For compressed versions at TheBaluch youtube channel: youtube.com.
Please note, youtube offers a 'watch in high quality'
link for high speed connections when you click on individual
parts: Part
I,
Part
II, Part
III.
New:Faiz
Baluch is a victim of Pakistan geopolitics:
lawyer, Dawn.com, Jan 5, 2009: "LONDON: A refugee in
Britain accused of calling for terrorist attacks
on Pakistan was a 'casualty of geopolitics' due to
the west's backing for former president Pervez Musharraf,
a London court heard Monday. Faiz Baluch, 27, was
not a terrorist but was calling for self-defence
of his homeland Balochistan, an oil-rich province
in southwest Pakistan, said Helena Kennedy, representing
him at Woolwich Crown Court...";
from before:full
article: "The
Pakistan High Commissioner , speaking on behalf of
the new democratic government of Pakistan,
says his government wants reconciliation in Baluchistan
and opposes the prosecution,
effectively calling for the charges to be dropped," says
human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, who helped
coordinate Monday's protest. Previously, the acting
Interior Minister of Pakistan, Rehman Malik,
announced that terror charges against Mr Marri in Pakistan have been
cancelled; stating that the case against him had been politically
motivated by the Musharraf dictatorship...
from the editors: By what logic does the
British government contine its prosecution of two young
men for inciting terrorism in Pakistan (they are not accused
of inciting terror in Britain), when
even the Pakistani government has dropped all charges against Baluch and Marri
and Pakistan's own Interior Minister has claimed that the case was politically
motivated?
New: Faiz
Baluch is a victim of Pakistan geopolitics:
lawyer, Dawn.com, Jan 5, 2009: "LONDON:
A refugee in Britain accused of calling for
terrorist attacks on Pakistan was a 'casualty
of geopolitics' due to the west's backing for
former president Pervez Musharraf, a London
court heard Monday..."
Protesters
outside Woolwich Crown Court 01/12/08)
On Monday 1 December, the Baloch 'terrorism'
trial resumed in London. Friends and supporters
of the defendants, Hyrbyair Marri and Faiz Baluch,
staged a protest outside the court, calling for
the trial to be halted and the charges dropped.
(full
release). Background coverage below.
Photos courtesy of Ambreen Hisbani
Background
coverage:For
full background coverage
Trial
begins, prosecution expected to open on Nov 4: Trial
begins for two men on terror charges, orig.
source, Nov 3, 2008: "...Faiz Baluch, of Wembley,
and Hyrbyair Marri, from Ealing, are accused of inciting
terrorism and murder in Pakistan via links to the Baluchistan
Liberation Army...";
Update:PM
ambushed on civil liberties, by Peter Tatchell,
Oct 30, 2008: "...As the Prime Minister prepared
to leave the exhibition Mr Tatchell challenged him again;
this time about what he called the "framing" of two London-based
Balochistan human rights campaigners, Hyrbyair Marri
and Faiz Baluch..."; UK
colludes with Musharraf's agents, by Peter Tatchell,
Oct 27, 2008; Baluchistan
Leader on Terror Charges in London, by Peter Tatchell,
UKWatch.net, Apr 25, 2008
Rashid
Rauf: wanted by the British, lost by the Pakistanis,
one-time subject
of quid pro quo in exchange for Baloch Hyrbyair Marri
and Faiz Baluch?--now reported killed by CIA drone
attack:MPs
seek answers as CIA kills British terror suspect Rashid
Rauf, London Times, Nov 24, 2008 (click for other
articles on Rashid
Rauf)
Balochistan Legal Fund launched.
For more information and to help
fund this effort click
here.
New:Middleman
in the Middle East, by James Harkin, Financial Times,
Jan 2, 2009: "Sometime in the late 1980s, a British
embassy vehicle was inching its way through the mountains
of Balochistan in Pakistan when angry tribesmen barred its
path. The tribespeople were in dispute with the government
over water rights and when they caught sight in the car of
what they assumed was a British diplomat – who happened to
be en route to a meeting with the district commissioner – they
couldn't resist the idea of seizing him as a bargaining chip.
