ISLAMABAD: The United States has condemned the killing of three Baloch leaders in Balochistan, saying one of them had helped in the release of a kidnapped American U.N. official John Solecki. "We condemn the recent killings of three Baloch leaders," the U.S. embassy in Islamabad said in a statement. "One of the individuals played an active role in efforts towards the release of an American citizen and UNHCR official John Solecki." The U.S. embassy said the role by one of the three leaders killed, Ghulam Mohammed Baloch, in efforts to secure Solecki's released had been greatly appreciated.
"We call on Pakistani authorities to thoroughly investigate these three deaths and to bring those responsible to justice," the embassy said.
Source: http://www.geo.tv/4-10-2009/39529.htm
11 April 2009
Balochistan Breaking Point?
Considering the intensity and extent of anti-Islamabad sentiment in Balochistan today, Pakistani national-level policymakers must rethink their current strategies and demonstrate their willingness to grant substantive political and economic autonomy to the people. After national elections in February 2008, optimism in Pakistan was brimming over. Perhaps nowhere did the elections have a more immediate impact than in Balochistan, the province that has been attempting to break away from Islamabad's control for decades. The first positive signs from the national capital came after Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Chairman (and now President) Asif Ali Zardari formally apologised to the people of Balochistan for the excesses committed against them in the past. He also announced that the new PPP-led government would call an all-parties conference to address the province's long-entrenched problems, while also promising to form a truth commission to investigate the abuses. Such pledges, rarely if ever heard before, created a sudden blossoming of hope in the province. The three leading armed militant groups - the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), the Baloch Republican Army (BRA) and the Baloch Liberation Front (BLF) - even announced a joint unilateral ceasefire.
In the face of such optimism, the democratic government could have done much to capitalise on the hope and goodwill of the Baloch people. Unfortunately, more than a year after these promises were made, President Zardari has convened neither of the promised bodies. Why, exactly, is a matter of speculation. According to many observers, the inaction on Balochistan is due to the ongoing struggle for power within the government itself. Meanwhile, a lobby within the PPP is rumoured to be working to maintain Balochistan policies passed during Pervez Musharraf's administration. Many point to the fact that Musharraf himself is still living in Army House, in Rawalpindi, where only the family of the serving chief of the army staff is supposed to be accommodated (and rumoured to be the safest place in Pakistan). Many feel that it is due specifically to the machinations of this lobby that, despite the government announcement, neither body has yet been convened.
Little of this current context matters on the ground. To the people of Balochistan, Islamabad's unwillingness to end the costly conflict today appears to be a clear extension of the undemocratic approaches that have traditionally been deployed towards the province. In the face of the intransigence emanating from Islamabad, it was only a matter of time before Balochistan reacted to the inaction. So it was that, on 6 January, after four months of maintaining their voluntary ceasefire, the same three armed militant groups withdrew it. By 28 February, more than 50 people had lost their lives in numerous shootings and bomb blasts, as attacks by militant organisations were stepped up. At this point, around 40,000 army troops have been deployed to Balochistan, in addition to more than 100,000 paramilitary Frontier Corps personnel.
Meanwhile, many locals have expressed to this writer that they have reached something of a point of no return, alluding to a clear sense of disillusionment regarding the possibility of any political solution. "After the sacrifices of 60 years, what has Pakistan given us?" asked Kamran Mari, a social worker in Quetta. "Nothing but destruction." He believes that the Baloch militants are fighting a war of independence, and supports their attempt to make Balochistan into a separate nation state. Likewise, Madni Baloch, in the town of Sibbi, is angry about the unfulfilled promises that have been made repeatedly by Islamabad. "That's why today we have become allergic to all political parties," he said. "We don't know exactly what to think about the militant groups. But I can say that when they announced the end of the ceasefire, we felt very happy that now they can go against the army and the Frontier Corps."
Six decades of discontentThe complaints in Balochistan date back to the beginning of Pakistan itself. After Partition, the newly formed state signed an agreement with the princely state of Kalat, which comprises modern-day Balochistan, allowing it autonomy until further negotiation. But the very next year, the government annexed the area, under threat to its ruler, Ahmad Yar Khan. Since then, the province has remained home to a number of armed separatist movements. Just as the make-up of these groups varies, so too do their demands, ranging from an independent Greater Balochistan, which would cover parts of modern-day Afghanistan and Iran; an independent country within the current provincial borders; and greater autonomy from Islamabad within existing Pakistan. Even amongst these differing aims, however, there are potent similarities between these groups: bitterness with the Pakistani state government for having been taken for granted, hunger and everyday frustration.
A significant part - though not all - of the problem boils down to the fact that the relationship between Islamabad and Balochistan has always been uncomfortably colonial. To begin with, the province hands over more than USD 1 billion to Islamabad yearly, though receiving only USD 116 million for development funds in return from the Centre. Considering that Balochistan is the second-largest producer of gas in Pakistan (though, again, consuming only a quarter of national output), its potential for income generation is clearly significant. In the current context, the province, which shares a highly porous border with Afghanistan, must be a central part of any discussion on the crossborder aspect of the ongoing insurgency in the western part of the region. Yet despite its importance in Southasian geopolitics, Balochistan is today a scarred province, populated by people convinced that they are caught in a thoroughly unequal and oppressive relationship with Pakistani lawmakers, and neglected in important decisions in which they have a role.
Murad Bashkh Brahui Although the separatist movement has been alive as long as Balochistan has been a part of Pakistan, it has taken deeper root since 2006. It was in August of that year that Nawab Akbar Shahbaz Khan Bugti - a former governor of Balochistan, cabinet-level minister and an outspoken critic of the government - was killed by a Pakistan Army missile. He was alleged to have been the head of the BLA. Since 2006, more than 80,000 families have been displaced from Balochistan, most of which are now living under extremely harsh conditions in Sindh and Punjab. According to the local people of Dera Bugti, Sui and Kohilloo, after the killing of Nawab Akbar, the administration imposed a draconian curfew in these areas, forcing many to flee.
But life is not much better for those who remain in the province. Arbitrary arrests, disappearances, blockades and restrictions on movement have not ceased. Although Islamabad remains silent on the matter of troops on the ground, according to many Baloch politicians Pakistani troops remain active in the province, and their intelligence networks are still very much operational. All the while, the resources-rich area suffers under increasing poverty and soaring unemployment. And even as government spending on law and order has increased in recent years, economic growth and investment levels remain dismal.
