdar, TheBalochHal, Aug 27, 2010

Agha Abid Shah
Abducted Aug 15, 2010 in Panjur

Safeer Baloch
Abducted Aug 15, 2010 in Panjur

Shams Baloch
Abducted Jul 1, 2010 in Lakpass
More abductions in Balochistan: On Aug 15, 2010, Safeer Baloch and Agha Abid Shah, along with Master Sattar Baloch, were abducted at a medical store by the Pakistani Frontier Corps in Panjur. Shams Baloch, ex-Tehsil administrator was abducted at Lakpass while taking his ill mother to Quetta in an ambulence.
The Baloch Publication and Social Sangat located in Quetta are raising money and gathering supplies to help victims of the flood in Balochistan, especially in Jaffarabad and Naseerabad. Financial support can be sent to the foundation via Western Union and if you are in Pakistan, you can send or deliver donations to the below address. (More details and information on how to donate).

To help flood victims:
To send donations (using Western Union or Moneygram, or whatever option one prefers):

Title: SANGAT LIBRARY AND SOCIAL SERVICES
Account Number: 40335315 1000164
Bank Name: Muslim Commercial Bank Ltd. 
Branch code: MCB- 0562. Usta Muhammad Balochistan
Bank
SWIFT Code: MUCBPKKA

For further details: 

Miss. Parveen Naz, (Editor The Baloch Mag)
Email: naz.parveen@ymail.com, missjeeap@gmail.com
+92 333 3505644

Mr. Khalid Mir (Director Social Sangat)
Email: khalidmir.88@gmail.com, socialsangat@gmail.com
+92 345 3838131
More flooding submerges Jaffarabad, Shikarpur, DailyTimes.com, Aug 20, 2010: "According to Balochistan Chief Secretary Mir Ahmed Bukhsh Lehri, the flash floods have washed away 2,584 villages in Balochistan."; Seven flood victims die of gastro in Balochistan, DailyTimes, Aug 20, 2010
The stuff of novels: Editorial: End of Jalib Murder Investigation?, The Baloch Hal, Aug 16, 2010: " Ironically, the police account of the murder suggests that the killers took Jalib to the hospital, attended his funeral and participated in the ensuing protest rallies."
BNP Rejects Police Disclosure over Jalib's Killing, TheBalochHal, Aug 15, 2010: The Balochistan National Party (BNP-Mengal) has termed the arrest of culprits involved in Habib Jalib’s assassination as a “cock and bull story” and blamed the Quetta police to have allegedly provided protection to the real mastermind of the murder whose roots the BNP traces back to the government.
Quetta: BNP Rally calling on the UN to investigate disappearances in Balochistan, August 3, 2010
BNP Rally, Quetta, Aug 3, 2010
BNP leader shot dead in Khuzdar, Dawn.com, Aug 11, 2010
Bullet riddled bodies of two Baluch disappeared persons recovered in Quetta, BalochWarna, Aug 6, 2010
Two bullet riddled bodies of Baloch missing persons recovered from Quetta, The Baloch Hal, Aug 7, 2010: Bahar Khan Bangulzai and Ghaulam Qadir Marri (earlier post on Mr. Bangulzai's abduction)
Norway Protest over Baloch missing
Baluch Community Norway protested against forced-disappearance of Baluch activists, BalochWarna, Aug 6, 2010
Ehsan Arjemandi Protest:
August 6,
11am - 12 noon
,
Location: in front of Nowegian Foreign Ministry
Protest August 6, 11am - 12 noon: The family and friends of Ehsan Arjemandi, along with the Baloch community in Norway, will hold a demonstration in front of the Norwegian Foreign Ministry on Friday, August 6th, between 11am and 12 noon, to protest the passivity of the Norwegian government over the disappearance of her citizen, as well as all other disappearances in Balochistan, including the recent abduction of Zakeer Majid.

Note: After over a year of protests, campaigns and petitions on behalf of Ehsan Arjemandi, the Pakistan govt. has finally admitted it is holding Ehsan Arjemandi: Wanted Norwegian is alive in Pakistan (video): Savnet nordmann er i live i Pakistan (our apologies, only google translation is available: google translation)
The token hunger strike protesting the disappearance of BSO-azaad's senior vice chairman, Zakir Majeed Baluch, entered its 83rd day. Still there is no clue as to his whereabouts. Report at BalochWarna, Aug 4, 2010
Govt urged to take notice of extra-judicial arrests, The Nation, Aug 2, 2010 (reposted at BalochWarna)
Intelligence agencies are paving way to kill Zakir Majeed: Noora Baluch, BalochWarna, Jul 31, 2010 (please sign the petition)
Family to block Quetta-Karachi highway against non-recovery of Shams Baluch, BalochWarna, Jul 31, 2010
Baloch, Sindhi expatriates protest before UK PM’s residence, Thaindian News, Jul 26, 2010
Press Release, BHRC (UK): Baloch and Sindhi Diaspora demonstrate against human rights violation in Baluchistan, Balochwarna.com, Jul 26, 2010
South Asia News - Killing of Baloch leaders condemned, youtube, Jul 26, 2010, reposted at Intellibriefs
Irked BHC Takes Suo Moto Action Against Missing Person’s Killing, The Baloch Hal, Jul 28, 2010; Two missing persons found dead, The Tribune, Jul 27, 2010
Ehsan Arjemandi Breaking news! Wanted Norwegian is alive in Pakistan (video): Savnet nordmann er i live i Pakistan (our apologies, only google translation is available: google translation)
Pakistani agencies started killing Baluch forced-disappeared activists: AIM, BalochWarna, Jul 25, 2010
Two extremes digging in their heels, by Cyril Almeida, Dawn.com, Jul 24, 2010
London Protest Rally, July 25, 2010: Baloch Human Rights Council and World Sindhi Congress are jointly holding a peaceful protest rally in front of British prime minister official residence at 10 Downing Street, London on Sunday 25 July 2010 at 2.00 to 4.00 pm against the Target Killing of prominent Baloch politician Habib Jalib by Pakistani military proxy death squad. Pakistan and Iran are committing heinous crimes against humanity in Balochistan. Please Join us in condemning Pakistan & Iran against the gross human rights violation in Balochistan (click for word doc details)
Islamabad Protest Rally, July 21, 2010:
bso azad protest in islamabad pakistan
Islamabad: Baloch students organization (BSO) join with citizens and political activists to protest and condemn the cold-blooded target killings of Habib Jalib Baloch and Maula Baksh Dasti (read press release); NBP Nushki Chapter Protests Before QPC, The Baloch Hal, Jul 18, 2010; Protest Held in Islamabad Over Baloch Leaders' Killing, The Baloch Hal, Jul 15, 2010
BNP leader Liaquat Mengal shot dead, Dawn, Jul 20, 2010
Habib Jalib Baloch and Malik Siraj Akbar
I cried for Jalib, by Malik Siraj Akbar, The Baloch Hal, Jul 16, 2010: "Finally, I have no option but to delete 03003823908 from my cell phone..."
64 days of Zakir Majeed’s family protest.... is anyone listening to their plea?, BalochWarna, Jul 16, 2010
Habib Baloch, source Dawn
Photo source: Dawn.com
Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission: PAKISTAN: The killing of Baloch leaders exposes the hate attitude of law enforcement agencies towards Balochistan, Jul 16, 2010
“No, No, We Killed Jalib”: Al-Ansar-ul-Islam, The Baloch Hal, Jul 16, 2010
I.S.I. sponsored outfit that killed Jalib is led by former federal minister's son, by Ahmar Mustikhan, Newsvine, Jul 16, 2010
Release: Balochistan: Human Rights Council (UK) condemns Assassination, UNPO.org, Jul 15, 2010: "BHRC (UK) strongly condemns the inhuman tactics of the Pakistani State Establishment of physically eliminating prominent nationalist leaders through the “proxy death squads” operating on behalf of security agencies like Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) and Military Intelligence (MI) in Balochistan..."
Press release from Human Rights Commission of Pakistan: Jalib's murder a blow to national integrity: HRCP, Jul 14, 2010: "Whoever the killers may be and whatever their motives, it will be very difficult to persuade the people of Balochistan that he was not killed for fighting for Balochistan’s rights..."
Dawn editorial: Balochistan killings, Jul 15, 2010
BNP-M leader Habib Jalib Baloch shot dead, Dawn.com, Jul 14, 2010; From The Baloch Hal, Jul 14, 2010: Agencies Killed Jabib: Sardar Attaullah Mengal; Habib Jalib Baloch Assassinated, Baloch Muslha Tanzeem Claims Responsibility For Jalib’s Murder; Balochistan Situation Similar To East Pakistan: Sardar Akhtar Mengal
Mehran Baluch Geneva
Noordin Mengal
Baloch press conference in Geneva: with speakers Mehran Baluch and Noordin Mengal, Jun 16, 2010 (youtube post)
New: Iran to Execute Baloch Minor Without Trial, BalochWarna.org, Jul 13, 2010
New: Pakistani Occupation Forces have killed one resident, injured many others and killed scores of livestock in a recovery operation in Kabu Spilengi, South of Quetta, provided by sources and news reports in Balochistan, Jul 13, 2010
Gunmen shoot dead National Party leader in Balochistan, BBC News, Jul 12, 2010
Ex-Turbat Nazim, Central National Party leader, Maula Baksh Dashti, Gunned Down, The Baloch Hal, Jul 11, 2010
BSO Vice Chairman Injured In Khuzdar Target Shooting, The Baloch Hal, Jul 9, 2010
Zakir Majeed Petition the UN regarding the abduction of Zakir Majeed by Pakistan security agencies:
please sign
Pakistan: Few women health workers in Balochistan, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - IRIN, Jul 7, 2010, posted at reliefweb, reposted at BalochUnity
Tahir Bizenjo Sees Disappearances As Balochistan’s Biggest Issue, TheBalochHal, Jul 7, 2010: "No one is making any effort to trace the whereabouts of my brother, the government and nationalist parties just expressing grief and sorrow and seemed to be powerless before the Government functionaries,” she [sister of Zakir Majeed] said adding that despite the Supreme Court directed to lodge FIR of missing persons cases, the Mastung Police Station had refused to register the case..."
BHC Chief Justice Takes Notice of Lawyer’s Kidnapping, The Baloch Hal, Jul 3, 2010
Release: Baluch Community in London to mark Baluch National Remembrance Day, BalochWarna, Jul 2, 2010

