The Government of Balochistan in Exile

Baloch Diaspora congratulates the King of Balochistan

2006-09-24T22:04:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Friday, President of the Baloch Society of North America (BSO-NA) Dr. Wahid Baloch phoned and congratulated His Highness Mir Suleman Dawood Khan, King of Balochistan, for summoning the grand meeting of all Baloch tribal chieftains.

“The Baloch Diaspora in the United States and Canada extend their full support to Your Highness,” Dr. Baloch said.

“The convening of Grand Baloch Shahi Jirga (grand meeting) of Dar-ul-Umrah (the Upper House of Balochistan Parliament), is an historic event for the Baloch people all over the world,” he informed His Highness, and added that the Baloch Diaspora are rejoicing His Highnesses’ courage to assemble this meeting against all odds.

Dr. Baloch informed His Highness that BSO-NA endorses the Dar-ul-Umrah’s decisions, and along with the rest of the Baloch Diaspora he is delighted that Balochistan’s case would now finally be taken up at the International Court of Justice (I.C.J.) at The Hague. He regretted that some apologists and supporters of the military regime from Punjab were trying to belittle the importance of the historic event.

Dr. Baloch also spoke with the former Chief Minister of Balochistan, Sardar Akhtar Jan Mengal, who was visiting His Highness on Friday. Sardar Mengal stated that the Baloch leadership appreciates the extremely useful service Baloch expatriates in North America and Europe were rendering to the struggle of achieving the inalienable rights of the Baloch people.

On behalf of the BSO-NA, Dr. Baloch asks all friends of Balochistan and international organizations to take this opportunity to contact His Highness Mir Suleman Dawood Khan, King of Balochistan, and congratulate him for convening the Grand Jirga, and to assure him of their support. To contact His Highness, email Dr. Wahid Baloch to get His Highnesses’ phone number.

Dr. Baloch also advised the Baloch people to collect all the relevant information and documents that will help the legal case at the I.C.J. He recommended that extensive consultation and communications is imperative among the King of Balochistan, Nawab Khair Buksh Marri, Sardar Attaullah Mengal, Baloch tribal chieftains and elders, political leaders, Baloch Students Organization, Government of Balochistan (in Exile), Balochistan National Movement (BNM), Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP), Haq Tawar, Balochistan National Party (BNP), National Party (NP) and all other political entities and groups who believe in the Baloch right to self determination.

“We can now move forward to pursue our case at the I.C.J. in real earnest,” Dr. Baloch said.

Dr. Baloch also suggested floating the idea of establishing the “Balochistan International Legal Fund” in the United States to help finance the legal battles that lie ahead.

Dr. Wahid Baloch is the President of the Baloch Society of North America http://www.bso-na.org/ based in the U.S.

Baloch News Bureau Report

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

World Baloch Jewish Alliance fully supports President Karzai

2006-09-23T20:22:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE

WASHINGTON, D.C. – World Baloch Jewish Alliance (WBJA) convener and journalist, Ahmar Mustikhan, has fully supported Afghan President's statements at the United Nations that Pakistan was training the terrorists for attacks inside Afghanistan and is a sanctuary of Al Qaeda and Taliban.

In a letter to Afghanistan’s ambassador to the United States, His Excellency Said T. Jawad, Mustikhan urged the Afghan ambassador to emphasize on President Bush that Islamic terrorists are wearing Pakistani army uniforms.

“We the Baloch Diaspora fully support President Hamid Karzai’s stand that Pakistan is behind the upsurge of terrorist actions against Afghanistan, a fledging democracy that is trying to rebuild after more than quarter century of war,” Mustikhan said.

The Baloch Diaspora, including those within Pakistan and Iran, stand resolutely with the government and people of Afghanistan under the able leadership of President Abdul Hamid Karzai at this time of their need.

He said the Baloch fully support President Karzai's statement that Pakistan is “training a snake that can also bite the trainer.”

According to a news report addressing the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations on Thursday, President Karzai said that Pakistan’s toleration of pro-Taliban militants had contributed to Afghanistan’s instability.

“This is exactly what we Baloch nationalists are trying to tell the world that Pakistan is part of the problem, not part of the solution,” Mustikhan said.

President Karzai rightfully stated that cooperating with terrorists was like ‘trying to train a snake against somebody else.’ President Karzai said, “You cannot train a snake. It will come and bite you.”

It is unfortunate that when the despicable Taliban regime was in power in Afghanistan, Pakistan army generals including former Inter-Services Intelligence (I.S.I.) chief, General (Retd.) Hameed Gul used to proudly claim that Afghanistan had become the fifth province of Pakistan.

“Not many people know, but within Pakistan army, Hameed Gul has been the hero for coup leader General Pervez Musharraf. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Hameed Gul is to this day closely connected with both bin Laden and Mullah Omar,” Mustikhan said.

He said President Karzai has also correctly pointed out that Musharraf is encouraging religious parties to maintain political power.

He drew the attention of the Afghan ambassador to the historic gathering of the traditional Upper House of Balochistan Parliament, the Shahi Jirga, which met under the leadership of the Khan of Kalat, His Highness Mir Suleman Dawood Khan, on September 21.

“You might be knowing the Baloch are now going to the International Court of Justice to seek justice against the forced annexation of their land on March 27, 1948,” Mustikhan informed the ambassador. “We shall appreciate whatever help and support the government of Afghanistan can provide to the people of Balochistan in this matter.”

The WBJA convener said, “Pakistan army is not only hands in gloves with the Islamic terrorists, but their soldiers are themselves Islamic terrorists in army uniform. I do hope President Karzai would raise this issue at the joint meeting with President Bush on September 27.”

Mustikhan reiterated that Baloch all over the world fully support President Karzai and the valiant people of Afghanistan against Pakistani machinations and General Musharraf’s double-faced policy.

Baloch News Bureau Report

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

International Peace Day: Balochistan

2006-09-22T10:04:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE

KALAT, Balochistan – The United Nations designated 21 September as a day of global ceasefire and non-violence 25 years ago.

The BBC website asked bloggers in a number of conflict regions if they were aware of the day, what it meant for them, and their thoughts on the prospects for peace. Anon, a blogger from Balochistan, presented the following article, Peace Day: Balochistan:

Peace Day: Balochistan
by Anon

Even as I write, I am afraid of that knock on my door. I am afraid that I may be picked up and lost to the world forever. Since 1945, the people of Balochistan have been waiting for the day when the world will finally wake up to their suffering.

I wonder if a "Peace Day" will ever result in ending the miseries and sense of alienation that the people of Balochistan feel and endure.
The "war zone" I live in is in very bad shape. State bombardment of our areas means that we often find the disfigured bodies of our children.
The bodies of our elders killed in so-called "military operations" are brought in locked coffins and we are not even allowed to perform their last rites.
Thousands of Balochis are in the custody of the state's secret services.
No charges are brought against them, they are never produced before any court and most of them are never found.

Military camps
Is this Pakistan's very own Guantanamo Bay?
Why are human rights organisations and the UN silent on this?
Investment - to any sane, logical person - means the construction of schools, universities and other facilities, and no one can oppose any of that.
But it seems that as far as the Pakistani state is concerned, investment in Balochistan means the construction of military camps and containment areas.
These areas do not border India and do not face any foreign threats. Then what purpose do these camps serve?
If peace could be forced at gun point then Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine would not still be aflame.
I know it's hugely difficult for me to take the story of my home and my land to the outside world.
But I wonder why journalists, brought in on a military helicopter to witness Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti being buried by a dozen common labourers, couldn't ask relevant questions.
It seems like the Pakistani media is a victim not so much of the state's will but of self-censorship.
The people of Balochistan are a free-minded and independent lot, and if the government of Pakistan - after numerous military operations in its short history of 50 years - has still not been able to understand that, then I do not know what the way forward can be.
For thousands of Baloch people, peace has remained elusive. We haven't seen even a single day of peace in years, not even on 21 September.

Baloch News Bureau Report

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

King of Balochistan calls a meeting of all Baloch tribal chieftains

2006-09-20T04:55:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE

KALAT, Balochistan – His Highness, Mir Suleman Dawood Khan, King of Balochistan, has called a meeting of all Baloch tribal chieftains on Thursday, the 21st of September at his Royal Palace in Kalat, the capital of Balochistan. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss and resolve the following issues:

Current crisis in Pakistani-occupied Balochistan
The military operation being conducted in Balochistan by the Punjabi-dominated Pakistani armed forces
Murder of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti by Pakistani military dictator, General Pervez Musharraf
Problems and tribulations of the Baloch nation
Mega-project that usurp Baloch national wealth by Pakistan and China
Unite the Baloch tribes against all external threats on Balochistan, and
Form a unified Baloch political party

This is the first time such a meeting of all tribal chieftains has been called by His Highness, Mir Suleman Dawood Khan, and it holds great importance for the entire Baloch nation. The timing of this meeting coincides with calls by Baloch nationalists to liberate Balochistan from the oppressed Pakistani occupation. In a recent interview, His Highness stated, “Balochistan was forcibly annexed into Pakistan by its armed forces. All the Baloch chieftains are now discussing future plans for Balochistan. The Pakistani military dictatorship has challenged the Baloch nation to fight, and we will not back down.”

The Government of Balochistan (GOB) in Exile forwards the following suggestions to be discussed in this meeting:

The Baloch nation must acknowledge the fact that Pakistan forcibly annexed Balochistan, and that any documents signed by His Highness Mir Ahmad Yar Khan, the Khan of Kalat, with Government of Pakistan were done under duress
Legal council must be sought in Europe to contest the illegal occupation of Balochistan by Pakistan in the International Court of Justice of the United Nations and seek independence of Balochistan
Allow and facilitate for international journalists to visit Balochistan to report on the atrocities committed by the Pakistani occupying forces on Baloch nationals
Plea for humanitarian aid must be submitted to various organizations to assist all displaced Baloch nationals by providing shelter, food, medicine and medical treatment
Encourage global humanitarian organization to alarm world leaders of the human rights violations that are systematically conducted by the Pakistani government in Balochistan, and to impose economic and military sanctions on Pakistan unless they stop their ghastly acts
Create awareness among the Baloch nation that during the last 58 years of Pakistani occupation of Balochistan, all forms of development work was intentionally neglected in Baloch territory, Baloch people were marginalized both economically as well as politically, and Baloch resources were usurped by the Pakistani colonizers to benefit other provinces, especially Punjab
His Highness, Mir Suleman Dawood Khan, must officially pardon all those Baloch, alive or deceased, who cooperated with the Government of Pakistan in hopes that their participation would benefit the Baloch people, but history has finally proven them wrong because the Pakistani occupiers are not sincere in resolving Baloch grievances and will continue to treat Balochistan as a colony of Punjab
A deadline must be set for all those Baloch who are still cooperating with the occupation forces of Pakistan to declare their intention whether they intend to remain loyal to Pakistan or join the Baloch nationalist forces to liberate Balochistan. After the deadline, the Baloch loyalist must be officially declared traitors and shall receive necessary punishment
His Highness, Mir Suleman Dawood Khan, must reinstate the Kalat State Houses of Parliament, the Dar-ul-Umra (House of Lords/Sardars/Nawabs) and Dar-ul-Awam (House of Commons), and declare Balochistan as a sovereign nation
His Highness, Mir Suleman Dawood Khan, should announce that all Baloch nationalist forces, which are presently conducting military operations, are part of the National Army of Balochistan, and therefore, they are fighting for the liberation of Balochistan

Baloch News Bureau Report

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

Pakistani government fears Baloch aspirations for freedom

2006-09-14T20:26:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE

KALAT, Balochistan – The military dictatorship of General Pervez Musharraf and his supporter, the Muslim Punjabi Raj, are showing signs of paranoia due to the present crisis in Balochistan. They murdered Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, a man who firmly believed in peacefully resolving the hostility between the Pakistani occupying forces and the Baloch nationalists. He was the most important Baloch leader who could have helped Pakistan prolong its occupation of Balochistan, but alas the Punjabi arrogance was blinded by greed of usurping Baloch national wealth and could not wait to patiently negotiate an equitable solution.

The Muslim Punjabi Raj is mistaken in their belief that all they need on their side to stabilize and win hearts in Balochistan are the so-called Baloch loyalist puppets like Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, Jam Muhammad Yousaf, Zubaida Jalal, and other Baloch collaborators who are worse than specks of refuse in a pig’s den. These traitors deserve to be torn apart into pieces by patriotic Baloch with their bare hands and fed to the jackals. Their filthy flesh is not even fit to be served to a loyal and obedient dog of a Baloch master.

The weaknesses and fears of the Punjabi-dominated Pakistani government and its armed forces is clearly evident by the conflicting actions and statements of the conniving government officials and state-sponsored media, some of which are listed below:

To blame the extreme under-development of infrastructure and social programs in Balochistan on three tribal chieftains (Nawabs and Sardars) is ludicrous. The Pakistani government proudly claims that 74 out 77 tribal chiefs are loyal to the Punjabi Raj, they boldly usurp Baloch national wealth, they collect tax from the people of Pakistan, they beg and receive development aid from all over the world, and yet Balochistan was ignored for so many years. Furthermore, they also accept the fact (because it is clearly visible) that for the last 58 years since the occupation of Baloch territory, all previous Pakistani governments have neglected Balochistan. But, overnight they have decided to come out clean and turn sincere to the Baloch people by correcting all the wrongs done in the past. The Punjabi Raj is simply building castles in the sky and trying to fool the Baloch people, once again.

Name calling the Baloch freedom fighters as “miscreants” or “pigmies” in all government sponsored public statements will not negate the status of the Baloch soldiers who are considered national heroes of Balochistan. Throwing insults at Baloch martyr, Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, is not going to gain kudos for Pakistani military dictator, General Pervez Musharraf, nor will it scare a Baloch nationalist into submission. In fact, these insults are strengthening the resolve of every red-blooded Baloch to fight harder to end the oppression of the Baloch people. Even moderate Baloch are now joining the nationalist movement en mass.

High-ranking Pakistani government officials making contradictory statements every hour just shows how uncertain they are about keeping their lies to sound truthful. The Punjabi morons think that the people of the world are gullible and will buy their lies. But, in reality, they are simply fooling themselves into believing that they are outsmarting everyone else.

The Punjabi Raj has mastered the game of blaming Afghanistan, India, Israel, and the U.S. for fanning the flame of insurgency in Balochistan instead of standing tall and accepting responsibility for themselves being the root-cause of Baloch discontentment. Remarkably enough, these four countries have democratic governments, and the Punjabi-dominated military dictatorship of General Pervez Musharraf and the Punjabi Raj have the audacity to blame them for Pakistan’s woes in Balochistan.

To diffuse all the animosity directed at Punjab province of Pakistan by the oppressed nationalities, the Punjabi Raj is now getting ready to rename Punjab and call it by three different names. This Punjabi circus is not going to change the reality since the ethnic composition of the territory will remain Punjabi. The Punjabi-dominated military and government will not change either. So, who would this name-change benefit except to camouflage the conniving Muslim Punjabis so they can continue to subjugate the minorities.

The fact remains that Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti was killed in battle while valiantly fighting the Punjabi-dominated Pakistani armed forces to liberate Balochistan. There is no force in the world that can deny this fact because it is the truth. Even if the Punjabi imbeciles try to concoct stories with their white lies, it will not change history. Forwarding theories about how he was killed, or some other figment of their imagination is not going to make any difference. The Baloch nation is proud of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti for sacrificing his life for his people, and his death will be avenged by every man, woman, and child of Baloch ethnicity.

Fearing that the Baloch people would respond violently if they saw the dead body of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti or find out how he was killed (perhaps by chemical weapons), the Punjabi Raj put a padlock on his coffin and hurriedly buried him without the presence of a single member of his family. This despicable act is the ultimate disrespect bestowed upon the Baloch nation by the Punjabi Raj. NEVER will anyone who claims to be a Baloch will forgive the Punjabi Raj for this shameless act. They have the audacity to disallow the bereaved family of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti and the Baloch nation to honorably bury him.

The brazen Punjabi Raj is once again trying to deceive and confuse the world community by circulating a story that Mir Baalach Khan Marri wanted to settle an old score with Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, and therefore, got him killed. The mouthpiece of Pakistani intelligence organizations, News Central Asia, has published an article, Pakistani Balochistan: Akbar Bugti Case -- Startling Details Come to Light by Tariq Saeedi in Ashgabat and Habibullah in Quetta. The purpose of this article is to downplay the importance of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti’s ultimate sacrifice for the Baloch nation, and divide the Baloch tribes into believing that Mir Baalach Khan Marri committed the murder. However, these Pakistani snoops forgot an important characteristic of Baloch culture that considers such ghastly acts as below the dignity of the worst Baloch. To even suggest that honorable Nawabzada Mir Baalach Khan Marri may have committed such an act is hurling insults at the Baloch nation once again (perhaps people in Punjab act in such a manner).

It is pathetic to see the ‘mighty’ Punjabi Raj with its modern armed forces and nuclear arms to stoop so low to hide their crime. They are now trying their best to create a chasm in Baloch unity, which is rapidly gaining strength and momentum. But, there is nothing in the world that is going to change the fact that the Muslim Punjabis are the killers of the Baloch leader, Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti. The Punjabi Raj can do all their song-n-dance to appease the world community, but it is not going to affect the Baloch consciousness. It is crystal clear that the Baloch people cannot live under Muslim Punjabi hegemony. The Baloch nation is now fighting the “Baloch War of Independence”, and they will not rest until Balochistan is liberated. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that Pakistan is ready to be Balkanized. The process of disintegration of Punjabi Raj has begun.

Baloch News Bureau Report

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

A message from Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti to the Baloch nation

2006-09-14T10:19:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE

KALAT, Balochistan – The Baloch tribes in Pakistani-occupied Balochistan are setting aside their differences and forming a united force to liberate Balochistan. This metamorphosis in Baloch consciousness does not need the support of any tribal chiefs (Nawabs or Sardars) or political leaders. This is a grass-root movement for the struggle to free Balochistan; and anyone who is proud to be known as an ethnic Baloch is willing and ready to fight for the Baloch cause.

There are indications evident everywhere in the present crisis in Pakistan that Balochistan will be liberated. The only pertinent question that remains to be answered is when will Balochistan become an independent country, not how and why.

In Pakistani-occupied Balochistan, the wheel for Baloch independence is in motion now; and the freedom movement is gaining unstoppable momentum. The Pakistani government can no longer prevent the aspirations of the Baloch nation to gain their freedom. The end of Pakistani occupation of Balochistan is now in sight, and the Baloch nation is ready to break the shackles of slavery and run for freedom.

The Baloch people now understand the true nature of the Muslim Punjabi tyranny after the brutal murder of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti by the Pakistani armed forces, and his controversial burial afterwards.

Until a few months ago, even the martyred Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti believed and supported the idea that the Baloch people could coexist with the rest of Pakistan. But, it finally dawned on him that he was wrong in trusting the Muslim Punjabi-dominated Pakistani government and military, and that the Baloch people will continue to be enslaved by the occupying forces as long as Balochistan remains a marginalized province of Pakistan.

Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, realizing his mistake, wanted to correct the course for the future of Balochistan. But, time, age and health did not leave him with many choices. After negotiations for a peaceful resolution failed with the occupying forces because of the arrogance of the Punjabi-dominated government, he decided to lead the Baloch nation by example. He fearlessly fought the well-equipped Pakistani armed forces and was killed in action as a valiant Baloch warrior.

Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti decided the way he wished to die because he wanted to leave a clear message written in his own blood for the Baloch nation. His death signifies that the Baloch nation must unite, fight and liberate Balochistan, as there is no future for the Baloch people to coexist as a second-class citizen under the rule of the Muslim Punjabis. In fact, Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti has lighted the candle of Baloch enlightenment to lead them to freedom.

The spirit of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti lives within every true and sincere Baloch. His wish for each and every Baloch is to be a free person. He has shown the right path to the Baloch nation to take: Liberate Balochistan at all cost.

Baloch News Bureau Report

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

PUBLIC NOTICE: All Muslim Punjabis must vacate Balochistan immediately

2006-09-08T08:50:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE

KALAT, Balochistan – The crisis in Balochistan is escalating into a full-fledge “Baloch War of Independence” in Pakistani-occupied Balochistan due to the oppressive policies of the Pakistani military dictatorship of General Pervez Musharraf. The Punjabi-dominated Pakistani armed forces have launched ethnic cleansing in Balochistan against the ethnic Baloch people; they are systematically kidnapping, imprisoning and murdering Baloch nationals by the thousands.

The Baloch are resenting this Punjabi invasion and oppression, and retaliating with full vengeance. While defending themselves, the Baloch view all Muslim Punjabis in Balochistan as collaborators of the Pakistani occupying forces (which is a fair assessment regarding the role played by the majority of Punjabis in Balochistan), and henceforth, they are considered the enemies of the Baloch people.

In defense of Balochistan in this “Baloch War of Independence”, GOB (Exile) has instructed all Baloch nationals to consider any employee of the Government of Pakistan in occupied Balochistan as an enemy soldier no matter what their ethnicity (including Baloch loyalists) and engage in battle with them unless they surrender and are taken as prisoner of war. Since, the majority of the Pakistani government employees in Balochistan are Punjabis most of them are not required to wear any government-issued uniform, which may cause confusion for the Baloch soldier to differentiate government employees (enemy soldiers) from non-government employed civilians.

To minimize collateral damage and avoid civilian casualties, GOB (Exile) has issued the following Proclamation for all ethnic Punjabi Muslims in Balochistan to immediately leave Balochistan for the sake of their own safety. Due to the escalating ethnic tension created between the oppressed Baloch people and the arrogant Punjabi-dominated Government of Pakistan, the likelihood of any innocent ethnic Punjabi getting killed or injured will be increased significantly as the “Baloch War of Independence” progresses.

PROCLAMATION

HEADQUARTERS
GOVERNMENT OF BALOCHISTAN (IN EXILE)
General Orders No. 002, KALAT, September 08, 2006

1. This General Order is for the purpose to eliminate the possibility of collateral damage in the “Baloch War of Independence” in Pakistani-occupied Balochistan.

2. All employees of the Government of Pakistan (including provincial government and semi-government organizations) who are working inside Pakistani-occupied Balochistan, whether they wear government-issued uniforms or not, are declared enemy soldiers, no matter what their ethnicity, religion, gender, and age. The Baloch soldiers will engage these enemy soldiers in battle until they surrender as prisoner of war. Thereafter, these prisoners of war will be treated in accordance with the Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War.

3. Majority of the Pakistani government employees in Pakistani-occupied Balochistan are ethnic Punjabis. Whenever they wear civilian clothing, it may cause confusion for the Baloch soldier to differentiate between a government employee and a civilian. Whenever and wherever a Baloch soldier may encounter an ethnic Punjabi, it may result in a deadly skirmish.

4. The Baloch soldier will take every possible measure to avoid collateral damage. But, due to high tension in guerrilla warfare, errors in judgment may cause death of the opponent.

5. To avoid unnecessary and accidental death of non-government population, especially the ethnic Punjabis, the Government of Balochistan in Exile orders all Muslim Punjabis to vacate Balochistan immediately for the sake of their own safety. Those Punjabis who defy this Proclamation are accepting the risk of staying in a war zone, implying their role as collaborators of the occupying forces, and assuming the responsibility of getting killed as enemy combatant or taken as prisoner of war by the Baloch soldiers.

6. Muslim Punjabi children under the age of 12 are exempt from this Proclamation.

7. All non-Muslim Punjabis and members of Ahmadiyya Muslim community are welcome to stay in Balochistan as long as they are not employees of the Government of Pakistan. To differentiate themselves from the Muslim Punjabis, the non-Muslim Punjabis and Ahmadiyya Muslims must carry at all times on their person a Pakistani passport or Pakistani National I.D. Card (both of which requires the holder to be identified on religious basis, similar to the yellow armband with Star of David required of the Jews to wear during the Nazi era in Germany) and must present it to a Baloch soldier on demand.

8. It is the purpose of the General Secretary to warn all ethnic Punjabis in Balochistan on humanitarian grounds to the dangers of being present in a war zone, and given the opportunity to vacate Balochistan in a timely fashion without incurring any loss of innocent lives.

9. All Muslim Punjabis who have decide to leave Balochistan within 90 days will not be harmed as long as they hoist the Flag of Balochistan on their homes, businesses, vehicles, bicycles, motorcycles, etc. and wear an armband depicting the colors of the Flag of Balochistan. For gaining safe passage out of Balochistan, they must hoist the Flag of Balochistan on their means of transportation.

10. All patriotic Baloch will use efforts to make this order effective.

By order of

MIR AZAAD KHAN BALOCH
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

A Salute to the Tiger of Balochistan (Poem)

2006-09-06T17:34:00.002+03:00

PRESS RELEASE

KALAT, Balochistan -- Notable journalist (U.S. based) and convener of the World Baloch Jewish Alliance (WBJA), Ahmar Mustikhan, wrote the following poem in memory of the great Baloch leader, Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, who was recently killed in battle fighting with the Pakistani armed forces.

A Salute to the Tiger of Balochistan
By Ahmar Mustikhan

We Salute you Shaheed-i-Balochistan, Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti
You paid back with your blood whatever debts you owed

The Bhambore Hills is drenched in blood, silent, painted red
The Baloch cubs miss the roar of the Tiger of Balochistan

Dr Shazia mourns in London as rapist Captain Hammad dances, Allahu Akbar
Cluster bombs silenced the hero brave, despot Musharraf toasts GHQ

From Islamabad temples of darkness the death call comes, Allahu Akbar
Kill the Tigers of Balochistan they are agents of Hindus, Christians and Jews

Soldiers of darkness who chant the slogan of hate, Allahu Akbar
The battle cry of terror from Jerusalem, New York, Kashmir to Kohlu

Shame on you cowards, Islamist Terror Army of Pakistan;
Soldiers of Islam who believe Kill Jews, Christians, Hindus and Tigers of Balochistan

In the name of God, the Jihadists dream to rule the world, Allahu Akbar
Leave our country now, it belong to the Tigers of Balochistan

Where's my Tigress Indira, where's my Aurora? Butchers of Bengal have shifted base
The rapist Jihadi soldiers have forgotten the ignonimy of defeat in Dhaka

Not shed in vain, the blood of Bugti is now an ink of history
To cut the chain of slavery, to mark the end of night with dawn of freedom

Don't cry my Baloch, the Tiger roared he wants to die with the spurs on
Leaving behind tiger cubs, Barhamadagh, Balaach, and thousands more.