Shortly afterwards the district commissioner's office took
a call. “This is Alastair Crooke. I'm afraid I might be a
little late,” he apologised. “I've been kidnapped.” The district
commissioner sent 12 Pakistani troops to retrieve Crooke,
but they found him in no hurry to leave. He was, he said,
going to stay put until something had been done about the
tribesmen's complaints..."
Rights
of Provinces, Dawn editorial, Dec 25, 2008: "...RESENTMENT
grows when citizens of the state are denied the opportunity
to benefit from the exploitation of local resources.
Withholding this share in the collective pie does
not serve the cause of harmony between the federating
units as well as the centre and the provinces..."
Govt
assures justice in Akbar Bugti case: Talal, by Iftikhar
A. Khan, Dawn.com, Dec. 21, 2008: "...The Government has
assured a trial of former President Pervez Musharraf for
killing veteran Baluch leader Akbar Bugti in a controversial
military operation...He demanded that military operation
in Sui, Dera Bugti and Kohlu agency be immediately stopped
and the role of intelligence agencies be eliminated..."
Gwadar
Port becomes fully operational, by Saleem Shahid, Dawn.com,
Dec. 21, 2008: "...The Balochistan Chief Minister, Nawab
Aslam Raisani, while speaking on the occasion said, ‘Gwadar
port is an asset of the Baloch people and we will neither
allow anyone to occupy it, nor allow converting the Baloch
majority into a minority in Gwadar.' He said that the agreement
signed with a Singapore company would be reviewed and subsequently
it would be amended if found necessary..."
Pakistan
follows its own path, by Syed
Saleem Shahzad, Asia Times Online,
Dec. 6, 2008: "... Now the US
has given the names of four former
ISI officials, including Gul, to
the United Nations Security Council
to put them on a list of international
terrorists..."
Pakistanis
Mired in Brutal Battle to Oust Taliban, by Jane
Perlez and Pir Zubair Shah, NYTimes.com, Nov 10, 2008: "...'The
enemy had a lot of advantage,' Colonel Baluch said.
'They knew the area completely. We were told we would
meet foreign fighters and local fighters supporting
them. The resistance unfolded differently.'..."
Govt
reveals six Pakistanis incarcerated at Gitmo, by Syed Irfan Raza, Dawn.com,
Nov 11, 2008: "...Six Pakistani nationals are languishing in the Guantanamo Bay...According
to the information provided to the National Assembly, so far only Ammar Al Baluchi
is put up for trial by the US military commission...".
Conflict
with Taliban good for Balochistan: Mengal, by Amanullah
Kasi, Dawn.com, Nov 11, 2008: "...BNP-M leader
said that Balochistan issue was very simple ‘Give us
authority on our resources and coast, wherein the centre
should retain currency, foreign affairs and defense
portfolios and remaining subjects should be transferred
to the federating units, he added..."
UN
should hold Syria to account, An Open Letter to
the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, the Hon. António
Guterres, and to the Secretary-General of the United
Nations, the Hon. Ban Ki-moon, (Word doc; download pdf)
Pakistan's
role in regional strife:Why
the Neo-Taliban is Winning, by Syed Saleem Shahzad,
counterpunch.org, Oct 11-12, 2008; Taliban
leader killed by SAS was Pakistan officer, by
Christina Lamb in Kabul, Oct 12, 2008: "...British
officials covered up evidence that a Taliban commander
killed by special forces in Helmand last year was
in fact a Pakistani military officer, according to
highly placed Afghan officials..."