"On behalf of the Baluch Community of London
we invite all freedom loving people to attend 'The Baluch National Remembrance Day of Baluch Martyrs and victims of state violence (Shahmiren Baluchani Roach)'"
Location: Dalgarno Community Center
1 Webb Close, London W10 5QB (Closest Tube station: LADBROKE GROVE)
Date: Sunday 18 July 2010, 2pm - 5pm
List of Baloch disappeared, as of Jul 4, 2010, posted at BalochJohd
Poem by Diagoh Murad: Oh Lord! Wake My Soul
Mothers of Balochistan (Motheran-e-Baluchistan) establish token hunger strike camp for Baluch force-disaappeared activists, Jul 1, 2010
Baloch student in Sweden explains to passerby about human rights abuse in Pakistan 2010
Sweden: Baloch Community Norway Marks International Day Against Torture, TheBalochHal, Jun 28, 2010; BSO-azaad, BUC and Baluch Community Sweden marked International Torture day, BalochWarna.com, Jun 28, 2010
Protest demonstration for the recovery of Baloch forced-disappeared activists, BalochWarna, Jun 28, 2010
Mr. Hafeez Hafee  Hassan Abadi
Norway: International Day in support of torture victims: Baloch Community Norway protest report, BalochWarna.com, Jun 27, 2010; Statement by Baloch Community Norway
Karachi, Balochistan, BNF and BSO-azaad Protest on the International Day in support of torture victims, BalochWarna.com, Jun 27, 2010
Enforced Disappearances: Pakistan refusing visa to Asian team who want to meet victim families, by Ahmar Mustikhan, Pakistan Christian Post, Jun 27, 2010
A letter to Ban Ki Moon: Deteriorating human rights situation in Pakistan and Iranian controlled Balochistan, by Samad Baloch, General Secretary, Baloch Human Rights Council (UK), Jun 26, 2010
International Day in Support of Victims of Torture: BNF to protest against abductions of Baloch political activists, BalochWarna.com, Jun 26, 2010
Zakir Majeed Baloch family
Reason(s) to dance, by Naimat Haider, TheNews.com, Jun 18, 2010, reposted at BalochWarna
"...Meanwhile, another form of protest, a peaceful one, at the Karachi Press Club also seems to be serving little purpose. There, in the scorching heat, three family members of Zakir Majeed Baloch, a student political activist who is claimed to have been missing since a year ago, refuse to end their 34-day-old hunger strike. With pain etched on their faces, Zakir’s family members, including his sister, refuse to eat anything. They say they “will not eat a morsel till Zakir is freed.” All his sister says is that Zakir should be produced before a court if he has done anything unlawful, and yet her voice seems to be diffusing with the wind..." (background on abduction)
Pakistan court issues 'disappearances' ruling, by Syed Shoaib Hasan, BBCNews, Jun 18, 2010
"Pakistan's Supreme Court has ordered the powerful ISI intelligence agency to appear in court to explain what has happened to a missing political leader."
World Refugee Day, Jun 20, 2010 (click for poster)
June 18, 2010: Speeches presented by Baloch representatives at Geneva Press Club by Mehran Baloch, Noordin Mengal, Ahmar Mustikhan; Noordin Mengal statement (word doc)
June 16, 2010: The Geneva Press Club - Club suisse de la Presse, has the pleasure to invite the international, the Swiss press and its members to a press conference on the theme "Balochistan: Militarization and Human Rights Violations" (details), pdf; Mehran Baloch speech in Geneva, Ahmar Mustikhan speech
Surab Marri
photo: TheBalochHal
Plea made for the release of missing Baloch persons, The Baloch Hal, Jun 15, 2010
Release Zakir Majeed Baloch
Picture gallery from rallies held for the release of Zakir Majeed Baloch (click to view); background of abduction
Appeal for the release of Zakir Majeed Baloch, abducted by Pakistani security agencies on June 8, 2009 (read more); (Click for Memorandum word doc; click for Appeal word doc)
Additional reports: Baloch student’s mother continues hunger strike camp in Karachi, BalochWarna. Source: The Baloch Hal, June 12, 2010
Missing persons, Dawn.com editorial, Jun 14, 2010: "The apex court has been seized of the matter for five years now but the current government, like the previous one, has done little to recover the missing, a large number of whom belong to Balochistan where Gen Musharraf launched an operation to rein in Baloch nationalists..."
Disappearances in Balochistan noted by Spanish activists at Notas Desaparecidos: No clues as to whereabouts of Ehsan Arjemandi, Mar 2010 (notas.desaparecidos.org)
Balochistan doctors boycott duties to protest killings, DailyTimes, Jun 13, 2010; Strike continues in support of ‘disappeared Baloch doctors”, The Baloch Hal, Jun 12, 2010 (The missing: Dr. Naseem Baloch May 25, 201 (pic below), Dr. Akbar Marri, Apr 19, 2010 and Dr. Din Mohammad Baloch (pic below), Jun 29, 2010; others missing
Dr. Naseem Baloch
Dr. Naseem Baloch
Dr Deen Mohammad Baloch
Dr. Deen Mohd. Baloch
Some details of human rights abuses reported by US Dept of State in Pakistan: 2009 Human Rights Report: Pakistan, March 11, 2010
Pakistan rejects Amnesty International report, DailyTimes, Jun 13, 2010
Judiciary takes notice of missing persons’ case, DailyTimes, Jun 13, 2010; Baloch Bar observed a ‘black day’ on Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry’s arrival in Baluchistan, Jun 11, 2010
Ahmar Mustikhan speech at International Interfaith Seminar in Geneva, BalochWarna, Jun 12, 2010
Baloch youth hanged in Iran
Release: List of young Baloch hanged/killed in Iran, 2004 - 2010: "Trust me, there are no 'aid flotillas' heading towards the Balochistan coast of Iran to help the persecuted Baloch people. There is a zero likelihood of any protest march outside the Iranian Embassy anywhere in the world by the permanently outraged Islamist groups and their leftist allies..."
BetterDays
"Better days" video tribute to missing and killed in Balochistan (youtube, blip.tv)
Release: List of young Baloch hanged/killed in Iran, 2004 - 2010
Former Kohlu nazim’s brother “missing” for 9 months, The Baloch Hal, Jun 10, 2010
63 relatives of missing people record statements, DailyTimes, Jun 4, 2010
Laurie Deamer’s speech on May 28, Washington DC protest, BalochWarna, Jun 1, 2010; May 28, Washington, DC protest: Free Balochistan is the hope for peace
Ilyas Baloch, nephew of writer Hafeez Hasan Abadi, arrested, source: Daily Tawar, May 31, 2010
ICAD Balochistan
ICAD vigil in front of Westminster Cathedral against forced-disappearances, BalochWarna, May 30, 2010; International Committee Against Disappearances London meeting report, BalochWarna, May 24, 2010
 