The political movement has likewise stepped up apace. Since the killing of Nawab Akbar Khan, his grandson, Nawab Brahamdagh Khan Bugti, has become the acknowledged leader of Baloch politics through the Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP). Founded and run during his lifetime by Nawab Akbar, the JWP was constant in its support of parliamentary politics and a political solution to the problem in Balochistan. After his grandfather's assassination, Brahamdagh took over, changed the party's name to the Balochistan Republican Party (BRP), and also changed the party's focus to be part of the movement for a separate Balochistan. (Many nationalist politicians claim that Brahamdagh Bugti is currently headquartered in the village of Spin Baldak, across the border in Afghanistan.) Soon after, however, Nawab Akbar's son, Nawab Talal Bugti, uncle of Brahamdagh announced that he would re-start the JWP, which would continue to work in accordance with its original vision of a moderate search for a political solution.
A broad spectrum of people in Balochistan today seems to support the BRP, particularly amongst the youth and the middle class. The massive popular backing for Brahamdagh himself is palpable on the ground. "Brahamdagh Khan Bugti wants to award us our independence. He is our national hero and we believe in his struggle," said Rahim Yar Khan Bugti, a student, while sitting at a tea shop in Dera Bugti. "The time has passed since we Baloch believed that a democratic government" - in either Islamabad or Quetta - "could heal our wounds, and bring an end to our misery." Many young Balochs share similar views, supporting Brahamdagh's emphasis on rejecting all government offers for negotiation and reconciliation. Importantly, they claim that his struggle is not for provincial autonomy or ownership of Baloch resources, as prioritised by other nationalist leaders. Rather, his self-proclaimed ultimate goal is ‘national liberation', meaning complete independence. Amidst the adulation that Brahamdagh is attracting, his uncle Talal has failed to gain traction, though Islamabad hopes to push the moderate vision in the province.
Dangerous propagandaDesperate times seem to have led to increasingly desperate measures, including actions to catch the international attention. As the situation in Balochistan intensified recently, John Solecki, a US citizen and the Balochistan representative for the UN's refugee agency, UNHCR, was kidnapped in Quetta on 2 February. After a week and a half, a new militant group, the Balochistan Liberation United Front (BLUF), contacted the Quetta-based news agency Online and claimed responsibility. Irfan Saeed, the Quetta bureau chief for Online, told this writer that a man identifying himself only as the BLUF spokesperson called the office and said that a parcel was waiting in the post box. Upon opening the package, Online staff found a list of 1109 missing men, another list of 141 missing women, and a video of Solecki. The group was demanding the release of the missing persons contained in the lists, as well as independence for Balochistan.
Though Solecki's kidnapping is seen as a serious setback for Islamabad, many in Balochistan do not appear to be unhappy that it happened. Many Baloch with whom this writer spoke are of the view that the internationalisation of the Balochistan issue - including UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's visit to Pakistan, which took place in the immediate aftermath of the abduction - can only be good for the province in the long run. Nawab Talal Bugti, chairman of the second faction of the JWP, maintains that while he is not affiliated with the BLUF, he believes that the international attention generated by the kidnapping will help the province. "My father, Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, served Pakistan as patriot and a citizen, and his only reward was to be killed in an army operation," he said recently in his Quetta office. He added, "But despite of all of these injustices, I opposed my nephew Nawab Brahamdagh Bugti's independence movement. I prefer to keep the party as an icon of federalism in Balochistan."
Soon after the kidnapping, a senior UN Development Programme (UNDP) delegation met with prominent Baloch nationalist Khair Bux Khan Mari in Karachi, asking for his help in securing Solecki's release. After much international pressure, on 5 March it was announced that the Islamabad government had decided to accept the BLUF demands regarding the releasing of missing persons, who turned out to be in its custody. Subsequently, a committee headed by Aslam Raisani, chief minister of Balochistan, was formed to handle the demands, and many Baloch leaders are now saying that Solecki will be released shortly. The committee has begun work, liaising with law-enforcement agencies and other official organisations in order to trace the missing persons. They will ultimately prepare a report for the president and prime minister, though there is no specific timeframe for this.
These moves notwithstanding, even as the situation in Balochistan reaches what some are seeing as a breaking point, there is surprisingly little sense of public urgency in Islamabad. Speaking with this writer, Farhatullah Babar, the spokesperson for President Zardari, said that the government is working seriously to address all the pending issues in Balochistan. He maintained that healing the wounds of Balochistan had been a dream of Benazir Bhutto, one of the main reasons why President Zardari was so quick to apologise to the people of the province for past injustices after the PPP victory. Babar also noted that President Zardari has repeatedly asked Baloch MPs to pass an accord emphasising that the province's problems be resolved through a legal process. Unfortunately, Baloch MPs too have turned a blind eye to their province, reinforcing the views that they are simply stooges of Islamabad. Babar would say little more on the matter. Indeed, every member of the federal government is currently avoiding the media on the Balochistan issue, and Babar himself refused to discuss either the truth commission or the APC for this article.
A great deal of mistrust exists between the Baloch people and Islamabad. Most Balochs feel pained, and increasingly frustrated, that after 60 years of giving Islamabad a chance to address the issues, there has been essentially no progress - the tantalising promises of the Zardari government notwithstanding. Instead, their homes have been showered with bombs and bullets, contributing to the further ruin of the political, economic and social situation in the province. Considering the intensity and extent of anti-Islamabad sentiment in Balochistan today, Pakistani national-level policymakers must rethink their current strategies and demonstrate their willingness to grant substantive political and economic autonomy to the people. This will bring its own challenges vis-à-vis the relationship between the Centre and the other provinces of Sindh, NWFP and Punjab. But as the province that feels the most alienated, the Balochistan spark could well engulf all of Pakistan if the warning signs are not heeded.
Yasir Babbar is an Islamabad-based journalist working at The Frontier Post and the Pakistan Press International
In the face of such optimism, the democratic government could have done much to capitalise on the hope and goodwill of the Baloch people. Unfortunately, more than a year after these promises were made, President Zardari has convened neither of the promised bodies. Why, exactly, is a matter of speculation. According to many observers, the inaction on Balochistan is due to the ongoing struggle for power within the government itself. Meanwhile, a lobby within the PPP is rumoured to be working to maintain Balochistan policies passed during Pervez Musharraf's administration. Many point to the fact that Musharraf himself is still living in Army House, in Rawalpindi, where only the family of the serving chief of the army staff is supposed to be accommodated (and rumoured to be the safest place in Pakistan). Many feel that it is due specifically to the machinations of this lobby that, despite the government announcement, neither body has yet been convened.
Little of this current context matters on the ground. To the people of Balochistan, Islamabad's unwillingness to end the costly conflict today appears to be a clear extension of the undemocratic approaches that have traditionally been deployed towards the province. In the face of the intransigence emanating from Islamabad, it was only a matter of time before Balochistan reacted to the inaction. So it was that, on 6 January, after four months of maintaining their voluntary ceasefire, the same three armed militant groups withdrew it. By 28 February, more than 50 people had lost their lives in numerous shootings and bomb blasts, as attacks by militant organisations were stepped up. At this point, around 40,000 army troops have been deployed to Balochistan, in addition to more than 100,000 paramilitary Frontier Corps personnel.