Baloch News Bureau Report

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

Hoist the flag of Balochistan to express solidarity for the Baloch Freedom Struggle

2006-09-04T21:31:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE

KALAT, Balochistan – The flag of Balochistan symbolizes the struggle of every Baloch to free Balochistan from the Iranian and Pakistani occupation. It is the duty of every ethnic Baloch to hoist this flag all over Balochistan. The Baloch nation must unite under this flag and express their solidarity by displaying it wherever they can, even if it is outside of Balochistan. In reality, this flag must replace all flags of occupation forces on Baloch territory. The flag of Balochistan should convey a message to the occupation forces in particular and the world in general that the Baloch nation wants FREEDOM.

The colors and images of the flag of Balochistan symbolizes the following:

GREEN: It is the color of prosperity – the dry barren land of Balochistan turns green after rainfall as small plants sprout. Liberty is like rainfall, and when achieved, it will sprout the Baloch nation into prosperity.

RED: It is the color of blood, hardiness and valor – the Baloch martyrs proudly sacrificed their life and shed their blood on the soil of Balochistan for liberty.

BLUE: It is the color of ocean and sky, and it signifies vigilance, perseverance and justice – the Baloch will continue their struggle until freedom is achieved and justice is served.

WHITE: It is the color of peace, purity and innocence – the Baloch people want to live in peace and harmony as a free nation.

RISING SUN: It is a sign of a new beginning – the Baloch nation begins a new day as a free nation.

Below are a few images of the flag of Balochistan from around the world:

Flaq of Balochistan displayed in Oslo, Norway

Flag of Balochistan displayed in London, UK

Baloch News Bureau Report

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

Iranian-occupied Balochistan condemns the Pakistani military dictatorship

2006-09-04T19:59:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE

KALAT, Balochistan – The following message was received by the Government of Balochistan (GOB) in Exile from the Baloch of Iranian-occupied Balochistan:

Iranian-occupied Balochistan condemns the Pakistani military dictatorship
We, the under signed West Balochistan political organizations, collectively condemn the Pakistani military rulers atrocities against East Balochistan people and martyrdom of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, the Leader of Jamhoori Watan Party along with his family members and companions.

We express our sincere condolences not only to his family but also to the whole Baloch nation where ever they are.

We believe that Nawab Bugti's heroic action to sacrifice himself for the Baloch national cause is a great loss, but his blood will fertilize and grow the seeds, which have been cultivated by our pioneer martyrs such as Nourooz Khan and others.

Baloch nation's political activists should wisely recognize their responsibility by taking the right direction and action at this critical moment to create a historical turning point for the achievement of the Baloch People's National democratic rights.

We hope that Nawab Bugti's wish towards unity and struggle in a united platform will be fulfilled by the wise East Balochistan political leaders and activist’s timely action while bearing in mind the importance of the unity and cooperation between West and East Balochistan national struggle.

Nawab Akbar Khan's loss has saddened the majority of Pakistan's people and democratic forces and the whole Baloch Nation worldwide.

While our people today is mourning for this great loss, wherever they are, we are proud that Baloch people are accompanied by the other nations of Pakistan's people and democratic forces that not only condemning the brutal act of the Islamabad government by holding demonstrations in the streets and bringing the whole towns and cities into holt, but also held public distant "martyred mayyet" prayers to pay their respect and tributes towards his martyrdom and prove their unity with Baloch nation at this critical moment.

We should always bear in mind his strong and far reaching message to all Baloch; that every one can be a hero for our deprived and oppressed people by continuing the national struggle wherever they are in any possible way and at any age for our Democratic National and human rights achievements.

The Pakistani decision-making authorities and Iranian theocratic regime should note that the eradication of our political leaders and activists not only does not slow down our struggle for our national democratic rights, but makes us more decisive towards our just and fair objectives.

Balochistan National Movement
Balochistan Peoples Party
Balochistan United Front (Republicans)
Balach Baloch
Balochistan People's Party
P.O.Box 13022, 103 01 Stockholm, Sweden
Tel: +46 739343724, Fax: +46 8 43 75 97 37

http://www.ostomaan.org
http://www.balochpeople.org

Baloch News Bureau Report

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

The Wrong Battle in Pakistan

2006-09-04T02:25:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE

KALAT, Balochistan -- The New York Times published an editorial titled "The Wrong Battle in Pakistan". This article is reproduced below for the convenience of our readers:

The Wrong Battle in Pakistan

EDITORIAL (The New York Times)

There are dangerous international terrorists hiding out in the mountain caves of Pakistan. But 79-year-old Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, the Baluch tribal leader, politician and rebel, was not one of them.
Now Mr. Bugti is dead and the impoverished but energy-rich province of Baluchistan is in an uproar after an ill-explained military operation last month. After a week of contradictory government statements, the only things now clear are that Mr. Bugti’s body was buried in the rubble of his blown-up mountain hideout, and that antigovernment fury in the restive province is at a new pitch of intensity.
The last thing Pakistan needs is an upsurge in violence and repression in Baluchistan. That would only be a distraction from far more important challenges, like developing a chronically underachieving economy; restoring a ravished democracy; and placing a dangerous nuclear weapons establishment, including exports of bomb-related technology, under firm and reliable civilian control.
And there are far more crucial things that Pakistan’s military could be doing than hunting down Mr. Bugti and his followers. For example, it could finally seal its scandalously porous border with Afghanistan, making it much harder for the Taliban to infiltrate into that country the fighters killing American, NATO and Afghan soldiers. It could permanently shut down the Pakistan-based Kashmiri terrorist groups that have survived past crackdowns by reopening under new names, with little interference from Pakistani authorities. Not least, it could make a more serious effort to find and arrest Osama bin Laden, widely believed to have spent much of the past four and a half years on Pakistani soil.
Any of these efforts would stir up opposition in one part or another of the Pakistani military, the only constituency that Pakistan’s president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, ever really cares about. So long as elections are brazenly rigged, opposition parties are banned and Washington’s uncritical support remains guaranteed, General Musharraf has little incentive to take up any of these vital challenges.
When General Musharraf comes to the United States, he loves to be lauded as a leader in the war on terrorism. Back home, his government too often acts like a garden-variety military dictatorship.

Baloch News Bureau Report

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

Statement by World Baloch Jewish Alliance

2006-09-03T06:17:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Pakistan's nuclear teeth must be removed now and the Islamic terrorist army of Pakistan should not be allowed to deceive the free world that it's their ally in the war on terror.

In a statement on the first Sabbath after the martyrdom of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, Shaheed-i-Balochistan and former governor and chief minister of Balochistan, journalist and World Baloch Jewish Alliance convenor Ahmar Mustikhan has said, "The killing of Nawab Bugti and not handing over his body to his next of kin is the latest in the long list of blatant war crimes committed on the people of Balochistan."

The ethnic cleansing of the Baloch people at the hands of the Islamic terrorist army of Pakistan is happening at the same time secular democracy of Israel is under Hezbollah attack and world's larges democracy India and the fledgling democracy in Afghanistan under President Hamid Karzai are facing threats from similar forces. President Bush correctly identified these forces as Islamist fascists.

The missing face in the thousand-headed minister of Islamic fascism is made up of generals of the Islamic terrorist army of Pakistan, their Military Intelligence and the Inter-Services Intelligence (I.S.I.). Small wonder not only Pakistan is presently Al Qaeda headquarters, hiding Bin Laden and Ayman Al Zawahiri, but the Islamic terrorist army generals are refusing to handover the worst nuclear proliferater and father of the Islamic Bomb, Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan. All of this must be fully exposed on the eve of the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

In Balochistan, Pakistan's Military Intelligence is directly responsible for the bloodshed, as it has taken over the command and control of the entire operations for several years now.

Nawab Bugti was the highest elected official to be martyred since the forced annexation of Balochistan in March 1948.

The extra-judicial killing of Nawab Bugti and the way his burial was conducted violates the human dignity and respect that has to be shown to a human body, even during war times. All this is in clear contravention of the International Human Rights Charter

The Islamic terrorist army of Pakistan must be fully exposed and brought to justice on this matter.

I again urge the Baloch people and the Nawab Bugti family members to please demand postmortem of the Shaheed-i-Balochistan in a third country, preferably India or Israel. All of this must be well documented.

I also appeal all Balochistan sympathizers to please help the Baloch hire a competent lawyer in London to challenge the British government decision of putting the BLA on the list of terrorist outfits."

Unfortunate as it is, British politicians best known for their cacophony in the House of Commons should understand the politics of the embattled region is far more complex than raising a poodle. London's decision to outlaw BLA emboldened the Islamic terrorist army of Pakistan.

Balochistan is not an internal matter of Pakistan, which in itself is not a very legitimate organization. Any Baloch traitor, man or woman, who remain a part of the Pakistan government, shall reserve their place in the dustbin of history.

Insult upon insult is being heaped on the bleeding wounds of Balochistan since its forced annexation in 1948. The rapacious loot and plunder of Baloch resources at the point of gun, the denial of the right to self-rule, extra-judicial killing of the leaders, the use of chemical weapons, turning Baloch lands into radioactive waste by using it for testing the so-called Islamic Bomb, pitting brother against brother and the continued illegal occupation of Balochistan, the refusal to hand over the body to the next of kin are all actions in violation of international law.

I demand an international peacekeeping force must immediately be deployed in war-ravaged Balochistan to oversee its peaceful secession from Pakistan, of which it was never a part, and to bring an end to the bloodshed.

To friends of Balochistan, I urge now is the time for a legal war. The unending trail of blood of the Baloch people must stop.

Baloch News Bureau Report

Ahmar Mustikhan
Convenor
World Baloch Jewish Alliance
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

FP - Foreign Policy: Worse than a mistake

2006-08-31T07:01:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE

KALAT, Balochistan – Frederic Grare, who is a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, wrote an article for FP - Foreign Policy titled "Worse than a Mistake". This article is reproduced below for the convenience of our readers:

Worse than a mistake
How Pervez Musharraf is endangering himself, Pakistan, and the war on terror.

By FREDERIC GRARE (Foreign Policy)

The Bush administration does not know it yet, but Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf may have just outlived his usefulness. He has already failed to confront the Taliban fighters who have made Pakistan a staging area for their attacks in Afghanistan. He has delayed and postponed promises to shore up his country’s democratic freedoms. He has even walked away from symbolic pledges to remove his own military uniform. And last weekend, the Pakistani strongman may have finally tipped the scales too far. On his orders, Pakistani security forces killed Nawab Akbar Bugti, the tribal leader and former governor of Baluchistan. The elimination of the leader of one Pakistan’s most strategically important border regions threatens the country’s territorial integrity, the war on terror, and Musharraf’s own political future. In one deft stroke, Musharraf has made himself an ally no longer worth the effort.
On August 26, Bugti was killed by Pakistani forces in a firefight close to his mountain hide-out. For 60 years, Bugti was a Baluchi nationalist leader and a key figure in the various insurgencies that have gripped Pakistan’s largest and most mineral-rich province. The Baluchis feel they are exploited by a central government they view as a colonial vehicle for Pakistan’s most populous region, the Punjab. They want more political autonomy and a greater share of their region's lucrative gas revenues.
Bugti commanded a sizable force, and he has long been a thorn in Islamabad’s side. But, unlike other leaders in Pakistan’s unruly border areas, he always deployed his forces with politics in mind and an eye on the future. Just last year, he proposed, albeit unsuccessfully, a compromise peace based on a proposal from Pakistan’s Muslim League leadership. His own stature, combined with the fact that he was in charge of the tribe controlling most of Baluchistan's natural gas reserves, made him unacceptable to the military leadership—even though he was Islamabad’s most credible partner for peace in the region.
Some argue that because the insurgency is essentially tribal, the removal of this tribal leader cuts the head off the snake. But that is a fundamental misreading of the insurgency. A prolonged, low-intensity conflict is now likely. With Bugti’s death, the insurgency will be led by far more radical elements, many of whom, including the largest tribe in Baluchistan, the Marri, will settle for nothing less than independence.
Baluchistan’s strategic location, bordering Iran, Afghanistan, and the Arabian Sea, as well as its wealth of minerals and hydrocarbons, means that Baluchi independence will always be unacceptable to Islamabad. So, the army will be ordered to redouble its efforts to crush the insurgency. But the military will struggle to control a province representing some 43 percent of the country’s territory. More forces will likely be redeployed to the region from the Afghan border. Such a move will further thin the army’s presence along the Afghan border and weaken the help it can offer NATO in the fight against the Taliban and al Qaeda remnants.
Indeed, the army is already paving the way for a drawdown from the Afghan border, which would free up soldiers for Baluchistan. The Pakistani press reported several days ago that a truce is being negotiated with the Taliban in the frontier area of Waziristan. Such a move would result in the army's withdrawal from all border posts and effectively allow the Taliban to cross the border at will.
If the consequences of Bugti’s death on the ground are still difficult to predict, some of them are already apparent in the political arena. Every political party, even Musharraf’s own political allies, has condemned the killing. The division between the civilian leadership and the military is widening—a frightening trend in any country where the military has such a stranglehold on political life. If this rift continues to widen, the Pakistani military might demand that Musharraf, who is still simultaneously—although unconstitutionally—the army’s chief of staff, choose between his two positions.
The killing of Bugti has exposed a Pakistani president both unable to fulfill his commitments in the war on terror and only able to act decisively against his own people. Musharraf’s actions have reversed decades’ worth of slow progress toward national integration. Reporting restrictions will guarantee that we will not hear much from Baluchistan in the coming months. But the next thing we hear might well be an explosion that reverberates as far as Washington.

Baloch News Bureau Report

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

Baloch are ready to fight the nuclear-armed Islamic Republics of Iran and Pakistan

2006-08-31T06:13:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE

KALAT, Balochistan – Baloch leader, Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti was killed in battle fighting the enemy forces of Pakistan. He paid the ultimate price in his struggle to gain the freedom of Balochistan. The Baloch nation is now prepared to follow in his footsteps and not rest until Balochistan is liberated from the clutches of the tyrannical Persian-dominated Iran and Punjabi-dominated Pakistan.

It is in the interest of Afghanistan, India, Israel, United States and ethnic minorities in Iran and Pakistan to support and join forces with the secular Baloch in their “Baloch War of Independence”. It is imperative for the survival of every concerned party to dismantle these two rogue nuclear-armed states, namely Pakistan and Iran, and curtail the Chinese influence in the region.

The Baloch are a secular ethnic group, and an independent Balochistan will be in a position to counter the hold of any fundamentalist religious group in the region. Such a scenario is beneficial for the region in particular, and the whole world in general. The Baloch openly welcome any assistance from Atheists, Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, Christians, Muslims and people from other religions to counter these two rogue Islamic Republics.

During the recent skirmishes between the Israeli forces and Hezbollah terrorists, it has become clearly evident to everyone that Hezbollah supporter, Iran, is poised to become a major threat to world peace. Also, one should not forget that the Pakistani public has declared Jihad (holy war) against the non-Muslims and will continue to create havoc throughout the world unless their master, the notorious Pakistani intelligence agency, ISI, is annihilated.

The world must realize that in order to make the region safe, both Iran and Pakistan have to be dismantled at the same time. One cannot go after Iran and then consider attacking Pakistan at a later stage. Both countries have to be tackled at the same time for maximum effect.

Small and large contingents of Baloch fighters are ready to travel to Afghanistan, India and Israel to be trained in modern guerilla warfare techniques to counter the enemy forces. With acquired skills to use advance military hardware, the Baloch warriors can become a very lethal force to counter the enemy forces, and help implode both Iran and Pakistan into smithereens, similar to what the Afghans did to the former Soviet Union.

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch, the general secretary of the newly formed Government of Balochistan (GOB) in Exile said, “GOB is in a position to start negotiations with anyone who is interested in neutralizing Iran and Pakistan. I encourage the global intelligence community to contact us to discuss details of guerilla operations inside these two rogue countries. I believe it is high time for the world to unite and obliterate Iran and Pakistan from the map of the world.

Baloch News Bureau Report

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

Baloch in Oman show their Solidarity

2006-08-30T04:26:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE

KALAT, Balochistan -- The Baloch in Oman are expressing their solidarity for their brethrens in Pakistani-occupied and Iranian-occupied Balochistan. Below are photos showing the Flag of Balochistan pasted on an American-made Chevrolet Cavalier:

Baloch News Bureau Report

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

Balochistan: War of Independence Declared

2006-08-29T21:21:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE:

KALAT, Balochistan – Every nation reaches a mass consensus at some point in their existence that changes the status quo. The ultimate sacrifice by the “Tiger of Balochistan”, Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, to liberate the downtrodden Baloch people from the shackles of slavery and oppression by the Muslim Punjabi-dominated Pakistan is such a moment for the Baloch nation.

The Government of Balochistan (GOB) in Exile declares the “Baloch War of Independence” in Pakistan. The goal of this war is to secure the freedom of the Baloch people by liberating Pakistani-occupied Balochistan. Every nation in the world that supports the aspirations of the Baloch people for freedom must come forward and assist. Self-determination is a basic part of human rights, and various charters of the United Nations recognize it. Hence, it is the right of the Baloch people to liberate Balochistan that was forcibly occupied by Pakistan.

In this “Baloch War of Independence”, the Baloch warriors will not commit any cowardly terrorist acts by killing non-government civilians. Hence, every Baloch must be cognizant of this fact to avoid any collateral damage to the non-government population. But, anyone who works for the Government of Pakistan is the enemy of the Baloch people, and they should be treated in accordance to rules of the Geneva Convention in treating an enemy soldier.

To succeed in this war, “Urban Guerilla Warfare” is the strategy of choice for the Baloch nation. Below are a few tactics that will produce immediate results and can be done by anyone, even a child, who is sincere to liberate Balochistan:

1. It is the duty of every member of the Baloch nation to pick one bullet, engrave FREE BALOCHISTAN on the lead, and then find a Pakistani government official (preferably someone in government-issued uniform) and through the use of firearm imbed that bullet in the enemy soldier’s heart or brain if they do not surrender as Prisoner of War (POW) and continue resisting.

2. The Baloch soldier must find means to deactivate and destroy all government issued equipment. This equipment is being used against the Baloch people in this war. Every government issued and constructed items like automobiles, bicycles, office desks, computers, motorcycles, power plants, papers, mail boxes, pencils, pens, telephones, tanks, cannons, buildings, bridges, airplanes, trains, railway tracks, etc. must be stopped from functioning. However, it is very important to avoid any non-government casualties when decommissioning these tools that are being used to oppress the Baloch nation.

3. Pakistani flag must be burned, and it should be replaced by the flag of an independent Balochistan with the rising sun (which means the beginning of a new nation), similar to the one being promoted by the GOB (Exile).

4. It is imperative that notices are sent to all Muslim Punjabi and Urdu-speaking civilians (excluding Christians, Hindus, Parsees and other non-Muslims) in Balochistan to vacate Balochistan immediately. This must be done to avoid any non-governmental casualties. A Baloch in every community must be appointed to be the guardian of the non-Muslim minorities and keep them away from harms way.

5. Small fighting groups can be formed that will conduct raids on government facilities. Also, one can do any of the activities mentioned as an individual. A person with a small knife can slash the tires of a government vehicle, or cut the telephone wires outside a government building. It is vital that every Baloch must use creativity in finding ways to bring the Pakistani government to a standstill.

6. Through consensus, the Baloch nation must identify the Baloch who are working with the Government of Pakistan in suppressing the Baloch aspirations. These members are traitors, and deserve to be treated as enemy soldiers. Balochistan must be purged of these rats. It is also important to be aware of some Baloch who portray to be nationalists, but their actions prove that they are skeptics who will do everything and anything in their power to create doubt in the hearts of the Baloch people. These skeptics must be treated as traitors and receive the same punishment as the Baloch traitor who is openly supporting the Government of Pakistan.

It is now the duty of every sincere Baloch to go out in the battlefield and liberate Balochistan. Freedom is the goal, and every inch of Balochistan that is occupied by the ruthless Pakistani forces is the battlefield. All Baloch must avenge the death of our great leader, Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti and the numerous Baloch martyrs. May the Baloch win their freedom, once and for all.

Baloch News Bureau Report

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti killed in battle to liberate Balochistan

2006-08-28T07:39:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE:

KALAT, Balochistan – The Pakistani military dictatorship of General Pervez Musharraf and his ethnic Punjabi brethrens have succeeded in killing the icon of the Baloch freedom struggle -- Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti.

Today, the oppressed Baloch nation is mourning the loss of their leader who sacrificed his life to liberate his people from the chains of slavery imposed by the Muslim Punjabi Raj in Pakistani-occupied Balochistan.

Mir Chengez Zehri sent a message to the Government of Balochistan (GOB) in Exile in which he stated:

“Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti died, and he proved to be the TIGER OF BALOCHISTAN…”

An Indian well-wisher, Bakhtawar Singh emailed the following message:

“It is very shocking to hear the news about the assassination of great Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti at the hands of blood thirsty Pak security forces. We share your grief and pain and express our sincere solidarity with the people of Balochistan. His martyrdom will further strengthen your struggle.”

But, the jubilant Muslim Punjabis on the other hand are celebrating their victory. Following email messages are just a few of the hundreds of derogatory emails received by GOB (Exile) from suspect Muslim Punjabis:

“Your terrorist Sardar is dead, I’m going for sajji in celebration.” By Anonymous

“Congrats brothers. One terrorist down…others to follow.” By UJMi

The truth is that the Punjabi occupation forces in Balochistan have won this battle, and they are boasting their victory. They believe that the Baloch are defeated and will tuck their tail between their legs and run away (a typical Punjabi cultural trait). But, they are underestimating the Baloch culture.

It is time for every red-blooded Baloch men, women and children to honor the death of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti by making all necessary preparation for the next battle of this long and arduous “Baloch War of Independence”. In keeping with Baloch tradition, attacking innocent Pakistani or Iranian civilians is not permitted, and it is considered terrorism. The Baloch nation is at war with the Government of Pakistan and Iran, and the Baloch warriors must wage battles with the governments of these two rogue Islamic Republics.

All those Baloch people who have pledged their allegiance to the Punjabi-dominated Pakistani government and the Persian-dominated Iranian government are traitors. The Baloch people must purge Balochistan from these traitors, as they will continue to betray the Baloch cause and create obstacles for the freedom struggle. They must receive punishment for their role in joining the enemy of the Baloch nation.

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch, the general secretary of the newly formed GOB (Exile) has the following message for the Baloch people:

“Today is one of the saddest day in the history of Balochistan. We lost a great Baloch leader, Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, in a battle against the enemy forces. He fought for justice like a brave Baloch warrior. He demanded that the oppressive Pakistani government must treat the downtrodden Baloch people equitably.

“He believed in his principals and honorably died for his conviction. He certainly earned the world’s respect for standing against a strong and powerful adversary and protested the injustices and atrocities committed against the Baloch nation by the ruthless military controlled Pakistani government.

“He is the Jesus Christ of the Baloch nation who sacrificed his own life to save his people. He always preached for peaceful resolution through dialogue with the Pakistani occupying forces to address Baloch grievances. But, the arrogant Punjabi Raj refused to listen to him, and instead they wanted to eliminate him for good. He finally realized that the Baloch people would always be subjugated as the slaves of the Punjabi Raj as long as Balochistan remains an occupied territory. And, he died in battle like a true Baloch warrior fighting for the liberation of Balochistan.

“GOB (Exile) and its council members extend our sincere condolences to the bereaved family of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti and to the entire Baloch nation.

“We pray to God and the Ancestors of the Baloch that they rest his soul in peace, and bring him eternal happiness for being a true martyr. May the ultimate sacrifice of every Baloch martyr give courage to the Baloch nation to avenge his or her death and liberate Balochistan.”

Baloch News Bureau Report

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

Pakistani military dictator General Musharraf promises to “fix” the Baloch leaders !

2006-07-23T02:24:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE:

General Musharraf insults Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti by saying, “I would not call him a Nawab, as he is on the run (as a coward).”

KALAT, Balochistan – On Thursday, in an address to the Pakistani nation, General Pervez Musharraf said that his military regime was determined to re-establish its control of occupied Balochistan and to “fix” the Baloch nationalist leaders. He said, “We will protect national installations in Balochistan at all costs and ensure full security to the development activities and to foreign investors (Chinese) there.”

Occupied Balochistan is the prime source of Pakistan’s main gas reserves and in recent days, it has been the scene of intense fighting between the Baloch freedom fighters and the Pakistani armed forces. The Baloch resistance forces are demanding total autonomy and self-determination in a liberated Balochistan. The freedom fighters, like any other resistance force in the world, have avoided targeting innocent civilians, and have focused their attacks on gas plants, electricity lines, railway tracks, military and government personnel, and other government installations.

Thousands of paramilitary and army troops, backed by fighter jets and gunship helicopters, began a major offensive in December 2005 against the Baloch resistances forces. Baloch nationalist leaders, Amnesty International and Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) claim hundreds of people, including women and children, have been killed in bombardments in Balochistan. The military regime has denied the allegations, saying it was solely targeting “terrorists”.

General Musharraf paid a glowing tribute to security and intelligence agencies for establishing peace in the province in order to carry out development works. But, the HRCP was quick to criticize him for praising the actions of the intelligence agencies in Balochistan. “The commission has evidence of intelligence services’ involvement in picking up (kidnapping) dozens of people in Balochistan, most not even linked to militant activities,” said the HRCP statement.

