14 March 2009

Baloch Women Panel Protest against forced disappearances in Balochis

Reported by Juma Baloch

Quetta: Baloch Women Penal staged a demonstration here on Wednesday outsideQuetta press club against forced disappearances and continued army operations inBalochistan. The protesters demanded of the authorities to release all theBaloch political prisoners and punish those responsible for abduction thousandsof Baloch youth and assaulting Zarina Marri. The demonstration was led by BWP(Baloch Women Panel,B S O (azaad), Marri Itehad and the relatives of missingBaloch activists. A large number of Children, Women and B S O activists attendedthe protest to show their sympathy with the families of missing Baloch persons.Demonstrators were holding the pictures of missing persons and play cards inscripted against Human rights violations in Balochistan, against the on goingarmy operations all over Balochistan, illegal arrest and extra judicialkillings.Number of activists including aged mother of Raisani Qaumi Itehad's leader MirWadood Raisani, sisters of BRP's leaders Waja Basheer Azim and Chakar Qambaraniaddressed the gathering and Media. The participants said that at presentBalochistan is going through an extreme situation. However its is very saddeningthat UN has observed silence over the years on Balochistan conflict andabductions of thousands of our beloved ones. They also criticized the media forits biased reporting and ignoring the missing person's issue in Balochistan.Many speakers were of the view that media has made Jhon Solecki's abduction anissue, whereas observed silence over the abduction thousands of our (Baloch)near and beloved ones.The participants appealed to the UN to take up the forced disappearances issuein Balochistan with same desperation and seriousness as of the Soleki'sabduction. UN must try to use its sources and energy to help us find our lovedone like , Bashir Azeem Baloch, Chakar Qambarani, Jalil Regi, Faiz MohammedMarri, Qadir Marri, Tor Khan Marri, Chacha Marri, Ahmad Khan Marri, Noor AhmadMarri, Ali Asghar Bangulzai Ghafar Languv, prof Hasan jan Baloch, sister ZarinaMarri along with hundreds of Baloch women and thousands of Baloch men (youth).UN must also take notice of extra judicial killings of unarmed Baloch civiliansincluding women and children. However the demonstrators made it clear that "wehave not gathered here to ask for mercy but we demand justice and protection ofour people according to International Laws and UN charter".

12 March 2009

Five men hanged in Iran

REPORTED BY BALOCHONLINE.COM


Tehran, Iran, Mar. 10 - Iranian authorities hanged five men in central andsouth-eastern Iran earlier this week, state media reported. A man, identifiedonly as Mostafa M., 34, was hanged on Sunday in a prison in Isfahan, centralIran, the semi-official daily Kayhan wrote on Monday. He was accused of murder.Four other men, whose identities were not given, were hanged on Monday in aprison in Zahedan, the official state news agency IRNA reported on Monday. Theywere accused of kidnapping and murder.Zahedan is the capital of Sistan-va-Baluchistan Province which is home toBaluchis, a predominantly Sunni Muslim ethnic minority.Iran has witnessed escalating unrest since 2006 in areas populated by Baluchis,who complain of discriminatory and repressive policies by the theocratic regime.Since 2006, Iranian authorities have stepped up executions in the restiveprovince in what many Baluchis believe is a response to a spate of attacks bydissidents on government and security officials.Iranian authorities routinely execute dissidents on bogus charges such as armedrobbery and drug trafficking.At least 59 people were executed in Iran in January.Iran's judiciary spokesman Ali Reza Jamshidi confirmed in January that two menhad been stoned to death for adultery in Mashhad in December while a third manmanaged to struggle out of the hole he had been buried in.Source:http://www.iranfocus.com/en/human-rights/five-men-hanged-in-iran-17371.html