Meanwhile, many locals have expressed to this writer that they have reached something of a point of no return, alluding to a clear sense of disillusionment regarding the possibility of any political solution. "After the sacrifices of 60 years, what has Pakistan given us?" asked Kamran Mari, a social worker in Quetta. "Nothing but destruction." He believes that the Baloch militants are fighting a war of independence, and supports their attempt to make Balochistan into a separate nation state. Likewise, Madni Baloch, in the town of Sibbi, is angry about the unfulfilled promises that have been made repeatedly by Islamabad. "That's why today we have become allergic to all political parties," he said. "We don't know exactly what to think about the militant groups. But I can say that when they announced the end of the ceasefire, we felt very happy that now they can go against the army and the Frontier Corps."
Six decades of discontentThe complaints in Balochistan date back to the beginning of Pakistan itself. After Partition, the newly formed state signed an agreement with the princely state of Kalat, which comprises modern-day Balochistan, allowing it autonomy until further negotiation. But the very next year, the government annexed the area, under threat to its ruler, Ahmad Yar Khan. Since then, the province has remained home to a number of armed separatist movements. Just as the make-up of these groups varies, so too do their demands, ranging from an independent Greater Balochistan, which would cover parts of modern-day Afghanistan and Iran; an independent country within the current provincial borders; and greater autonomy from Islamabad within existing Pakistan. Even amongst these differing aims, however, there are potent similarities between these groups: bitterness with the Pakistani state government for having been taken for granted, hunger and everyday frustration.
A significant part - though not all - of the problem boils down to the fact that the relationship between Islamabad and Balochistan has always been uncomfortably colonial. To begin with, the province hands over more than USD 1 billion to Islamabad yearly, though receiving only USD 116 million for development funds in return from the Centre. Considering that Balochistan is the second-largest producer of gas in Pakistan (though, again, consuming only a quarter of national output), its potential for income generation is clearly significant. In the current context, the province, which shares a highly porous border with Afghanistan, must be a central part of any discussion on the crossborder aspect of the ongoing insurgency in the western part of the region. Yet despite its importance in Southasian geopolitics, Balochistan is today a scarred province, populated by people convinced that they are caught in a thoroughly unequal and oppressive relationship with Pakistani lawmakers, and neglected in important decisions in which they have a role.
Murad Bashkh Brahui Although the separatist movement has been alive as long as Balochistan has been a part of Pakistan, it has taken deeper root since 2006. It was in August of that year that Nawab Akbar Shahbaz Khan Bugti - a former governor of Balochistan, cabinet-level minister and an outspoken critic of the government - was killed by a Pakistan Army missile. He was alleged to have been the head of the BLA. Since 2006, more than 80,000 families have been displaced from Balochistan, most of which are now living under extremely harsh conditions in Sindh and Punjab. According to the local people of Dera Bugti, Sui and Kohilloo, after the killing of Nawab Akbar, the administration imposed a draconian curfew in these areas, forcing many to flee.
But life is not much better for those who remain in the province. Arbitrary arrests, disappearances, blockades and restrictions on movement have not ceased. Although Islamabad remains silent on the matter of troops on the ground, according to many Baloch politicians Pakistani troops remain active in the province, and their intelligence networks are still very much operational. All the while, the resources-rich area suffers under increasing poverty and soaring unemployment. And even as government spending on law and order has increased in recent years, economic growth and investment levels remain dismal.
The political movement has likewise stepped up apace. Since the killing of Nawab Akbar Khan, his grandson, Nawab Brahamdagh Khan Bugti, has become the acknowledged leader of Baloch politics through the Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP). Founded and run during his lifetime by Nawab Akbar, the JWP was constant in its support of parliamentary politics and a political solution to the problem in Balochistan. After his grandfather's assassination, Brahamdagh took over, changed the party's name to the Balochistan Republican Party (BRP), and also changed the party's focus to be part of the movement for a separate Balochistan. (Many nationalist politicians claim that Brahamdagh Bugti is currently headquartered in the village of Spin Baldak, across the border in Afghanistan.) Soon after, however, Nawab Akbar's son, Nawab Talal Bugti, uncle of Brahamdagh announced that he would re-start the JWP, which would continue to work in accordance with its original vision of a moderate search for a political solution.
A broad spectrum of people in Balochistan today seems to support the BRP, particularly amongst the youth and the middle class. The massive popular backing for Brahamdagh himself is palpable on the ground. "Brahamdagh Khan Bugti wants to award us our independence. He is our national hero and we believe in his struggle," said Rahim Yar Khan Bugti, a student, while sitting at a tea shop in Dera Bugti. "The time has passed since we Baloch believed that a democratic government" - in either Islamabad or Quetta - "could heal our wounds, and bring an end to our misery." Many young Balochs share similar views, supporting Brahamdagh's emphasis on rejecting all government offers for negotiation and reconciliation. Importantly, they claim that his struggle is not for provincial autonomy or ownership of Baloch resources, as prioritised by other nationalist leaders. Rather, his self-proclaimed ultimate goal is ‘national liberation', meaning complete independence. Amidst the adulation that Brahamdagh is attracting, his uncle Talal has failed to gain traction, though Islamabad hopes to push the moderate vision in the province.
Dangerous propagandaDesperate times seem to have led to increasingly desperate measures, including actions to catch the international attention. As the situation in Balochistan intensified recently, John Solecki, a US citizen and the Balochistan representative for the UN's refugee agency, UNHCR, was kidnapped in Quetta on 2 February. After a week and a half, a new militant group, the Balochistan Liberation United Front (BLUF), contacted the Quetta-based news agency Online and claimed responsibility. Irfan Saeed, the Quetta bureau chief for Online, told this writer that a man identifying himself only as the BLUF spokesperson called the office and said that a parcel was waiting in the post box. Upon opening the package, Online staff found a list of 1109 missing men, another list of 141 missing women, and a video of Solecki. The group was demanding the release of the missing persons contained in the lists, as well as independence for Balochistan.
Though Solecki's kidnapping is seen as a serious setback for Islamabad, many in Balochistan do not appear to be unhappy that it happened. Many Baloch with whom this writer spoke are of the view that the internationalisation of the Balochistan issue - including UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's visit to Pakistan, which took place in the immediate aftermath of the abduction - can only be good for the province in the long run. Nawab Talal Bugti, chairman of the second faction of the JWP, maintains that while he is not affiliated with the BLUF, he believes that the international attention generated by the kidnapping will help the province. "My father, Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, served Pakistan as patriot and a citizen, and his only reward was to be killed in an army operation," he said recently in his Quetta office. He added, "But despite of all of these injustices, I opposed my nephew Nawab Brahamdagh Bugti's independence movement. I prefer to keep the party as an icon of federalism in Balochistan."