Dr Naseem Baloch BNF activists protest against abduction of Dr Naseem Baloch, BalochWarna, May 28, 2010
BALOCH SAY "NO MORE ISLAMIC NUCLEAR BOMBS," by Imtiaz Baloch, Intellibriefs, May 28, 2010
Balochs mark “black day” against 1998 nuclear tests, TheBalochHal, May 28, 2010
Protest: against nuclear tests in front of White House on May 28: "Pro-independence Baloch from the U.S.A. and Canada and their allies and friends will converge in the U.S. capital on May 28 to protest against Pakistan's nuclear tests in Occupied Balochistan in front of the White House..."
May 17 - 31: International Struggle Week Against Disappearances, organized by Committee Against Disappearances - ICAD (read: Wars, National Movements and Disappearances; pdf; word)
Wahid Qambar Baluch Jail administration mistreating Wahid Qambar Baluch and others: AIM, BalochWarna, May 20, 2010 (source DailyTawar)
Dr. Allah Nizar Baloch We have faith in Baluch Nation; we won’t rely on superpowers for our freedom: Dr Allah Nazar, Interview, trans. by BalochWarna; source DailyTawar
Despair for Baloch families over missing relatives, BalochWarna, May 16, 2010
Shaheeda Roya Sarani
Shaeeda Roya Sarani, killed in Iran on May 16, 2007 by Iranian security forces. Click for details.
It's About US, by K.B.
We are living in the sounds of Bullets
We are the subject of peace
We are the chapter of freedom
We are the jewel of mountains
We are the ambassadors of harmony
Sky is our Bed
Moon is our lamp
Mountains are our home
Snow is our blanket
Love is our nature
Respect is our culture
Peace is our identity
We listen the music of breeze
Our home land is THE HEAVEN
We belong to the paradise of Earth
It is "BALOCHISTAN"
(for everyone who lives in Balochistan and loves Balochistan)
"I am also a Baloch, Leave a Space for Me in Prison."
New: BSO-azaad (Malir Zone) protest against forced disappearances of Baloch activists, BalochWarna, May 5, 2010
Balochistan
Translation provided by Diagoh Murad from audio report/interview at gwank.org re: Baloch held at a location known as Pakistan house. The interviewee appeals to the UN to investigate the location and allegations of torture
Three sisters suffer acid attack in Kalat, by Saleem Shahid, Dawn.com, Apr 30, 2010
On April 30, Americans who have visited Pakistan will join international activists to pay tributes to more than a 1,000 Baloch missing persons and Prisoners of Conscience. Event details
Apri 27, 2010: TheBaluch.com joins BSO-NA.org in condeming the killing of professor in Quetta: Baloch Society of North America strongly condemns the killing of a female professor: BLA claims responsibility for killing professor in Quetta, by Saleem Shahid, Dawn.com, Apr 27, 2010

Jalil Ahmed Reki Baloch
The case of Jalil Ahmed Reki Baloch: The High Court is unable to recover a man from illegal military detention after 15 months, Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), Apr 27, 2010
Protest: April 28, 2010: Confront Barrick Gold in Toronto, details at BaluchSarmachar (how Barrick Gold is involved in Balochistan: Pakistan pressed on Barrick mine rights), by Rick Westhead, TheStar, Jan 14, 2010
Video: South Asia News1: Pakistan's gross human rights violations in Balochistan, Apr 19, 2010
Another two Baloch political workers are arrested, BBC News, Urdu, Apr 20, 2010 (Eng. trans.)
Four prisoners hanged in Kerman, Behbahan and Shadgan, Baluchnet, Apr 21, 2010
Ehsan Arjemandi
Ehsan Arjemandi
Missing since Aug 2009
Mahboob Wadhela Baloch
Mahboob Wadhela Baloch
Missing Apr 2, 2010
Appeal: Open letter to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton regarding the abductions of Ehsan Arjemandi and Mahboob Wadhela Baloch, by Wendy Johnson, Apr 20, 2010
Comment: The Norwegian government is failing Ehsan Arjmandi, by M. Sarjov, BalochUnity, Apr 8, 2010
Eyewitness accounts of Mahboob Wadhela's abduction, VSH TV News, with English subtitles
Mahboob Wadhela Baloch BNM activist Mahboob Wadhela Baloch and son of Mir Abdul Nabi Bangulzai whisked away, Balochwarna.org, Apr 2, 2010

sign petition for Mahboob Baloch
Additional photos and report, Intellibriefs, Apr 4, 2010