The statement said that a notable fact missing from the president’s speech was that the three tribal ‘Sardars’ (chieftans) were not the only Baloch people resenting the military’s presence in Balochistan. “Musharraf also did not mention why only the repeatedly mentioned three Sardars were being targeted for removing the oppressive feudal system – should the principle also not apply to other sardars in Balochistan and feudal overlords in Sindh?” it asked. “The government seems to be backing the tribal system by calling a ‘grand jirga’ (grand council) in Waziristan, rather than following the same ideals to eliminate it,” it added. “People familiar with the Balochistan situation are aware that the president’s words have no credibility. How will his promises and pledges be viewed in other countries when he is unable to convince his own people?” The HRCP statement said the commission and political parties were distressed by the Balochistan situation. The president’s misrepresentation of facts does not alter ground realities or eradicate human rights violations by state agencies, it said. “All Pakistanis oppose the government’s action in the province,” it added.

General Musharraf also criticized the media for ‘misrepresenting the facts’. “But the bottom line is that the writ of the state will have to be established in Balochistan, Wana, etcetera. And I assure you that soon there will be peace in that province,” he promised.

The military dictator said that for 40 years three Baloch Sardars, who were opposed to development and perpetrating atrocities on their tribes, had been pampered unjustifiably in the name of political settlement, “but no more”.

He insisted that the operation against the ‘rebellious’ Sardars was being conducted by the paramilitary forces and not by the army, though some 1,000 army men were assisting the security forces. He did not mention the use of air force jets and gunship helicopters to attack Baloch villages.

He said all the Bugti commanders had surrendered and that Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti was on the run, adding that out of the total 77 Sardars in Balochistan only three — Bugti, Marri and Mengal — were opposing the military regime while the rest were loyal to the occupation forces.

Musharraf said over 16,000 sub-tribes of Bugti — Rahejas, Kalpars, Masouri — had returned to Dera Bugti after years of repression by Sardars led by Nawab Bugti. Adding an insult to Baloch sensitivities, he said, “But I would not call him a Nawab as he is on the run.”

He said the government had no option but to take serious action in Balochistan where Baloch militants even possessed surface-to-air missiles and modern rocket launchers.

“But I can say with full authority that terrorism and anti-Pakistan activities have been drastically reduced following the government’s decision to take action against them,” he asserted.

“How could we keep quiet when bomb blasts became a daily routine and people are targeting national installations, like railway tracks and government buildings?” he asked.

He was hopeful that the economic deprivation in Balochistan would subside with the commissioning of the mega development projects there.

The Government of Balochistan (GOB) in Exile condemns Pakistani military dictator, General Pervez Musharraf for glorifying state terrorism against the Baloch people. In response to the dictators contention that the dispute is between his military regime and three Sardars, Mir Azaad Khan Baloch, general secretary of GOB (Exile) assured the General that this time the whole Baloch nation is awakened and every red-blooded Baloch has risen to break the chains and shackles of slavery. He reminded the Pakistanis that the Baloch would continue to fight until Balochistan is liberated. He assured the world that this is the “Baloch War of Independence” and it would not end until Balochistan appears on the map of the world as an independent nation.

Mr. Baloch retorted at General Musharraf for insulting Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti and said, “A poodle like Musharraf is talking big to the oppressed Baloch people, but he is the one who wet his military pants when U.S. breathed down his neck to either support the terrorist Talibans and face the wrath of the American forces, or surrender and join the U.S. in its ‘War on Terror’. And, as the chief of the Pakistani Muslim military forces he must not forget that his men in uniform were defeated and surrendered to the brave Indian forces in 1947-48, 1965, 1971 and most recently in 1999.”

Baloch News Bureau Report

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

Government of Balochistan (in Exile) Sends Condolences to Indonesia’s President

2006-07-19T07:59:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE:

KALAT, Balochistan -- General secretary of the newly formed Government of Balochistan (in Exile), Mir Azaad Khan Baloch on Tuesday sent his condolences to Indonesia’s President over the devastation wrought by the tsunami.

A powerful 7.2-magnitude quake struck beneath the Indian Ocean 240 kilometers southwest of Java at 3:24 p.m. July 17 causing a tsunami which has so far claimed up to 463 lives and 280 missing.

The following message was sent:

MESSAGE OF CONDOLENCE:

To:
The President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Jakarta, Indonesia

Dear President:

The Government of Balochistan (In Exile) and the Baloch people extend our heartfelt condolences and sympathies to your Excellency, to the people of Indonesia, and the bereaved families at this hour of grief.

We are confident that your Government and the people of Indonesia will bear this tragedy with fortitude.

Our prayers are with the bereaved families and all those affected by the disaster.

Sincerely yours,

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile

Baloch News Bureau Report

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

Government of Balochistan (Exile) protests the laws invoked by Britain to ban Balochistan Liberation Army

2006-07-18T05:46:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE:

KALAT, Balochistan – In a major setback to the Baloch freedom struggle, Britain on Monday banned the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), invoking for the first time a new law against glorifying terrorism.

John Reid, the Home Secretary of U.K. issued an order in Parliament to make it a criminal offense for a person to belong to or encourage support for BLA. It will be illegal to arrange meetings in their support or to wear clothes or carry articles in public indicating support for BLA.

“I am determined to act against those who, while not directly involved in committing acts of terrorism, provide support for and make statements that glorify, celebrate and exalt the atrocities of terrorist groups,” Reid said.

“I am also committed to ensuring that those organizations that change their name do not avoid the consequences of proscription,” he said.

Government of Balochistan (GOB) in Exile protested the new law invoked by Britain, and insists that BLA is not a terrorist organization, but a resistance force, which is engaged in guerilla warfare with the Islamic Republics of Iran and Pakistan to liberate Balochistan. Freedom is a basic human right, and BLA is battling the oppressors of the Baloch nation to secure the freedom of the Baloch people.

The following Letter of Protest was sent to the Home Secretary of Britain, John Reid:

Dr. John Reid
The Home Secretary
Home Office
Government of the United Kingdom
2 Marsham Street
London SW1P 4DF
United Kingdom

SUBJECT: Letter of Protest

Dear Sir,

The Government of Balochistan (GOB) in Exile protests the inclusion of Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) in your list of banned terrorist organizations.

GOB (Exile) denounces all forms of terrorism, including state terrorism. As you know that Balochistan was forcibly occupied by Iran and Pakistan, and the Baloch people were oppressed ever since. They have struggled for their basic right of self-determination by fighting the Iranian and Pakistani forces to liberate Balochistan.

The Baloch are one of the oppressed nations of the world like the Kurds. Foreign forces, the Iranians and Pakistanis, occupy the Baloch territories. Balochistan is marginalized in every sense by its colonizers who are unwilling to resolve problems through political dialogue. Hence, like many other oppressed nations, the Baloch have revolted and are now demanding total autonomy. Such rebellion usually turns into an arms conflict between the "Goliath and the Giant".

Strong-arms tactics of the occupying forces usually results into a genocide-like condition for the oppressed people. This is what is currently happening in Iran-occupied and Pakistan-occupied Balochistan. Both the Iranian and Pakistani governments are systematically conducting "ethnic cleansing" to rid the Baloch race from their ancestral land, Balochistan. The Baloch have voiced their concern through political dialogue, but to no avail.

BLA are freedom fighters who are involved in a "Guerilla Military Action" against the Iranian and Pakistani forces. They are fighting the "Baloch War of Independence" by attacking military forces, blowing up supply lines, destroying infrastructure, and damaging anything and everything that will incapacitate the Iranian and Pakistani government and its armed forces, and taking every measure to avoid civilian casualties. BLA is a resistance force, just like the Forces Françaises de l'Intérieur (French Resistance Army) during World War II.

BLA is taking every measure to avoid any collateral damage. If your government may send a fact-finding mission to Iran and Pakistan to find out the activities of BLA, we are sure that they will declare them a non-terrorist organization. But, by banning BLA without investigating the ground realities is a decision made in haste.

The fact is that the Iranian and Pakistani regimes' intelligence agencies commit state terrorism by detonating roadside bombs in public places and putting the blame on BLA. Such tactics have caused confusion around the world about the true nature of BLA’s activities, which is guerilla warfare against the oppressors of Baloch people.

Your decision to ban BLA shows that you condone the blatant human rights violations against the Baloch people being committed by Iran and Pakistan. The Baloch have every right to defend against oppression and demand self-determination. Therefore, please reconsider your decision and remove BLA from your list of terrorist organizations. Your serious consideration will be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely yours,

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

Today, the general secretary of GOB (Exile), Mir Azaad Khan Baloch pleaded with the Baloch Diaspora in U.K., “We want our Baloch brethrens in U.K. to contact their local Members of the Parliament and offer their support to end terrorism, including state terrorism. They should also emphasize that the British government must distinguish between terrorist organizations and resistance forces like the BLA. To ban BLA is like tying the hands of Baloch people so they cannot defend themselves from being victimized and oppressed by the Iranian and Pakistani regimes.”

Baloch News Bureau Report

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

Pakistani military regime kidnapped two brothers of Senator Sanaullah Baloch and attempted to assassinate him in London!

2006-07-17T04:10:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE:

KALAT, Balochistan – Soon after Senator Sanaullah Baloch delivered his speech at a conference arranged by the “Third World Solidarity” in London, he was attacked by people of Pakistani origin who attempted to assassinate him with a homemade chemical bomb. The bomb was thrown at this face, but it missed the target and hit his chest and exploded by releasing a toxic gas; if it had struck his face, it could have killed him. Baloch activists, Walid Garboni, Abdul Raman Talpour, Samad Baloudi, and Masoud Sardazi, stepped in to protect Senator Baloch from further attacks by the Punjabi thugs that were sent by the Pakistan Embassy in U.K. to interrupt the seminar and to assassinate Senator Baloch. Garboni received serious injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Prior to the terrorist attack today, two brothers of Senator Baloch, were kidnapped in Pakistan by government intelligence agencies. He is currently on a whirlwind campaign tour of Europe highlighting atrocities of Pakistani military regime in Balochistan. To bring awareness about the crisis in Balochistan, he has held numerous meetings with European political leaders, diplomats, academia, think-tank groups, and Baloch Diaspora.

Senator Baloch was able to leave Pakistan for this tour just before his name was placed on the ‘Exit Control List’ (ECL). Once a Pakistani national’s name is entered in the ECL, they are not allowed to leave the country nor they are able to renew their expired passports if they are still outside Pakistan.

“I have just been contacted by my family, and they told me that intelligence agencies had picked up my two brothers, Samiullah Baloch and Obaidullah Baloch,” said Senator Baloch prior to the assassination attempt on his life.

He added, “They have been picked up by intelligence agencies today. Their lives are under threat.” He emphasized, “Everyday intelligence agencies are picking up people in Balochistan; and it’s sad that the lives of family members of Baloch politicians’ have been threatened.”

Senator Baloch appealed to human rights groups and international media to expose the abuses of powers by the Pakistani intelligence agencies. “I request you all to protest this crime in your personal capacity or through your organizations to the concerned authorities. I will be grateful to you all,” pleaded Senator Baloch.

Samiullah Baloch is a social activist and president of the Balochistan Institute for Future Development, a non-governmental organization. A group of concerned citizens founded the Institute in 1997 and registered it in 1999. The Institute’s vision includes promotion of consciousness among the masses of the Pakistani-occupied Balochistan regarding their basic needs and fundamental human rights, literacy promotion, political and economic rights, peace, equality and social justice.

Obaidullah Baloch is an American citizen, and Senator Baloch has already informed the U.S. authorities about the kidnapping of his brothers by the Pakistani intelligence agencies. The U.S. Embassy in Islamabad has initiated their standard operating procedure and opened diplomatic channels with their Pakistani counterparts to locate American citizens when they go missing in foreign countries.

The Government of Balochistan (in Exile) deplores the blatant violation of human rights of Baloch nationals by the Pakistani military regime. Such acts of state terrorism must cease immediately. Kidnapping, torture and murder are commonly practiced by the Pakistani government to intimidate the oppressed people of Balochistan. It is time for the Baloch Diaspora to raise their voices and let the world know about the crimes being committed against the Baloch people in Pakistani-occupied Balochistan.

>>To hear an interview of Senator Sanaullah Baloch, please click here<<

Baloch News Bureau Report

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

July 15th proclaimed the official Memorial Day of Balochistan

2006-07-15T21:42:00.000+03:00

46th Memorial Day of Balochistan

July 15th
1960 – 2006

Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for those Baloch nationals who have died in the service of our great nation. It is a day of reconciliation of all the Baloch tribes; it is about coming together under one flag to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation.

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch, general secretary of the Government of Balochistan (GOB) in Exile officially proclaimed in the GENERAL ORDER # 001 that from this day forward, the Baloch nation will observe the Memorial Day each year on the 15th day of July to honor their fallen comrades.

Nawab Nauroz Khan Zarakzai, commonly known as Babu Nouroz was the chief of the Zehri tribe of Balochistan. He started an armed resistance against the occupation of Balochistan by Pakistan. The Pakistani armed forces could not militarily contain the Baloch freedom struggle, and thus they changed tactics and offered amnesty to the Baloch fighters as well as “peaceful” negotiations to resolve the Baloch grievances.

As soon as the Baloch freedom fighters ended their struggle to opt for peaceful negotiations, the conniving Pakistani armed forces reneged on their promises and arrested all of them, including Nawab Nauroz, his sons, nephews and followers. On July 15th, 1960, in the Hyderabad and Sukker Jails, the Government of Pakistan executed through hanging the sons, nephews and followers of Nawab Nauroz Khan Zarakzai, and imprisoned him for life until his death.

Pledge of a patriot Baloch:

“My dear Babu Nauroz Jaan, I wish we could pay you back for what you did for this Baloch Nation. You are the Greatest Hero to me, and I LOVE YOU. I swear on every drop of your blood that I will not rest in peace until all your murderers are defeated and hanged as they did to your sons, nephews and your followers. I put my hand on your grave and I swear that I'll follow your path and will not compromise in any way with the killers and I will not spare anything in my life to fulfill your dream of an Independent Great Balochistan – BALOCHISTAN ZINDAG BAATH.”

PROCLAMATION

HEADQUARTERS
GOVERNMENT OF BALOCHISTAN (IN EXILE)
General Orders No. 001, KALAT, July 15, 2006

1. The 15th day of July 2006 and hereafter, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of Baloch comrades who died in defense of the Baloch nation, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, town, and village in Balochistan. In this observance no form of ceremony is prescribed, but the public may in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit.

We are gathered under this General Order for the purpose among other things, “To preserve and strengthen those kind and fraternal feelings which have bound us together as one Baloch nation to liberate Balochistan.” What can aid more to assure this result than cherishing tenderly the memory of our heroic dead, who made their breasts a barricade between our country and its foes? When alive, these Baloch warriors lived proudly by striving to free our nation from the chains and shackles of slavery, and their death is a permanent mark of rebellion against tyranny. We should pay great respect to their graves. Let no foot walk on their graves. Let pleasant paths invite the coming and going of visitors and mourners. Let no neglect or damage to the graves testify to the present or to the future generations that we have forgotten as a nation the cost of a free and undivided republic of Balochistan.

Let us gather around their sacred remains and garland their graves with flowers; let us raise above them the dear Baloch flag they saved from dishonor; let us in this solemn presence renew our pledges to aid and assist those who have joined the ranks to serve our nation; let us support their widows and orphan whom they left behind among us; let us not forget that we must show our nation’s gratitude for this ultimate sacrifice.

2. It is the purpose of the General Secretary to inaugurate this observance with the hope that it will be kept up from year to year, while survivors of the Baloch struggle for freedom and all coming generations remains to honor the memory of the departed Baloch warrior. Lend your friendly aid in bringing to the notice of the entire Baloch nation about the sacrifices of the fallen.

3. All patriotic Baloch will use efforts to make this order effective.

By order of

MIR AZAAD KHAN BALOCH
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

Dr. Malek Towghi: India, Wake Up !!!

2006-07-15T11:45:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE:

KALAT, Balochistan – An eminent scholar from the United States, Dr. Malek Towghi made the following statement after the recent terrorist attacks in India by the Pakistani-supported Islamic groups:

The only way for Indians to live in peace is to break up Pakistan and dismantle this ‘terrorist structure’ called ‘Pakistan’. Without doing so there is no way that these terrorists will stop.
They have taken this oath as a religious duty to convert the whole of India into an Islamic state. They will not rest as they think it is their religious duty. They will go underground, group and re-group and re-appear and will continue with the help, support and training from Pakistan’s spy agency, Inter-services Intelligence (I.S.I.) to continue their Jihad against the people of India and Afghanistan.
India needs to take ‘BOLD STEPS’ and do what the State of Israel is doing against Hizbollah in Lebanon – to bomb Pakistan, Islamabad airport and Punjab. This is the only way to have peace.
Talking ‘peace with Pakistan’ is like talking to the walls, wasting times and cheating yourself and the Indian people. For India, It is time to take ‘BOLD STEPS’.
India, Wake up !!!
LONG LIVE INDIA. DEATH TO PAKISTAN.

Dr. Malek Towghi, an eminent American scholar, is the current president of the U.S. based Baloch International Human Rights. He earned his doctorate degree in History of International Relations from Michigan State University.

An ethnic Baloch from Pakistani-occupied Balochistan, Dr. Towghi migrated to the United States in 1975. Upon completing his Phd., he served as Assistant Professor for nine years at his alma mater’s Departments of Arts, Humanities and Religious Studies.

Dr. Towghi is fluent in Balochi, English, Farsi, and Urdu, and proficient in several other South and West Asian languages. He has published and spoken extensively on regional issues in South and West Asia as well as the interplay of Islam and secularism in the Islamic world. He currently works on human rights issues related to Islam and South Asia, with particular emphasis on Balochistan.

Baloch News Bureau Report

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

World Baloch Jewish Alliance voices support for India, Israel

2006-07-15T10:14:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE:

WASHINGTON D.C. – World Baloch Jewish Alliance (WBJA) convener and journalist Ahmar Mustikhan has expressed his deepest regrets over the loss of innocent human lives in Mumbai and has deplored that terrorist-smuggler and bin Laden aide Dawood Ebrahim, continues to live a life of luxuries in Pakistan under Pakistan Army protection.

Mustikhan also condemned the unprovoked attacks on Israel by Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists and defended Israel’s right to retaliate and hot pursuit.

“The unfortunate killings in India and terrorism against Israel show Islamic militants are out to destroy peace the world over,” Mustikhan said in a statement Friday evening.

“Pakistani intelligence can no longer hide its role in the criminal acts as they are hand in glove with the Islamic terror outfits, including Al Qaeda,” he said.

In a hard-hitting statement, Mustikhan said Pakistan coup leader Gen Pervez Musharraf had time and again lied to the world public that Ebrahim is not hiding in Pakistan, though Pakistan’s investigative monthly Newsline had at the same time carried an expose on Ebrahim’s life in Pakistan.

“The Newsline reporter Ghulam Hasnain, who also writes for the TIME, was kidnapped just one day before the kidnapping of Wall Street Journal Daniel Pearl,” Mustikhan recalled. He said there is little doubt in his mind Pakistan’s dreaded Inter-services Intelligence (I.S.I) orchestrated the slaying of Pearl on the orders of then I.S.I. chief Gen Mehmud Ahmed. He said Gen Ahmed was the main architect of the coup that put Musharraf into power, adding it’s unfortunate no investigation was done on the link between the kidnappings of the two journalists, Hasnain and Pearl.

Hasnain was released by the Pakistani intelligence after being mentally and physically tortured and never came on public record about his tormentors. He briefly escaped to the U.S. but later returned to Pakistan. Pakistani terrorists released videotapes showing Pearl’s throat being slit.
Just as Musharraf continues to deny that Ebrahim is in Pakistan, Islamabad has hoodwinked the U.S. it can do precious little in arresting terror mastermind Osama bin Laden and Ayman Al-Zawahiri, Mustikhan said.

He said the Baloch people are facing similar terrorist attacks on a daily basis but in Balochistan the Muslim Terrorists are in Pakistan Army uniforms. “The Pakistan Army, the seventh largest in the world is one of the most serious threats to world peace. Business as usual with them would endanger world peace,” he warned.

The Punjabi Muslim army generals are an important link in the worldwide terror networks, the WBJA convener said. “Little wonder, the likes of bin Laden and Dawood Ebrahim have found safe sanctuary in Pakistan,” he said. “At the same time Pakistan has refused to handover father of the Islamic Bomb Abdul Qadeer Khan to nuclear investigators as the army generals fear he would spill the beans on them.”

Mustikhan called Pakistan a failed state where the rogue army is in cahoots with Islamic terrorists, international drug barons and nuclear proliferators.

The WBJA convener urged the free world, especially the U.S., not to forget the blood link between the ongoing Pakistan army operation in Balochistan, the terror attacks in Mumbai, targeting of Israeli civilians and soldiers at the hands of Hamas and Hezbollah and the 9/11 attacks on the U.S.“Pakistan army generals are an integral part of the terror mindset,” he emphasized.

Mustikhan urged immediate suspension of all military and economic aid to Pakistan until such time it hands over Ebrahim to India, bin Laden, Al-Zawahiri, Mullah Omar and Qadeer Khan to U.S., and stops its army operation in Balochistan.

Baloch News Bureau Report

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

Jamali: A Loyalist Baloch or a Nationalist Baloch?

2006-07-14T11:57:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE:

KALAT, Balochistan – Pakistani military dictator General Pervez Musharraf (and the armed forces) has a staunch ally among the Baloch elite – the former prime minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali.

The current political atmosphere in Pakistan, pressure from the U.S. for elections next year, and the crisis in occupied Balochistan and Waziristan are signs perceived by the people to exhibit the gradual culmination of General Musharraf’s military regime. To expedite the process, opportunistic political parties are scrambling to form alliances to initiate impeachment process against the dictator.

But, Jamali has shrewdly taken an early position to support Musharraf knowing very well that the Generals always control the real political power in Pakistan. Being known as a stooge of Pakistani military, Jamali stated in a press conference, “I will not support impeachment against president General Pervez Musharraf.”

To counter any criticism directed at the Pakistani armed forces or his overlord Musharraf, Jamali portrays an image of being one of the few moderate Baloch politician left on this planet who is sensible enough to propose peaceful dialogue between the military regime and the “warring” Baloch chieftains to resolve the crisis in Pakistani-occupied Balochistan. To gain personal political leverage and longevity, Jamali has definitely harmed the Baloch freedom struggle and tarnished the image of Baloch Nationalist leadership who are fighting the “Baloch War of Independence” to liberate Balochistan. Jamali’s stance as pro military, pro government, and pro Punjab Raj have given more ammunition to the Pakistani propaganda machinery to launch vicious media campaigns against the Baloch nation and its leadership.

Now, Jamali has pulled yet another trick out of his hat like a magician by proposing that the province of Punjab should be divided into three provinces – Siraiki, Pothohar, and Central Punjab provinces. He reasoned that this division would ensure a balanced government system in the country, which is a must for the success of the federation (and its occupation of Balochistan). But, the true intent of this strategy is to give the “impression” to the oppressed minorities in Pakistan that it is not the Punjabi Raj that rules the country, but the Sirakis, Pothoharis, Centralians, etc. are jointly ruling Pakistan and its occupied territories.

Dividing Punjab as proposed by Jamali is just an illusion to confuse the minorities – the Baloch, Pashtuns and Sindhis. A similar illusion was imposed on the minorities once before in 1955 by converting all the provinces and occupied territories of West Pakistan into a One-Unit scheme. Nothing ever good came out it for the minorities. But, the Punjabis were allowed free access to buy properties, start businesses, register as voters, and take up employment in occupied Balochistan, Pakhtunkhaw (officially known as the Northwest Frontier Province), and Sindh. No matter what Jamali propose to do with Punjab, the reality is that the Punjabi Raj rules Pakistan and its occupied territories through brute force of its Punjabi-dominated armed forces.

The Baloch nation has tolerated Jamali’s political antics for years out of respect for his ethnic roots being from a notable Baloch tribe. But now, especially during this critical juncture in Baloch history, this man has proven his loyalty to the same Pakistani military regime and its leader General Musharraf that are killing innocent, non-combatant Baloch men, women, and children. Furthermore, Jamali is least concerned about the plight of Baloch Refugees who are in dire straights and need help.

Dawn newspaper’s reporter, Bahzad Alam Khan, asked Jamali about the thousands of Baloch Refugees from the Bugti tribe who were languishing in the Naseerabad and Jafarabad areas, a stronghold of the Jamali tribe. His response was, “Bugti DBs (displaced people) are a problem for us. You see, they are not accustomed to living in peace and harmony. In the past, they lived by plunder and loot. Such offences obviously did not add to their popularity among the people of neighboring cities who were their victims. But, the government seems to be determined to change the demographic complexion of Dera Bugti.”

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch, general secretary of the newly formed Government of Balochistan (GOB) in Exile was furious when he read the statement of Jamali in Thursday’s Dawn newspaper. Baloch retorted, “Has Zafarullah stooped so low in front of his Punjabi masters that he can’t even see the sufferings of another human being, let alone that they are from his own race? Has this man lost his mind to be so insensitive towards this humanitarian tragedy which is unfolding in his front yard while he is concerned about ‘living in peace and harmony’?”

Baloch said, “The Baloch nation has tolerated this man for too long. Zafarullah doesn’t deserve to be called a Jamali nor a Baloch. He has shamed the whole Baloch nation by his actions to discredit the Baloch freedom struggle, his callousness towards the Baloch Refugees, and his loyalty to the ‘Butchers of the Baloch’: the Punjabi Raj and its armed forces.”

He added, “A man like Zafarullah is a prime example of a Baloch Loyalist. These people have sold their soul, their family, their future generations, and their nation for monetary and political gains. They protect their personal interest at the expense of the people they are supposed to lead. Loyalists are enemies and traitors of the Baloch nation, and I declare Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali a loyal servant of the Punjabi Raj, the invaders of Balochistan and oppressors of the Baloch people.”

>>To read a Dossier on Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, please click here<<

Baloch News Bureau Report

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

Baloch refugees need immediate humanitarian help!

2006-07-14T04:32:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE:

KALAT, Balochistan – Today, the Government of Balochistan (GOB) in Exile has sent letters of appeal to various humanitarian organizations around the world to help the Baloch Refugees in Pakistani-occupied Balochistan. Mir Azaad Khan Baloch requests the readers of this blog to become proactive and contact any organizations, political groups, government departments, etc. that they perceive will assist the displaced Baloch people.