Soon after the kidnapping, a senior UN Development Programme (UNDP) delegation met with prominent Baloch nationalist Khair Bux Khan Mari in Karachi, asking for his help in securing Solecki's release. After much international pressure, on 5 March it was announced that the Islamabad government had decided to accept the BLUF demands regarding the releasing of missing persons, who turned out to be in its custody. Subsequently, a committee headed by Aslam Raisani, chief minister of Balochistan, was formed to handle the demands, and many Baloch leaders are now saying that Solecki will be released shortly. The committee has begun work, liaising with law-enforcement agencies and other official organisations in order to trace the missing persons. They will ultimately prepare a report for the president and prime minister, though there is no specific timeframe for this.
These moves notwithstanding, even as the situation in Balochistan reaches what some are seeing as a breaking point, there is surprisingly little sense of public urgency in Islamabad. Speaking with this writer, Farhatullah Babar, the spokesperson for President Zardari, said that the government is working seriously to address all the pending issues in Balochistan. He maintained that healing the wounds of Balochistan had been a dream of Benazir Bhutto, one of the main reasons why President Zardari was so quick to apologise to the people of the province for past injustices after the PPP victory. Babar also noted that President Zardari has repeatedly asked Baloch MPs to pass an accord emphasising that the province's problems be resolved through a legal process. Unfortunately, Baloch MPs too have turned a blind eye to their province, reinforcing the views that they are simply stooges of Islamabad. Babar would say little more on the matter. Indeed, every member of the federal government is currently avoiding the media on the Balochistan issue, and Babar himself refused to discuss either the truth commission or the APC for this article.
A great deal of mistrust exists between the Baloch people and Islamabad. Most Balochs feel pained, and increasingly frustrated, that after 60 years of giving Islamabad a chance to address the issues, there has been essentially no progress - the tantalising promises of the Zardari government notwithstanding. Instead, their homes have been showered with bombs and bullets, contributing to the further ruin of the political, economic and social situation in the province. Considering the intensity and extent of anti-Islamabad sentiment in Balochistan today, Pakistani national-level policymakers must rethink their current strategies and demonstrate their willingness to grant substantive political and economic autonomy to the people. This will bring its own challenges vis-à-vis the relationship between the Centre and the other provinces of Sindh, NWFP and Punjab. But as the province that feels the most alienated, the Balochistan spark could well engulf all of Pakistan if the warning signs are not heeded.
Yasir Babbar is an Islamabad-based journalist working at The Frontier Post and the Pakistan Press International
Khair Biar Mari Pays Rich Tributes To Slain Baloch Leaders
QUETTA: Baloch Nationalist leader Nawabzada Khair Biar Mari paid on Friday rich tributes to the Baloch nationalist leaders whose bodies were found on Thursday, saying that the sacrifices of Baloch people for national independence could never be forgotten. The Baloch nationalist leaders including Balochistan National Movement chief Ghulam Mohammad Baloch, Lala Munir Baloch and Sher Mohammad Baloch were kidnapped on April 3 and their decomposed bodies were found on Thursday from Turbat.
In a statement, issued here on Friday, the nationalist leader said the deceased offered their lives for great purpose and appealed to the Baloch people to come up and complete their mission.
"Enemies are giving in and defeat is their fate because of its fearness the Pakistani forces have started genocide of Baloch people as they did with Bangladeshi people in 1971", he pointed out.
Mari said Pakistani leadership was now sure that Baloch people were near to get freedom and Pakistan's boat was to sink and that is the reason incidents of killing Baloch people on the rise.
He termed the killings of three Baloch nationalist leaders by Pakistani institutions proved their nefarious designs, adding that now it has become clear on international community and world that 'Pakistan was the biggest terrorist country'.
The nationalist leader said the Baloch people were brave and civilized nation and struggling for its national freedom and added that the brave youths of Baloch nation was fighting the enemies on ideological basis while maintaining their separate dignity.
The atrocities and terror acts could not block the way of Baloch people, he said, urging the MNA from Balochistan to mince their ways and joined the Baloch fighting by giving up the politics of Punjabi vote and elections.
Biar Mari said the Baloch nation has raised now and could not be kept in darkness any more and termed the atrocities on women and children as cowardly act and added that the liberation movement has become now international movement.
He said the cruel steps of Pakistan could not weaken the freedom convoy because every child of Balochistan has come out on streets with flags, raising slogans against 61 years of slavery, which he termed sign of happiness for the Baloch people.
He appealed to the Baloch people to stand up for the freedom of its land, solidarity and integrity
In a statement, issued here on Friday, the nationalist leader said the deceased offered their lives for great purpose and appealed to the Baloch people to come up and complete their mission.
"Enemies are giving in and defeat is their fate because of its fearness the Pakistani forces have started genocide of Baloch people as they did with Bangladeshi people in 1971", he pointed out.
Mari said Pakistani leadership was now sure that Baloch people were near to get freedom and Pakistan's boat was to sink and that is the reason incidents of killing Baloch people on the rise.
He termed the killings of three Baloch nationalist leaders by Pakistani institutions proved their nefarious designs, adding that now it has become clear on international community and world that 'Pakistan was the biggest terrorist country'.
The nationalist leader said the Baloch people were brave and civilized nation and struggling for its national freedom and added that the brave youths of Baloch nation was fighting the enemies on ideological basis while maintaining their separate dignity.
The atrocities and terror acts could not block the way of Baloch people, he said, urging the MNA from Balochistan to mince their ways and joined the Baloch fighting by giving up the politics of Punjabi vote and elections.
Biar Mari said the Baloch nation has raised now and could not be kept in darkness any more and termed the atrocities on women and children as cowardly act and added that the liberation movement has become now international movement.
He said the cruel steps of Pakistan could not weaken the freedom convoy because every child of Balochistan has come out on streets with flags, raising slogans against 61 years of slavery, which he termed sign of happiness for the Baloch people.