Eight Baloch youth are to handed over to Iranian govt

Reported By Muhammad Baloch


News : Balochistan: Eight Baloch youth are to handed over to Iranian govt, TwoBaloch executed in IranBaloch Human Rights Watch international spokesperson Mr Rehan Baloch claimed inan e-mail that Pakistani govt has completed arrangements of handing over eightBaloch youth to Iranian authorities. The decision of handing over these Balochyouth was made in Islamabad in a meeting between Rahman Malik a Pakistanifederal minister and Iranian high commission Mashallah Shakiri.The e-mail sent by BHRWI further state that eight Baloch youth namely, MohammedAli, Adrees, and Abdul Saboor Baloch from Mashkail, Mohammad Asa Baloch fromChatkan Panjgur, Riaz Ahmad from Mand, Hafiz Khalid from Dalbandin, andHafeezullah and Karim Baloch also from Dalbandin who were detained in Pakistanoccupied Balochistan, were all equated by an anti terrorism court.Pakistan and Iran both anti Baloch countries made a deal, which is basicallysigning off death warrants of Baloch people living on both sides of border. Alleight Baloch youth have been transferred from District jail (Hudda) Quetta to anundisclosed location this morning, from there they'll be handed over to Iraniangovt. Baloch youth are being hanged almost everyday without any due process oflaw in Iran. It is worth mentioning that few months earlier Ghulam HaiderRaisani was also extradited to Iran by the Pakistani govt, where his fateremains unknown. Baloch Human Rights Watch International has published thepictures of these eight youth who are going to be sent to Iran.Meanwhile Secretary general of BNF Ghulam Mohammed Baloch and Secretaryinformation Abdul Wahab Baloch in joint press statement strongly condemn therecent decision of Pakistan Iran to start a joint strategy to oppressed andcrush the Baloch Freedom struggle. They said this a continuation of Iran's andPakistan's atrocities toward Baloch Nation. In 1973s operation also Iran's Shahand Pakistan peoples' Party govt carried out a joint military operation againstBaloch people killing thousands of Baloch men, women and children. Hundreds ofvillages were destroyed due indiscriminate bombardment, Iran's shah had providedPakistan with cobra helicopter and hundreds of thousands of dollar to crush theBaloch National struggle.Today once again its peoples'Party's govt in Pakistan, who have apologised fromBaloch people like their past predecessors , accepted their crimes and adopted aso called reconciliation and negotiations policy. Whereas the situation onground is quite different. Abduction of Baloch political workers and leaders,genocide of Baloch people is still being committed. Secret and inhuman swapdeals are taking place between govts. These are all singes to strengthen theoccupation on Baloch land. Thousands of Baloch people have been forced to fleethere homes, indiscriminate bombardment and massacre of Baloch Nation iscontinued and more further planes are being made to massacre the people ofBalochistan.They appealed to the UN and other human rights bodies to take notice of theatrocities of Pakistani and Iranian authorities against the Baloch people.International community must also ask Iran and Pakistan to open the border areaof Sarawan and Mand. Courtesy : Daily IntekhabAccording www.balochinews.com and radio balochi Two Baloch man Molvi Jalil ZardKohi and Hafiz Salhuddin Gohramzai (Bahramzai) were executed sistan Balochistan(Iranian occupied) in early hours of Tuesday morning. Both man were accused tobe supporters of Malik Regi's group Jundullah.

7 killed in Balochistan violence

REPOTED BY BALOCH MEDIA



QUETTA: At least seven people, including a woman and two of her minor daughters,were killed in Balochistan on Sunday in various incidents of violence.A 40-year old widow, Fatima Bibi, two of her daughters and a son, were killed inthe provincial capital by an assailant who entered their house on Sundaymorning. Police sources said Gul Naz, another of Fatima's daughter, who managedto escape, told the police that a neighbour, Murad Ali, had allegedly killed hermother and siblings.According to Naz's unofficial statement, Murad frequently visited their house.On Sunday, he came and hit her mother and sisters with clubs until they died,she said. The two girls were identified as Haseena Bibi (7) and Gul Bano (11).Their brother, Noor Ahmed (5) was also killed by the assailant.The sources said a first information report had not been registered yet asFatima did not have any relatives in the city. The bodies were taken to theBolan Medical College hospital, they added.A police officer said they had a few clues about the murderer and raids wouldsoon be conducted to arrest him. "We are confident to soon arrest theperpetrator of this inhuman act," he said.Shias: In an apparent act of sectarian violence in Quetta, unidentified menmurdered a man and his son, both from the Shia sect. The attackers opened fireon the victims at their shop on Quetta's Double Road. Haji Sakhi and his son,Ghulam Ali, died on the spot. The murderers, who were riding a motorcycle, fled.No one has accepted responsibility for the killing. Separately, a policeman waskilled in western Panjgur district in a clash between robbers and the police.The policeman, Mujahid, was killed and another policeman was injured.