Press
Release:Pashtuns
want peace not war and support Joe Biden to pacify
over 700 mudrassas in Pukhtunkwa!: PPF reminds
the international community to consider the plea of
Democratic VP candidate Joe Biden to take care of
the over 700 mudrassas (religious schools). PPF propose
that these madrassas should be converted to the ‘Bacha
Khan Peace Schools' to avoid war and bring sustainable
peace.
Eleven
injured in Quetta blasts, DailyTimes.com.pk, Sep
29, 2008: "...According to the shopkeepers, Lashkar-e-Islam
had warned owners of music shops to close their businesses..."
FC-tribesmen
clash leaves nine dead, by Saleem Shahid, Dawn.com,
Sep 28, 2008: "...Fresh clashes between Baloch
militants and security forces were reported 25 days
after three Baloch militant organiations announced their
joint unilateral ceasefire on Sept 1..."
In
the USA:A
bailout and a new world, by Pepe Escobar, atimes.com,
Sep 26, 2008: "...Sarkozy
described speculators as "the new terrorists".
US Republicans of course call Sarkozy's plan socialism
- as if the Ben Bernanke-Hank Paulson bailout scheme
was not no-holds-barred socialism for the wealthy...[Morales]
stressed there was not a single word of condemnation
by the US of relentless right-wing terrorism in Bolivia,
unlike all the nations of South America talking with
one voice via UNASUR..."; Noam
Chomsky's view, BBCNews.com, Sep 2008; Wasilla
Watch: Sarah
Palin and the Rape Kits, by Dorothy Samuels, NYTimes.com,
Sep 25, 2008
In America:
Hundreds of thousands of Democrats being removed from
voting rolls: RFK
Jr. "Votes are being stolen, now, by hundreds of thousands",
Will be denied right to vote in Nov. election, interview
with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., reposted at dailykos.com,
Sep 23, 2008
At Least 40 Are Killed in Blast at Pakistan Hotel, by Carlotta Gall, NYTimes.com, Sep 20, 2008: "...A huge truck bomb exploded at the gateway of the five-star Marriott Hotel in Islamabad on Saturday evening, just a few hundred yards from the prime minister's house, where all the leaders of government were dining after the president's address to Parliament..."
US
revokes visa for Amina Janjua: "...The United States has revoked the
travel visa of a Pakistani human rights defender ahead of her trip to Washington,
human rights group Amnesty International said Saturday...", DailyTimes.com.pk,
Sep 15, 2008
Peace
For Who?, by Che Mureed Baloch, balochunity.org,
Sep 11, 2008
Tehran
targets journalists: The Iranian authorities are
cracking down on media freedom, especially reporters
who dare to cover the persecution of ethnic minorities,
by Peter Tatchell, The Guardian Comment, Sep 11, 2008.
(You can help save Iran's jailed journalists. Email
your appeals to addresses in article.)
HEC overlooks Baloch students for scholarships, BalochUnity.org, Sep 10, 2008: "...It was informed during Question Hour in the National Assembly that no scholarship has been awarded to a Balochistan's student since 2006..."; from before:World Bank mission assesses Balochistan education support programme, May 2008: "... eight of the ten most deprived districts in Pakistan are located in Balochistan. While there has been some improvement in the enrolment rates in recent years, Balochistan continues to lag behind other provinces in education service delivery.."; Balochistan students protest against admission policy, by Malik Siraj Akbar, Malik Siraj Akbar writes, Jul 18, 2008
Political prisoners to be freed, Dawn.com, Sep 7, 2008: "... The provincial government has decided to release all political prisoners and drop cases against Bugti tribesmen languishing in different jails in Balochistan..."
BLA,
BRA, BLF announce cease-fire, AAJ TV Online, Sep
2, 2008: "...Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA),
Balochistan Republican Army (BRA), and Balochistan
Liberation Front (BLF) announced cease-fire for indefinite
period, Aaj TV reported..."