He appealed to the Baloch people to stand up for the freedom of its land, solidarity and integrity
10 April 2009
BALOCHISTAN: UN voices concern over killing of Baloch leaders
UNITED NATIONS - The United Nations has expressed “serious concern” over the killing of three Baloch leaders and called on the Pakistani government to investigate these murders.“The United Nations extends its condolences to the families of the deceased,” the UN Secretary-General’s spokesperson, Michele Montas, said in a statement read out at the regular briefing on Thursday. The spokesperson noted that the victims were members of the “Balochistan Quam Dost Committee” that was recently formed by the government of Pakistan to probe the case of missing persons in the province. “The United Nations calls on the government of Pakistan to immediately investigate these murders and to ensure that the Balochistan Quam Dost Committee continues its important work,” the statement said. http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Politics/10-Apr-2009/UN-voices-concern-over-killing-of-Baloch-leaders
The United States has condemned the killing of Baloch political leaders
ISLAMABAD, April 10 (Reuters) - The United States has condemned the killing in Pakistan of three political leaders from a southwestern province, saying one of them had helped in the release of a kidnapped American U.N. official.The United Nations expressed serious concern over the killing of the three men, the discovery of whose bodies in Baluchistan province on Thursday sparked violent protests. It called for an immediate investigation."We condemn the recent killings of three Baluch leaders," the U.S. embassy in Islamabad said in a statement."One of the individuals played an active role in efforts towards the release of an American citizen and UNHCR official John Solecki." Solecki, 49, head of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office in Baluchistan, was kidnapped in the provincial capital, Quetta, on Feb. 2 when gunmen ambushed his car and shot dead his driver.A previously unknown separatist group, the Baluchistan Liberation United Front, said it had kidnapped him and had demanded the release of prisoners it said were being held by the government.Baluch nationalists have for decades campaigned for greater autonomy and control of the province's gas resources. Baluch separatist militants have also waged a low-level insurgency.Solecki was released last Saturday, shortly after the three Baluch leaders were taken away by unidentified men. Their supporters say they were taken away by security men.The U.S. embassy said the role by one of the three leaders killed, Ghulam Mohammed Baloch, in efforts to secure Solecki's released had been greatly appreciated."We call on Pakistani authorities to thoroughly investigate these three deaths and to bring those responsible to justice," the embassy said."DISAPPEARANCES"The provincial government said the killing of the three was an act of terrorism and ordered an inquiry. The military blamed an "anti-state element" bent on undermining reconciliation.The three men were members of a committee recently set up by the government to investigate cases of disappearances, the United Nations said.The human rights group Amnesty International said the government had failed to investigate an estimated 800 forced disappearances in Baluchistan over the past two years. It also urged authorities to investigate the killing of the three men.A policeman was killed in rioting on Thursday when protesters set ablaze a bank and torched vehicles in Quetta and other towns.There were no reports of disruptions at gas fields.On Friday, a bomb planted on a motorcycle wounded four people while suspected separatists attacked a paramilitary vehicle with a grenade, wounding five soldiers, police said.Baluchistan is Pakistan's biggest province in terms of area but has the smallest and poorest population.Taliban Islamist militants fighting in Afghanistan also operate out of Baluchistan but they have no links with the nationalists demanding autonomy or independence.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/homepag ... s/idUKISL484831._CH_.2420
http://uk.reuters.com/article/homepag ... s/idUKISL484831._CH_.2420
HRCP aghast at the extrajudicial killings of three Baloch nationalists
Commission says it has credible information about killing of three Baloch whose bodies were found in Turbat* Says victims were forcibly picked up from lawyer’s office after a court hearingLAHORE: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has credible information about the killing of Baloch nationalists by the security forces, a statement issued be the commission claimed on Thursday.The killing was a dangerous provocation and a grave violation of human rights, HRCP said, adding that Ghulam Mohammad Baloch, Lala Munir and Sher Mohammad – office holders of the Baloch Republican Party and the Balochistan National Party – were picked on April 3 by people in plain clothes, who were accompanied by two vehicles of the Frontier Corps that stood at a distance.Abduction: “It is reported by credible sources that the three victims were sitting in the office of their lawyer after having attended a court hearing when they were forcibly picked up, blindfolded and taken in cars, closely followed by vehicles belonging to the Frontier Corps. A number of people witnessed the abduction. Mutilated bodies of the three victims were found in an isolated place near Turbat in the early hours of the morning,” the statement said.HRCP claimed that members of the state security agency had picked up the three victims, tortured and killed them.Investigation: “HRCP is aghast at this brazen violation of human rights and calls upon the government to get this incident investigated thoroughly so that the perpetrators are brought to justice. It is crucial that the authorities condemn this act and warn the security forces from taking the law into their own hands. Persecution of Baloch nationalists must be stopped and the policy of hounding or maligning them through illegal means be abandoned by the authorities,” the statement read.HRCP said those involved in any criminal activity must be dealt with according to the law rather than through arbitrary and foul means. “It is imperative that the government set up a high level commission to identify those who indulged in involuntary disappearances, torture and extrajudicial killings of hundreds of Baloch activists during and after the Musharraf regime,” the statement said, adding that victims must be compensated and offenders identified and tried.It said HRCP warned that the free hand given to the security forces in Balochistan in violating the rights of Baloch nationalists would alienate the people of the province and escalate the level of violence there. “Political demands must be met with political solutions and not through brute force,” the statement said.http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009�410story_10-4-2009_pg7_3Press Release, April 9, 2009The killings, allegedly by the security forces, of Baloch Nationalists are a dangerous provocation and a grave violation of human rights. HRCP has credible information that Ghulam Mohammad Baloch, Lala Munir and Sher Mohammad, office holders of Baloch Republican Party and Balochistan National Party, were picked up on 3rd April 2009 by people in plain clothes, who were accompanied by two vehicles of Frontier Corps that stood at a distance. It is reported by credible sources that the three victims were sitting in the office of their lawyer after having attended a court hearing when they were forcibly picked up, blindfolded and taken in cars, closely followed by vehicles belonging to the Frontier Corps. A number of people witnessed the abduction. Mutilated bodies of the three victims were found in an isolated place near Turbat in the early hours of the morning.The facts strongly suggest that members of state security picked up the three victims, tortured and killed them before dumping their dead bodies, which were discovered in a mutilated and decayed form. HRCP is aghast at this brazen violation of human rights and calls upon the government to get this incident thoroughly investigated so that the perpetrators are brought to justice. It is crucial that the authorities condemn this act and warn the security forces from taking the law into their own hands. Persecution of Baloch Nationalists must be stopped and the policy of hounding or maligning them through illegal means be abandoned by the authorities. Those involved in any criminal activities must be dealt with according to the law rather than through arbitrary and foul means. It is imperative that the government set up a high level Commission to identify those who indulged in involuntary disappearances, torture and extra judicial killings of hundreds of Baloch activists during and after the Musharraf regime. Victims must be compensated and offenders identified and brought to trial. HRCP warns that the free hand given to the security forces in Balochistan in violating the rights of Baloch nationalists will alienate the people of the Province and escalate the level of violence in the Province. Political demands must be met with political solutions and not through brute force.
Asma JahangirChairperson HRCP
http://www.hrcp-web.org/print.cfm?proId=698
Asma JahangirChairperson HRCP
http://www.hrcp-web.org/print.cfm?proId=698
We Strongly Condemn the Cold Blooded Murders of Baloch Political Activists
Written By Samad Baloch
Balochi Human Rights Council (BHRC) strongly condemns the cold blooded murders of Baloch political activists Waja Ghulam Mohammad Baloch, Waja Sher Mohammad Baloch and Lala Muneer Baloch by the Pakistani Military Intelligence Agency. They were picked up by security personnel on 3rdApril, 2009 from the office of their solicitor in Turbat Balochistan.