The following letter was sent out to the list of organizations that are listed below:

SUBJECT: Baloch Refugees Need Immediate Humanitarian Help!

Dear Sir or Madam,
This is an urgent appeal for immediate humanitarian help required for the Baloch Refugees of Pakistani-occupied Balochistan where the Pakistani military regime is presently conducting "Ethnic Cleansing".
The military dictator, General Pervez Musharraf ordered a military operation in Balochistan in December 2005. Since then, the Pakistani fighter jets, gunship helicopters, heavy artillery, and over 60,000 troops have relentlessly attacked the ethnic Baloch civilians. Over 10,000 casualties were reported to be caused by direct military action and military blockade imposed by the Pakistani forces on Baloch areas. Majority of these deaths were caused by starvation, thirst, and non-availability of medical assistance.
More than 300,000 Baloch are forced out of their homes in occupied Balochistan. These Baloch Refugees are now scattered in neighboring territories of Pakistan. They are living under extremely harsh conditions, and they are in dire need of assistance. Unfortunately, the Pakistani regime has imposed restrictions on all Pakistani humanitarian organization to offer any help to the Baloch Refugees.To get an idea of the plight of the Baloch Refugees, please read the article, "When pride stands in the way of tears" by Bahzad Alam Khan, published in the prestigious English daily newspaper of Pakistan, the Dawn, and also on our Blog.
The Government of Balochistan (GOB) in Exile pleads to your esteemed organization to urgently investigate this humanitarian crisis in Pakistani-occupied Balochistan, and make immediate arrangements to send emergency aid to help the Baloch Refugees. We need to setup refugee camps for the displaced Baloch nationals. We must establish field hospitals to treat the sick and injured civilians, and offer makeshift schools for the Baloch children.

Friends of GOB (Exile) who have visited various areas in Balochistan have identified and recommended the following locations for these refugee camps:
Kashmore-Jacobabad-Sibi areas
Rakhni-Barkhan-Fort Munro areas
Quetta city
Each camp must have access to off-road vehicles, ambulances, landmine clearing vehicles, and rescue helicopters to reach the displaced Baloch nationals. The camps must be equipped with medicine, tents, clothing, blankets, water, foodstuff, milk powder, veterinary medicine, food for animals, and etcetera to sustain the Baloch Refugees and save their livestock.
It is imperative that your organization understands that "Ethnic Cleansing" is taking place in occupied Balochistan by the Punjabi-dominated Pakistan government forces, and therefore, the Baloch Refugees do not trust anyone of Punjabi ethnicity who works for you. The refugees prefer to deal only with foreigners and ethnic Baloch, Pashtun and Sindhi nationals. Please be cognizant of this fact and avoid hiring Punjabis to assist the Baloch Refugees.
Your involvement to establish refugee camps will certainly minimize the sufferings of the affected Baloch Refugees. Furthermore, your presence in Balochistan will expose the atrocities being committed by the Pakistani military regime on the oppressed Baloch people. These camps will facilitate visits by international journalists so they can witness the suffering of the Baloch Refugees and investigate the ground realities in the conflict-ridden areas of occupied Balochistan.
Furthermore, GOB (Exile) can facilitate your operation in Pakistani-occupied Balochistan. We can appeal to all the ethnic Baloch people in the region to step forward and assist you to help their fellow Baloch nationals.
If you are in a position to forward this appeal to other humanitarian organizations, we would greatly appreciate your help. But, please take this urgent matter under serious consideration, and propose a plan of action at your earliest convenience.
Meanwhile, please feel free to contact us for any clarifications or details. We look forward to hearing from you soon. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

The above appeal was sent to:

UNHCR http://www.unhcr.org/
ReliefWeb http://www.reliefweb.int/
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) http://ochaonline.un.org/index.asp
Dubai Humanitarian City http://www.dhc.ae/
European Union Humanitarian Aid (ECHO) http://ec.europa.eu/echo/
Humanitarian Resource Institute http://www.humanitarian.net/
Journal of Humanitarian Assistance http://www.jha.ac/
US Aid http://www.usaid.gov/
Shelter Project http://www.shelterproject.org
Reuters AlertNet http://www.alertnet.org
Oxfam http://www.oxfamamerica.org/
Direct Relief International http://www.directrelief.org
Save The Children http://www.savethechildren.org
Catholic Relief Services http://www.crs.org
World Food Programme http://www.wfp.org/english/
UNICEF http://www.unicef.org
The Sphere Project http://www.sphereproject.org/
International Smile Power Foundation http://www.smilepower.org/index.html
Overseas Development Institute http://www.odi.org.uk
Air Service International http://www.airserv.org
AmeriCares http://www.americares.org/
InterAction http://www.interaction.org/
Aid Convoy http://www.aidconvoy.net
Focus Humanitarian Assistance http://www.akdn.org/focus/
Agha Khan Development Network http://www.akdn.org
Care http://www.care.org/
Goal http://www.goal.ie
Hope Worldwide http://www.hopeww.org
ICRC Red Cross http://www.icrc.org/eng
MedAir http://www.medair.org/
Medecins Sans Frontieres http://www.msf.org/
Mercy Corps http://www.mercycorps.org/
Refugees International http://www.refugeesinternational.org/
Tear Fund http://www.tearfund.org/
World Relief http://www.worldrelief.org
World Vision http://www.worldvision.org
Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law http://www.wcl.american.edu/humright/center/
Relief International http://www.ri.org/
Ansar Burney Trust http://www.ansarburney.org/
UN Mine Action http://www.mineaction.org/
Alliance for Conflict Transformation http://www.conflicttransformation.org
Be the Cause http://www.bethecause.org/
The Option Institute http://www.option.org
Family Care Foundation http://www.familycare.org/
AusAID http://www.ausaid.gov.au/human/
Center of Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance http://coe-dmha.org
UN Humanitarian Appeal http://ochaonline.un.org/cap
Venro http://www.venro.org/
Disaster Emergency Committee http://www.dec.org.uk/
War on Want http://www.waronwant.org/
Global Empowerment http://www.globalempowerment.org/
Panos http://www.panos.org.uk/
Responding to Conflict http://www.respond.org/
European Center for Conflict Prevention http://www.conflict-prevention.net/
Food for the Hungry http://www.fh.org/
Internal Displacement Monitoring Center http://www.internal-displacement.org/
Human Rights Watch http://www.hrw.org/
Action Against Hunger http://www.aahuk.org/

Baloch News Bureau Report

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

When pride stands in the way of tears

2006-07-13T11:23:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE:

KALAT, Balochistan – The Dawn newspaper is considered one of the most conservative, prestigious, and pro-government English dailies in Pakistan. The newspaper’s readership encompasses much of Pakistan’s power elite – Pakistani politicians, military officers, bureaucrats, leading universities, academia, businessmen and chief executives of multinational companies.

The Dawn’s viewpoint carries weight; it provokes debate and influences the thoughts of many powerful individuals. The article, When pride stands in the way of tears by Dawn’s special correspondent Bahzad Alam Khan is reproduced below for our reader’s convenience:

When pride stands in the way of tears
Balochistan diaries: First of a series of reports

By BAHZAD ALAM KHAN (Dawn Special Correspondent)

DEH KHALIAN (District Jafarabad): Fifty-something Fateh Ali says he is too proud a Baloch to cry over the death of a child in public. Yet he struggles to hold back his tears as he recalls how his young daughter was killed when army helicopter gunships strafed the suburbs of Dera Bugti one chilly night last December in an operation that was ostensibly meant to target militants engaged in anti-state guerilla warfare.
“My girl had just had her evening meal when she was hit by shrapnel from one of the many bombs dropped by the army helicopters that hovered over our mud-brick huts near Haft Wali for hours that night. The troops who took part in the operation must have known full well that they were attacking a civilian settlement unable to return fire,” he says, clenching his fists in helpless anger. “I wish I had the means to take revenge.”
Ali now lives with hundred-odd Bugti tribesmen on desolate farmland irrigated by the Pat Feeder canal, lined with eucalyptus and acacia trees, in Jafarabad.
With womenfolk confined to an improvised thatched hut, the men, with long-barreled rifles slung over their shoulders, lazily take turns to graze whatever cattle they are left with.
“The army helicopters destroyed our standing wheat crops. They also destroyed the grain stored from last year’s crop. We fled the area in such haste that we left behind the bodies of our near and dear ones unburied. Our children are not going to school anymore and young, able-bodied members of our tribe, who were previously employed, are constantly harried by law-enforcement agencies,” says Ali Nawaz.
Showing remarkable courage in the face of adversity, these displaced tribesmen say they still look up to Nawab Akbar Bugti with unimpaired loyalty.
Asked how they would have felt if the Nawab had mended fences with the establishment through negotiations and they would not have been dislodged from their ancestral towns, they give incensed looks and a curt reply: “No, the Nawab is a fighter.”
“Like us, he is also suffering. And we will go back to Dera Bugti only when he returns to his house. We will win our war,” says Nawaz with the resolution of an armed warrior, although, by his own admission, his only worldly possession is a worn-out sheepskin water-container, known as the “khalli” in the vernacular.
It is unclear how many Bugti displaced people (DPs) actually poured into neighbouring cities and towns following the outbreak of hostilities between the warring tribesmen and the law-enforcement agencies in the early summer of last year.
The Dera Bugti Nazim, Kazim Bugti, puts the number of DPs at over a hundred thousand. His assertions about the involvement of army helicopters in Dera Bugti military operations lend credence to the claims of the DPs. The accusation is stoutly denied by the government, however.
The vice-president of the Jamhori Watan Party, Rafiq Ahmed Khoso, says that not only were sophisticated weapons used against largely unprotected civilian settlements but relief workers were also turned away. “I visited many camps of DPs in Nasirabad, Jafarabad, Kashmore and other neighbouring towns. And I was told that Edhi relief volunteers were asked either to leave or operate among DPs without government security.”
However, a spokesman for the Edhi Foundation says that a four-member team visited camps of DPs in Jafarabad, Nasirabad and Dera Murad Jamali about two months back and returned only when Dera Bugti’s top bureaucracy chief, Abdul Samad Lasi, told them that they would be called when needed. “Mr Lasi assured us that the government would do all it could to help the DPs,” says the spokesman.
“You can ask anybody here whether he has received government assistance or not. Their answer will be a big ‘no’,” says Mr Khoso, pointing to the Bugti tribesmen in Deh Khalian. They nod in agreement. But just as the government is rattled about the flight of warlike Bugtis into other areas, people of neighbouring towns and cities view their influx with ill-concealed unease. According to former prime minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, whose constituency (NA-266) is currently playing host to thousands of DPs, Bugti tribesmen can hardly be expected to be greeted with open arms in Nasirabad and Jafarabad, strongholds of the Jamali tribe.
“Bugti DPs are a problem for us. You see, they are not accustomed to living in peace and harmony. In the past, they lived by plunder and loot. Such offences obviously did not add to their popularity among the people of neighbouring cities who were their victims. But the government seems to be determined to change the demographic complexion of Dera Bugti,” says Mr Jamali alluding to the recent migration of Kalpar and Masouri who were in the bad books of Nawab Akbar Bugti.
It is widely believed that the Kalpars and Masouris returned to their ancestral towns in Dera Bugti only when they were guaranteed continued state protection and a steady supply of funds, weapons and food.
“This is nothing but a rumour,” says Mohammad Kalpar (named changed on request) in Dera Murad Jamali.
“Of course we need protection in an area dominated for long by our enemies. But one thing gives me sleepless nights. I know that sooner or later the government will strike a deal with the Nawab, who has not been killed by troops despite the fact that they know very well where he is in the mountains. And when that happens, the Nawab will persecute us with a vengeance.
“We have been betrayed by the government at least twice in the past. How do we know that we won’t be betrayed again?” he asks.

Baloch News Bureau Report

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogsport.com/

Government of Balochistan (in Exile) sends condolences to India’s Prime Minister, and condemns Pakistan for the terrorist attacks

2006-07-12T06:03:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE:

KALAT, Balochistan – General Secretary of the newly formed Government of Balochistan (GOB) in Exile, Mir Azaad Khan Baloch, on Tuesday sent his condolences to India’s Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh over the devastation wrought by terrorist attacks in Mumbai.

GOB (Exile) condemned the Pakistani spy agency, Inter-services Intelligence (ISI) for the terrorist attacks in India, an ally of Balochistan in its “Baloch War of Independence”. Baloch offered to cooperate with the Indian authorities to capture the suspected terrorists.

Seven bombs hit Mumbai's commuter rail network during rush hour Tuesday evening, killing at least 147 people and wounding more than 400 in what authorities called a well-coordinated terrorist attack.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility in the bombings, which came in quick succession – a common tactic employed by Pakistani supported Kashmiri militants. The blasts came hours after a series of grenade attacks by Islamic extremists killed eight people in the main city of India's part of Kashmir.

Pakistan, India's rival over the disputed territory of Kashmir, is the prime suspect. The Pakistani military dictator, General Pervez Musharraf has openly expressed his displeasure with India over recent developments in the region.

The current rift between the two nuclear-armed foes started when Indian officials used diplomatic channels to condemn Pakistan over its use of armed forces to suppress the ethnic Baloch in Pakistani-occupied Balochistan. Pakistani military regime retaliated, and soon the Pakistani-supported Taliban terrorists murdered an Indian expatriate working in Afghanistan.

During President George Bush’s recent visit to India, the Americans favored India over Pakistan in a nuclear deal that would circumvent nuclear non-proliferation restrictions to allow India to advance its nuclear technology for civilian projects. Furthermore, Afghan authorities are negotiating with their Indian counterparts to send Indian commandos into Afghanistan to assist the Afghan government forces. This development has irked the Pakistani military regime that feels threatened to be encircled by Indian forces on both sides of its borders.

Pakistan's motive for committing this crime against humanity is evident – to destablize India.

The following message was sent to India’s Prime Minister:

MESSAGE OF CONDOLENCE:

To:

Prime Minister
Dr. Manmohan Singh
New Delhi, India

Dear Prime Minister:

The Government of Balochistan (In Exile) and the Baloch people extend our heartfelt condolences and sympathies to your Excellency, to the people of India, and the bereaved families at this hour of national grief. We are confident that your Government and the people of India will bear this tragedy with fortitude.

Our prayers are with the bereaved families and all those affected by the disaster.

We condemn any terrorist attacks on India, and would like to offer assistance to the Government of India to apprehend the suspected terrorists.

Sincerely yours,

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

URGENT PLEA: Humanitarian crisis in Pakistani occupied Balochistan

2006-07-09T10:00:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE:

KALAT, Balochistan – The Punjabi Raj and its military wing, the Pakistani armed forces, have embarked on “ethnic cleansing” of the Baloch nationals in occupied Balochistan. More than 300,000 Baloch are now displaced, and they are living as refugees under harsh conditions in neighboring territories of Pakhtunkhaw (officially known as the Northwest Frontier Province), Punjab, and Sindh.

Government of Balochistan (GOB) in Exile and its council members appeal to the global community and to the readers of this Blog to write to humanitarian organizations about the plight of the “Baloch Refugees”. These refugees are living in extreme hardship, and they are in dire need of assistance at this critical juncture.

The humanitarian organizations must setup refugee camps for the displaced Baloch nationals. They should establish field hospitals to treat the sick and injured civilians, and offer makeshift schools for the Baloch children. Friends and visitors who have visited various areas in Balochistan have identified and suggested the following locations for these refugee camps:

Kashmore-Jacobabad-Sibi area
Rakhni-Barkhan-Fort Munro areas
Quetta city

Each camp must have access to off-road vehicles, ambulances, landmine clearing vehicles, and rescue helicopters to reach the displaced Baloch nationals. The camps must be equipped with medicine, tents, clothing, blankets, water, foodstuff, milk powder, veterinary medicine, and etcetera to sustain the refugee and their livestock.

It is imperative that these humanitarian organizations are informed that “ethnic cleansing” is taking place in occupied Balochistan by the Punjabi Raj, and therefore, the Baloch Refugees do not trust anyone of Punjabi ethnicity who works for them. The refugees prefer to deal only with foreigners and ethnic Baloch, Pashtun and Sindhi nationals. All hiring by these organizations must be cognizant of this fact and avoid hiring Punjabis to assist the Baloch Refugees.

Involvement of humanitarian organizations to establish refugee camps will certainly minimize the sufferings of the affected Baloch Refugees. Furthermore, their presence in Balochistan will expose the atrocities being committed by the Punjabi Raj on the oppressed Baloch people. These camps will facilitate visits by international journalists so they can witness the suffering of the Baloch Refugees and investigate the ground realities in the conflict-ridden areas of occupied Balochistan.

Baloch News Bureau Report

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogsport.com/

Final verdict of the Baloch people: FREEDOM FOREVER !

2006-07-09T07:28:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE:

Last days of the Punjabi dominated Pakistani federation: Mengal

KALAT, Balochistan – The Baloch Nationalist leader, Sardar Attaullah Mengal said that the crisis in Balochistan has finally reached the point of no return, and the Baloch people do not want to be allied with the Punjabi-dominated Pakistani federation anymore. He assured that the Balochi people would emerge victorious in this battle.

Mengal said that since the invasion of Balochistan by the Pakistani armed forces in 1948, the Baloch nation revolted five times; but the current crisis has crossed all previous conflicts and it has had the most profound effect on the entire Baloch population. He clarified that both the adversaries, the Baloch nation and the Punjabi Raj, have finally reached the point of no return and that there is not even a slight chance of any hope for a resolution.

He said, “Thousands of Balochis are sacrificing their precious lives for the defense of their homeland and culture pitted against an incomprehensible and powerful adversary, the government of Pakistan. But, I’m sure that the Baloch people will emerge victorious in this battle against the might of the enemy.”

Mengal added that the Pakistani occupation force has created a sense of hatred among the Baloch people for the military regime as well as the existence of Pakistan as a country. According to him, Balochistan and Pakistan will never be able to coexist again.

He pointed out that every government imposed on Pakistan by the Punjabi Raj since the partition of India has practiced fascism by oppressing ethnic minorities, especially the Baloch people. He added that the government’s intelligence agencies have been given unlimited powers in Pakistani-occupied Balochistan to kidnap, torture, terrorize and murder Baloch activist. According to Mengal, these ‘agencies’ are worst than the ‘imperial agencies’ as they are not even answerable to the court of law or God himself. He said that as a result, thousands of Baloch nationals in the occupied Balochistan have been abducted, tortured, terrorized and murdered by these ‘agencies’ that operate with complete impunity. He compared the present atrocities committed by the Punjabi Raj to the British Raj and said that it is worse today, and a close comparison would reveal that in the days of the British Raj, freedom of expression was permitted; but now things have deteriorated as far back as to the days of serfdom.

He was critical of the common practice by the Pakistani government for blaming the crisis in occupied Balochistan on ‘Foreign Hands’. Mengal retorted, “It is very easy to levy an allegation. Even I can allege that General Musharraf is a foreign agent, and I also reserve the right to be considered one as well. If foreign hands are involved, then why has Pakistan not lodged a strong protest against that country or elements? These are all baseless allegations concocted by the ‘agencies’.”

Mengal assured that there are no more solutions left to resolve the crisis in occupied Balochistan as the present conditions have deteriorated beyond anyone’s control; and the Baloch people have instinctively sensed the worsening of the crisis. He pointed out that the Baloch nation is now expressing their extreme hatred towards the Punjabi Raj, and they do not wish to be allied with the so-called Pakistani federation.

He said that even the best available democratic government in Pakistan has failed to deliver justice to the Baloch masses, and unless the Baloch people’s faith in the Punjabi Raj is restored, there would never be a compromise. He stated that it is only a matter of time before a verdict is reached whether the Baloch will accept Punjabi Raj or not; and it will happen regardless of this verdicts acceptance or rejection by the Pakistani government.

Mengal added that although the Pakistani federation survived after losing Bangladesh, it would crumble like a sand house if it looses one more territory. He said that although Punjabi Raj’s domination persisted since the creation of Pakistan, the only difference today is that this dominance is being perpetuated through the use of extreme and oppressive force.

“General Pervez Musharraf and his ‘agencies’ are responsible for hammering the final nail into the coffin of the so-called Pakistani federation,” said Mengal.

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch, general secretary of the newly formed Government of Balochistan (GOB) in Exile stepped forward and openly declared that the final verdict of the Baloch people is to be a free nation. He emphasized that the illegal occupation of Balochistan by the Punjabi Raj and its Pakistani federation must cease, and there should be no reason for the Baloch nation to continue wearing the chains of slavery. He assured that today the Baloch nation has risen and they demand their freedom, either through negotiations or warfare.

Baloch demanded that the United Nations must get involved immediately to finalize the liberation of Balochistan and end the “Baloch Holocaust”. He said that the Pakistani military regime has prepared plans to conduct large-scale genocide of the Baloch people. He pointed out that the Punjabi Raj has a history of crimes against humanity: in 1947, they killed over 600,000 Hindus and Sikhs, in 1971, they massacred over 3 million Bengalis; from 1973 to 1976, they butchered over 30,000 Baloch nationals; and now they have already killed more than 10,000 Baloch tribesmen either through direct military action or through starvation, thirst and denial of medical assistance to non-combatant, innocent Baloch men, women and children.

Baloch wants to shake the global community into action by emphasizing that the Punjabi Raj is committing crimes against humanity in Pakistani-occupied Balochistan and it must be stopped immediately. He said that the “Baloch Holocaust” is in progress, and the world must intervene to stop the Punjabi Raj from killing innocent men, women and children.

Baloch News Bureau Report

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogsport.com/

Baloch, Pashtun and Sindhi tribes must unite to end Punjabi hegemony and oppression

2006-07-09T03:13:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE:

KALAT, Balochistan – One has to be blind, deaf or mentally challenged to ignore the fact that the miseries inflicted upon the ethnic Baloch, Pashtun, and Sindhi races in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is caused by a single race – the Punjabi Muslim. Since the partition of India in 1947, the fascist “Punjabi Raj” has systematically oppressed the minorities in Pakistan. The laws of the country are designed in such a way that it favors the Pakistani province of Punjab and its people at the expense of the minorities from other areas. Prior to 1971, this Punjabi centric policy even alienated the Bengalis of Bangladesh (former East Pakistan) who eventually seceded from Pakistan (West Pakistan).

To strengthen their hold on oppressed minorities, the Punjabis have turned the Pakistani armed forces into a country club for the Punjabi people and the loyalist minorities. However, it is rare to find any Balochi or Sindhi serving in the Pakistani military, but it is common to find a few loyalist Pashtuns from Pakhtunkhaw (officially known as the Northwest Frontier Province) serving the Punjabi Raj to illegally colonize parts of Afghanistan (Pakhtunkhaw and Northern Balochistan), Balochistan, Northern Areas (including Kashmir), and Sindh. In order to control any revolt by the minority races, the Punjabi Raj has convinced the minorities (predominantly Muslims) that the Punjabi people are their Muslim brethrens. In fact, the Punjabi Raj repeated the same rhetoric to the Muslims of Bangladesh before the Punjabi armed forces killed over 3 million Bengalis and raped more than 250,000 of their womenfolk.

It is a historical fact that the Baloch, Pashtuns, and Sindhis have coexisted with each other for centuries. They learned how to coupe and overcome any challenges, and were able to rule the region together in harmony. But, ever since the Punjabi Raj took control of the area, they have oppressed the minorities, and meddled into the internal affairs of Afghanistan and India resulting in chaos.

To further strengthen their grip on the region, the Punjabi Raj has developed a modern armed force, equipped its forces with nuclear arsenal, and aligned itself with Islamic terrorists. It destabilized Afghanistan to the brink of total annihilation, and engaged the Indian army in a perpetual Islamic insurgency in Kashmir. At the same time, the conniving Punjabi Raj was successful in convincing the western nations that Pakistan is an ally in the ‘War on Terror’, though it is now clearly evident that the Punjabi Raj is the real terror.

Government of Balochistan (GOB) in Exile extends an invitation to the Pashtun and Sindhi tribes to join the Baloch freedom struggle to liberate not only Balochistan, but also free Pakhtunkhaw and Sindh from the occupation of the Punjabi Raj. For the last 59 years, the behavior of the Punjabi Raj towards the minorities is a clear indication that the Punjabi race is the enemy of the Baloch, Pashtun and Sindhi races.

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch, general secretary of the newly formed GOB (Exile) announced today that the time has come for all the minority ethnic races in Punjabi-controlled Pakistan, especially the Baloch, the Pashtuns and the Sindhis, to unite and end the Punjabi hegemony in the region and cease their oppression of the minorities. He emphasized that the common enemy of Afghanistan, Balochistan, India, Pakhtunkhaw and Sindh is the Punjabi-controlled Pakistan. Therefore, he encouraged India and Afghanistan to financially, morally and militarily support the freedom struggle of the Baloch, Pashtuns and the Sindhis to end the Punjabi Raj.

Baloch News Bureau Report

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogsport.com/

Balochistan: Polarization of Nationalist and Loyalist Baloch

2006-07-09T00:37:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE:

KALAT, Balochistan – On June 6th, 2006, during a political speech at Meezaan Chowk in Quetta, Mehmood Khan Achakzai, an ethnic Pashtun politician, called upon the Baloch people and said, “Any Baloch who does not support His Greatnesses Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti Sahib and Nawab Khair Buksh Marri Sahib – especially during the present crisis in Balochistan – is a ‘Bay Ghairat’ (one without any honor).”

The Pakistani military dictatorship of General Pervez Musharraf has systematically used the names of Baloch (those who are loyal to the occupying forces) in their media assault on the Baloch nation. These loyalists appear out of nowhere and start making ridiculous statements against the “Baloch War of Independence”, Baloch freedom fighters, and Baloch nationalist leaders. However, there are also notable “Baloch Loyalists” such as Jam Mohammad Yousaf, Zubaida Jalal and many more who continue to batter the Baloch struggle for freedom.

The ongoing “Baloch War of Independence” is a very important moment in the history of Balochistan. This is an event that has drawn a clear-cut line between those who support the sovereignty of Balochistan as a country, and those who want the Baloch nation to continue to live as slaves of the occupying forces of Iran and Pakistan. In other words, this division is between “Baloch Nationalist” and “Baloch Loyalist”.