New
al-Qaeda focus on NATO supplies, by Syed Saleem
Shahzad, atimes.com, Aug 12, 2008: From this teeming
financial center [Karachi], 80% of the goods go to
Torkham in Khyber Agency on their way to the Afghan
capital of Kabul. About 10% go to Chaman, then on
to the northern Afghan city of Kandahar... Several
al-Qaeda cells have apparently been activated in Karachi
to monitor the movement of NATO supply convoys.
Girls'
school set on fire in Quetta, DailyTimes, Aug
4, 2008: "...It is the first time that a girls'
school has come under attack in the city. No group
has so far claimed responsibility..."; Fighters
killed in Pakistan clash, Al Jazeera, Aug 2: "...Five
girls' schools [in Swatt] were set on fire early on
Sunday morning in the latest assault..."
Baluchistan
worse than Darfur, ICC at Hague told, Jul 29,
2008: "Two Baluch organizations have approached
the International Criminal Court at the Hague and
appealed to it to bring the Pakistan army generals
to justice for the on-going ethnic cleansing in Baluchistan..."
Pak
accuses India of supporting Baloch nationalists,
ZeeNews.com, Jul 25, 2008: "... Pakistan has
accused New Delhi of supporting Baloch nationalists
demanding greater autonomy in the resources-rich southwestern
Balochistan province..."
Don't
mention the Afghan–Pakistan war, by Fraser Nelson,
Jul 23, 2008: Weapons, men and suicide bombers are
flooding in from Pakistan every day. Like it or not,
war is being waged on Afghanistan from Pakistan.
Pakistan
responsible for killing, says Khan of Kalat: LONDON,
JULY 17: The De Jure Ruler of Baluchistan, the Khan
of Kalat Mir Suleman Daud Ahmedzai, has blamed the Pakistani
establishment for killing his close relative at his
hometown of Kalat on Tuesday in the smokescreen of aerial
firing...(photos
from graveside)
Baloch students on hunger strike: Three students'
conditions worsen...Balochistan
students protest against admission policy, by Malik
Siraj Akbar, Jul 18, 2008: "...The students,
led by Qambar Baloch and joined by pupils from other
educational institutions, are demanding that the admission
policy at BUITMS should be reviewed and the merit
system be devolved at district level. Currently, 70
percent merit-based seats are fixed for the entire
province, but the Baloch students argue that the largest
beneficiaries of such a system are the non-Baloch
students living in the urban parts of the province.
They are demanding that admissions should be granted
on a district-based merit system..."
(click for
more pictures)
Heavy
fighting continues in Dera Bugti, various reports,
July 22, 2008; Balochistan
fighting kills many, BBC News, Jul 21, 2008: "...Armed
nationalist rebels have targeted natural gas installations
in the Dera Bugti area for several years. They want
greater autonomy and local control over Balochistan's
resources such as oil and gas..."
A
word of caution: United States of America (Press
Release) July 22, 2008 -- WASHINGTON DC: A word of
caution has been sent out to U.S. Secretary of State
Dr. Condoleezza Rice to take extreme care when she
meets Pakistan's Premier Yusuf Raza Gilani one-on-one
next week...
Press
Release:Baluch
hail Kabul probe of nuclear dump, WASHINGTON
DC, JULY 17: The American Friends of Baluchistan has
welcomed the move of President Hamid Karzai to investigate
Pakistan alleged dumping of nuclear waste in southern
Afghanistan and has hoped the international community
will bring Pakistan's military generals to justice
for their crimes.
U.S.
Senator Casey urged to help Baluch case (full
article) WASHINGTON D.C., Jul 9, 2008: "We have
heard enough of this nonsense called Pakistan," a
Baluch journalist Ahmar Mustikhan urged U.S. Senator
Bob Casey (D-PA) and requested the U.S. political
leadership and government to hold direct talks with
the Baluch leadership...