Waja Ghulam Mohammad, Waja Sher Mohammad and Lala Muneer have steadfastly been in the forefront of the political mobilisation for the genuine rights of the Baloch people. Last year, they have been arrested by the security agencies, tortured, kept in solitary confinement for long period before releasing them.
It is being reported by reliable sources that after picking them up from the office of Mr. Kachkol Ali Advocate on 3rd of this month, the Baloch leaders were blind folded and taken to an unknown destination. It is believed that they were thrown from a military helicopter after being tortured to death in Peedark hills next day 20 miles away from Turbat.
Balochistan is under a brutal military operation for the last five years in which a large number of prominent social, intellectual and political figures have been targeted and eliminated by the state security agencies of Pakistan. The state establishment of Pakistan has always remained very keen to silence the voice of reason raised for the genuine rights of the Baloch people.
This disgusting act of the intelligence agencies of Pakistan reminds us of the inhuman acts of brutalities on the Bengali political leadership during the last days of East Pakistan. It also reminds us how immoral and shameless an enemy Baloch are facing.
This is high time for the international human rights organisations and the international community to take serious notice of the crimes against humanity being committed by the Pakistani state in Balochistan. We are writing memorandums at this respect to UN Secretary General, president of European Union and many other international humanitarian organisations.
Issued By:
Samad Baloch
General Secretary
Baloch Human Rights Council London 9 April 2009
info@bhrc.co.yahoo.uk This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Balochi Human Rights Council (BHRC) strongly condemns the cold blooded murders of Baloch political activists Waja Ghulam Mohammad Baloch, Waja Sher Mohammad Baloch and Lala Muneer Baloch by the Pakistani Military Intelligence Agency. They were picked up by security personnel on 3rdApril, 2009 from the office of their solicitor in Turbat Balochistan.
Waja Ghulam Mohammad, Waja Sher Mohammad and Lala Muneer have steadfastly been in the forefront of the political mobilisation for the genuine rights of the Baloch people. Last year, they have been arrested by the security agencies, tortured, kept in solitary confinement for long period before releasing them.
It is being reported by reliable sources that after picking them up from the office of Mr. Kachkol Ali Advocate on 3rd of this month, the Baloch leaders were blind folded and taken to an unknown destination. It is believed that they were thrown from a military helicopter after being tortured to death in Peedark hills next day 20 miles away from Turbat.
Balochistan is under a brutal military operation for the last five years in which a large number of prominent social, intellectual and political figures have been targeted and eliminated by the state security agencies of Pakistan. The state establishment of Pakistan has always remained very keen to silence the voice of reason raised for the genuine rights of the Baloch people.
This disgusting act of the intelligence agencies of Pakistan reminds us of the inhuman acts of brutalities on the Bengali political leadership during the last days of East Pakistan. It also reminds us how immoral and shameless an enemy Baloch are facing.
This is high time for the international human rights organisations and the international community to take serious notice of the crimes against humanity being committed by the Pakistani state in Balochistan. We are writing memorandums at this respect to UN Secretary General, president of European Union and many other international humanitarian organisations.
Issued By:
Samad Baloch
General Secretary
Baloch Human Rights Council London 9 April 2009
info@bhrc.co.yahoo.uk This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Balochistan : Several Injured During riots, advocate Shakar Bibi Baloch hospitilized
The Baloch Women Panel members were tear gas shelled and beaten up by Pakistan Frontier Core at golimar chowk Quetta, while protesting against the cold blooded murder of Baloch leaders by Pakistani agencies in Turbat. Sources reported from Quetta that Ten member of Baloch Women panel have been injured when Pakistani security forces started indiscriminate baton charge on the protesters.Advocate Shakar Bibi Baloch has been admitted to hospital after she was beaten up by the Pakistani security personal during a protest. She has received several injuries on her head due security forces baton charge.Several people, including three police officers, were injured during riots in Baluchistan, triggered by the discovery of the bodies of three missing political dissidents. Protesters set fire to several cars, including a United Nations vehicle, Mohammed Mahboob, a spokesman for Edhi Foundation, the biggest ambulance service, said by telephone from the provincial capital of Quetta today. “The fighting is intense.” The clashes are the worst the province has seen since Nawab Akbar Bugti, a tribal chief, was killed on Aug. 26, 2006. Supporters of Bugti, who led demands for a share of Baluchistan’s gas and mineral wealth, accused the army of deliberately killing him in his mountain hideout. The army said he died when the cave he was sheltering in collapsed after an explosion. Security officials were shown on GEO television exchanging gunfire with protesters today while buses were in flames. Shops and offices remained closed in several cities across the province, as rioters set fire to a bank, a post office and the building of a charitable organization, GEO TV reported. The mutilated bodies of three ethnic Baluch nationalists were found before dawn in another part of the province, the Associated Press reported. Several groups are demanding more autonomy from the central government. At least 10 people were killed in riots across the province in 2006 as protesters torched government buildings and set off explosions after Bugti’s death. Reaction Riots “Today’s riots are in reaction to yesterday’s killings,” Munir Husain Mirani, a police inspector said by telephone from Quetta. Rioters attacked police with hand grenades, in which the officers were injured. One police officer was shot dead during the riots, AP reported. “The intelligence agencies have decided that the only way to deal with Baluchis is with the gun,” Senator Hasil Bizenjo, a leader of the Baluch National Party, told reporters in a televised news conference. “We warn them that the reaction will be severe.” This is a “provincial matter and we have nothing to do with it,” Athar Abbas, the army spokesman, said by telephone from Rawalpindi. “We will look into it if there is such an allegation. For now, we don’t have any comment.” Protesters also demonstrated against the killings and exchanged gunfire with the police in parts of Karachi where Baluch have settled, a private TV channel reported.
8 April 2009
Baloch awaite return of thier loved ones, as UN celebrates the release of staff
A complete shutter-down was observed in Punjgoor against the arrest of BNF leaders. Protest rallies and demonstration were also held in Karachi and different areas of Balochistan. Thousand of Baloch and non-Baloch political, social and student activists have taken part in these protests. Protesters demanded the immediate release of Baloch leaders and an end to military operation in Balochistan. Speaking at the gatherings Baloch political, social and student leaders said that Baloch struggle for Freedom is at the peak and Pakistan cannot weaken Baloch struggle by detaining our leaders and activists. Leaders from different organisation visited the token hunger strike camps set up by Baloch activists to show their sympathy and assured their help. It is worth mentioning that Baloch activists has set up these token hunger strike camps against the army operation in Balochistan, thousands of missing person and against the recent wave of abduction of Baloch political and student leaders.Recently Shahzeb Baloch, Ghulam Mohammed Baloch, Lala Munir Ahmad Baloch, Sher Mohammad Baloch, Mushtaq Baloch, Attaullah Baloch, Chakar Qambarani Baloch, Jalil reki Baloch, Abdul Qadir Qalandrani Baloch and many other Baloch student and political leaders were abducted by pakistani agencies. They have not been produced to any court yet and their family members are not told about their whereabouts.Baloch activists fear that these leaders and activists will face sever torture by the hands of Pakistan's notorious agencies. Many thousands Baloch are already missing and those who have been abandoned after sever torture and humiliation are still facing death threats by the agencies. They are told either shush up or your family members will face dire consequences. Baloch Nation appeals to the UN and other International Human Rights Organisations to take notice of forced disappearances in Balochistan. UN must help Baloch Nation and those whose loved one are missing and being tortured and humiliated by Pakistani agencies. The atrocities and Human right violations by Pakistan must be brought to an end.