11 March 2009

Balochistan: The Unheard Cries of An Unknown People

REPORTED BY JUMA BALOCH


All of us have heard of Pakistan. Most people, especially those in the West,perceive Pakistan as a rogue nation that sponsors and abets terrorism andrightly so. However the knowledge of most people about Pakistan in general isextremely superficial. How many people know that Pakistan comprises of fourprovinces, namely Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and North West Frontier Province(also called Puktunkwha)?.Pakistan was basically carved out of the Indian subcontinent on the premisesthat Muslims and Hindus are separate nations and they cannot co-exist in onecountry. This formula was called the Two-Nation Theory which was the brain childof Chief Architect was Mohammed Ali Jinnah, also known as Qaid E Azam inPakistan. Jinnah, who had spent most of his lie abroad, was not really a goodMuslim. It is because, he was addicted to liquor and smoking (which incidentallykilled him later) and his love for ham (pork) and eggs for breakfast. The mainbone of contention for Muslims, who wanted a separate nation, was that theycould not bear the sacrilege of being ruled by kafirs whom their imaginedancestors had subdued through treachery.However the euphoria surrounding the creation of Pakistan was short lived. Thecountry could not really cater to the needs of its all Muslims. The Bengali,Baloch, Sindhi, Pashtoon, Seirakhi, etc. populations were given the sametreatment which is given to third grade citizens of a state. In fact, theseethnicities were only a few shades better than the minorities in terms oftreatment by the majority Sunni Punjabi dominated authorities. The Bengalis,assisted by India, seceded through a bloody war in 1971.Out of the other ethnicities, the Baloch people have suffered the most under anadministration dominated by Punjabis. The region of Balochistan is mostly wasteland covered by deserts and uncultivable land. However this area is also rich inmineral reserves such as natural gas and petroleum. In fact, 90% of Pakistan'senergy requirements are met by the natural reserves of the province ofBalochistan. But the irony is that this province does not even get 5% of theelectricity produced from the land in this region. So much for Islamicbrotherhood!The per capita income of Balochistan is next to zilch when compared to thenational average of the rest of Pakistan. Balochistan has hardly any schools orcolleges except in the capital city of Quetta. The Baloch people have to travelgreat distances even to get basic necessities such as water and food supplies.There are hardly any roads or major railway links in Balochistan. Most Balochpeople have to work as migrant labourers in the more developed cities of Karachiand Islamabad. The Pakistani Army treats the Baloch people the same way in whichan invading Muslim army treats dhimmies. They rape women and young girls, killnon-combatants; in general terms, they spread misery amongst the Balochpopulation. It is not as if the Civil or Military Administration is unaware ofthese facts. On the other hand, the Administration fully supports these crueltechniques used by the Pakistani Army to subdue the Baloch. This is actually areturn gift from the Pakistani Administration for the audacity of asking the forbasic human rights by the Baloch.There are no technical institutions where people from Balochistan can pursueeducation, which would enable them to achieve a respectable status. All the workin the various military or civilians are assigned to non-local labour. This isnot done because the Baloch people are lazy or unable to do work. Rather this isbeing done to add to the depravity of the already suffering people ofBalochistan.The Baloch people who are not so religious, but are however fiercely independentin spirit were ultimately fed up with the Punjabi-led administration decided torebel against it. Even though there is a long history of rebellion of the Balochpeople against the evil Pakistani Administration, I will confine myself to arecent event that has become epoch in the history of Balochistan. I will tellyou the short story of Nawab Akbar Bughti. He