A Baloch Nationalist is someone who opposes the illegal occupation of Balochistan by Iran and Pakistan. He wants to liberate the Baloch nation, and end the slavery of the Baloch people by the occupying forces. He desires freedom and equality of the Baloch people, and total autonomy and self-determination of Balochistan. He is a Baloch Freedom Fighter, and he struggles for self-determination through dialogue, and if that fails, he will engage in warfare. But, he will never succumb to intimidation by the occupying forces; he would rather die than join the occupying forces in their oppression of the Baloch people.

A Baloch Loyalist is someone who has sold his soul to the devil. A Loyalist will support the occupation forces to continue colonizing Balochistan, usurp its resources, and prolong its draconian rules to oppress the Baloch people. The Loyalist will do everything in their power to sabotage the freedom struggle by the Baloch nation to liberate Balochistan. For spilling the blood of the Baloch Nationalist, the Baloch Loyalist reaps financial and political rewards from the occupying forces.

There are numerous Baloch parliamentarians who are still serving in the rubber-stamp government concocted by the Pakistani military regime. These Baloch leaders are hopeful that dialogue and negotiations may solve the grievances of the Baloch people. But, the “Baloch War of Independence” and the massacre of the Baloch people by the occupying forces should clarify any misunderstanding in these parliamentarians’ mind – the Baloch are an oppressed nation.

It is time for the Baloch parliamentarians to reassess their failed strategy and make the necessary changes to coupe with the ground realities. The Baloch nation wants to hear from their leaders whether they are Nationalists or Loyalists. As far as Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, Nawab Khair Buksh Marri and Sardar Ataullah Mengal along with some of their family members are concerned, they have already taken a crystal clear position. These brave men have committed to being declared Baloch Nationalists, and they are prepared to face any consequences for their conviction in liberating Balochistan.

Because of persecution under treason charges by the occupation forces, many Baloch leaders are waiting for the opportune time to make such an announcement. Mir Azaad Khan Baloch, general secretary of the newly formed Government of Balochistan (GOB) in Exile said, “As long as these Baloch leaders do not openly defame or allow the occupation government spokesmen to issue derogatory press statements in their presence or from their residences against the Baloch resistance, we will still honor them as Baloch Nationalists. But, if they show any signs of loyalty to the occupying forces, then they will definitely be labeled as Baloch Loyalists (or traitors); and we will treat traitors in the same manner as they are treated all over the world.”

GOB (Exile) announced today that it is time for the entire Baloch community to purge Balochistan by identifying the Baloch Loyalists. GOB (Exile) is compiling a list and would like the Baloch people to email names of known Baloch Loyalists to:

GovernmentOfBalochistan@hushmail.com

Baloch News Bureau Report

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

Too much for one man to do

2006-07-07T20:47:00.001+03:00

PRESS RELEASE:

KALAT, Balochistan – James Astill is the Defence and Terrorism Correspondent for The Economist, a prestigious English weekly magazine. During a discussion, Astill said, “It’s fair to say that General Musharraf has turned Pakistan round to a degree on its India diplomacy. He’s brought the official line [on Kashmir] far closer to India’s then had previously been the case...However, close though this may now seem to peace, the hurdles to peace are still very significant and greatest of these is that India is still extremely suspicious of General Musharraf and of his proposals.”

>>Click here if you want to listen to this discussion<<

The article, Too much for one man to do by James Astill is reproduced below for our reader’s convenience:

Too much for one man to do
Pakistan needs more democracy to make it a less dangerous place
By JAMES ASTILL (The Economist)
THINK about Pakistan, and you might get terrified. Few countries have so much potential to cause trouble, regionally and worldwide. One-third of its 165m people live in poverty, and only half of them are literate. The country's politics yo-yo between weak civilian governments and unrepresentative military ones—the sort currently on offer under Pervez Musharraf, the president and army chief, albeit with some democratic wallpapering. The state is weak. Islamabad and the better bits of Karachi and Lahore are orderly and, for the moment, booming. Most of the rest is a mess. In the western province of Baluchistan, which takes up almost half of Pakistan's land mass, an insurgency is simmering. In the never-tamed tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, the army is waging war against Islamic fanatics.
Nor is that all. Pakistan has nuclear weapons, and until recently was selling their secrets to North Korea, Iran, Libya and maybe others. During its most recent big stand-off with India, in 2002, Pakistan gave warning that, if attacked, it might nuke its neighbour. Mostly, however, in Kashmir, Afghanistan and its own unruly cities, Pakistan has used, and perhaps still uses, Islamist militants to fight its wars—including the confused lot it is fighting, at America's request, in the tribal areas. Several thousand armed extremists are swilling around the country. Thousands more youths are being prepared for holy war at radical Islamic schools. Osama bin Laden is widely believed to be in Pakistan.
When General Musharraf launched his coup in 1999, it was not—or not principally—to clean up this mess. Instead, he wanted to save his career, having been sacked as army chief by Nawaz Sharif, then the prime minister. Mr Sharif had tried to subordinate the army—which in Pakistan is a parallel state, some say the only state—to civilian rule. But however unpromising his start, General Musharraf has generally proved much better at running the country than either Mr Sharif or Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan's other elected leader in recent times. He also remains more popular than either of them, though his support has recently been slipping.

General Musharraf's shopping list
General Musharraf inherited an economy in crisis. Shackled by sanctions and parched of capital, Pakistan had defaulted on foreign debts. He ensured that the country did what the IMF told it to do, and ended the crisis. Thanks partly to continued fiscal prudence and some sensible reforms, Pakistan has notched up average growth of 7% over the past three years, about the same as India.
It also helped that after the attacks on America on September 11th 2001, General Musharraf decided to stop supporting the Taliban government in next-door Afghanistan and grant America access to airbases from which to fight it. The benefits have not been confined to a surge of American aid dollars that boosted the growth figures. Having joined the “war on terror”, the general reined in Islamist militants fighting India in the disputed Kashmir region. He then surprised many by throwing himself into peacemaking with India. Peace on the subcontinent is still hard to imagine, but it may be more possible than at any time since British India's bloody partition.
This is encouraging. But a bigger concern for most Pakistanis is the state of their broken and predatory institutions, which have helped to make Pakistan unstable and prone to extremism. General Musharraf pledged to fix them, and to promote liberal values, or “enlightened moderation”. If he were to make serious progress towards either of those goals, history would smile on his coup.
But this survey will argue that General Musharraf is unlikely to deliver on these crucial promises. He has introduced many sensible reforms, such as making the lowest level of the judiciary independent. But they have almost all been implemented only partially and corruptly. Part of the problem is that General Musharraf does not rule Pakistan by fiat, though he often seems to think otherwise. He rules behind a façade of democracy. Thus, for example, he has rewritten the constitution in his favour, allowing him to sack the government and impose martial law; but he needed political allies to vote through those changes. Such alliances have led to paralysing compromise.
To sideline the mainstream parties, whose leaders he fears, General Musharraf has sought support from religious conservatives, so his liberal reforms have gone nowhere. With the same intent, he pandered to Taliban-friendly Islamic parties, helping them win unprecedented power. Moreover, General Musharraf has clung on to his job by the same undemocratic measures as his predecessors: by manipulating the institutions he had vowed to clean up. Only, unlike any civilian leader, he has the army behind him, which means he can do that much more damage. Whereas Mr Sharif and Ms Bhutto packed the supreme court with their supporters, General Musharraf sacked half its judges for refusing to swear allegiance to him.
Pakistan is too big, too fractious and too complicated to be ruled so overwhelmingly by one man. General Musharraf has been lucky to survive three assassination attempts, and his succession is unclear. He has, moreover, limited time at his disposal to get to grips with an unlimited number of problems. His period in office has been littered with initiatives—a diplomatic proposal to India here, a promise to reduce the army there—that never got off the ground or fizzled to nothing for want of the general's attention.
And even if he had unlimited time, he has limited understanding. In army fashion, he considers Pakistan's problems to be mostly practical. But they are invariably political. To deal with a mounting water crisis, for example, General Musharraf has decreed that three long-stalled dams will be built in Punjab and North-West Frontier Province. In Sindh province, the lower riparian, this has caused uproar. Sindhis say their water supply will be diminished by the dams; General Musharraf says it will not. He has no patience for the Sindhis' distrust of the Pakistani state. They complain, with good reason, that it is dominated by Punjab, Pakistan's most populous province, where most of the army is raised. Sindhis make up about a quarter of Pakistan's population, but hold only a couple of the top 50 jobs in the water ministry. If General Musharraf wants the dams built, he should start by increasing that number.
Pakistan is torn by such grievances. Where people feel unprotected by their government, regional strife and Islamic militancy have bred. The longer they are allowed to fester, the more unstable Pakistan will become. Neither General Musharraf nor his obvious rivals for the leadership, Ms Bhutto and Mr Sharif, could heal these rifts. But then Pakistan does not need a saviour to become stable and well. It needs a sustainable political system, representing the majority of its people. General Musharraf has had some successes. But by sabotaging Pakistan's fragile democracy, he may well have made the country even more dangerous.

Baloch News Bureau Report

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

The trouble with Pakistan

2006-07-07T20:09:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE:

KALAT, Balochistan – The Economist is considered one of the most prestigious news magazine in the world. Although it is a British weekly, but more than 60% of its subscribers live in the United States. The magazine’s readership encompasses much of the U.S. power elite – US Senate, think tanks, leading universities, academia, and chief executives of Fortune 500 companies.

The Economist’s viewpoint carries weight; it provokes debate and influences the thoughts of many powerful individuals. The article, The trouble with Pakistan by the editors of The Economist is reproduced below for our reader’s convenience:

The trouble with Pakistan
A country that everyone should worry about
TERRORISM has many sources and claimed justifications, but if it can be said to have a centre, it lies in the training camps, madrassas and battlefields of northern Pakistan and south-eastern Afghanistan. There the Taliban and their ally, al-Qaeda, were both formed. From there, in hellish diaspora, jihadis have fanned out across the globe. Add to that Afghanistan's lawlessness and ability to produce vast amounts of opium, not to mention Pakistan's wretched history of venal democrats and clumsy dictators, and its lamentable record on nuclear proliferation, and it is clear why what happens in those two places is of huge importance to the rest of the world. From neither place is there much good news.
The West has invested a huge amount in Pakistan's General Pervez Musharraf, who seized power in October 1999. This newspaper was prepared to give him a chance on condition that he acted swiftly and firmly to rein in extremism and sort out the economy, and then returned to barracks. He failed to do any of that. After September 11th 2001, however, he was recast as a provider of relative stability in a dangerous neighbourhood, and an essential ally in the “war on terror”. Money was showered upon him; he was feted in Washington, DC, and London. Only gradually has it started to dawn on his admirers that, in the past five years, he has not done very much to make Pakistan a less dangerous place.

A destroyer of democracy
True, the economy has improved quite a bit since 2001—and not just because of all that donor money. But promises, made even before September 11th, to bring the country's most radical madrassas under control have not been kept. The training camps that Pakistan's powerful Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency has long tolerated because of their usefulness against India and in Afghanistan still exist, though they have been told not to mount any operations for now. The most dangerous outfits, such as Lashkar-e-Toiba (the Army of the Pure), have been banned, only to reappear under new guises. Not until 2004 and under the most intense American pressure did Pakistan arrest Abdul Qadeer Khan, the scientist who had cheerfully sold nuclear secrets to anyone prepared to pay.
But perhaps the most damning criticism of General Musharraf is that he continues to do grave damage to the long-term political health of Pakistan (see our survey). In his seven long years in office, he has insinuated the army into every nook and cranny of Pakistani public life, weakening institutions that were feeble already, emasculating its political parties and reducing parliament to a squabbling irrelevance. He has sacked judges when it suited him, created and dismembered parties at his own convenience, rigged a referendum on his presidency and used Pakistan's constitution to write his own job description. None of this bodes well for a post-Musharraf future—which could arrive at any moment given the enthusiasm of his enemies for trying to kill him.
Like a previous “caretaker” dictator, General Zia ul-Haq, who held power for 11 years before being killed, General Musharraf has been unable to resist the temptation to play politics with Islam, even if, unlike Zia, he has also had some success at purging fundamentalists from the top ranks of the army. He has forged a disparate group of Islamic political parties into a block that has helped him outmanoeuvre the democratic opposition; these Islamists are pushing hard for the extension of sharia law.

And then there's Afghanistan
It would not be fair to blame Pakistan for everything that is going wrong in Afghanistan. The government of Hamid Karzai is weak and corrupt; because of the West's continued failure to live up to its promises, much of the country, outside the big cities, is in the grip of bandits and warlords. But Pakistan's contribution to Afghanistan's chronic insecurity should not be underestimated. Both the Taliban and the remnants of al-Qaeda are able to take refuge on Pakistani soil, which makes the job of the soldiers from Western countries who have been struggling to eliminate them for the past five years much more difficult. The Taliban, after all, were in part a creation of Pakistan's ISI, which saw in them a way to establish a friendly state on their western flank, a vital strategic consideration for an organisation that sees itself as locked in perpetual conflict with India to its east.
General Musharraf, by contrast, contends he is doing all he can to root out Taliban fighters from their sanctuaries in the tribal areas, and Pakistan has lost more than 600 soldiers fighting there. Even so, say the critics, it could try much harder, especially given the size of its army. And as for al-Qaeda, none of General Musharraf's protestations can hide the fact that Osama bin Laden is generally reckoned to be holed up on Pakistani soil. Lesser terrorists such as Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the planner of the September 11th attacks, have been caught and handed over by the general, but Mr bin Laden goes on evading capture.
The danger is that Afghanistan may now, thanks to Pakistani meddling and Western neglect, gradually revert to what it was before September 2001: a state partly captured by the most dangerous Islamists. Belatedly waking up to this threat (see article), Britain is leading NATO into risky action in Afghanistan's southern provinces, a swathe of territory where the Kabul government's writ is ignored and where a record-breaking crop of poppies was recently harvested. With a remit that has been altered to war-fighting at short notice, inadequate numbers and an apparent lack of enough helicopters and armoured support, these soldiers are taking politically painful casualties. There is a risk that the will of the politicians back home to go on fighting will swiftly fade.
An unstable, nuclear-armed Pakistan, intertwined with a chaotic and Taliban-dominated Afghanistan: it is not a settling prospect. It has all happened before, of course. The result was September 11th, swiftly followed by a terrorist outrage in Delhi that came close to provoking full-scale war between Pakistan and also-nuclear India. What will happen next time?

Baloch News Bureau Report

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

Dropping Musharraf ?

2006-07-07T09:32:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE:

KALAT, Balochistan – Foreign Policy in Focus (FPIF) is a think tank for research, analysis, and action that brings together scholars, advocates, and activists who strive to make the United States a more responsible global partner. The International Relations Center (IRC) in Silver City, New Mexico and the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) in Washington, DC have jointly managed FPIF since 1996.

FPIF provides timely analysis of U.S. foreign policy and international affairs and recommends policy alternatives. They believe U.S. security and world stability are best advanced through a commitment to peace, justice and environmental protection as well as economic, political, and social rights. They advocate that diplomatic solutions, global cooperation, and grassroots participation guide foreign policy.

Conn Hallinan is a foreign policy analyst for FPIF, and a lecturer in journalism at the University of California, Santa Cruz. The article, Dropping Musharraf? by Conn Hallinan was recently published, and it is reproduced below for our reader’s convenience:

Dropping Musharraf ?
By CONN HALLINAN (Foreign Policy in Focus)
There is a whiff of “regime change” in the air these days, but not where you might expect it. Not in Iraq, where the conservative U.S.-backed Shiites are already in power. Not in Iran, where White House threats have served to unite, rather than divide, that country. But in Pakistan, where President Pervez Musharraf has recently fallen out of U.S. favor.
Consider the following developments.
The Bush administration's “man in Kabul,” Afghan President Hamid Karzai, recently fingered Pakistan as the source of the current fighting in the southern part of his country. “The world should go where terrorism is nourished, where it is provided money and ideology,” he told a Kabul press conference this past June. “The war in Afghanistan should not be limited to Afghanistan.”
Chris Patten, former European Union commissioner for external affairs, echoed this theme in a mid-May commentary in the Wall Street Journal. “The problem in Afghanistan,” wrote Patten, “is Islamabad.”
When President Bush visited Pakistan in March, he lectured President Musharraf about the need to be more aggressive in the “war on terrorism,” although Pakistan has lost more soldiers fighting the Taliban in its northwestern tribal areas than the entire NATO coalition has lost in Afghanistan. And Bush refused to discuss the issue of Kashmir, the major flashpoint in Pakistan-India relations that has brought the two nuclear-armed powers to the brink of war on several occasions.
Indeed, when Musharraf asked for the same nuclear agreement that Washington had just handed New Delhi, Bush openly insulted his Islamabad hosts. With the Pakistani president standing stiffly beside him, Bush told the press, “I explained that Pakistan and India are different countries with different needs and histories.”
The nuclear deal—which was favorably voted out of House and Senate committees—would let India bypass Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty sanctions slapped on it for secretly developing atomic weapons. The Indians could freely buy uranium for their civilian reactors and in turn divert their meager domestic uranium supplies into constructing more nuclear weapons.
The Bush Administration also cut $350 million in civilian and military aid to Pakistan because of a “ failure” to improve democracy and human rights.
And according to Syed Saleem Shahzad, Pakistan bureau chief for the Asia Times, “ Western intelligence” has helped funnel money through Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and London to insurgents in Pakistan's Baluchistan Province.
One can hardly blame Pakistan for feeling as though they are in the U.S. crosshairs. But why the sudden thumb's down from Washington? Musharraf has basically done everything the White House wanted him to do, including breaking with the Taliban and sending 90,000 troops to seal the border with Afghanistan.
The answer is not that Pakistan has fallen out of favor, but that it is a pawn that has outlived its usefulness in a global chess match aimed at China.
Chess with China
In 1992 the George H.W. Bush administration drew up a Defense Planning Guidance document that laid out a blueprint for a post-Cold War world. “The United States will attempt to dissuade any military competitor from developing disruptive or other capabilities that could enable regional hegemony or hostile action against the United States,” the document read, continuing, “Of the major and emerging powers, China has the greatest potential to compete militarily with the United States.”
Jump ahead to the year 2000 and a Foreign Affairs article by soon-to-be national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice: “China is not a ‘status quo' power, but one that would like to alter Asia's balance of power in its own favor … The United States must deepen its cooperation with Japan and South Korea and maintain its commitment to a robust military presence in the region,” she wrote, adding that the United States had to “pay close attention to India's role in the regional balance” to recruit the latter into an anti-China alliance.
While September 11 and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq derailed this grand scheme, recent developments suggest it is back on track, with strong support from the influential American Enterprise Institute, the Project for a New American Century, and wealthy foundations like Scaife, Olin, and Carthage.
The anti-China alliance is already well underway.
Japan and Australia have agreed to field U.S.-supplied anti-ballistic missiles, and the administration is wooing India to do the same. While the rationale for the ABMs is North Korea, the real target is China's twenty intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Japan—which has one of the largest navies in the world—is stepping up its military coordination with the United States and has agreed to support the United States in case it intervenes in a war between China and Taiwan.
In the meantime, the United States is pouring men and materials into Asia and beefing up bases in Japan and Guam. It is also conducting war games with India, and jointly patrolling the Malacca Straits with the Indian Navy.
There is a certain schizophrenia in U.S. policy toward China, because the United States needs China to ramrod the Six Party Talks with North Korea and would like China to join Washington's full court press on Iran. So far, however, China has refused to go along with economic sanctions against either Pyongyang or Tehran, a stance that has chilled relations with the Bush administration even further.
These counter-trends, however, are more than offset by Washington's continuing efforts to build bases in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan, plus recent attacks by U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on China's military (using some of the same language as in the 1992 document). In short, the Defense Guidance Plan appears to be alive and well.
But while chess is a supremely logical game, diplomacy is considerably messier, and the grand scheme to corner the dragon is stirring up some dangerous regional furies.
Japan Rising?
To get Japan on board the anti-China coalition, Washington has encouraged Tokyo to adopt a more muscular foreign policy. As a result, Japan has sent troops to Iraq and dumped Article Nine of its constitution renouncing war as a “sovereign right of the nation.”
When he was secretary of state, Colin Powell told the Financial Times, “If Japan is going to play a full role on the world's stage, Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution will have to be examined.”
Japanese right-wingers, with the support of over 100 members of the Diet, as well as powerful industrial organizations like Canon and Mitsubishi, are pushing textbooks that rewrite the history of World War II and downplay Japanese atrocities. But this resurgent Japanese nationalism has angered and frightened nations in the region, many of which have vivid memories of World War II.
Goading the dragon has become almost a sport in Japan. The government of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi recently took control of a lighthouse first established by right-wing nationalists on Diaoyu Island, an action China called a “provocation against, and an intrusion into territorial sovereignty.” Japan and China have also clashed over the Chunxiao offshore oil field. A Japanese official told the Financial Times that Tokyo was pursuing “proportional escalation” over the fields.
South Korea, which suffered through more than three decades of brutal Japanese occupation, is barely on speaking terms with Tokyo, and has come close to blows with Japan over the Tokdo Islands claimed by both nations.
Washington's support for Japan's growing militarism has also fueled anti-Americanism in South Korea and a growing movement to close U.S. bases in that country. This is hardly the atmosphere for a grand alliance.
From Kashmir to Baluchistan
The law of unintended consequences may be playing itself out with Indian and Pakistan as well. India's central strategy has always been to insure control of Kashmir and to weaken the Pakistani Army, two goals that the Bush administration seems to share.
According to the Asia Times, a CIA official told the Indians that weakening the Pakistani army was central to the U.S. goal of bringing “democracy” to Pakistan, though the lack of it never bothered Washington in the past. The Times also reports that the CIA has been meeting with exiled former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, who recently formed the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy.
General Hamid Gul, former head of the Pakistani InterService Intelligence organization, told the PakTribune that he thought the United States was aiming to replace Musharraf.
If the United States sides with India on Kashmir, Pakistan could be looking at a strategic defeat in a long-running dispute that would not only weaken the army but possibly destabilize the entire country.
So could a stalemate in Pakistan's counterinsurgency war in Baluchistan.
The Baluchistan conflict dates back to the 1947 partition of India and Pakistan. The Baluchs, who are ethnically distinct from the Punjabis who dominate Pakistan, were forced to become part of the new state. It is Pakistan's poorest province and at the same time home to the country's largest oil and gas deposits, two realities that help fuel the insurgency.
India has been sharply critical of Pakistani actions in Baluchistan, although the Indians are highly aggressive with their own separatist movements.
In a March meeting with U.S. Central Command chief General John Abizaid, Musharraf accused India of aiding the insurgents financially, a charge New Delhi denies.
Is U.S. support for the nuclear deal and the Kashmir policy a quid pro quo for India joining the anti-China alliance? It is hard to fathom what else might explain Washington's relentless criticism of Pakistan for not doing enough in the “war on terrorism,” or the recent cut in aid.
Pakistan's response has been to raise defense spending, step up its production of nuclear weapons, and test a new generation of long-range missiles. But there is a significant section of the Indian elite that doesn't particularly fear a nuclear war between the two nations. “India can survive a nuclear attack,” says former Indian Defense Minister George Fernandes, “but Pakistan cannot.”
Washington's obsession with China is unleashing some particularly malevolent forms of nationalism that threaten to destabilize a broad swath of the region from South Asia to the north Pacific. In this chess match, India, with its enormous population and economic potential, is a major piece on the board. Pakistan, with a sixth the population and a tenth the economic potential, is a pawn.
An expendable one it would appear.

Baloch News Bureau Report

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

The "Pakistanization" of the Taliban and the Survival of Core al Qaeda

2006-07-07T08:27:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE:

KALAT, Balochistan – The NEFA Foundation seeks uncompromised answers to complex issues. To help prevent future tragedies, the NEFA team of professionals actively seeks information to expose those responsible for planning, funding, and executing terrorist activities.

The NEFA team is comprised of experienced staff, investigators, and partners in the U.S. and abroad. This dedicated team is passionately committed to fulfilling NEFA’s goals. The investigative professionals like Douglas Farah work regularly with an unparalleled network of worldwide contacts. Collectively, they possess many decades of experience and expertise in investigating terrorism and terrorist financing, counter-terrorism, research, reconnaissance, global communications, cyber-terrorism, and translation.

The article, The "Pakistanization" of the Taliban and the Survival of Core al Qaeda by Douglas Farah was recently published, and it is reproduced below for our reader’s convenience:

The "Pakistanization" of the Taliban and the Survival of Core al Qaeda
By DOUGLAS FARAH (The NEFA Foundation)

Terrorism experts in and out of the intelligence community are growing increasingly concerned about the “Pakistanization” of the resurgent Taliban in the tribal territories that border Afghanistan.
There is increasingly strong evidence that lower-level ISI officers not only tolerate the Taliban, but host training camps for them and provide logistical support, helping the Taliban to regain political and military footing that is taking an increasingly heavy toll on the Afghan central government as well as the U.S. and NATO forces on the ground.
It also seems that senior ISI officials can get in contact with Osama bin Laden or Zawahiri when necessary, indicating that, if not necessarily aware of the exact location at all times of the two most wanted men in the world, there still exist channels of direct communication.
This is certainly troubling, given Pakistan’s central role in the Bush strategy of fighting Islamists. The recent Bush policy of working with India on its nuclear projects seems to have convinced the Pakistani leadership that Pakistan is not getting a fair shake and can therefore does not need to pay the internal political price for tackling the Islamists in a serious fashion.
The Taliban remains in close contact with the “core” al Qaeda leaders, but the “Arab Afghans,” that is, the foreign fighters, are mostly limited to acting as advisers and trainers for the Taliban troops, rather than fighting as independent units. Taliban units usually have several Arabs when them when carrying out their increasingly sophisticated attacks on the NATO and U.S. forces.
One of the primary roles seems to be to facilitate the transfer of technological know-how and bombing techniques from those fighting in Iraq to the cadres in Afghanistan. Hence, the sudden rise in suicide bombings in Afghanistan, the use of similar explosive devises to attack troops and the beheadings and other Iraqi-inspired tactics.
Peter Bergen, in his Sunday Outlook piece in the Washington Post argues that that traditional al Qaeda and its leadership, remain a real threat. He correctly points out that the presumed ringleader, Mohammed Sidique Khan, was tied to the al Qaeda core, not just a peripheral, self-starting radical. The British decision not to make this a more central part of their report is a mystery.
It is also a mistake to view the current Somali crisis and the leadership of the radical Salafist groups now holding the bulk of the power as totally separate from the core of al Qaeda. Rather, many of the current leaders have long-standing ties to the traditional al Qaeda leadership.
But Afghanistan seems to be the core al Qaeda’s main project now, a chance, as they see it, to reverse the most humiliating defeat of the organization, and make new inroads that will tie up U.S. and NATO resources for an indefinite period of time, bleeding the enemy until they simply declare victory and go home.
That, coupled with the emphasis on expanding the war fronts in as many places as possible-Somalia, the GSPC in northern Nigeria and other parts of West Africa, the sudden al Qaeda public interest in Darfur, show the contours of a long-term strategy in which the core of al Qaeda continues to play a central role, dispersed and self-starting groups can join and aid the effort and a long war that will wax and wane in many parts of the globe.