Obama Warns Iran
ANKARA (AFP) — Barack Obama on Monday used his first visit as US president to a Muslim nation to warn that Iran had to make a choice between having a nuclear weapon and building a better future for its people. "I have made it clear to the people and leaders of the Islamic Republic that the United States seeks engagement based upon mutual interests and mutual respect," Obama said in address to the Turkish parliament
"Now, Iran's leaders must choose whether they will try to build a weapon or build a better future for their people."
"Now, Iran's leaders must choose whether they will try to build a weapon or build a better future for their people."
Revolutionary guards to fight terrorists in eastern Iran
TEHRAN – National police chief announced on Sunday that the police has handed fighting terrorists in the Balochistan part of Iran to the country’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). Except for border areas of Sistan-Baluchestan Province, Jundullah activities in the country have been “reduced to zero!!!” and now the mission of fighting Jundullah in the region has been taken up by IRGC and Basij forces, Esmaeil Ahmadi-Moqaddam told reporters in a press conference in Tehran.
Militants of the Jundullah ring regularly cross over into Iranian Balochistan from their hideouts in neighboring Pakistani Balochistan to harass, kidnap or attack IRGC, Basij forces and police officers.
He also pointed out that 44 percent of Iran’s borders are now “under special control” of the national police and that some plans have been prepared to increase the figure to 60 percent by the end of this year (20th March 2010).
Ahmadi-Moqaddam said by carefully monitoring the borders in Sistan-Baluchestan and Kordistan provinces police forces have succeeded to reduce fuel smuggling by 90 percent and goods smuggling by 80 percent.
He also noted that police forces confiscate one thirds of narcotics smuggled into Iran
Militants of the Jundullah ring regularly cross over into Iranian Balochistan from their hideouts in neighboring Pakistani Balochistan to harass, kidnap or attack IRGC, Basij forces and police officers.
He also pointed out that 44 percent of Iran’s borders are now “under special control” of the national police and that some plans have been prepared to increase the figure to 60 percent by the end of this year (20th March 2010).
Ahmadi-Moqaddam said by carefully monitoring the borders in Sistan-Baluchestan and Kordistan provinces police forces have succeeded to reduce fuel smuggling by 90 percent and goods smuggling by 80 percent.
He also noted that police forces confiscate one thirds of narcotics smuggled into Iran
50 dead recovered from container in Balochistan
BALOACHISTAN (SANA): Pakistani authorities recovered at least 50 bodies and dozens of unconscious people from a shipping container in Balochistan on Saturday. According to police sources, the container which was parked in Hazar Ganji area of Quetta, the driver of the container truck fled from the spot which was carrying 110 people, apparently illegal immigrants being transported from Afghanistan to Iran via Pakistan.
Senior police official Wazir Khan Nasir said that 50 bodies and 60 people were recovered from the container. It was reported that the deaths apparently occurred because of suffocation.
The dead and the unconscious victims were transferred to the Bolan Medical Complex hospital in Quetta.
The death tolls might rise as many of the unconscious victims were in critical condition, therefore, an emergency was declared in major hospitals in Quetta to cope with the situation, officials said.
It is stated that most of the victims were hailed from Afghanistan and the area was cordon off and search operation was being carried out for detaining the driver.
Senior police official Wazir Khan Nasir said that 50 bodies and 60 people were recovered from the container. It was reported that the deaths apparently occurred because of suffocation.
The dead and the unconscious victims were transferred to the Bolan Medical Complex hospital in Quetta.
The death tolls might rise as many of the unconscious victims were in critical condition, therefore, an emergency was declared in major hospitals in Quetta to cope with the situation, officials said.
It is stated that most of the victims were hailed from Afghanistan and the area was cordon off and search operation was being carried out for detaining the driver.
Balochistani group frees US hostage
An American UN worker has been freed by militants two months after he was snatched at gunpoint in the Pakistani province of Balochistan, officials say. The UN and local police said John Solecki was abandoned by his captors in a village near the city of Quetta. Mr Solecki, a UN refugee agency (UNHCR) worker, was snatched on 2 February in the city. His driver was killed. Militants from the hitherto unknown Balochistan Liberation United Front took responsibility for the abduction.
Balochistan's worsening situation
The group has made several statements since the kidnapping claiming that Mr Solecki was in poor health.
But UN spokeswoman Jennifer Pagonis said Mr Solecki was "tired but he seems OK".
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he was very pleased Mr Solecki had been freed and thanked all those who had worked to secure his release.
The BLUF had demanded the release of thousands of prisoners it claimed were being held by the government.
A person claiming to speak for the group contacted local journalists earlier to say the American was being freed on humanitarian grounds.
Militants have been fighting a low-level insurgency in Balochistan for many years
Balochistan's worsening situation
The group has made several statements since the kidnapping claiming that Mr Solecki was in poor health.
But UN spokeswoman Jennifer Pagonis said Mr Solecki was "tired but he seems OK".
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he was very pleased Mr Solecki had been freed and thanked all those who had worked to secure his release.
The BLUF had demanded the release of thousands of prisoners it claimed were being held by the government.
A person claiming to speak for the group contacted local journalists earlier to say the American was being freed on humanitarian grounds.
Militants have been fighting a low-level insurgency in Balochistan for many years
6 April 2009
The violation of human rights in Iran Balochistan
Mr. President,
The Baloch people in western Balochistan under Iranian control are facing the gross violation of their basic fundamental human rights. The Islamic regime of Iran resorts to most cruel approaches to suppress Baloch national aspirations in Balochistan. Arbitrary arrest, torture and other ill-treatment, as well as the use of the death penalty remain prevalent. Impunity for human rights abuses is widespread. Cultural and civic activities are banned or vigorously controlled by the regime. Publication of Balochi literature is not allowed, and Balochi are denied the right to educate their children in their own language. Systematic discrimination is exercised throughout Balochistan by the institutions. Non-governmental organizations, newspapers, magazines and websites have been forcibly closed by the authorities, which also regularly blocks internet access to a wide range of internet sites, including some relating to human rights. The Amnesty International in its recent report on the 30th anniversary of Islamic Republic of Iran (5th Feb 2009) has cited some graphic details on the state of affairs in Balochistan under the Iranian regime.