4th April 2010 protest over the abduction of Mehboob Wadhela Baloch in front of Karachi Press Club. (video 1, video 2)
Enforced disappearances, a common sight in Balochistan, South Asia News, Apr 2, 2010, reposted at Intellibriefs
Disappearances in Balochistan noted by Spanish activists at Notas Desaparecidos: No clues as to whereabouts of Ehsan Arjemandi, 2010
Urgent Appeal: PAKISTAN: The Frontier Corp bring a disappeared person in front of the media after nine months under fabricated circumstances, by Asia Human Rights Commission, Mar 31, 2010
Baloch and Sindhi activists demand Pakistan be declared as 'terrorist state', NewKerela.com, Mar 29, 2010; photos at bso-na.org
Murad Marri’s family refutes official allegations, The Baloch Hal, Mar 28, 2010; update: Four relatives of Haji Murad Khan Marri arrested, Mar 29, 2010, reposted at balochwarna
Protest: Baloch and Sindhi community protest on “Balochistan Occupation Day” in the UK, Mar 28, 2010
Protest Mar 28, 2010: Against Forcible Annexation of Balochistan by Pakistan on Mar 27, 1948, Baloch Human Rights Council, UK, and World Sindhi Conference
Khan Suleiman Daud Khan Khan of Kalat calls for silent protest, BSO-NA.org, Mar 25, 2010
Uprising in Balochistan: short documentary on Balochistan with interviews from attendees of the International Conference on Balochistan, Bangkok, South Asia News, reposted at Intellibriefs
Majeed Baloch (junior) murdered by Pakistani security forces, balochwarna.com, Mar 17, 2010, reposted from gwank.org; appeal and graphic photos from crime scene, bso-na.org
Relatives of Balochistan's missing persons organize long march to Islamabad, NewKerala.com, Mar 15, 2010; Relatives of force-disappeared Baloch protest rally in front of Pakistan's PM residence, Mar 20, 2010
Addition: to Bangkok Conference page. Munir Mengal: Bangkok Declaration full text
UN Headquarters, Geneva: Sindhi, Baloch and other Human Rights activists from UK, USA and Canada protesting in front of UN head quarters against Human Rights Violations in Balochistan, Sindh and Balawaristan: Human Rights activists Protest in Geneva to highlight the plight of Baloch and Sindhi Nation, BalochWarna.com, March 13, 2010

L to R: Noordin Mengal, Laurie Deamer, Mehran Baloch and Peter Tatchell.



Report:
UNPO Address Human Rights in Pakistan at the UN, Mar 12, 2010
Speeches by Peter Tatchell (Part 1, Part 2) and Laurie Deamer; other speeches here; read Peter Tatchell's speech
Addition to Bangkok Conference page: Chairman of the Balawaristan National Front (BNF) Abdul Hamid Khan's remarks to conference. Reposted at TheBalochHouse

(please visit full site. Click here for photos of Balawaristan.)
Faheem Ahmed Addition to Bangkok Conference page: On Feb 25, 2010, human rights activist Faheem Baloch delivered details of two HRCP reports:
1) Baloch IDPs, and
2) Turbat Fact Finding Report
New: Qambar Chakar Baloch case, balochunity.org, Mar 10, 2010; from before: Qambar Baloch brought before court, Balochwarna.org, Jul 15, 2009: Eyewitnesses report that Qambar could not walk properly. Note the chains in the photo.

From before : Qambar Jan tho kuja hey?, by Malik Siraj Akbar at Malik Siraj Akbar writes, Jul 11, 2009: "...Fresh reports suggest that this amazing Baloch activist has been whisked away by the personnel of the Frontier Corps and the intelligence agencies..."

Mar 5, 2010, Hong Kong: Pakistan-Online petition on forced disappearances, Asian Human Rights Commission (intro article at Intellibriefs). Background: State of human rights in Pakistan in 2009, Asian Human Rights Commission; Protestors demand recovery of Baloch missing persons, Dawn.com, Mar 7, 2010
New Asian Human Rights Commission site: Stop Disappearances in Pakistan. Read speech presented at Bangkok Conference by Asian Human Rights Commission member Baseer Naveed.
Washington D.C. Event: March 5, 2010 Rountable: The Middle East Institute and the American Friends of Balochistan Invite You to a Roundtable Discussion: Drone Attacks on the Quetta Shura? Pros and Cons

Featuring: Selig S. Harrison, Asia Director, Center for International Policy, Ahmar Mustikhan, Founder, American Friends of Balochistan, Andrew Eiva, Former Executive Director, Federation for American Afghan Action, Raja Karthikeya, Independent security analyst, Ashraf Kakar, Fulbright scholar, American University, Moderated By: Marvin Weinbaum, MEI Scholar and Professor Emeritus at the University of Illinois
Balochistan Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, Conference in Bangkok, Thailand, Feb 22-24, 2010: I am gathering papers and photos to post at this link. Rozhn.tv and the Baloch Voice Foundation have videotaped the entire conference. As those videos go online, I will link to them, as well.
Ehsan Arjemandi Asian Human Rights Commission: Pakistan: No clues as to whereabouts of Ehsan Arjemandi - Iran denies extradition, Mar 1, 2010

A voice for the Baloch suspended from the UN Economic and Social Council: Burundi, Cuba, China, Egypt, Angola, Qatar, Sudan and Guinea side with Pakistan. The UN complies with Pakistan's wishes.

(full text details)

statement by Mehran Baloch
Mehran Baluch
Mehran Baloch
Noordin Mengal
Noordin Mengal

"...The Committee [on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)] took up a complaint lodged by the representative of Pakistan, on 25 January (see Press Release ECOSOC/6404-NGO/684) against Interfaith International, a Geneva-based non-governmental organization with special status. The delegate explained that, by its actions during Human Rights Council meetings, it had violated the United Nations Charter and Economic and Social Council resolution 1996/31 by trying to undermine Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. That was no minor infraction as the territorial integrity of a sovereign State could not be called into question, he said, adding that there were limits to freedom of expression.

Expressing their support for the request were the representatives of Burundi, Cuba, China, Egypt, Angola, Qatar, Sudan and Guinea.  Egypt’s representative said the organization was clearly involved in a pattern of activities against a Member State, which contravened resolution 1996/31 as well as the principles and provisions of the Charter.  Turkey’s representative said the non-governmental organization had violated the resolution, implementation of which was the Committee’s responsibility.

However, the representative of the United States said that despite all the information provided, it was not clear what rules had been violated and what evidence there was of any violation.  Before the Committee took the “very dire” sanction of withdrawal, those matters should be clear.  There might be small technical violations of minor rules, warranting some sort of sanction, but no evidence had been seen that would substantiate the sanction of withdrawal of consultative status.

Emphasizing that the purpose of civil society was to provide critical assessments of Government actions, he said the non-governmental organization in question had not advocated overthrowing a Government or changing the territorial integrity of a sovereign State.  Those two issues were different from the right to self-determination, which was enshrined in the Charter, he said, adding that he had not seen evidence of the group’s involvement in any violent action against any Member State.

The United Kingdom’s representative echoed that statement, stressing that non-governmental organizations had a right to express their opinions freely..."