Baloch News Bureau Report

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

Pakistani media attacks Baloch freedom fighters

2006-07-07T06:15:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE:

KALAT, Balochistan – During the past few days, the Pakistani government has launched an aggressive media attack on the Baloch freedom fighters. When Mir Azaad Khan Baloch, general secretary of the newly formed Government of Balochistan (GOB) in Exile contacted Baloch leaders in Pakistan to verify the validity of the Pakistani state-sponsored propaganda, he was surprised to find out that the news of Pakistani forces killing 25 to 31 Baloch freedom fighters was false.

The following Letter of Protest was sent to the Associated Press by GOB (Exile):

The Editor
Associated Press Headquarters
450 W. 33rd St.,
New York, NY 10001, USA

SUBJECT: Associated Press writer, Naseer Kakar, is guilty of yellow journalism

Dear Madam/Sir:

Associated Press’ mission is to be the essential global news network, providing distinctive news services of the highest quality, reliability and objectivity with reports that are accurate, balanced and informed.

We, the Government of Balochistan (in Exile) regret to inform you that your reporter, Naseer Kakar, is guilty of yellow journalism. In recent days, he reported that 25 to 31 Baloch freedom fighters were killed by the Pakistani armed forces in occupied Balochistan.

Kakar based his entire report on hearsay. Pakistani government officials – who are known for spreading bogus propaganda – claimed that they had allegedly intercepted communications between Baloch resistance forces in which the Baloch freedom fighters admitted to the number of casualties.

But, when our government officials contacted our field operatives to confirm the story, we were surprised to find out that there were no casualties at all. It was simply a propaganda ploy instigated by the Pakistani authorities.

We believe that men and women of The Associated Press have had the privilege of bringing truth to the world. You have gone to great lengths, overcome great obstacles – and, too often, made great and horrific sacrifices – to ensure that the news was reported quickly, accurately and honestly. Your efforts have been rewarded with trust: More people in more places get their news from the Associated Press than from any other source.

But, why would you allow Kakar to publish news that is false and based on heresy from known liars (the Pakistani government officials)? How come none of your editorial staff verified the story prior to approving it?

For your information, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) News were honorable enough to retract the claim of the Pakistani government officials by publishing the following:

“Baloch rebels reject army claims

Tribal rebels in Pakistan's Balochistan province have denied claims that Pakistani troops killed 31 of their fighters in attacks this week.

Some rebels had been injured in the clashes and security forces had now withdrawn from the Dera Bugti area, spokesmen for the tribesmen said.

They had no news of any deaths and said several helicopters had been damaged - claims the authorities have denied.

Tribesmen want greater control of the poor but gas-rich province.”

If you abhor inaccuracies, carelessness, bias or distortions, and that you will not knowingly introduce false information into material intended for publication or broadcast, then you must take serious action against Naseer Kakar, and publish the truth that we reject the claims of the Pakistani military regime (as BBC News has already done).

Sincerely,

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch

Baloch News Bureau Report

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

The Jamestown Foundation: Violence and rebellion in Iranian Balochistan

2006-07-05T21:29:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE:

KALAT, Balochistan – Global Terrorism Analysis (GTA) is produced by The Jamestown Foundation. Since September 11, 2003, Jamestown has been publishing Terrorism Monitor, a bi-weekly journal providing in-depth, objective analysis on al-Qaeda and the War on Terror. Jamestown has continually expanded on its coverage of terrorism and security issues, utilizing indigenous sources and with attention paid to frequently un-reported or under-reported topics. Spotlight on Terror is our occasional publication with interviews, special features or analysis of breaking news. Terrorism Focus began publication in August 2004 as a bi-weekly complement to Terrorism Monitor, and has since found a niche in providing timely analysis on events in global terrorism, with extensive translations and assessments of jihad on the web.

The article, "Violence and rebellion in Iranian Balochistan" by Chris Zambelis was published recently in GTA, and it is reproduced below for our reader’s convenience:

Violence and rebellion in Iranian Balochistan

By CHRIS ZAMBELIS (Global Terrorism Analysis)
The escalating insurgency in Pakistan's southwestern province of Balochistan and neighboring regions receives extensive media coverage. Aside from the need to root out radical Islamist opposition movements tied to al-Qaeda and the Taliban, Pakistan faces a series of domestic threats based on ethnic, sectarian and regional rivalries and grievances. Internal tensions also stem from Pakistan's failure to integrate disparate ethnic, religious and tribal communities in its outlying regions into the fabric of a unified state structure that transcends other allegiances (Terrorism Focus, March 21).

In contrast, evidence of a simmering rebellion and escalating violence between Tehran's own ethnic Baloch minority and Iranian security forces in Iran's vast but sparsely populated southeastern province of Sistan-Balochistan is receiving far less attention. Iranian officials and other observers implicate an obscure Baloch militant organization known as Jundallah (Soldiers of God) for spearheading the uprising. The Baloch campaign in Iranian Balochistan, sometimes referred to as West Balochistan by Baloch nationalists, is also being waged online through a sophisticated network of independent news, activist and nationalist websites and chat forums hosted in the region and abroad in multiple languages. Many of these websites openly support the activities of Jundallah and violence in general against Tehran and others perceived to be oppressing Baloch in the region [1].

Ideology and Identity

Iranian Baloch see themselves as the heirs of an ancient and proud tradition distinct from Iran's ethnic Persian population—that make up a slim majority in Iran—and other groups that comprise the Islamic Republic. Iranian Baloch often identify with the larger Baloch community that resides in Pakistan and Afghanistan in what is referred to as "Greater Balochistan" because tribal and family lines traverse all three countries. The Baloch historical narrative is shaped by a collective sense of oppression and victimization by the imperial machinations of regional and colonial powers that have led to the division of the Baloch nation. One Baloch nationalist website directed toward Western audiences compares the historic plight of the Baloch to that of the Kurds and their longing for a Kurdish state (http://www.baloch2000.org/).

Unlike most Iranians who are Shiites, the overwhelming majority of Iran's Baloch population adheres to the Sunni branch of Islam. Despite a lack of concrete evidence, Iranian authorities and some analysts believe that Jundallah may have ties to Sunni Islamist extremists associated with al-Qaeda and the Taliban operating across the border in neighboring Pakistan and Afghanistan. These allegations are likely based on Jundallah's reliance on religious symbols and discourse in expressing its nationalist aspirations and deep-seated resentment toward the Shiite-dominated Iranian state. Baloch nationalist organizations also emphasize the Sunni-Shiite element—real or perceived—in the nascent conflict, further proof in Tehran's view of the group's Sunni extremist pedigree. Jundallah is also reported to operate under different names that reflect its purported Islamist bent, including Fedayeen-e-Islam (those who sacrifice for Islam) (Asia Times, June 8).

At the same time, tribal allegiances and centers of authority built on family lineage traditionally supersede strict religious adherence among the semi-nomadic Baloch. Instead, Iranian Baloch practice a form of tribal Islam. Many observers argue that Tehran is exaggerating the alleged role of al-Qaeda in the Baloch insurgency in an effort to divert attention from the problems affecting Sistan-Balochistan and to tarnish the Baloch cause. It could also be a way for Tehran to curry favor with the United States amidst pressure to concede on its nuclear ambitions and its meddling in Iraq. Hardliners in Tehran downplay ethnic and sectarian tensions in Iran. They instead blame foreign intelligence services with an interest in destabilizing the country through the support of restive minorities (Asia Times, June 8; al-Jazeera, October 17, 2005).

Although Pakistani Balochistan remains a stronghold of Taliban elements and their local sympathizers, Baloch nationalists there rely far less on Sunni Islamist discourse in framing their cause and instead emphasize ethnic and tribal identity and economic grievances (Deccan Herald, August 12, 2004). Given its large Sunni majority, a Baloch nationalist campaign framed in religious rhetoric would have less resonance in Pakistan. In this sense, Baloch nationalists in Iran may be using Sunni discourse to highlight their distinct place in Shiite-dominated Iran as an oppressed and disadvantaged ethnic and religious minority (The Nation, December 23, 2005).

Jundallah Militancy

Little is known about Jundallah's origins. The group is led by Abdulmalak Rigi, a 23 year-old Iranian Baloch (http://www.roozonline.com/). It is believed to have emerged on the scene in 2003 and is known for bold attacks against high-profile targets, especially government and security officials. In a May telephone interview with Rooz, an Iranian online newspaper, Rigi defended Jundallah's use of violence as a just means to defend Baloch and Sunni Muslim interests in Iran and to draw attention to the plight of his people whom he describes as Iran's poorest and the victims of genocide. Significantly, Rigi declares himself an Iranian and Iran as his home. He also claims not to harbor separatist aspirations. Instead, according to Rigi, Jundallah's goal is to improve the life of Iranian Baloch (http://www.roozonline.com/).

In June 2005, Jundallah claimed responsibility for the abduction of a team of Iranian security and intelligence officers traveling in a convoy in Iranian Balochistan along the Pakistani border. In a videotaped ultimatum released to al-Arabiya television, the group justified its attack as revenge against Iranian security forces for committing alleged atrocities in the region. The tape included a demand for the release of Jundallah members and other Baloch activists detained in state prisons in exchange for the safe release of the hostages. Jundallah released a second video statement three weeks later showing the execution of Shehab Mansuri, whom the group claimed was an Iranian intelligence officer (Iran Daily, January 21; al-Arabiya, June 2005).

Another operation in mid-March included the abduction and assassination of several Iranian security officials, including members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), and aid officials affiliated with the Islamic Red Crescent. A similar operation in May claimed another 12 victims. The group has also been implicated in several strikes against infrastructure in Iranian Balochistan and outside of the province (al-Jazeera, March 22).

Baloch nationalist websites frequently post graphic photographs and video footage of alleged Iranian security operations and atrocities committed against Iranian Baloch civilians (http://www.balochwarna.org/). The official website of the Balochistan People's Party (BPP), a movement advocating the federalization of Iran and what it describes as Baloch sovereignty within a democratic Iran, describes a recent Iranian military operation that allegedly commenced on May 15 as the "Islamic clerical regime's atrocities towards Sunni Baloch" and included helicopter gunships and airstrikes against civilian centers in Sistan-Balochistan. The website also includes visual evidence of what it claims are innocent victims of Tehran's crackdown and the recent killing of Sunni Baloch clerics by Iranian security forces (http://www.balochpeople.org/).

It is unclear whether a group operating under the name Jundallah in Pakistani Balochistan is affiliated with its Iranian counterpart, although Tehran and Islamabad claim that Baloch militants on both sides of the border cooperate in the area of arms and narcotics trafficking and financing (The News International, January 8; Asia Times, June 8). Given the lawless and porous border region dividing Iranian and Pakistani Balochistan, it is difficult to determine whether this cross-border activity is linked to Jundallah's campaign or everyday crime typical in the region.

Historically, Tehran and Islamabad have collaborated in suppressing Baloch nationalism, often through brutal military crackdowns. Both countries see Baloch nationalism as a serious threat to regional stability and the territorial integrity of both states. Ongoing negotiations over the construction of a proposed pipeline that would deliver Iranian natural gas to Pakistan and India, much of which would traverse large swaths of Iranian and Pakistani Balochistan, is another point of concern that brings both sides together on the threat posed by Baloch nationalism and the emergence of groups such as Jundallah (Dawn, June 10).

An Underserved Community

Accurate demographic data on Iran's ethnic Baloch minority does not exist, largely for political reasons. In fact, the same holds for Iran's other ethnic and religious minorities, especially the sizeable Azerbaijani, Kurdish and Arab communities. Unofficial estimates of Iran's Baloch population range between one million and upwards of four million. The overwhelming majority of Baloch reside in Pakistan, while the rest inhabit parts of Afghanistan, totaling between 10 and 15 million.

Iranian Balochistan represents one of Iran's most impoverished and underserved regions. This is partially due to the region's inhospitable and arid climate. Sistan-Balochistan is also considered a lawless territory where the central government holds little sway. Years of systematic neglect and mismanagement by Tehran are also to blame for the social and economic despair and backwardness that characterize the region. Baloch in Iran suffer from high illiteracy and an overall lack of public services compared to the rest of the country. They are also marginalized politically by Tehran. A Baloch website reportedly run by the BLA claims that Tehran and its neighbors maintain a longstanding policy of suppressing Baloch culture and identity. This includes schemes designed to deliberately impoverish the region in order to ensure the inferior status of ethnic Baloch in Iran and elsewhere in the geographic area (http://www.balochvoice.com/).

Conclusion

Tehran's resort to force in quelling the uprising in Sistan-Balochistan through deployments of special and regular army units is not likely to contribute to lasting peace and stability in the region. Since Iranian Baloch grievances run deep, movements such as Jundallah will maintain a sizeable following among the population. Although there is no credible evidence implicating the group of al-Qaeda's brand of radicalism or the strain of Taliban-style Sunni extremism violently opposed to Shiite Islam found in parts of Pakistan, Jundallah's cause does have the potential to be hijacked by militants with a different agenda. This has serious implications for stability, not only in Iran's Sistan-Balochistan province, but Pakistani Balochistan as well. At the same time, despite its Sunni Islamist rhetoric, Jundallah's agenda to date remains fixated on Iranian Baloch causes.

Notes

1. For a list of links to a diverse array of Baloch news, activist and nationalist websites that purport to feature detailed accounts of fighting in Iranian Balochistan and Pakistani Balochistan, including graphic photographs and video of alleged victims and military operations, visit the homepage of the Stockholm-based Radio Balochistan, http://www.radiobalochi.org/. The Baloch nationalist website hosted by the self-proclaimed "Government of Balochistan in Exile" also contains useful information from a Baloch nationalist perspective, http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/.

Baloch News Bureau Report

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

Armed Forces Journal: Blood borders

2006-07-05T08:51:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE:

KALAT, Balochistan – The Armed Forces Journal (AFJ) is published by Army Times Publishing Company, a part of Gannett Company, Inc. (USA), and the world's largest publisher of professional military and defense periodicals, with a strong heritage and tradition of meeting the highest standards of independent journalism. AFJ is the leading joint service monthly magazine for officers and leaders in the United States military community. Founded in 1863, AFJ has been providing essential review and analysis on key defense issues for over 140 years. AFJ offers in-depth feature coverage of military technology, procurement, logistics, strategy, doctrine and tactics. AFJ also provides special coverage of special operations, U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. National Guard developments.

The article, "Blood borders" was published recently in AFJ, and it is reproduced below for our reader’s convenience:

Blood borders
How a better Middle East would look
By RALPH PETERS (Armed Forces Journal)
International borders are never completely just. But the degree of injustice they inflict upon those whom frontiers force together or separate makes an enormous difference — often the difference between freedom and oppression, tolerance and atrocity, the rule of law and terrorism, or even peace and war.
The most arbitrary and distorted borders in the world are in Africa and the Middle East. Drawn by self-interested Europeans (who have had sufficient trouble defining their own frontiers), Africa's borders continue to provoke the deaths of millions of local inhabitants. But the unjust borders in the Middle East — to borrow from Churchill — generate more trouble than can be consumed locally.
While the Middle East has far more problems than dysfunctional borders alone — from cultural stagnation through scandalous inequality to deadly religious extremism — the greatest taboo in striving to understand the region's comprehensive failure isn't Islam but the awful-but-sacrosanct international boundaries worshipped by our own diplomats.
Of course, no adjustment of borders, however draconian, could make every minority in the Middle East happy. In some instances, ethnic and religious groups live intermingled and have intermarried. Elsewhere, reunions based on blood or belief might not prove quite as joyous as their current proponents expect. The boundaries projected in the maps accompanying this article redress the wrongs suffered by the most significant "cheated" population groups, such as the Kurds, Baluch and Arab Shia, but still fail to account adequately for Middle Eastern Christians, Bahais, Ismailis, Naqshbandis and many another numerically lesser minorities. And one haunting wrong can never be redressed with a reward of territory: the genocide perpetrated against the Armenians by the dying Ottoman Empire.
Yet, for all the injustices the borders re-imagined here leave unaddressed, without such major boundary revisions, we shall never see a more peaceful Middle East.
Even those who abhor the topic of altering borders would be well-served to engage in an exercise that attempts to conceive a fairer, if still imperfect, amendment of national boundaries between the Bosporus and the Indus. Accepting that international statecraft has never developed effective tools — short of war — for readjusting faulty borders, a mental effort to grasp the Middle East's "organic" frontiers nonetheless helps us understand the extent of the difficulties we face and will continue to face. We are dealing with colossal, man-made deformities that will not stop generating hatred and violence until they are corrected.
As for those who refuse to "think the unthinkable," declaring that boundaries must not change and that's that, it pays to remember that boundaries have never stopped changing through the centuries. Borders have never been static, and many frontiers, from Congo through Kosovo to the Caucasus, are changing even now (as ambassadors and special representatives avert their eyes to study the shine on their wingtips).
Oh, and one other dirty little secret from 5,000 years of history: Ethnic cleansing works.
Begin with the border issue most sensitive to American readers: For Israel to have any hope of living in reasonable peace with its neighbors, it will have to return to its pre-1967 borders — with essential local adjustments for legitimate security concerns. But the issue of the territories surrounding Jerusalem, a city stained with thousands of years of blood, may prove intractable beyond our lifetimes. Where all parties have turned their god into a real-estate tycoon, literal turf battles have a tenacity unrivaled by mere greed for oil wealth or ethnic squabbles. So let us set aside this single overstudied issue and turn to those that are studiously ignored.
The most glaring injustice in the notoriously unjust lands between the Balkan Mountains and the Himalayas is the absence of an independent Kurdish state. There are between 27 million and 36 million Kurds living in contiguous regions in the Middle East (the figures are imprecise because no state has ever allowed an honest census). Greater than the population of present-day Iraq, even the lower figure makes the Kurds the world's largest ethnic group without a state of its own. Worse, Kurds have been oppressed by every government controlling the hills and mountains where they've lived since Xenophon's day.
The U.S. and its coalition partners missed a glorious chance to begin to correct this injustice after Baghdad's fall. A Frankenstein's monster of a state sewn together from ill-fitting parts, Iraq should have been divided into three smaller states immediately. We failed from cowardice and lack of vision, bullying Iraq's Kurds into supporting the new Iraqi government — which they do wistfully as a quid pro quo for our good will. But were a free plebiscite to be held, make no mistake: Nearly 100 percent of Iraq's Kurds would vote for independence.
As would the long-suffering Kurds of Turkey, who have endured decades of violent military oppression and a decades-long demotion to "mountain Turks" in an effort to eradicate their identity. While the Kurdish plight at Ankara's hands has eased somewhat over the past decade, the repression recently intensified again and the eastern fifth of Turkey should be viewed as occupied territory. As for the Kurds of Syria and Iran, they, too, would rush to join an independent Kurdistan if they could. The refusal by the world's legitimate democracies to champion Kurdish independence is a human-rights sin of omission far worse than the clumsy, minor sins of commission that routinely excite our media. And by the way: A Free Kurdistan, stretching from Diyarbakir through Tabriz, would be the most pro-Western state between Bulgaria and Japan.
A just alignment in the region would leave Iraq's three Sunni-majority provinces as a truncated state that might eventually choose to unify with a Syria that loses its littoral to a Mediterranean-oriented Greater Lebanon: Phoenecia reborn. The Shia south of old Iraq would form the basis of an Arab Shia State rimming much of the Persian Gulf. Jordan would retain its current territory, with some southward expansion at Saudi expense. For its part, the unnatural state of Saudi Arabia would suffer as great a dismantling as Pakistan.
A root cause of the broad stagnation in the Muslim world is the Saudi royal family's treatment of Mecca and Medina as their fiefdom. With Islam's holiest shrines under the police-state control of one of the world's most bigoted and oppressive regimes — a regime that commands vast, unearned oil wealth — the Saudis have been able to project their Wahhabi vision of a disciplinarian, intolerant faith far beyond their borders. The rise of the Saudis to wealth and, consequently, influence has been the worst thing to happen to the Muslim world as a whole since the time of the Prophet, and the worst thing to happen to Arabs since the Ottoman (if not the Mongol) conquest.
While non-Muslims could not effect a change in the control of Islam's holy cities, imagine how much healthier the Muslim world might become were Mecca and Medina ruled by a rotating council representative of the world's major Muslim schools and movements in an Islamic Sacred State — a sort of Muslim super-Vatican — where the future of a great faith might be debated rather than merely decreed. True justice — which we might not like — would also give Saudi Arabia's coastal oil fields to the Shia Arabs who populate that sub-region, while a southeastern quadrant would go to Yemen. Confined to a rump Saudi Homelands Independent Territory around Riyadh, the House of Saud would be capable of far less mischief toward Islam and the world.
Iran, a state with madcap boundaries, would lose a great deal of territory to Unified Azerbaijan, Free Kurdistan, the Arab Shia State and Free Baluchistan, but would gain the provinces around Herat in today's Afghanistan — a region with a historical and linguistic affinity for Persia. Iran would, in effect, become an ethnic Persian state again, with the most difficult question being whether or not it should keep the port of Bandar Abbas or surrender it to the Arab Shia State.
What Afghanistan would lose to Persia in the west, it would gain in the east, as Pakistan's Northwest Frontier tribes would be reunited with their Afghan brethren (the point of this exercise is not to draw maps as we would like them but as local populations would prefer them). Pakistan, another unnatural state, would also lose its Baluch territory to Free Baluchistan. The remaining "natural" Pakistan would lie entirely east of the Indus, except for a westward spur near Karachi.
The city-states of the United Arab Emirates would have a mixed fate — as they probably will in reality. Some might be incorporated in the Arab Shia State ringing much of the Persian Gulf (a state more likely to evolve as a counterbalance to, rather than an ally of, Persian Iran). Since all puritanical cultures are hypocritical, Dubai, of necessity, would be allowed to retain its playground status for rich debauchees. Kuwait would remain within its current borders, as would Oman.
In each case, this hypothetical redrawing of boundaries reflects ethnic affinities and religious communalism — in some cases, both. Of course, if we could wave a magic wand and amend the borders under discussion, we would certainly prefer to do so selectively. Yet, studying the revised map, in contrast to the map illustrating today's boundaries, offers some sense of the great wrongs borders drawn by Frenchmen and Englishmen in the 20th century did to a region struggling to emerge from the humiliations and defeats of the 19th century.
Correcting borders to reflect the will of the people may be impossible. For now. But given time — and the inevitable attendant bloodshed — new and natural borders will emerge. Babylon has fallen more than once.
Meanwhile, our men and women in uniform will continue to fight for security from terrorism, for the prospect of democracy and for access to oil supplies in a region that is destined to fight itself. The current human divisions and forced unions between Ankara and Karachi, taken together with the region's self-inflicted woes, form as perfect a breeding ground for religious extremism, a culture of blame and the recruitment of terrorists as anyone could design. Where men and women look ruefully at their borders, they look enthusiastically for enemies.
From the world's oversupply of terrorists to its paucity of energy supplies, the current deformations of the Middle East promise a worsening, not an improving, situation. In a region where only the worst aspects of nationalism ever took hold and where the most debased aspects of religion threaten to dominate a disappointed faith, the U.S., its allies and, above all, our armed forces can look for crises without end. While Iraq may provide a counterexample of hope — if we do not quit its soil prematurely — the rest of this vast region offers worsening problems on almost every front.
If the borders of the greater Middle East cannot be amended to reflect the natural ties of blood and faith, we may take it as an article of faith that a portion of the bloodshed in the region will continue to be our own.
• • •
Who WINS, Who LOOSES
Winners — Afghanistan; Arab Shia State; Armenia; Azerbaijan; Free Baluchistan; Free Kurdistan; Iran; Islamic Sacred State; Jordan; Lebanon; and Yemen.
Losers — Afghanistan; Iran; Iraq; Israel; Kuwait; Pakistan; Qatar; Saudi Arabia; Syria; Turkey; United Arab Emirates; and West Bank.