· Hundreds of Baloch people have been executed and killed by the regime in past few years. In 2008 a prominent civic activist Yahqob Mehrnehad who also was Secretary General of Justice Association was executed after many months of torture and imprisonment in Zahidan. Two prominent Baloch religious scholars, Molavi Abdul-Qodos Molazai and Molavi Yusuf Sohrabi with another 3 Baloch were executed under such fabricated allegations.
· On March 11, 2009 four Baloch, Normohd Ismailzai, Mojibulrahman Kurd, Babak Kurd and Mohd HassanKhan Hassani were executed in Zahidan. On March 3, 2009 two Baloch religious clergies, Molavi Khalilulla Zarahi and Salahudin Gwahramzahi were executed in Zahidan after being imprisoned and tortured for 9 months.
· Several religious leaders are under arrest and their whereabouts are not known to their relatives. Ibrahim Mehrnehad, the Younger brother of Yaqob Mehrnehad is still in prison and he is under mental tortures.
The Baloch Needs the Help of International Community
Mr. President, In the face of heinous crimes being committed by the Pakistani security forces in Balochistan and the unchecked violations of the basic human rights of the Baloch both in Pakistan and Iran, the silence of the international community is incomprehensible. The Baloch are facing a systematic genocide operation by an internationally recognised rogue state. The Baloch expectations and demands from the international community are genuine and simple. They are justified in demanding that:
1. The UN should establish a fact finding mission to investigate the acts of brutalities and violation of human rights by the state security forces of Pakistan in Balochistan.
2. The perpetrators of the heinous crimes against humanity should be brought to justice by initiating cases against them in the international court of justice in The Hague.
3. The United Nations should use their influence in asking the Pakistani establishment to immediately halt the aggressive actions against the Baloch.
4. The Baloch have never accepted the partition and incorporation of their land into different countries of the region. Right of self determination is the inalienable right of the Baloch people. The Baloch national question should be negotiated between the Baloch and the countries occupying the Baloch land under the auspices of the UN giving the universal right of self determination to the Baloch.
We believe that Baloch people need an urgent help from the UN and the international community. This is high time for the international community to rise and act before it is too late for Baloch people.
· Hundreds of Baloch people have been executed and killed by the regime in past few years. In 2008 a prominent civic activist Yahqob Mehrnehad who also was Secretary General of Justice Association was executed after many months of torture and imprisonment in Zahidan. Two prominent Baloch religious scholars, Molavi Abdul-Qodos Molazai and Molavi Yusuf Sohrabi with another 3 Baloch were executed under such fabricated allegations.
· On March 11, 2009 four Baloch, Normohd Ismailzai, Mojibulrahman Kurd, Babak Kurd and Mohd HassanKhan Hassani were executed in Zahidan. On March 3, 2009 two Baloch religious clergies, Molavi Khalilulla Zarahi and Salahudin Gwahramzahi were executed in Zahidan after being imprisoned and tortured for 9 months.
· Several religious leaders are under arrest and their whereabouts are not known to their relatives. Ibrahim Mehrnehad, the Younger brother of Yaqob Mehrnehad is still in prison and he is under mental tortures.
The Baloch Needs the Help of International Community
Mr. President, In the face of heinous crimes being committed by the Pakistani security forces in Balochistan and the unchecked violations of the basic human rights of the Baloch both in Pakistan and Iran, the silence of the international community is incomprehensible. The Baloch are facing a systematic genocide operation by an internationally recognised rogue state. The Baloch expectations and demands from the international community are genuine and simple. They are justified in demanding that:
1. The UN should establish a fact finding mission to investigate the acts of brutalities and violation of human rights by the state security forces of Pakistan in Balochistan.
2. The perpetrators of the heinous crimes against humanity should be brought to justice by initiating cases against them in the international court of justice in The Hague.
3. The United Nations should use their influence in asking the Pakistani establishment to immediately halt the aggressive actions against the Baloch.
4. The Baloch have never accepted the partition and incorporation of their land into different countries of the region. Right of self determination is the inalienable right of the Baloch people. The Baloch national question should be negotiated between the Baloch and the countries occupying the Baloch land under the auspices of the UN giving the universal right of self determination to the Baloch.
We believe that Baloch people need an urgent help from the UN and the international community. This is high time for the international community to rise and act before it is too late for Baloch people.
Mr. Martin Ihoeghian Uhomoibhi
President of the United Nations Human Rights Council
5 April 2009
BSO (azaad) Women wing and BNP (M) demonstrations in Quetta and else where in Balochistan
Quetta: Baloch Student Organisation (azaad)'s Women wing organised a protest demonstration in Zarghoon Town Quetta,Balochistan, against the abduction of Ghulam Mohammad Baloch, Shahzeb Baloch and thousands of other disappeared political activists in Balochistan.The participants of demonstration held placards, pictures of missing persons and they chanted slogans against the Pakistani agencies. They demanded the immediate release of missing Baloch activists and leaders. Speaking on the occasion the CC members of BSO (azaad) Farida Baloch, Bibi Gul, Nigaar Gul, Shamialh Bibi and Mah Noor Baloch of Baloch Women Panel said that on one hand the so called democratically elected govt says that they believe in reconciliation and want to address the grievances of Balochistan. On the other hand they are continuing the atrocities of the past regimes. They said that currently some 7000 Baloch are missing but the so called human rights organisations are also silent over such atrocities of Pakistani state. Shahzeb Baloch was arrest during Zardari's visit to Balochistan but Pakistani authorities are gravely mistaken if they think they can weaken the Baloch National struggle for Independence by such heinous crimes.They said Shahzeb Baloch is not only seriously ill and suffers from kidney pain but also he has to sit in exams on the 15th of April 2009. International Human Rights Organisations must take notice of the abduction of Shahzeb Baloch and other thousands of missing Baloch activists.In addition BNP (M) also held protest rallies and demonstrations in various places of Balochistan including Quetta, Noskhi, Kharan and Khuzdar. They too like BSO (azaad) demand the release of missing person and asked the Pakistani govt to end the military operation in Balochistan. Several BNP (M) leaders spoke at the gatherings they said that Zardari govt was not sincere to address the grievances of Baloch people. They said that the development packages announced by Zardari were not enough for Balochistan.BNP and BSO (M) activists demanded the the immediat release of Ghulam Mohammad Baloch, Lala Munir Baloch, Sher Mohammad Baloch, Kabeer Baloch, Attaullah Baloch, Mushtaq Baluch, Qadir Qalandrani Baloch and other thousands of named and unammed Baloch who are being tortured in secret cell of Pakistani agencies. They also demand an end to military operation in Balochistan.
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