New: Dark day in human rights history as China-backed rogue state wins, by Ahmar Mustikhan, NowPublic.com, Feb 9, 2010
U.S. Condemns Iranian Executions, VOA, Feb 5, 2010: "Human Rights Watch also noted that in addition to the human rights crisis following the elections, security forces systematically harassed members of religious minorities and carried out a campaign of arbitrary arrest against Kurdish, Azeri, Baluch and Arab civil society..."
Updated list and details of missing provided by Anjuman-e-Itehad Marri, Balochwarna.com, Feb 9, 2010: Full list
Terror Rules In Pakistan - South Asia Intelligence Review, By Ajit Kumar Singh for SATP, Eurasia Review, Feb 8, 2010
Mystery of Balochistan disappearances, by M. Ilyas Khan, BBCNews.com, Feb 4, 2010
Various Lists of Missing Persons, posted at Govt. of Balochistan website

Pictured: Saddam Baloch, unarmed protestor shot dead in Khuzdar by Pakistani security forces Jan 15.
In Khuzdar: Editorial: Killing of democrats in Khuzdar, TheBalochHal.com, Jan 15, 2010: "In what appeared to be a provocative incident of firing on unarmed democratic activists, security forces killed two young students-cum-political activists in Khuzdar district on Friday..."; Two soldiers shot dead, two injured in Khuzdar, The Baloch Hal, Jan 23, 2010; Two Pakistani Army soldiers killed & two injured, BLA claimed responsibility, BalochWarna.com, Jan 23, 2010;
Report: More than 168 children have disappeared from Balochistan, a war crime tribunal should be constituted, A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission, Feb 2, 2010: "Among the lists of disappeared persons from Balochistan province are the names of 168 children and 148 women. Two lists of disappeared persons were released separately, one by Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP), an NGO which works to document the cases of missing persons from the area and the other by the Provincial Interior Ministry of Balochistan. The missing people have allegedly been taken by Pakistani intelligence agencies for interrogation over their alleged link to Balochistan separatists and other militant groups in the country."
Pakistan: Over 8,000 cases of violence against women in 2009, DailyTimes.com.pk, Feb 2, 2010: Aurat Foundation: Violence Against Women criticise state institutions for not taking action

Graphical illustration: Violence against women in Punjab compared with Balochistan, Intellibriefs, Feb 2, 2010
Letter to Mr. Ban Ki Moon by Baloch Human Rights Council of Canada against the brutal method of torture of Baloch Political worker by Pakistani Army, Intellibriefs, Feb 1, 2010
Turbat: Baloch parliamentarians should join National struggle: BRP, Balochwarna.com, Jan 29, 2010: BRP’s senior leader Waja Hussein Ashraf Baloch and BRSO leaders appealed to "Baloch parliamentarians to come back to the Baloch National circle and join the Baloch peoples’ struggle for the liberation of the mother land..."
In the region: Terror comes at night in Afghanistan, by Anand Gopal, atimes.com, Jan 30, 2010
New: Barrick Gold of Canada, who is currently pressuring Pakistan to not cancel its mining lease in Balochistan, is rated by a Swiss research firm as 12th worst in ethical performance of multinational corporations. The 12 Least Ethical Companies In The World: Covalence's Ranking, HuffingtonPost.com, Jan 28, 2010
Sustainable development corner (articles)

The Jan 9, 2009 announcement that the Balochistan provincial government was canceling its contract with mining company Tethyan is a remarkable development, but also a cautionary one, for U.S. Ambassador Anne Patterson immediately warned Pakistan that multinational investment would dry up if Pakistan failed to honor agreements. In effect, she is telling the Pakistan government to 'put the screws' to the Baloch, as are the Canadians.

Balochistan's experience with foreign mining companies (Saindak) is identical to that of developing countries worldwide. One can almost guarantee that environmental standards will not be adhered to and local populations will see no development. One can also count on government officials to side with foreign investors at the expense of the health and wellbeing of its citizens. The Canadians say they have spent $1.5 million on goodwill projects like schools, but one must keep in mind that this was the exploration stage. The environmental threat and actual damage will occur in the mining process.

Remarkably, till now, with the exception of the Saindak experience, Balochistan has to some degree thwarted destructive predatory mining. In order to monitor the situation, we are starting a section on development. TheBaluch.com will launch a new design in February (inshaallah) that will better incorporate this section into the site. And since no small nation can successfully fend for itself in this global economy characterized by powerful multi-nationals and weak, corrupt governments, we will also include articles related to mining experiences in other countries because many others are already fighting these battles and, in some cases, have a wealth of information to share on sustainable mining practices.

The pressure to exploit Balochistan's minerals will only grow. There is a good chance that Balochistan also possesses what are called 'rare earth minerals,' the mining of which is accompanied by massive pollution of ground and water resources, as well as ruinous effects on worker health. Many countries possess these minerals, but can't extract them in a cost-effective manner. China, however, holds the corner on the market because its government will look the other way as worker health, land and water sources are destroyed.

For links to articles on Saindak, Reqo Diq, rare earth minerals, Gwadar, etc., click here. If you want to share an article relevant to this topic, please email us at wj@thebaluch.com.
In the region: Afghanistan: Women Dying and Torture Run Amuck, TruthOut.org, Jan 19, 2010
In the US: Robert Gates Confirms What U.S. Government Has Denied for Months: Blackwater Is in Pakistan, by Jeremy Scahill, The Nation, January 22, 2010; Salt in Guantanamo's Wounds: Task Force Announces Indefinite Detentions, by Andy Worthington, Truthout.org, Jan 22, 2010; The Guantánamo “Suicides”: A Camp Delta sergeant blows the whistle, by Scott Horton, Harper's, Jan 18, 2010; Murders at Guantanamo: Exposing the Truth About the 2006 Suicides, TruthOut.org, Jan 19, 2010
London2010
click for powerpoint presentation of pictures
UK: Protest against the killing of Baloch in Karachi and Khuzdar, Balochwarna.org, Jan 17, 2010
Report on Political Prisoners Sentenced to Death in Baluchistan, Jan 14, 2010
Khan Suleiman Daud Khan Baloch in Karachi should not feel lonely: Mir Suleman Dawood, Balochwarna.org, Jan 13, 2010
PPP doesn’t consider Baloch as human beings: Hyrbyair Marri, reposted from balochwarna.org, Jan 14, 2010
Release: Baloch Human Rights council (UK) strongly condemns Baloch Killings & operation in Lyari, Karachi, Jan 11, 2010
In the U.S.: President Obama, the CIA and the Master of the Cover-Up, by Melvin A. Goodman, truthout.org, Jan 11, 2010
Obama's Alternate Universe, by Scott Ritter, TruthDig.com, Jan 8, 2010: "The inability or unwillingness of American policymakers to accurately define the problems confronting the United States in Iraq/Iran and Afghanistan/Pakistan prevents any meaningful solution to these issues..."
Photo of the Year
The face of grief: The mess over the missing in Balochistan, The Hindu, by Nirupama Subramanian, Jan 8, 2010: "Since December 30 last, a group of two dozen boys and girls, accompanied by a few adult women, has been squatting outside the Quetta Press Club, braving the biting cold that sweeps through Pakistan’s Balochistan province at this time of the year. The group is on a daily hunger-strike, protesting the disappearance of a father or a brother, allegedly after he was taken away by state intelligence agencies..."
BSO Hunger Strike
Khuzdar: Baloch Students Organization, BSO(M), on hunger strike over missing Baloch students, Jan 10, 2009
‘Only 4 missing persons have been released so far’, by Shahid, Husain, The News, Jan 7, 2010
The Baloch Hall editorial: Children of the conflict, Jan 3, 2010
Urgent Appeal for donations: Urgent Appeal for hospitalized senior Baloch journalist, Irshad Masthoi, The Baloch Hal, Jan 2, 2010
Baloch Hal editorial: Dishonored killings, Jan 1, 2010: "The society in Balochistan has remained a silent viewer of such cases..."
DilipDass
Baloch Hal Exclusive: Dilip Dass: A hero of the 1970s Baloch movement, Dec 31, 2009: "The Baloch Hal has acquired exclusive photographs of Dilip Dass, an active participant of the group of young non-Balochs who joined the armed resistance of Balochistan in the 1970s..."
In the US: One Day We’ll All Be Terrorists, by Chris Hedges, truthdig.com, Dec 28, 2009; Internal Army Report Finds Early Missteps in Afghanistan, by James Dao, NYTimes.com, Dec 30, 2009
Analysis: Forced or volitional? by Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur, DailyTimes.com, Dec 26, 2009
Never Mind The Baluch, by Ben Hayes, Transnational Institute, Jun 1, 2007
Pakistan journalist uses slur against Christians, by Ahmar Mustikhan, balochwarna.org, Dec 25, 2009
Baloch student JahanZaib Baloch is a candidate to become one of 1,500 young leaders of tomorrow in an initiative sponsored by One Young World. You can cast your vote of support here.
Arrests of Baloch leaders and siege of towns “gifts” of Balochistan package: AIM, TheBalochHal News, Dec 13, 2009
Missing people’s list rejected by Baloch organisations, by Amanullah Kasi, Dawn.com, Dec 11, 2009
Ebrahim Mehrnehad Appeal to free Ebrahim Mehrnehad by Balochistan Human Rights Activists Association, reposted at Balochwarna.org, Dec 11, 2009
AbdulGhafarLangouBaloch Abdul Ghafar Langou Baloch once again abducted by Pakistani intelligence agencies, Balochwarna.org, Dec 11, 2009
International Human Rights Day, Dec 10, 1948
Does the UDHR apply to the people of Balochistan? By Faiz Baluch, Dec 9, 2009

