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 are retiring thebaluch.com. It will remain here, serving as an archive of news and events dating through August 2010, but going forward we will chronicle news and analysis at our new site: crisisbalochistan.com. We decided not to transfer thebaluch.com URL to the newly designed site, because many of us use thebaluch.com for research, are comfortable with the layout, and we didn't want to risk breaking links in the transfer of data. Please visit us at http://www.crisisbalochistan.com!
Thank you all for your support!
Long Live Balochistan!
thebaluch.com
"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..."
Indecent proposal, by Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur, DailyTimes, Aug 29, 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..."
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..."
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.
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."
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?..."
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."
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."
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..."
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..."
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"
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..."
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."'
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.'"
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...'
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?)
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.)
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..."
“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..."
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..."
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..."
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 Balochistan over killings of BSO activists, Jun 13, 2010;
source: TheBalochHal.com
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..."
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"
"...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..."
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)
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
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)
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
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'
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.”
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:
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?);
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?..."
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..."
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
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...
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-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: 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.)
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.
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...'
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
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..."
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.)
Karachi Press Club. Nov 24, 2009: Rally and hunger strike over missing Balochistan
National Party members: Kabeer Baloch, Attaullah Baloch and Sadullah Baloch
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."
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”.'
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..."
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.."
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/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..."
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..."
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..."
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.
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.)
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
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)
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..."
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.
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.)
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..."
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.”
"...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, 2010Jaffarabad 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.
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!
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
"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"...
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
From
before: Politics of Alarm, by Mehreen Zahra-Malik,
The Baloch Hal, Aug 6, 2010
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."
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
"...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..."
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..."
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.)
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..."
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..."
"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.
"...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: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...
"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..."
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..."
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..."
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..."
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..."
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
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
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.
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..."
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..."
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.
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..."
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...
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..."
"...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?)..."
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..."
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..."
"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
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]..."
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.
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.
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...
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."
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
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."
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..."
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."
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...'
"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..."
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.
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..."
"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. "
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..."
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..."
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
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..."
"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.
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..."
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.
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
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)
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
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.
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
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."
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.
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
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
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.
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)
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)
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..."
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
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..."
"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
"...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's
Supreme Court has ordered the powerful
ISI intelligence agency to appear
in court to explain what has happened
to a missing political leader."
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
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)
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..."
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..."
"Better
days" video tribute to missing and
killed in Balochistan (youtube, blip.tv)
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..."
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."
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
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
Uprising
in Balochistan: short documentary
on Balochistan with interviews from
attendees of the International Conference
on Balochistan, Bangkok, South Asia
News, reposted at Intellibriefs
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..."
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.
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.
"...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..."
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..."
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."
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..."
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
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.
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..."
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..."
Khuzdar:
Baloch Students Organization, BSO(M),
on hunger strike
over missing Baloch students, Jan
10, 2009
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..."
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..."
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.
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
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.
Nov
21, 2009: Baluchistan International
Conference in Washington,
DC.
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.
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.
Nov
22, 2009 Commemoration of 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
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.
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..."
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.
Oct
25, 2009: BNP
(Baloch National Party) Rally in Khuzdar, Balochistan (district
profile)
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
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”.
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.
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 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."
The list of disappeared or arrested
Baloch appears countless, but here
are some more photos provided by
readers:
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.
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.
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."
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
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.
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
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)
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..."