was a man who once believed in thenation of Pakistan and even occupied several important positions in thePakistani administration unlike most of his Baloch brothers who were not solucky. When he came back to his native place, he was really appalled to see thebarbarity with which the Pakistani army treated the Baloch people. He could nolonger tolerate the injustice and decided to fight the oppression. He fought,not in the name of Islam, but to secure basic Human rights for his people. ThePakistani Administration decided that this impudent Baloch, who had the guts toask for equal rights, should also be given a return gift. He was bombed in hishouse, which was actually a cave, in the middle of night. This was a warningfor the rest of the Baloch people to shut up or suffer similar consequences.This is just the tip of the iceberg. Now the Pakistani administration has founda new way of subduing the Baloch. They have started colonising the Baloch landin bits and pieces to establish colonies of Punjabi ex-army men in order todestabilize the ethnic balance of the area. To add to the woes of the Baloch,Afghan refugees have also been provided habitations in the Baloch land. This washardly done out of compassion for the refugees. The real reason was to turn thenative population of Balochistan into minorities. This way, they are beinggradually subdued with ease.While the Western Media chooses to cherry pick the events in Pakistan, we seldomget to hear the moans and cries of these unfortunate people, caught between thedevil and the deep blue sea. As I write this article, there might be a Balochwoman being molested by the Islamic Army of Pakistan, a child being beaten upfor being who he is. Nobody will ever be able to assess the exact extent of theatrocities the Pakistani Administration has committed upon the Baloch people. Ireally don't understand why the media of the free world chooses to ignore aHuman tragedy which occurs everyday in a country as well known as Pakistan. Ialso wonder why the Western leaders don't ask the Pakistani administration as towhy these people are suffering so much even after the billions of dollars inAid.Some of us might argue that this has nothing to do with Islam as it is an ethnicproblem. I beg to differ as I believe that this discriminatory polity is a byproduct of the Islamic thought. The problem starts at the grass-roots level;Islam propagates feudal arrangements as the concept of free land holdings andequity in distribution of resources. Although the concept of feudalism anddiscrimination starts with non-Muslim minorities, it ultimately boils down tothe ethnically non-dominant Muslim minorities in the absence of a sufficientnumber of non-Muslims who can be subdued. Soon after the Muslims of thesubcontinent achieved their aim of a separate state, the innate tendencies ofsuppressing others, inculcated by Islam in its followers, cannot be subdued.Hence, the poor Baloch people had to pay for being fewer in number and backwardin terms of education.Those who are still in doubt can draw examples from countries like Iraq wherethe non-Arab Kurdish people were almost ethnically cleansed by the SunniArab-led government of Saddam Hussein. Sunnis in Iran face a similar fate. Thecondition of non-ethnic Iranians in Iran is no better under the Shia dominatedAdministration. The list of those suffering includes non-ethnic Iranian Shiaswho are rounded up by the Iranian armed forces without any provocation. Darfuris an excellent example of my analogy. There are several parallels that canstated here to prove this analogy.Ultimately it all boils down to the same issue, Islam. Islam is an intolerant,militant philosophy. Just like other militant philosophies Islam has to spreadin order to survive. The spread of Islam is then again a vicious cycle as theIslam will not stop here. Islam has to kill in order to survive. Islam will makepeople kill till the time humanity becomes history.Although not a theist or a believer in any school of religious thought,sometimes I really feel that if there is a devil then Islam is certainly hisinvention. There could not be a better way to do away with humanity, couldthere?