click thumbnail to view larger version, or for other posters, visit Baloch Vanguards
Comment: “Dignity and Justice for all of us”, by Diagoh Murad, Dec. 10, 2009
Ehsan Arjemandi Release: WASHINGTON DC, Dec 9, 2009: "The Baluch in the USA are marking the international human rights day by drawing the world attention to nearly 8,000 Baluch missing in Pakistan Occupied Baluchistan.
Rain, snow or shine, a dawn to dusk hunger strike will be staged by an activist of the American Friends of Baluchistan in front of the Norwegian embassy in Washington DC, to apprise the world about the silence over the abduction of Norwegian Baluch national Ehsan Arjemandi, 34..." click for details
FaizBaluch_HyrbyairMarri
Faiz Baluch and Hyrbyair Marri
New: Two years of the Baloch case in the United Kingdom--Bail money still pending? by Faiz Baluch, London. Dec 4, 2009 (reposted from balochwarna.com)
Sharry Qambar New: Letter from Sharry Qambar, daughter of disappeared Baloch Mr. Wahid Qambar, Dec. 7, 2009 
New: Rally for missing members of Balochistan National Party. Dec. 4, 2009: Kabeer Baloch, Attaullah Baloch and Sadullah Baloch
New: A Baloch's tale of the torture cell (graphic reading)
New: America's regression, by Glenn Greenwald, salon.com, Dec 3, 2009
The package is out but where is Sami Mengal?, by Bari Baloch, The Baloch Hal, Nov 28, 2009; Five missing people return home, by Saleem Shahid, Dawn.com, Nov 28, 2009
In the U.S.: Is Obama's civil liberties record understandable? by Gleen Greenwald, Salon.com, Nov 27, 2009
Baloch Unity Conference is reporting that disappeared Norwegian Baloch human rights activist Ehsan Arjemandi is being held in a Military Intelligence camp at Malir Cantonment, Karachi. More as this story develops.
New: 'Cruel, illegal, immoral': Human Rights Watch condemns UK's role in torture Pressure for inquiry grows as torturers themselves allege British complicity, The Guardian, Nov 24, 2009: "After an investigation spanning more than a year, Human Rights Watch (HRW) today condemned Britain's role in the torture of terror suspects detained in Pakistan as cruel, counter-productive and in clear breach of international law..."
Nov 21, 2009: Baluchistan International Conference in Washington, DC.

International Conference on Balochistan

theBaluch is compiling a page that includes photos, speeches and video links from the U.S. conference. I am posting what I have gathered thus far. It is incomplete. I will post missing items as I receive them.

Speeches from the Baluchistan International Conference
(last updated Dec 10).

Also, please visit World Sindhi Congress for information regarding its work and past collaborations with Baloch groups on events like this one.

Tributes to Balach Marri:

Balach Marri, A Life of Courage and Sacrifice, by Surayia Makhdoom, Nov 25, 2009

The Balaach, by Dr. Naseer Dashti, Nov 23, 2009

Ah Balaach!, by Belaar, Nov 21, 2009

US: 'Independence for Pakistani and Iranian Baloch', by Javed Soomro, BBC News Urdu, Nov 24, 2009; Report on International Conference on Balochistan provided by Khalid Hashmani. Nov 23, 2009;
Report on International Conference on Balochistan provided by gwank.org (in Balochi), Nov 23, 2009

Other press, blogs:
Al Arabiya, Nov 27, 2009
Defence.pk, Nov 26, 2009
UK: UK: Tributes paid to Shaheed Balaach Marri, by Samad Baloch, Nov 24, 2009, balochwarna.org; photos at balochetawaar.com
Where is my son, by Malik Siraj Akbar, Malik Siraj Akbar writes, Nov 17, 2009: Malik Siraj interviews family members of missing persons in Balochistan.

Interviews with families of missing
Nov 22, 2009 Commemoration of Balach Marri

Balach Marri

Release:
"In a joint press statement Baloch Human Rights Council UK, Balochistan Rights Movement and World Sindhi Congress have announced that the second martyrdom anniversary of the great Baloch hero, Mir Balaach Marri, will be held on Sunday 22nd November from 1-4 pm in London. The event will
pay tribute to the life, work, contributions and ultimate sacrifice of Mir Balaach Marri who was target-killed by the Pakistan army on 2oth Nov 2007."
The memorial will be held at
University of London Union building, Room 3E.
Mallet Street, London WC1E 7HY
Date: Sunday 22 November 2009
Time: 1:00 – 4:00 PM
(Nearest Tube Stations: Russell Square, Euston Square) For details, please click here:

Nov 21-22, 2009:
Baluchistan International Conference
(organized by American Friends of Baluchistan)
The first-ever international conference in the U.S. to highlight the plight of the Baluch people in Pakistan and Iran -- to mark the second anniversary of the extrajudicial killing of Nawabzad Bala'ach Marri. Mehran Baluch, a brother of the slain leader and Baluch representative at the U.N. Human Rights Council, Geneva, will preside over the conference. When: Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009, 10 am – 6 pm
Where: National Press Club, Washington DC
Click here for details (event is free, but RSVP)
Panel assembled for Baluch international moot, by Ahmar Mustikhan, Newsvine.com, Nov 2, 2009
Baloch women stage rally in Quetta, Dawn.com, Nov 17, 2009

Death of a social activist, by Ardeshir Cowasjee, Dawn.com, Nov 15, 2009: Madiha Baloch, "...My 45-year old husband, Nisar Baloch, resident of Old Golimar in Karachi, worked most of his life for the poor people of our area, and laboured especially hard over the past 16 years to preserve the remaining 480 acres of Gutter Baghicha Trans-Lyari Park..."; from before: A message for Lahore, by Ardeshir Cowasjee, Dawn.com, Jul 2, 2006;Anti-land mafia Baloch activist shot dead, by M. Waqar Bhatti, The News, Nov 8, 2009, additional reporting at BalochWarna. Nisar Baloch was a social worker and schoolteacher. He started his career by establishing a street school "Aap Ka Madressah" that provided free education to children and adults.