Press
Release: WASHINGTON DC, July 8: Two U.S.-based
Baluch groups have squarely blamed Pakistan's Inter
Services Intelligence for the bomb blast in Kabul
Monday (full
press release)
Balochistan Assembly
votes to protect historic Hindu temple and fragile eco-system
of Hingol National Park: Balochistan
Assembly rejects Hingol dam, by Saleem Shahid, Dawn.com,
Jun 29, 2008
Press
Release, Jun 28, 2008: WASHINGTON DC: A Baluch
journalist and founder of the American Friends of
Baluchistan, whose family had known the Advanis in
Karachi prior to partition, has urged former Indian
deputy prime minister Sree L.K. Advani to stop the
Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline until such time the
Baluch get their right to self determination. (see
full release)
Balochistan
govt offers Rs 21m for information on murders,
by Malik Siraj Akbar, Dailytimes.com.pk: "The
Balochistan government is clueless as to the murders
of 32 people, including 18 personnel of the Pakistan
Army, Frontier Corps (FC) and the police who have
been target-killed by the Balochistan Liberation Army
(BLA) in 21 violent incidents in the past four months..."
Press
Release: A.Q.
Khan's threat to ground Tel Aviv condemned,
WASHINGTON DC, Jun 27, 2008: Two U.S.-based Baluch
organizations have jointly condemnded a statement
of the founder of Islamic bomb and nuclear terrorist,
A.Q. Khan.
Senate stunned as Sanaullah announces resignation, by Ahmed Hassan, Dawn.com, Jun 7, 2008: "...The upper house was stunned on Friday when Balochistan National Party (Mengal) Senator Sanaullah Baloch suddenly announced his resignation from the house in accordance with what he called his party's policy.
BLA
kills six youths playing cricket in Quetta, by Malik
Siraj Akbar, DailyTimes.com.pk, May 31, 2008: "...Separately,
talking to reporters after visiting the injured boys, Balochistan
Chief Minister Nawab Muhammad Aslam Raisani said he would
quit if his government remained unable to resolve the situation
in the province. He claimed the BLA was not responsible and
he would bring the real culprits to justice..." Six
youths shot dead in Quetta, by Saleem Shahid, Dawn.com,
May 31, 2008
Nawabzada
Brahamdag Bugti
Bugti's
grandson says armed struggle only solution for Baloch,
by Malik Siraj Akbar, DailyTimes.com.pk, May 31, 2008: Brahamdag
Bugti says govt has failed to improve law and order: "...The
only way to rid the Baloch of the injustices being perpetrated
against them by the military is by joining the armed struggle
against the government, guerrilla commander Nawabzada Brahamdag
Bugti said on Friday..." (original
article)
Aaj
TV Nawab Bugti interview: Host: Talat Hussain Guest:
Brahmdagh Bugti on Phone from an unknown location,
May 2, 2008
Victims
of clashes: Graphic photos of civilians reportedly slain
by the Pakistani army in PatFeeder area near Sui. Baloch organizations are inviting journalists and human
rights activists to these areas to investigate reports.
1,100
Baloch still missing: Akhtar Mengal, KhaleejTimes.com,
May 29, 2008: "...Baloch nationalist leader Akhtar Mengal
has said that 1,100 people belonging to various regions of
Balochistan are still missing and no one knew about their
whereabouts except intelligence agencies..."
May 28 Rally: Baloch
Rally Against Islamic Nukes, by Amar Mustikhan, WASHINGTON
DC: Peace activists from occupied Baluchistan will join hands
with their counterparts across the world to mark the 10th
anniversary of Pakistan testing its deadly Islamic Bomb in
occupied Baluchistan on May 28. The protests will be held
in Washington, DC; Toronto, Canada; Oslo, Norwayand Stockholm,
Sweden, besides cities within Pakistan.
JWP (Bramdagh) renamed as BRP, Dawn.com, May 26, 2008: "...Militant leader Nawabzada Bramdagh Bugti would be chief organiser of the BRP...According to the statement, the BRP would be struggling for restoration of the Baloch state to protect the coast and resources of the Baloch land..."