Baloch News Bureau Report

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

Guardian Unlimited: Why Baluchistan matters

2006-07-04T21:34:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE:

KALAT, Balochistan – Today, the Guardian Unlimited (UK) published an article, “Why Baluchistan matters” by Alex Bigham. Mir Azaad Khan Baloch, general secretary of the Government of Balochistan in Exile left a comment that is reproduced below Mr. Bigham’s article:

Why Baluchistan matters
This lawless province is key to understanding what British troops will face in southern Afghanistan.
By Alex Bigham (Guardian Unlimited)
There is an awkward pause when you mention Baluchistan to someone for the first time. Even members of staff in Britain's leading think tank on global affairs, the Foreign Policy Centre think they may have misheard. As Margaret Beckett might have put it, "Where the f**k is Baluchistan?"
But you shouldn't confuse ignorance with irrelevance. There are many reasons why Baluchistan warrants more than an occasional reference in an article on Pakistan. As the British Army prepares to send hundreds of extra troops to southern Afghanistan, we need to understand what is happening in Baluchistan in Pakistan - this lawless province, desperate for autonomy from Islamabad.
Some brief background: Baluchistan is effectively the "Kurdistan of Central Asia" - the Baluchs principally live in Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan so are divided by what they see as arbitrary borders implemented by colonial powers.
Pakistani Baluchistan occupies over 40% of Pakistan's landmass as the largest province in the country. The Baluchi people are distinct from the Panjabi elite that dominate Pakistani politics - they are Muslims but more secular in their outlook (in a similar fashion to the Kurds) with their own distinct language and culture. The Baluchi people believe they have been oppressed in many ways by the Pakistani government. Feudal systems of government, corruption and incompetence have lead to socio-economic backwardness and extreme poverty. In addition, the army has led many incursions into the region, with the latest in 2005 coming after an assassination attempt on President Musharraf. Baluchis are desperate to be recognised as autonomous people, and to gain self-determination. They feel that Baluchistan existed as a nation, and has merely been occupied by Pakistan, a situation that the international community continues to ignore, focusing its relations with Pakistan on the war on terror, and the vexed issue of Kashmir.
But why should the UK and the rest of the international community care about what happens in Baluchistan?
Firstly, it is the frontline in the war on terror. Quetta, the capital of the province is a known Al-Qaeda stronghold, as Colonel Chris Vernon, a Senior British Army Officer in southern Afghanistan and President Hamid Karzai have said. The Taleban use Baluchistan and Waziristan as a chance to rest, rearm, regroup and recruit for the battles across the border in Helmand in Afghanistan. Mullah Omar is believed by some to be in Baluchistan, and Bin Laden has travelled through Quetta. The province is mountainous, dangerous, and remote, so provides an ideal hiding place for a guerrilla army. Those who've visited lawless provinces such as Helmand, report seeing more Pakistani fighters under the black and white flag of the Taliban than Afghans.
The Baluchs have no links with Al Qaeda, but their suspicion and mistrust means they are less likely to help in the battle against the Taliban, while their situation is so uncertain. As Tarique Niazi of the Jamestown Foundation puts it, "The Baluch insurgency and Pakistan's restive western borders with Afghanistan are absorbing almost one-third of Pakistan's military resources, which relieve some pressure from al-Qaeda and the Taliban."
The 700 military checkpoints in the region are used to intimidate Baluchistan Liberation Army (BLA) fighters rather than stop the Taliban soldiers clad in black salwar kameezes and turbans. In the 1970s and 80s the Pakistan government encouraged thousands of Pashtun refugees to settle in the area as a bulwark between the Baluchs and Afghanistan, who they suspected of supporting the BLA. Islamabad armed and supported the Taliban, backing the mullahs of Jama'at -i-Islami and Jamiat-i-Ulema-i-Islam. Some of the Pashtuns continue to provide support and cover for Al Qaeda operatives crossing the border.
The Durand line which supposedly separates Pakistan and Afghanistan, has still not been officially recognised, and was considered to have lapsed in 1996. Durand was the product of an agreement in 1893 between the then ruler of Afghanistan, Abdur Rahman Shah, and Sir Mortimer Durand, the foreign secretary of the colonial government of India. But Pashtun tribal leaders won't acknowledge the border, and it has been a constant source of tension between the two governments. As such, the Taliban are free to cross a border so porous it is said to be 'marked out on water'.
Baluchistan was never really part of the Great Game between Britain and Russia - it was too far South and seem to contain little of any interest. That mindset changed in 1952, when gas was discovered in the Sui area. The Baluchs believe that they have been robbed of some of their fair share of this natural wealth, receiving insufficient royalties, and a low development budget, which is allocated by population rather than need, holding back a sparsely populated but poor region.
The Chinese and the Iranians have realised the potential there. The possible Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline was opposed by the Bush administration, but is making slow progress. Resource-hungry China has gained a foothold in the province, by sending engineers and security officials to construct a port at Gwadar for a possible oil/gas pipeline connecting Gwadar with Xinjiang. The Chinese are accused of using Gwadar as a listening post for monitoring US military activities in the Persian Gulf. In return, the Chinese are giving $350 million for an upgrade to the Karakoram Highway and providing assistance to Pakistan's nuclear industry. In 1998, Pakistan escalated the regional arms race by detonating 6 nuclear weapons near Chagai, also in the province of Baluchistan.
In addition to these major geo-political and security concerns, the international community should be aware of human rights abuses in Baluchistan. The Pakistani army is accused of killing civilians. Human Rights Watch has raised concerns of political incarceration and torture of Baluchi political activists such as Rasheed Azam. The military dictatorship in Islamabad are not alone, there are also human rights violations committed by the Shi'a theocracy in Iran.
These facts and claims make a compelling case that Baluchistan should at the very least be on the radar of the international community, and some countries should even reconsider their stance towards the Pakistani government, due to hold elections in 2007. This should stem not just from empathy toward the Baluchs, but out of a self-interested security dilemma. It is now up to Baluchi leaders to express what that stance should be.

In response to Mr. Bigham’s article above, Baloch left the following comment:

Alex Bigham has touched on a very important development in a region that will have worldwide ramifications, especially for the U.S.-led coalition forces and soon to arrive NATO forces in Afghanistan. Balochistan composes of areas currently occupied by Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan.
This year in April, the Baloch Diaspora established the newly formed "democratic, liberal and secular" Government of Balochistan (GOB) in Exile in Jerusalem, Israel. The goal of GOB (Exile) is to liberate Balochistan from the Islamic Republics of Iran and Pakistan, and negotiate amicably with the Afghan rulers to demark borders between Afghanistan and the soon-to-be sovereign Balochistan.
The Baloch freedom fighters have launched the "Baloch War of Independence" and are struggling to secure the total autonomy of Balochistan from its illegal occupation by the Iranian and Pakistani forces. It is the universal right of the Baloch people under the Charter of the United Nations to choose self-determination for their people.
One must not forget that the Pakistani military regime's spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence, facilitated the creation of both Al Qaeda and Taliban, and continues to militarily support them to this day. Besides supporting these two terrorist outfits, Pakistan as well as Iran supports numerous Islamic terrorist organizations throughout the world. In other words, the Pakistanis are currently fighting a proxy war against the global community by using their foot soldiers - the Al Qaeda and Taliban; and the Iranians are doing the same by supporting the Hamas.
Mr. Bigham rightly asked, "It is now up to Baluchi leaders to express what that stance should be." On behalf of GOB (Exile) and the Baloch nation, the Baloch forces, if invited and supported, will join the international community to flush out any terrorist organization from an "independent" Balochistan. Furthermore, I declare that the Baloch people want liberty, and "independence forever".

Baloch News Bureau Report

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

Government of Balochistan (in Exile) congratulates U.S. President George W. Bush on his country’s 230th Independence Day

2006-07-04T07:35:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE:

KALAT, Balochistan – General Secretary of the Government of Balochistan (Exile), Mir Azaad Khan Baloch on Tuesday congratulated President George W. Bush, the 43rd President of the United States on his country’s 230th Independence Day. Mr. Baloch sent the following message:

MESSAGE OF CONGRATULATIONS

To:

President George W. Bush
White House
Washington, D.C.
United States of America

Dear President:

On behalf of the newly formed democratic, liberal and secular Government of Balochistan (in Exile) and the entire Baloch nation, I would like to extend our Message of Congratulations to you and the American nation on the 230th Independence Day of your great country.

As a soon-to-be sovereign country, Balochistan looks up to America as a model country to emulate. Your government has stood the test of time. Your Declaration of Independence, your Constitution with its Bill of Rights is still in practice since the Founding Fathers of your country drafted it and left it as a guiding star for all subsequent generations of Americans to follow. Your public school system is still the basis of American education. Freedom and equality brought forth by the consequences of the civil rights movement in America will make any nation proud.

American patriotism is proof of how much your people love their country. Those who have served America have been willing to give up more than they gained. They have had no idea how things would turn out. The men who have signed the Declaration knew they were declaring themselves as traitors to England and would be hung if they were caught.

The Baloch patriotism is gaining strength. Baloch freedom fighters are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to liberate Balochistan from the Islamic Republics of Iran and Pakistan. We – just like your country’s Founding Fathers – have no idea how things would turn out for us. But, for the love of our country and liberty, the Baloch nation gladly accepts to be declared traitors to Iran and Pakistan, and we are ready to face any consequences as a result.

When Patrick Henry said, “Give me liberty or give me death”, he wanted independence and liberty of a country that did not yet exist. Your Founding Fathers tried to do something that no colonial people had ever achieved before – to break away from the mother country and create their own country. They were willing to risk everything to achieve it. They were not concerned with what was going to happen in the long haul.

But, in our case, Balochistan was a sovereign country until Iran and Pakistan took away our freedom. Through brute force, the Iranian and Pakistani governments suppressed the aspirations of the Baloch people to liberate Balochistan. Our sense of nationhood was systematically crushed. But, the seed of freedom remained in our hearts. Today, that seed has sprouted and we have risen again to challenge the occupation of Balochistan by Iran and Pakistan. We want liberty or give us death, and we are willing to risk everything to achieve the independence of Balochistan.

On the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration, citizens came to John Adams in the last days of his life to ask him what they should say at the ceremony on his behalf. He thought for a minute and said, “Independence forever.”

Sir, in the spirit of this auspicious day in the history of the United States, it is important for you to realize that similar to your Founding Fathers’ desires, the Baloch people are struggling for liberty. We also want to have independence forever in Balochistan.

Yours truly,

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

Fatwa: Jihad on Government of Pakistan permitted in Islam

2006-07-03T01:10:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE:

KALAT, Balochistan – At a local mosque in Pishin, Balochistan, a town located 50 Km west of Quetta towards Afghanistan, the head imam (preacher), Mullah Humayun Achakzai, issued a “Fatwa” (a religious proclamation) on Friday during a sermon that Islam permits every true Muslim to wage Jihad (holy war) on the Pakistani armed forces and government officials.

Pishin is composed predominantly of ethnic Pashtuns tribesmen, a deeply religious people who practice Islam. The Taliban forces are primarily composed of Pashtuns, and so are the population in the Pakistani province of Pakhtunkhaw (officially known as the Northwest Frontier Province) and northern areas of Pakistani-occupied Balochistan.

Mullah Achakzai said that in a war between Muslims and non-Muslims, it is easy to determine when a Muslim kills a non-Muslim, the non-Muslim goes to hell; and when a non-Muslim kills a Muslim, the Muslim becomes a “Shaheed” (martyr) and goes to heaven. But, he questioned that when one Muslim kills another Muslim in a war, how could we determine who is a “Shaheed” and goes to heaven, and who is not a “Shaheed” and deserves to go to hell.

He condemned the Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri for declaring to the U.S. Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice during her recent visit to Pakistan that over 650 Pakistani soldiers were “martyred” fighting Al Qaeda and Taliban forces. Mullah Achakzai clarified that it is a well-know fact that the Pakistani military dictator, General Pervez Musharraf and his Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri along with the majority of people who work for the Pakistani military regime enjoy drinking whiskey and having sex with women other than their wives. He said that in Islam anyone who commits these sins is considered a non-Muslim.

Mullah Achakzai said, “Then how is it possible for a whiskey loving, womanizing, non-Muslim person like the Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri to declare that 650 plus Pakistani soldiers are ‘Shaheed’? Did he forget that the true ‘Soldiers of Islam’ killed these Pakistani soldiers in the name of Islam?”

“We are Muslims and we pray five times a day, we pay ‘Zakat’ (tax/charity), we fast during the month of Ramadan, we go to Hajj for pilgrimage once in our lifetime, we believe in one God and Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) as his last messenger, we live our lives according to the teachings of the Holy Quran and Haadiths (quotations by Prophet Muhammed-PBUH) and abstain from committing sins,” said Mullah Achakzai.

He added, “Then why is the Pakistani soldier – who is a Muslim by name only – is busy killing our innocent children, women, men, as well as our ‘Soldiers of Islam’?”

“I have thought about this question for a long time because it was bothering me, and now I have finally found an answer through prayers: Whenever a Pakistani soldier picks up arms against a Muslim he has made a decision to take the path of a non-Muslim. Therefore, he has declared through his actions, and not words, that he has resigned from being a Muslim. Even if he practices the tenants of Islam, the truth is that he is now a ‘Munafiq’ (hypocrite). According to our Prophet Muhammed (PBUH), a ‘Munafiq’ is worse than a ‘Kafir’ (non-believer in all the Holy Books of God including the Quran, the Bible, and the Torah). The punishment for a ‘Munafiq’ is death,” reasoned Mullah Achakzai.

He stood up and raised his right hand pointing towards the sky with his forefinger and shouted, “In the name of Allah, the beneficent, the merciful, I proclaim on behalf of the entire Muslim ‘Ummah’ (community of believers) that every soldier and official of the Government of Pakistan is a ‘Munafiq’ and their punishment is death by a true Muslim. Islam permits us to wage ‘Jihad’ on Pakistan. Every ‘Munafiq’ we kill is NOT a ‘Shaheed’ and they will burn in hell. I am sorry to inform the families of those 650 Pakistani soldiers that were killed in battle by the ‘Soldiers of Islam’ that their sons died as ‘Munafiq’, and God willing, they will go to hell.”

Mullah Achakzai advised that any Pakistani soldier and government official who considers himself a true Muslim must join the ‘Soldiers of Islam’ to fight the ‘Munafiq’ Government of Pakistan, or be prepared to die as a ‘Munafiq’ at the hands of a true Muslim and rot in hell. He added, “There is no middle ground, either you are with us or you are against us.”

He asked the Pakistani soldiers to surrender to Islam and kill anyone, including officers, who tell them to kill or harm another Muslim and any ‘Soldier of Islam’. He assured that Islam has permitted ‘Jihad’ against the ‘Munafiq’ Pakistan; and it is now the duty of every true Muslim to kill anybody who works for the Pakistani government.

The Government of Balochistan (GOB) in Exile supports Mullah Achakzai in clarifying the role of the Pakistani government. It should be emphasized that although the Baloch are a secular group, the majority of Baloch are Muslims. When a Pakistani Muslim soldier is ordered by his commanding officer to kill a Baloch Muslim, the mere act of killing another Muslim is proof that the Pakistani soldier has accepted the role of becoming a ‘Munafiq’. In such a situation, as per Mullah Achakzai's 'Fatwa', every Muslim is permitted to wage ‘Jihad’ on that Pakistani soldier and kill him.

Baloch News Bureau Report

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

Baloch nationalists want to close China’s naval outpost on the Indian Ocean

2006-07-02T00:22:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE:

Indian and U.S. policy makers keen to support the Baloch resistance movement in Iran and Pakistan

KALAT, Balochistan -- After the tragic incident of September 2001 when Al Qaeda launched terrorist attacks within the United States, the U.S. forces moved into Afghanistan and removed the Taliban regime, and warned the Pakistani military dictatorship of General Pervez Musharraf to cease its support of the Talibans. To appease the Americans, the pragmatic General Musharraf immediately did an about-face and “appeared” to be with the U.S. forces, and portrayed his government as an “ally in the war on terror”. But, in reality he never severed his ties with either the Al Qaeda or the Talibans.

With its strategy of cooperation with the Americans, the Pakistani military regime bought itself some time to fortify its position against future threats from U.S. Just four months after the U.S.-led coalition forces liberated Afghanistan from the Talibans, the Pakistanis courted China to counter U.S. hegemony in the region, and broke ground with the Chinese in building a Deep Sea Port on the Arabian Sea. The project was sited in an obscure fishing village of Gwadar in Pakistani-occupied Balochistan, bordering Afghanistan to the northwest and Iran to the southwest. Gwadar is nautically bounded by the Persian Gulf in the west and the Gulf of Oman in the southwest.

Although the Gwadar Port project has been under study since May 2001, the U.S. entrée into Kabul provided an added impetus for its speedy execution. Having set up its bases in Central, South, and West Asian countries, the U.S. virtually brought its military forces at the doorstep of China. Beijing was already wary of the strong U.S. military presence in the Persian Gulf, which supplies 60% of its energy needs. It was now alarmed to see the U.S. extend its reach into Asian nations that ring western China. Having no blue water navy to speak of, China feels defenseless in the Persian Gulf against any hostile action to choke off its energy supplies. This vulnerability set Beijing scrambling for alternative safe supply routes for its energy shipments. The planned Gwadar Deep Sea Port was one such alternative for which China had flown its Vice Premier, Wu Bangguo, to Gwadar to lay its foundation on March 22, 2002.

Pakistan was interested in the project to seek strategic depth further to the southwest from its major naval base in Karachi that has long been vulnerable to the dominant Indian Navy. In the past, it endured prolonged economic and naval blockades imposed by the Indian Navy. To diversify the site of its naval and commercial assets, Pakistan has already built a naval base at Ormara, the Jinnah Naval Base, which has been in operation since June 2000. It can berth about a dozen ships, submarines and similar harbor craft. The Gwadar port project, however, is billed to crown the Pakistan Navy into a force that can rival regional navies. The government of Pakistan has designated the port area as a "sensitive defense zone." Once completed, the Gwadar port will rank among the world's largest deep-sea ports.

The convergence of Sino-Pakistani strategic interests has put the port project onto a fast track to its early completion. In three years since its inauguration, the first phase of the project is already complete with three functioning berths. Although the total cost of the project is estimated at $1.16 billion USD, China pitched in $198 million and Pakistan $50 million to finance the first phase. China also has invested another $200 million into building a coastal highway that will connect the Gwadar port with Karachi. The second phase, which will cost $526 million, will feature the construction of 9 more berths and terminals and will also be financed by China. To connect western China with Central Asia by land routes, Pakistan is working on building road links to Afghanistan from its border town of Chaman in Balochistan to Qandahar in Afghanistan. In the northwest, it is building similar road links between Torkham in Pakhtunkhaw (officially known as the Northwest Frontier Province) and Jalalabad in Afghanistan. Eventually, the Gwadar port will be accessible for Chinese imports and exports through overland links that will stretch to and from Karakoram Highway in Pakistan's Northern Areas that border China's Muslim-majority Autonomous Region of Xinjiang. In addition, the port will be complemented with a modern air defense unit, a garrison, and a first-rate international airport capable of handling large air transport service.

Pakistan already gives China most favored nation (MFN) status and is now establishing a bilateral Free Trade Area (FTA), which will bring tariffs between the two countries to zero. Over the past two years, the trade volume between the two countries has jumped to $2.5 billion a year, accounting for 20% of China's total trade with South Asia. Informal trade, a euphemism for smuggling, however, is several times the formal trade. The proposed FTA is an implicit acceptance of the unstoppable "informal" trade as a "formal" one. More importantly, Chinese investment in Pakistan has increased to $4 billion, registering a 30% increase just over the past two years since 2003. Chinese companies make up 12% (60) of the foreign firms (500) operating in Pakistan, which employ over 3,000 Chinese nationals.

The growing economic cooperation between Beijing and Islamabad is also solidifying their strategic partnership. Before leaving for his visit to Beijing this past December, Pakistani Prime Minister Aziz told reporters in Islamabad: "Pakistan and China are strategic partners and our relations span many areas." The rhetoric of strategic alignment is duly matched by reality. Last year, China and Pakistan conducted their first-ever joint naval exercises near the Shanghai coast. These exercises, among others, included simulation of an emergency rescue operation. Last December, Pakistan opened a consulate in Shanghai. The Gwadar Port project is the summit of such partnership that will bring the two countries closer in maritime defense as well.

Initially, China was reluctant to finance the Gwadar port project because Pakistan offered the U.S. exclusive access to two of its critical airbases in Jacobabad (Sind) and Pasni (Balochisntan) during the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. According to a Times of India report on February 19, 2002, Gen. Musharraf had to do a lot of explaining for leasing these bases to America. China, the Times of India reported, was also upset with Pakistan for allowing the U.S. to establish listening posts in Pakistan's Northern Areas, which border Xinjiang and Tibet. When China finally agreed to offer financial and technical assistance for the project, it asked for "sovereign guarantees" to use the Port facilities to which Pakistan agreed, despite U.S. unease over it.

In particular, the port project set off alarm bells in India which already feels encircled by China from three sides: Myanmar, Tibet, and Pakistan. To counter Sino-Pak collaboration, India has brought Afghanistan and Iran into an economic and strategic alliance. Iranians are already working on Chabahar port in Sistan-Va-Baluchistan, which will be accessible for Indian imports and exports with road links to Afghanistan and Central Asia. India is helping build a 200-kilometer road that will connect Chabahar with Afghanistan. Once completed, Indians will use this access road to the port for their imports and exports to and from Central Asia. Presently, India is in urgent need of a shorter transit route to quickly get its trade goods to Afghanistan and Central Asia.

The port, by design or by default, provides China a strategic foothold in the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. This Sino-Pakistani strategy has caused major concerns in India and great unease for the U.S. sitting opposite the Strait of Hurmoz, through which 80% of the world's energy exports flow. The Chinese presence on the Indian Ocean will further increase its strategic influence with major South Asian nations, particularly Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, which would prompt the Indians in turn to re-strengthen their Navy.

The port is intended to serve China's fourfold economic and military objective:

To integrate Pakistan into the Chinese economy by outsourcing low-tech, labor-absorbing, resource-intensive industrial production to Islamabad, which will transform Pakistan into a giant factory floor for China;
To seek access to Central Asian markets for energy imports and Chinese exports by developing road networks and rail links through Afghanistan and Pakistan into Central Asia;
To appease restive parts of western China, especially the Muslim-majority autonomous region of Xinjiang, through a massive infusion of development funds and increased economic links with the Central Asian Islamic nations of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan; and
To monitor its energy shipments from the Persian Gulf, and offer it, in the case of any hostile interruption in such shipments, a safer alternative passage for its energy imports from Central Asia.

These external concerns are stoking internal challenges to the port project. Balochistan, where the project is located, is once again up in arms (for the fifth time in 58 years) against the Pakistani occupation forces. The most important reason for armed resistance against the Gwadar port is that Baloch nationalists see it as an attempt to marginalize them politically, oppress then with military force, and usurp their natural resources. Several insurgent groups have sprung up to nip the project in the bud and expell the Chinese from Balochistan. The three most effective are: the Balochistan Liberation Army, Balochistan Liberation Front, and People's Liberation Army. On May 3, 2004, BLA killed three Chinese engineers working on the port project that employs close to 500 Chinese nationals.

The realization of economic and strategic objectives of the Gwadar port by Pakistan is largely dependent upon the reduction of separatist violence in Balochistan by the Baloch freedom fighters. Pakistani response to secessionism is aggressive military action in Balochistan. Pakistani fighter jets, gunship helicopters, heavy artillery, and over 60,000 troops have launched a military operation inside Balochistan to target the ethnic Baloch population, mainly the non-combatant, innocent men, women and children. To date the Pakistani forces have conducted extrajudicial arrests of more than 4,000 Baloch activists, killed over 700 Baloch nationals in direct military action, and planted landmines in Baloch areas to close all escape routes resulting in the deaths of over 10,000 Baloch civilians due of starvation and lack of medical assistance.

Jerusalem, Israel based Government of Balochistan in Exile is in contact with officials of countries that have a vested interest in containing Chinese ambitions in the region. Negotiations are being conducted to explore ways and means to close the Chinese naval outpost in Gwadar. Both the Indian and U.S. policy makers are keen to resolve the grievances of the Baloch people through peaceful means. But, neither Iran, Pakistan nor China agree to retract from their plans and settle the issue of sovereignty of Balochistan with the Baloch leadership. Hence, the Baloch nationalists were compelled to fight for their self-determination, and they have already waged the “Baloch War of Independence” on both the Iranian and Pakistani government forces.

Baloch News Bureau Report

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

Pakistan: A sanctuary for terrorists

2006-07-01T21:19:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE:

KALAT, Balochistan – The Regional Study Center organized a function in Kabul, Afghanistan on Thursday. The secretary general of the Awami National Party (ANP) of Pakistan, Afrasiab Khattak gave a speech in which he expressed his displeasure with the policies of the Pakistani military regime. He described the Islamic Republic of Pakistan as a safe haven for terrorists. He added, "Harboring terrorists was the policy of the military regime in Pakistan."

The function was organized to review the trouble in Pakistan's tribal areas and Balochistan and its impact on peace in Afghanistan. Director of the Regional Study Centre Abdul Ghafoor Liwal, advisor to Afghan President Karzai on cultural affairs Zalmay Hiwadmal, Minister for Borders and Tribal Affairs Abdul Karim Barahvi, Director of the Academy of Sciences and its members, and representative of the Government of Balochistan (GOB) in Exile also attended the function.

Khattak said the problems "might" be solved after the holding of free and fair elections and formation of a true representative government of the people in Pakistan.

"There is no democracy in Pakistan. Both the internal and foreign policy is prepared by the military," said Khattak.

He said the government of Pakistan, after the overthrow of Taliban, had given a free hand to the militants in the tribal areas. The terrorists in those areas had trained foreigners, who were now posing threat to Pakistan's own interests.

Regarding the recent trouble in Pakistani-occupied Balochistan, Khattak said such crisis had caused disintegration of the country in the past (referring to Bangladesh) and the same was likely to be repeated if the problem was not resolved in an amicable manner.

Criticizing Pakistan's Afghan policy, Khattak said, "Pakistan wants a puppet government in Afghanistan. But the policy is wrong."

The secretary general of the GOB (Exile), Mir Azaad Khan agreed with Khattak and added, "Pakistan is bent upon destabilizing President Karzai's government, and they will continue to provide military support to the Al-Qaeda and Taliban terrorist in Afghanistan. As long as there is a firm government in Kabul that wants to develop Afghanistan, both economically and militarily, Pakistani military regime will consider it a threat and will do everything in its power to weaken the Afghans."

He emphasized that both the Afghan and Baloch governments must cooperate and approach the United Nation’s International Court of Justice to challenge the validity of the Durand Line Agreement and declare it null and void. With the presence of the U.S.-led coalition forces and NATO forces in Afghanistan, it will be easy to implement the court’s rulings. Once the illegally occupied territories belonging to Afghanistan and Balochistan are returned by Pakistan, the terror in the region inflicted by the Pakistani supported Taliban and Al-Qaeda terrorists will certainly subside.