Beurag Baloch
Beurag Baloch, age 3
Jail me but free my dad, by Malik Siraj Akbar, Nov 10, 2009
Justice Dept. Asked For News Site's Visitor Lists, CBSNews.com, Nov 10, 2009: '...The grand jury subpoena also required the Philadelphia-based Indymedia.us Web site "not to disclose the existence of this request" unless authorized by the Justice Department, a gag order that presents an unusual quandary for any news organization...After talking to other Indymedia volunteers, Clair ended up calling the Electronic Frontier Foundation in San Francisco, which represented her at no cost..."This is the first time we've seen them try to get the IP address of everyone who visited a particular site," Bankston said. "That it was a news organization was an additional troubling fact that implicates First Amendment rights."'
Related: Salon Radio: Rep. Jerry Nadler on State Secrets Act, by Glen Greenwald, Nov 10, 2009: 'The key House subcommittee chairman calls state secrets privilege "the greatest threat to liberty in this country"'
IFJ: Situation Report for Pakistan, Nov. 9, Nov 9, 2009: "Media personnel in Balochistan contend with alarmingly regular violence and threats as a consequence of their work, leading to widespread self-censorship..."
Bizenjo New in books: In Search of Solutions: The Autobiography Of Mir Ghaus Buksh Bizenjo (pdf version), edited by B.M. Kutty, Published by Pakistan Labour Trust and University of Karachi's (KU) Pakistan Study Centre, 2009 (for Word version)
Bizenjo’s autobiography launched, by Rasheed Khalid, The News, Oct 23, 2009; Bizenjo’s political acumen acclaimed at launch of his autobiography, by Latif Baloch, Dawn.com, Sep 29, 2009

From before: Mir Ghaus Baksh Bizenjo's Speech at DAR-ul-AWAM on 12th December 1947 at Dhadhar.
Hyrbyair Marri's speech in the UK House of Commons, Oct 29, 2009, balochwarna.com: "...The UK however should know that if it was not for the secular Baloch people in the region, today Balochistan would have been full of Taliban extremists..." (video, part 1 and part 2), reposted here.
HyrbairMarri
Oct 25, 2009: BNP (Baloch National Party) Rally in Khuzdar, Balochistan (district profile)
BNP Rally, Khuzdar, Balochistan, Oct 25, 2009
headband reads: Free Balochistan
BNP rally, Khuzdar, Balochistan, Oct 25, 2009
Khuzdar, Balochistan: BNP Rally, Oct 25, 2009
HRCP reports 30 new ‘forced disappearances’ in Balochistan, by Ghulam Dastageer, TheNews, Oct 19, 2009
New film: This is where we take our stand: Veterans reveal the truth about Iraq and Afghanistan in a six-part web series by David Zeiger, Director of Sir! No Sir!, and Bestor Cram & Mike Majoros, Directors of Unfinished Symphony. 2009
New: White House "Ordered" Lawmakers to Amend FOIA in Order to Conceal Torture Photos, by Jason Leopold, truthout.org, Oct 17, 2009: "Obama's decision to conceal the photos marks an about-face on the open-government policies that he proclaimed during his first days in office..."
Video: Interview with philosopher Slavoj Zizek in NY, Democracy Now, Oct 15, 2009: "We really live in cynical times..."
For recent updates related to extrajudicial killings of Baloch nationalists, as well as protests scheduled by Banok Karima Baloch to draw attention to abducted Zakir Majeed (Senior Vice Chairman BSO Azaad), and other disappeared, visit sagaar.org
Inside look at Amnesty International: Irene Khan: Banged to rights, The Independent, Sep 11, 2009: Just when Amnesty International might have been addressing prisoner abuse, it turned its focus elsewhere. Its out-going boss admits to a sense of failure. Paul Rodgers meets Irene Khan: "The more resources Amnesty pumps into campaigning against poverty and women's issues, the fewer it has available to defend prisoners of conscience. The world has plenty of organisations devoted to alleviating poverty, though often without the human rights angle, but few that are dedicated to prisoners of conscience, and none as effective as Amnesty....When we meet, Khan is preparing for a trip to Sierra Leone to launch an Amnesty campaign to raise awareness of maternal mortality..."
HRCP (Human Rights Commission of Pakistan) for demilitarisation of Balochistan, DailyTimes.com.pk, by Malik Siraj Akbar, Oct 12, 2009: "[Asma Jahangir, HRCP Chairwoman] said the human rights organisation had “ample evidence to support the allegations of the victims’ families that the perpetrators of the enforced disappearances are intelligence agencies and security forces. This has been conceded by officials and politicians in high authority”.
Abuse in America-Material Witness Process: Afghan Men Tricked Into U.S. Trip, Detained, by Carrie Johnson, WashingtonPost.com, Oct 10, 2009
USA: Pro-Independence Baloch activists Protest against Musharraf, by Ahmar Mustikhan, BalochWarna.com, Oct 10, 2009

Ehsan Arjemandi:
Abducted in Pakistan on Aug. 7, 2009.
Still missing, Oct 11, 2009

Aid to Pakistan Military Troubling, Looking for Trouble, by Larry Johnson of Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Oct 9, 2009
Update October 8, 2009
Given the refusal on the part of Pakistan's government or its security agencies to make public information regarding Ehsan's arrest, it still can not be determined with certainty whether Ehsan is held in Pakistan or has been extradited to Iran. We call on the Pakistani government (and/or the Iranian government) to honor international conventions and inform the Norwegian government of the whereabouts of its citizen. thebaluch.com apologizes for any errors in our reporting.

Update October 7, 2009
Letter to Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs on behalf of Ehsan Arjemandi, by BHRC-Canada, Oct 7, 2009

past updates and what is known of Arjemandi's arrest at this time
In the region: American troops in Afghanistan losing heart, say army chaplains, TimesOnline, Oct 8, 2009: "...They feel they are risking their lives for progress that's hard to discern,” said Captain Sam Rico, of the Division's 4-25 Field Artillery Battalion. “They are tired, strained, confused and just want to get through.” The chaplains said that they were speaking out because the men could not..."
Petition Amnesty International: Please sign this petition on behalf of missing Baloch. Also, please email Amnesty International Sec. General Irene Khan: ikhan@amnesty.org on behalf of missing Baloch.
Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) Turbat Fact Finding Report: Three Baloch leaders Assassinated in District Kech, April 24–29, 2009 (doc), Oct 7, 2009;
Release by Munir Mengal (about Munir Mengal: The Man Who Survived Pakistan's Gestapo, by Rahimullah Yusufzai, The News, December 13, 2008)
Video: Mehran Baluch's Speech at UN Human Rights Council, October 6, 2009
Noordin Mengal Balochistan: Human Rights Violations Discussed at HRC, UNPO report, Sep 28, 2009
"Human rights activist Mr. Noordin Mengal explains the role of the Pakistani government in the atrocities taking place in the Balochistan province. He presents his case at a side event of the UN Human Rights Council, where not only the case of Balochistan, but also that of the Gilgit-Baltistan region was discussed."
Release: World Sindhi Conference (WSC) ORGANISES A BRIEFING AT THE HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL IN GENEVA, Sep 18, 2009 (word doc)
Briefing: Self Determination of Sindh and Balochistan – A Strategy for Regional Peace
Human Rights Council, United Nations, Geneva, Switzerland: General State Terrorism is responsible for human rights violations in Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan of Pakistan, Press Trust of India, Sep 22, 2009
SindhBalochBriefing12thSessionUNHRC

12sessionUNHRC

From before: Balochistan Conference Report, UNPO, Aug 14, 2009: Self-Determination in Balochistan-Its Relation to Regional and Global Security, Palais Des Nations, Geneva, Jun 8, 2009
The list of disappeared or arrested Baloch appears countless, but here are some more photos provided by readers:

Begum Jamila Daud
Begum Jamila Daud
Friends: Begum Jamila Daud, president of Anjuman Khawateen-e-Islam, has expanded the mandate of her NGO in an effort to help coordinate and deliver aid to Baloch IDPs.
Begum Jamila's NGO was established in 1982 and is registered with the Government of Balochistan under the 1966 Social Welfare Act (Social Welfare Department Registration No. S.W.D. 71). Your contributions can help save the lives of people living in Baloch IDP camps. At present, these people receive no state or foreign aid. Please donate generously. For further info, please visit the site.
From before: Human Rights Council addresses on behalf of the Baloch, by Mehran Baloch, years 2002 - 2009
Your Urgent Action needed today
Dear Supporters of Human Rights, the Baloch Unity Conference requests that as many people as possible email the Secretary General of Amnesty International, London, on behalf of countless missing Baloch: ikhan@amnesty.org. Please click here for the full text of this message and a partial list of missing Baloch.