10 March 2009

'Terror abroad' retrial ruled out

REPORTRED BY JUMA BALOCH


A man accused of orchestrating terror attacks in Pakistan from his home inLondon will not face a retrial. Hyrbyair Marri, 40, was accused of being a keysupporter of the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).A jury at Woolwich Crown Court last month cleared him of three terror chargesbut failed to reach verdicts on two further counts. Prosecutors said it was notin the public interest to pursue allegations against the ex-Balochistanpolitician.Insurgents have been fighting for independence for the province. But defencelawyers maintained Mr Marri and a co-defendant had been acting in self-defence.Jury's verdictsRefugee Mr Marri, of Ealing, west London, was cleared of possessing terroristarticles, collecting terrorist information and preparing terrorist acts.Jurors failed to return verdicts on counts of inciting acts of terrorismoverseas - including murder - and collecting terrorist information.The jury cleared Mr Marri's friend Faiz Baluch, 27, of Wembley, north-westLondon, of all five charges.The men were alleged to have used websites and telephone links to call on othersto kill in the name of the banned organisation.A Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) spokeswoman said: "The CPS has decided not toseek a retrial of Hyrbyair Marri on two charges relating to the inciting ofothers to commit terrorist acts abroad in pursuit of self-government forBalochistan."The CPS counter-terrorism division has carefully considered the evidenceagainst Hyrbyair Marri in light of the jury's verdicts and decided that the caseno longer meets the tests set out in the code for Crown prosecutors."Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7935991.stm

America's Secret War

Is the US already at war with Iran? In "America's Secret War", Vanguardcorrespondent Mariana van Zeller travels to the Iraq-Iran border to investigateclaims that the United States is supporting militant groups that are attackingIran.In the rugged Qandil mountains, she meets with up with anti-Iranian guerillaswho have been launching deadly raids against the Islamic Republic. A goodpercentage of the fighters are women, and Mariana accompanies a small group ofthem through what many believe has become the frontline of the US's secret warwith Iran.


REPORTED BY BALOCHONLINE.COM

Talking With The Mullahs

Obama thinks he has a bright new idea. In fact, Clinton and Bush tried it, and failed. President Obama keeps telling us that he wants to sit down and talk with Iran's ruling mullahs, as if this would be a drastic change from the past. But the Bush administration negotiated extensively with Tehran, in an effort to "bring Iran back into the family of nations."
Indeed, by early autumn 2006, they were convinced that a deal had been struck, and they were preparing the script for the public announcement.
They were deceived, and the tale is worth careful study by anyone who thinks Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's Iran really wants good relations with the United States. Most of the story was broadcast by the BBC late last month, and it featured the Bush State Department's point man on things Iranian, former undersecretary of state Nicholas Burns, who confirmed the basic facts on camera.
Contrary to what many Bush critics said at the time, in mid-2006 the president was not gearing up for a war with Iran. Instead, he and his top aides - most notably Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice - were engaged in negotiations to come to a modus vivendi with Tehran. Earlier that year, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw had convinced Secretary Rice that the Iranians were ready to make a deal. He told her that the Iranians would suspend uranium enrichment in exchange for a lifting of Western sanctions and a process that would "bring Iran back into the family of nations."
Rice agreed, and she convinced President Bush to support the initiative. There were then numerous exchanges between American and Iranian officials, notably Ali Larijani, then in charge of all negotiations regarding the nuclear project. (Larijani was the Europeans' favorite Iranian; there were apparently excellent "vibes" whenever Larijani dealt with them.) As in the Clinton years, the United States agreed to expand "cultural exchanges" as a sign of good will and openness, and American officials spoke, both privately and publicly, about the "carrots" that would be given to Iran if only the nuclear-enrichment activities ceased.
By the end of the summer, the Americans believed they had reached agreement with the mullahs, and the stage was set for a public announcement at the United Nations General Assembly in September. Larijani would come to New York and announce a suspension of the enrichment activities, and Rice would be there to announce that America was lifting sanctions on Iran.
As the denouement approached, the Iranians made an unexpected request. On the Friday prior to his scheduled Monday arrival, Larijani said he would be traveling with a large delegation. Could the United States quickly issue 300 visas? Rice decided, to the consternation of Homeland Security personnel, that she didn't want to give the Iranians any excuse for backing out of the deal, and staff worked overtime to check the Iranian names against our list of intelligence officers and terrorism enablers. The visas were issued in record time.
The terms of the deal were very closely held; they were not presented at interagency meetings chaired by National Security Council staff members (where such things were normally discussed), and high-level Pentagon officials, as well as top officials in the vice president's office, were unaware of the deal. Shortly before the deadline, Burns and his assistants went to New York for the happy event.
It never took place. Larijani and the 300 never came to New York. Instead, President Ahmadinejad appeared and delivered his usual blistering denunciation of the United States, along with a visionary invocation of the imminent arrival of the 12th Imam. Burns retained hope that the grand bargain would yet be announced, and he remained in Manhattan for several days, awaiting Larijani.
The whole thing was rather like Groundhog Day, a replay of the failed "grand bargain" of the Clinton years. At that time, too, the secretary of state and other top diplomats were certain a deal had been struck. Sanctions were lifted, the president and secretary of state publicly apologized for past American behavior, and cultural exchanges were the order of the day. In the end, Supreme Leader Khamenei delivered a brusque insult, and the mirage disappeared.
There is thus nothing new in Obama's call for negotiations with the mullahs; his two immediate predecessors both did it, both thought an agreement had been reached, and both learned otherwise. What reason is there to believe things could be different today? The Iranians have given us little reason to think so. Former president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, normally considered a "moderate," suggested as much in December, and insulted Obama en passant: "There is little difference between statements of Obama and George Bush. . . . For the past30 years, you [the U.S.] have desired dialogue with us and we didn't talk to you. Now you propose conditions? . . . Have you forgotten that the Irish McFarlane came here and our authorities were not willing to talk to him and our second- and third-rate authorities talked to them? . . . I don't expect from someone who considers himself of African race and a suppressed black in America to repeat the words of Bush." George Buopose conditions? . . . Have you forgotten that the Irish Mrd-rate authorities talked to them? . . . I don't expect from someone who considers himThose who yearn for talks with the mullahs should remember a line spoken by the villain in the movie Goldfinger. In the middle of the movie James Bond is spread-eagled on a sheet of gold, and there's a laser beam cutting through it, about to slice him in half. Goldfinger is standing on a little balcony. Bond looks up and asks, "Do you expect me to talk?"
Goldfinger replies, "No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die."
Just as the mullahs do.
- Michael Ledeen is freedom scholar at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies

Writer: By Michael Ledeen
Source:
http://article.nationalreview.com/q=NzNlOGM2MmY3YzViNWNlNTI2MWJmM2ExYTY4MTM3Nzc=
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8 March 2009

Clashes In Sui And Khuzdar Kill Two And Hurt Six

REPORTED BY BALOCHONLINE.COM



QUETTA: Two persons, including an official of Frontier Works Organization, werekilled and 6 injured in firing and bomb explosion in Khuzdar and Rabi canal areaof Sui tehsil, on Sunday.The Baloch Republican Army (BRA) has also claimed it launched an attack onsecurity forces in Uch gas field area in which three security personnel werekilled.According to sources, unknown people planted a bomb at Chattar road in Rabicanal area of Sui tehsil and detonated it remotely, targeting a pro-governmentWadera, Mazar Khan, who was traveling in a vehicle.As a result of the powerful explosion a vehicle passing through the area wasblown up, resulting in the death of on person, Mohammad Nawaz, on the spot andinjuries to four others.Soon after the blast personnel of security forces rushed to the site and removedthe injured and body to civil hospital Dera Murad Jamali.In another incident that took place in Khuzdar Bazar, an official of FrontierWorks Organization was killed and two others injured when unknown armed menopened indiscriminate fire on the vehicle in which they were traveling.The injured were immediately shifted to civil hospital. After firing theassailant escaped from the scene. Police has registered a case against unknownpeople and started investigation.Meanwhile, a spokesman of banded outfit BRA, Sarbaz Baloch has claimed thatthree security personnel including two officers were killed and 6 other injuredin a remote control blast. Calling from unknown place he informed media men thatafter the blast a militant was also killed and 2 injured in the armed clash withsecurity personnel.However, official sources did not confirm such incident.