Ehsan Arjemandi

Update:
Sep 28, 2009

Officials at the Norwegian embassy in Islamabad are pursuing all diplomatic channels available to them in an effort to learn the wherabouts of Ehsan Arjemandi and to secure his release. Thus far they have been unsuccessful. If you live outside Pakistan, please contact your respective senators, representatives and/or embassy officials and request that they pressure the government of Pakistan to disclose the identity and status of all disappeared Baloch.

(background: Norway to raise Arjemandi issue during UN assembly, By Ahmar Mustikhan, Baloch Warna.org, Sep 22, 2009)

Human Rights-related: Budget airline pilot, Julio Alberto Poch, arrested over 1,000 deaths in Dirty War, Sep 24, 2009
Norway to raise Arjemandi issue during UN assembly, By Ahmar Mustikhan, BalochWarna.org, Sep 22, 2009: "Norway said it will take up the issue of one of its nationals, who went missing after being abducted by the Pakistani Military Intelligence in the restive Baluchistan province more than six weeks ago, at a meeting with Pakistan foreign minister during the United Nations General Assembly in New York."
American Rose fights for Pakistani husband, by Salman Siddiqui, Dawn.com, Sep 17, 2009
Release: Sindhi American Political Action Committee (SAPAC): SAPAC was established to engage in political advocacy and lobbying activities on behalf of the Sindh province in Pakistan, and the Sindhi people internationally. Summary of the September 16, 2009, meeting and video footage of speeches related to Sindh and Balochistan will be forthcoming...
In the region: New' Bagram rules under fire, by William Fisher, atimes.com, Sep 16, 2009: " Chip Pitts . . . told IPS, "Judge Bates' decision laudably made that distinction and, rather than fight it, the Obama administration should take the opportunity to restore sensible and moral rules in keeping with nearly a millennium of legal evolution."
Bullets Sprayed on Innocents, reposted at balochWarna.com, Sep 12, 2009, from Sep 9 BBC Urdu report by Riaz Suhail (with video from Thump when Frontier Corps fire)
Release: BALOCH HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL-CANADA
Subject: Protest meeting against extrajudicial killing and firing on peacful civilian in Balochistan by Pak Army, Sep 11, 2009 (details and videos)

This protest meeting is being held on:
Date: September 12, 2009
Location: 1338 old Yorkmills Road, Toronto
Time: 6:30
Press release, Hyrbyair Marri, Baluch Sarmarchar, Sep 11, 2009 (in Urdu)
Amnesty plan ready for Balochistan, by Syed Irfan Raza, Dawn.com, Sep 11, 2009: "President Zardari . . . had said: ‘Ways and means may be explored for the voluntary return of exiles and grant of general amnesty to political prisoners . . . Give them the autonomy they have been demanding for 60 years,' he said.
From before: Two years later and nothing has changed: Pakistan/Iran: The Baluchi Minority's 'Forgotten Conflict', by Abubakar Siddique, Radio Free Europe, Oct 25, 2007
Baluch killings; Sen. McCain's help sought for independent Baluchistan, by Ahmar Mustikhan, Newsvine, Sep 9, 2009
Mass arrests continue in Balochistan, Two BSO azaad member went missing, BalochWarna.com, Sep 9, 2009 (source: sagaar.org)
U.S. Tried to Soften Treaty on Detainees, by R. Jeffrey Smith, WashingtonPost.com, Sep 8, 2009;
Despite Slump, U.S. Role as Top Arms Supplier Grows, by Thom Shanker, NYTimes.com, Sep 6, 2009
Frykter broren holdes på torturcelle, NRK, Sep 8, 2009
Mr. Ehsan Arjemandi has not been heard from since Aug 7, 2009, when he was removed from a bus by security forces in Pakistan.

Click for Norwegian t.v. coverage and here.
Sherry expresses concern over Balochistan killings, Dawn.com, Sep 8, 2009

Release:
A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission: PAKISTAN: Frontier Constabulary stormed peaceful memorial service, killing one and critically injuring women and a child, Sep 7, 2009

For additional information, see report by Archen Baloch, Sep 7, 2009.

videos from the event: here and here.
Frontier Constabulary storms memorial service for Meer Jan Meeral (left), who was reportedly killed by the Pakistani army on Sep 3, 2009.

Statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC): PAKISTAN: Police threaten indiscriminate revenge killings in Balochistan, Sep 2, 2009
For other reports regarding missing persons, see sagaar.org, most recently Mujeeb Baloch and Bebagr Baloch.
Release: Oslo Demonstration

'Friends of Ehsan' and supporters will hold a demonstration in Oslo, Norway, to protest the abduction of Norwegian Baloch Ehsan Arjemandi and the disappearances, arrests and extrajudicial killings of other Baloch political prisoners, both in Iran and Pakistan. for more information

Appeal published in Dagbladet.no

photo source: dailytawar.com
R.I.P.

Shutter down strike observed in Balochistan, Dawn.com, Sep 1, 2009: "The call for strike was given by Baloch nationalist parties against the killing of BNM leader Rasool Bakhsh Mengal."

photo source: dailytawar.com
The body of Mir Rasool Baksh Mengal: signs of torture (photo tribute at baluchsarmachar site)
2 killed as missing Baloch leader found dead, by Malik Siraj Akbar, DailyTimes.com.pk, Sep 1, 2009: "Mengal was allegedly whisked away by intelligence agencies from Uthal area on August 23."
Additional reports: Balochwarna.com, Gwank.org
 
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from before:
Appeal: BHRAA: Norwegian-Baloch human rights activist was abducted by Pakistani "military forces", feared tortured, Radio Balochi.org, Sweden, Aug 11, 2009.
Ehsan Arjmandi, Norwegian Baloch activist, arrested in Pakistan, by intellibriefs, Aug 11, 2009
Baloch political activist Mr Ehsan Arjumandi arrested at Uthal check point, Aug 7, 2009, balochwarna.org: A Norwegian citizen visiting family in Balochistan was removed from a bus by plain-clothes men in umarked cars while traveling to Karachi.
Qambar Baloch brought before court, Balochwarna.org, Jul 15, 2009: Eyewitnesses report that Qambar could not walk properly. Note the chains in the photo.

From before : Qambar Jan tho kuja hey?, by Malik Siraj Akbar at Malik Siraj Akbar writes, Jul 11, 2009: "...Fresh reports suggest that this amazing Baloch activist has been whisked away by the personnel of the Frontier Corps and the intelligence agencies..."

Pakistan's Other War, by Matthieu Aikins, National Post, May 14, 2009

 

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