Baloch News Bureau Report

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

Balochistan begins to hit the headlines

2006-07-01T20:11:00.000+03:00

REPUBLISHED:

AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands (Holland) -- First the BBC, and now The Economist are increasingly turning their attention to this hitherto little-known conflict. A sign perhaps that, like Darfur, it's beginning to flicker up on international radar?

Further to my initial remarks that it's all about gas, while I don't doubt that resources have something to do with the situation there appear to be many more complex things going on:

While Bugti tribesmen harry the army, a mysterious outfit, the Balochistan Liberation Army, which the government says is also run by the sardars, is attacking policemen and soldiers across the province. Both groups are believed to have received assistance from India, across the nearby porous border with Afghanistan.

Read behind the lines here: India is using this as a proxy war against Pakistan, in addition to Kashmir. And who are Pakistan's main backers? Along the border with Afghanistan the US fights its futile war on terror; upon the coast, at Gwadar, China builds a massive new naval base for the export and protection of energy supplies. The insurgency is disrupting construction, so sooner or later the Chinese may begin putting pressure on Musharraf.

Furthermore, Balochistan straddles the border between Pakistan and Iran. An explosive combination if ever I heard one.

In addition to being members of UNPO, with which I became familiar with during my correspondence with Uyghur leader-in-exile Erkin Alptekin, the Baloch movement also has a significant web presence. This comment, which I received this morning, is worth reproducing:

Balochistan is currently occupied by Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan, and the Baloch people are struggling for self-determination. Pakistan forcibly occupied Balochistan in 1948, and treated the territory as a colony by oppressing the ethnic Baloch. The Baloch people launched four unsuccessful insurgencies in the past, and now they have embarked on the fifth one, which is officially declared as the “Baloch War of Independence”.
However, the military dictatorship of General Pervez Musharraf has resorted to committing serious human rights violation in Balochistan by sending fighter jets, gunship helicopters, heavy artillery, and over 60,000 troops to eliminate non-combatant, innocent men, women and children of Baloch ethnicity. In other words, the Pakistani military regime is systematically conducting ethnic cleansing.
The Baloch want a democratic, liberal and secular Balochistan in midst of military dictatorship and Islamic fundamentalism. The international community must support the Baloch if they want to subdue Talibanization of the region. To read more on Balochistan, please visit our blog.

So the Baloch are not, as I previously believed, an Islamist group driven by resource nationalism but indeed a secular organization that promotes itself as anti-Taliban. Interesting. The site itself is at http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/ and contains a number of useful links. Take a look at this story in which a prominent figure also casts a shot at the idea of Balochistan as being a centre of world politics.

Original report reprinted below, and note also this blog with very similar scope to Other Means, discovered via Govt of Balochistan site.

The Economist:

Turning a fight into a war
Pakistan's aggressive policy towards its aggrieved west is causing chaos

THE castle belonging to Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti in Dera Bugti, a small town in Pakistan's western province of Baluchistan, stands like an epitaph to a lost battle. The walls have been ruined by cannon fire. Most of the local residents have fled. Those who remain in the town are mostly renegade Bugtis, of a clan opposed to Mr Bugti's God-like rule over the tribe. A few years ago, Mr Bugti drove them from Dera Bugti. But, since he began squabbling with the government, which set its troops on him last year, it has carted them back. “He's finished,” says one of their protectors, a colonel in Pakistan's frontier corps. “People want change.”
Few in Baluchistan would disagree with the second claim. It is Pakistan's biggest and poorest province: a vast expanse of arid plains and brittle hills, home to 5m people, half of whom are impoverished. It produces most of Pakistan's natural gas—including 40% from a single gasfield, at Sui, on Mr Bugti's land—yet, until recently, almost no Baluch village had access to gas. Thus marginalised, the province has arisen in insurgency every decade or so since Pakistan's creation. The biggest, in the mid-1970s, sucked in 80,000 troops and cost 8,000 lives.
The latest uprising, led by Mr Bugti, a former interior minister, now nearly 80 years old, and two other tribal lords, or sardars, has raged for the past 18 months. After the government shelled Dera Bugti last year, Mr Bugti took to the hills on camel-back to direct the insurgency, armed with a Kalashnikov and a satellite telephone. Last December, after rockets were fired at a rally attended by Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharraf, the army began assaulting him there.
To reach the cave Mr Bugti calls home, your correspondent trekked for a week through scorched valleys and moonlit hills, circumventing army pickets. Though half-crippled by thrombosis, Mr Bugti, who claims to have killed his first man at the age of twelve, was in good spirits. “It is better to die quickly in the mountain than slowly in bed,” he said, surrounded by a silent crowd of Bugti gunmen. A fan of Nietzsche and Genghis Khan, he speaks perfect English and delights in punctiliously-pronounced discourses on the love-life of camels and wreaking horrible revenge on his foes. “What is better than seeing your enemies driven before you and then taking their women to bed?” he says.
While Bugti tribesmen harry the army, a mysterious outfit, the Baluchistan Liberation Army, which the government says is also run by the sardars, is attacking policemen and soldiers across the province. Both groups are believed to have received assistance from India, across the nearby porous border with Afghanistan. In the past few years, 400 Pakistani soldiers have been killed in the conflict, as well as several hundred people in army attacks. Pakistan's Human Rights Commission has documented government atrocities, including a massacre of 12 civilians in January.
For General Musharraf, this has become a serious headache. Gas supplies to Pakistan's main towns have been interrupted by attacks on Baluchistan's pipelines and gasfields. Construction of a vast new port, at the Baluch village of Gwadar, has been occasionally disrupted. Across Pakistan, meanwhile, for reasons including rising inflation and his pro-America policies, the general is fast becoming unpopular; and the Baluch insurgents have drawn sympathy.
Mr Bugti has a dreadful history of oppressing his people, yet the grievances he claims to be fighting for are real. Moreover, Pakistanis see the conflict as an extension of an even more unpopular campaign General Musharraf is waging against Pushtun Islamic fundamentalists in the northern tribal areas. In the past two years, for no obvious gain, over 600 soldiers have been killed there—including six on June 26th in a suicide bomb attack in North Waziristan tribal agency.
If only General Musharraf would listen to the aggrieved Baluch, his more level-headed critics say, worse violence could be averted. But that looks unlikely. In May 2005, a parliamentary committee proposed 32 sensible ways to placate them, including increased development spending and a local stake in the port at Gwadar. None of these has been taken up. And General Musharraf's hand is growing heavier. Across Baluchistan, thousands have been arrested, often merely because of their alleged nationalist opinions. An alliance between feudal tribes, like the Bugtis, and more enlightened nationalists, who despise the sardari system, has been forged by shared suffering.
“We are no longer fighting for autonomy but for survival,” says Akhtar Mengal, leader of the Baluchistan National Party (BNP), and son of another sardar. The BNP has been holding mass rallies across Baluchistan, including in the capital, Quetta, attended by teachers, doctors and students, as well as bearded tribesmen. “Our demand is simple,” he says: “Maximum autonomy; or we too will take to the mountains and fight for independence.”
General Musharraf is believed to be sincere in wanting to bring greater prosperity to Baluchistan—and to make it the hub of Pakistan's energy sector. Yet he seems convinced that to end its insurgency, he has only to crush the bothersome sardars. In that, though, he is wrong.

by Philip Sen
http://www.philip-sen.com/othermeans/2006/06/baluchistan_begins_to_hit_the_headlines.html

Baloch nation hoodwinked by Punjabi controlled Pakistan

2006-06-30T07:26:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE:

KALAT, Balochistan -- Resource rich Pakistani occupied Balochistan has brought windfall profits to sprawling industries in Punjab and rest of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. But, ironically the indigenous people of Balochistan, the proud, secular, liberal, democratic, and fiercely independent ethnic Baloch, are abysmally poor.

Pakistani military forces invaded Balochistan in 1948, and ever since then, the territory has been ruled as a colony for its natural resources, strategic location and coastal region. To establish a firm control on the Baloch people, and suppress their aspirations for self-determination, the Punjabi dominated Pakistani armed forces have become the colonial masters. They have established numerous military cantonments throughout Balochistan supplemented with 600 plus Gestapo-style check posts to restrict movement of the local population. Occupied Balochistan is now turned into a huge Guantanamo Bay type prison camp for the Baloch people.

The “Punjabi Raj” suppressed any signs of political ambitions for autonomy in occupied Balochistan using the following strategies:

By kidnapping, arresting, torturing and murdering of Baloch political activists;
By adopting the “Divide and Rule” policy to incite tribal disputes among various Baloch tribes so their focus would remain contained within their tribal parameters;
Developing Islamic fraternal relations with the predominantly Muslim Baloch population to keep them subdued into believing that the Punjabi Raj are their Muslim brethrens;
Restricting and neglecting infrastructure development in Balochistan to maintain their control on a resource-rich region that was intentionally kept poor and destitute; and
Offer financial, political, and employment rewards to lure Baloch leadership to become loyal subjects of the Punjabi Raj.

These treacherous tactics of the Punjabi Raj hoodwinked many Baloch nationals. During the last 58 years of Pakistani occupation of Balochistan, the Baloch leadership tried various means to tackle the Baloch nation’s grievances with the Punjabi Raj, but to no avail. Baloch leaders initiated peaceful dialogues with the Pakistani rulers, but the Punjabi Raj made mere promises and nothing of substance was ever delivered.

Out of shear desperation in dealing with the Punjabi Raj, the Baloch people retaliated four times in the past to gain “partial” autonomy of their occupied territory so that they could address their problems instead of relying on someone else. But, the Pakistani rulers considered Baloch retaliations as a threat to its occupation, and therefore, used the full might of its armed forces to ruthlessly crush any Baloch voice into complete submission.

After years of remaining calm due to the oppressive governing policies of the Punjabi Raj, the Baloch people are awakened once again. This time around, the Punjabi Raj has finally decided to deal the “final blow” and the Baloch know that it is the last round. A metaphor that best describes the predicament of the Baloch people in occupied Balochistan is bullfighting, a national sport and spectacle of Spain. The object of the game is for one of the bullfighters (Punjabi Raj)—the matador—to kill a wild bull (the Baloch nation) with a “final blow” of his sword.

A modern bullfight consists of three stylized parts (tercios). When the wild bull (toro) enters the ring, bullfighters (toreros) wave capes to prod it to charge; then the picadors administer pic (lance) thrusts, which tire the animal and cause him to lower his head; in the second part, the banderilleros come out and, while on the run, plant banderillas (short barbed sticks) on the withers of the bull; these often spur him into making livelier charges. In the final segment the matador holds the muleta, a small cloth cape, in one hand, and a sword in the other. Daring passes at the bull work to dominate the animal until it stands with feet square on the ground and head hung low; the matador must then approach the bull from the front and kill him by thrusting his sword between the shoulder blades and into the heart.

Baloch leaders, who were idealistic in believing that the Punjabi Raj will address their concerns, have finally realized that they were duped. Nationalist leaders like Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, Sardar Attaullah Mengal and others once sided with the occupation forces in hopes of gaining political leverage for the Baloch people to resolve their issues. But, now even they have understood that the Punjabi Raj has finally decided to annihilate the Baloch people from Balochistan. No wonder these tribal chieftains have now become persona non grata in Pakistan.

The Pakistani military has committed three genocides in the past without any ramifications. And now they are already engaged in their fourth foray to commit another genocide in Balochistan. During the partition of India in 1947, the Pakistanis slaughtered over 600,000 Hindus and Sikhs. In 1971, the they murdered more than 3 million Bengali Muslims to stop them from liberating Bangladesh. During the Baloch insurgency of 1973 to 1976, the Punjabi Raj forces killed more than 5,000 Baloch in direct military action, while another 25,000 starved to death or died of non-availability of medical assistance due to military blockade of Baloch areas.

The Baloch nation must brace for the evil plans of the Punjabi Raj. The military dictatorship of General Pervez has launched ethnic cleansing inside Balochistan. More than 10,000 Baloch are already dead either through direct military action or because of starvation or lack of medical assistance due to military blockade of Marri and Bugti areas since December 2005. Out of the total of 8.3 million Baloch who live in Pakistan, only 3.25 million currently reside in Balochistan. The military planners have already done their calculations for Balochistan, and they have determined that they can kill one million Baloch nationals without any uproar from the international community.

Once the Punjabi Raj is done with the killings, they intend to create socio-economic obstacles for the remainder of the Baloch population resulting in the displacement of more than a million Baloch refugees to foreign countries or other parts of Pakistan. The few that will survive the onslaught and remain in Balochistan will barely cause any threat to the Pakistani occupation of Balochistan. This process will seal the deal indefinitely for the Punjabi Raj in securing the natural resources, strategic location and coastal region of Balochistan.

The Baloch nation must understand the long-term ramifications of the current military operation by the Punjabi Raj in occupied Balochistan. This is the “final blow”, and the survival of the Baloch people as a nation is at stake. Under the present circumstances, the Baloch people have only two choices left: 1) Either to become a loyal subject of the Punjabi Raj and relish the rewards, or 2) Join the Baloch freedom fighters to protect the extinction of the Baloch people as a nation.

The Government of Balochistan (GOB) in Exile is striving to unite the Baloch people under one flag, and fight for their survival as a nation. The various Baloch factions and tribes must join hands and pledge an allegiance to a united front to battle the Punjabi Raj. According to GOB (Exile), it is important to purge the Baloch nation of those loyalists who have joined the occupation forces at this critical juncture in Baloch history. The only way for the Baloch people to survive as a nation is to liberate Balochistan NOW, or there will NEVER be a second opportunity to do so. This is the last chance to dream of an independent Balochistan and struggle for it.

Baloch News Bureau Report

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

Pakistani military regime uses deceptive propaganda in occupied Balochistan

2006-06-27T08:19:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE:

KALAT, Balochistan – The Pakistani Governor of occupied Balochistan, Owais Ghani, is now waving the white flag to hold talks with the Baloch leaders. His gesture might “appear” sincere to appease the international community, but the ground realities are that the Pakistani military regime has intensified its military operations in Balochistan. Over 60,000 troops, several fighter jets, a dozen gunship helicopters and heavy artillery are engaged in targeting Baloch freedom fighters and non-combatant, innocent Baloch men, women, and children.

Ghani said that Balochistan has become the center of world politics now. He blamed this unnecessary attention on the internal differences of opinions between the Pakistani military regime and the oppressed Baloch people, and also on the anti-Pakistani elements that are allegedly taking advantage of Pakistan’s weaknesses.

“Balochistan issue would be resolved through talks instead of bullets,” said Ghani. He alleges that his government is currently negotiating with the Baloch leader, Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, but the details of the talks could not be revealed. However, in a recent interview given to a BBC reporter, Bugti sarcastically stated, “Yes, yes, they are communicating with us through the use of these cannons, fighter jets, deep penetration bombs; these are such great dialogues that they are having loud discussions with us.”

Ghani assured that the Pakistani military regime is taking number of steps to provide basic facilities to the people of Balochistan. He noted that his government was determined to improve the infrastructure, and that they have started different projects to provide health, education and other basic facilities in Balochistan.

Unfortunately, the only developments in sight are the rapid construction of military cantonments (garrisons) throughout Balochistan; its prime objective is to further oppress the Baloch people. The main beneficiaries of the few mega projects that are being developed are the Punjabis, not the local Baloch population. If one analyzes any recent project that is being developed in Balochistan, it becomes crystal clear that these developments are only in areas that are designed to secure and facilitate the looting of Baloch resources by the occupation forces.

“Past governments committed great excesses (for 58 years) with Balochistan, but the incumbent government would provide funds to this province (occupied territory) that is going to be more than its share,” Ghani said while addressing a national seminar in Islamabad on Monday which was attended by notable loyalist Raziq Bugti (occupied Balochistan government spokesman), Haji Muhammad Adeel (senior vice president Awami National Party -ANP), Zubaida Jalal (Federal Minister for Special Education) and Naseer Mengal (Minister of State for Petroleum).

Every successive ruler repeats the same rhetoric and promises of development to the Baloch people. But, in actuality, none of their plans are ever implemented. The funds that are allocated just vaporize and excuses are forwarded for not completing the promised projects.

According to Ghani, the educated middle class is emerging in Balochistan, and it is posing political challenge to the Baloch elite. He believes that the Bugti, Mengal and Bugti chieftains were trying to tackle the political challenge in Balochistan through brute force, which is the reason for the violence in the province. He charged that the nationalist parties are the main hurdles in implementation of the Parliamentary Committee’s recommendations.

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch, General Secretary of the Government of Balochistan (GOB) in Exile quipped, “It is ironic that the so-called governor of Pakistani occupied Balochistan is so oblivious of the reality. Either he is intentionally creating confusion or he is totally incompetent to make such ridiculous statements or he is under the influence of narcotics. He should know that every pro-Baloch website on the Internet is managed by the educated, middle class, patriotic Baloch. And, it is a known fact that these Baloch intellectuals have pledged their allegiance to Baloch leaders like Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, Nawab Khair Bux Marri, Sardar Attaullah Mengal, and all those brave Baloch commanders who are fighting the enemies of the Baloch people.”

He added, “If Ghani thinks that the Baloch loyalist who support the occupation forces in Balochistan are the sole voice of the educated middle class Baloch, then he is sadly mistaken. The Baloch nation considers these loyalists as traitors, and they will certainly receive appropriate punishment when Balochistan achieves its independence. Thanks to the Baloch community, the international pressure on the Pakistani military dictatorship of General Pervez Musharraf is going to increase in the coming days. We, the Baloch nation, have declared the ‘Baloch War of Independence’, and we shall not rest until we liberate Balochistan.”

Baloch also stated that Ghani is unaware that his own government never honored the recommendations of the Pakistani Parliamentary Committee. It was not the Baloch nationalist parties that put any hurdles; instead it was the Pakistani military regime that disregarded every recommendation that was on the list.

Recent sporadic behavior of various officials of the Pakistani military regime is either a sign of instability or a propaganda ploy to muddle the Baloch cause. These officials have started making contradictory statements to what another high level official might have said a few days earlier. It appears that there is no coordination between various segments of the government, but it may be a strategy to create confusion. A recent example is when the Pakistani Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination, Salim Saifullah Khan, announced that the Baloch freedom fighters must surrender before any dialogues could be initiated. But now Ghani alleges that his government is negotiating with the Baloch leader, Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti.

GOB (Exile) wants the Baloch nation to be aware of the deceit and lies of the Pakistani occupation forces. The Pakistani military regime has now waged a psychological war on the Baloch people, and this can create confusion and chaos. The Baloch nation must focus on liberating Balochistan, and not allow the conniving Pakistanis to sprinkle dust in their eyes.

Baloch News Bureau Report

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

Christian, Hindu and Jewish NGOs demand Iran and Pakistan to end human rights violations in Balochistan

2006-06-26T20:16:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE:

Iran and Pakistan are on Freedom House's list of the "Worst of the Worst" violators of human rights

KALAT, Balochistan -- On Monday, the following twelve non-governmental organizations (NGO) jointly filed an appeal for human rights protection of the Baloch people in Iran and Pakistan with the United Nation’s Human Rights Council:

B'nai B'rith International

Coordinating Board of Jewish Organisations

Dzeno Association

Indian Social Institute

International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists

International Union of Notaries

S. M. Sehgal Foundation

Transnational Radical Party

UN Watch

Union Internationale des Avocats

Women's International Zionist Organization

World Union of Progressive Judaism

UN Watch delivered the joint appeal on behalf of the NGOs to the UN Human Rights Council during its first session on June 26, 2006 to implement GA Resolution 60/251 in occupied Balochistan.

The Human Rights Council was established by the UN General Assembly in its resolution 60/251 of March 15, 2006, which stated that the Human Rights Council would replace the Commission on Human Rights, which will be formally abolished on 16 June 2006. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan stated that, “Now the real work begins”. The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Arbour, also saluted the creation of the Human Rights Council, calling its establishment “a historic opportunity to improve the protection and promotion of fundamental freedoms of people around the world.”

UN Watch is a NGO based in Geneva whose mandate is to monitor the performance of the United Nations by the yardstick of its own Charter. Areas of interest include: UN management reform, the UN and civil society, equality within the UN, and the equal treatment of member states. UN Watch notes that the disproportionate attention and unfair treatment applied by the UN toward Israel over the years offers an object lesson (though not the only one) in how due process, equal treatment, and other fundamental principles of the UN Charter are often ignored or selectively upheld.

UN Watch pleaded in its appeal, “The eyes of the world are turned to the new Human Rights Council in the hope that it will effectively protect and promote human rights universally. Therefore we look to the full implementation of GA Resolution 60/251.”

It emphasized, “To truly address the reality of human rights violations on the ground, the Council cannot shy away from the most relevant situations around the world. In her recent report, the High Commissioner for Human Rights has mentioned the situations of Uzbekistan, Somalia, Sudan, Colombia, Nepal, Togo, Burma and the DPRK. Based on Freedom House's list of the "Worst of the Worst" violators and our own estimates, the following (Iran and Pakistan) is a small selection for the Council's consideration.

“(According to Amnesty International Report, 2006) Iran consistently represses the rights of human rights defenders, political prisoners, and minorities. Discriminatory laws and practices in particular target ethnic and religious minorities, especially the Baloch.

“(According to various human rights reports) In Pakistan, violence against women remains a pressing issue, symbolized by the plight of Mukhtaran Mai. In the minority province of Balochistan, security agencies are committing arbitrary arrests and detention, extrajudicial executions, torture and "disappearances" of student and labor union leaders.”

The Government of Balochistan (GOB) in Exile has approached various international organizations to inform them of the gross human rights violations being committed by the Iranian and Pakistani governments in occupied Balochistan. GOB (Exile) appealed to these organizations to use their position to put an end to the “Baloch Holocaust”.

General Secretary of GOB (Exile), Mir Azaad Khan Baloch questioned the global community for allowing the Iranian and the Pakistani regimes to commit crimes against humanity in occupied Balochistan without any ramifications. He stated that both these rogue countries have launched military operations against the Baloch freedom fighters and non-combatant, innocent men, women and children that simply want self-determination, a universal right of the Baloch people. He regretted that there were no sincere efforts being pursued by any government around the world to force the Iranian and Pakistani forces to end their ruthless extermination of the Baloch people.

Baloch News Bureau Report

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

"Friends of Baloch" to be launched by supporters of Balochis

2006-06-26T07:20:00.000+03:00

IntelliBriefs Wrote:

IntelliBriefs has learned that a new organization called "Friends of Baloch" will be launched soon by well wishers of Balochis, for the purpose of raising awarness and educating the western public about the political and economic oppression and violation of basic Human rights of Balochis by Pakistan and Iranian governments. Speaking to IntelliBriefs a key member who is an architect of this new organization said, "This will include all prominent intellectuals and leaders from Hindus, Jews and Christians and Baloch sympathisers from all parts of the world to lend sympathy to oppressed Balochis". We have learnt that Hindu groups are working hard with their Jewish friends in launching this organization. One should not forget that Government of Balochistan in Exile is based in Israel; therefore all efforts to use Jewish groups in lobbying cannot be discounted. As of now Pakistan was trounced in western media by Baloch Diaspora, thanks to their well wishers and prudent younger generation working hard by networking with western leaders and generous advisory role played by well-wishers.

It is seldom noted by analysts and experts that a major thrust to Baloch information operations is coming from well-wishers, particularly Hindu groups who love to loath Pakistan's Military, ISI and Radical Jihadi institutes, and their Jewish pals. This voluntary proactive moral support from Hindu and Jewish groups has made Pakistani intelligence nervous that prompted that to order all Internet service providers to block HinduUnity website which keeps tab on Military operations in Balochistan. One Pakistani Military officer said, "We never expected that these Hindu fanatics will be supporting Balochis, they are fanning Baloch rebels" and said further that these boys are making RAW's work easy by volunteering to propaganda machinery.

The secret of success is constancy to purpose says HinduUnity activist quoting Benjamin Disraeil, their effort to constantly expose Pakistani military operations to the world has become a part of their strategy to win over the hearts of Balochis who are secular. What made Hindus to support Baloch cause? Last year FC targeted Dera Bugti area, including the Hindu Mohalla and attacked with mortar shells killing 35 Hindus mostly women and children. Several homes of Hindus near the temple in Dera Bugti also were damaged a majority of the residents of Dera Bugti town have migrated. It is now confirmed that only two persons out of the 250 members of the local Hindu community are still living in the area.

When IntelliBriefs questioned HinduUnity source, whether this is the sole issue which made them to support Baloch cause, the answer was, "Nonsense, we could have supported them anyway in their freedom struggle, they (Balochis) took care of Hindus for all these years like their own brothers, unlike the rest of Pakistan where Hindus were persecuted. I'm glad that Hindus in Balochistan are proud to be Baloch, even after all this hardship." This source also told IntelliBriefs that they want to unite Balochis in India under an umbrella to pressure Indian Government to take serious note of events in Balochistan, "We are working on this front, majority of them live in Gujarat, we also heard that film actor late Amjad Khan is Balochi, we will confirm this soon."

To conclude, IntelliBriefs anticipate that coming days will prove tough to over stretched Pakistani Military and also resources in Foreign ministry and embassies, if this so called "Friends of Baloch" comes into action, as of now BSO-NA in USA and Balochis in Europe have trounced Pakistan. One of the strengths of this organization is the members experience in diplomacy and international relations.

IntelliBriefs

http://intellibriefs.blogspot.com/2006/06/friends-of-baloch-to-be-launched-by.html

Baloch freedom fighters must surrender, demands Pakistani minister

2006-06-25T11:44:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE:

KALAT, Balochistan – The Pakistani Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination, Salim Saifullah Khan said that the military dictatorship of General Pervez Musharraf “might” hold talks with Baloch leaders if their militias surrender their arms. However, he could not guarantee amnesty to the Baloch freedom fighters nor could he confirm that the talks will take place if the Baloch surrendered.

Answering a question at a news conference, Khan warned that no one was allowed to establish an armed force in occupied Balochistan nor the Pakistani occupying forces would tolerate any damage to national installations.

He assured that the only option left for any Baloch nationalist leader, including Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, to hold talks with his government is for them to surrender their arms first, and then they are allowed to sit on the negotiation table with us. As long as they are in possession of their arms, there is not going to be any discussions on resolving the crisis in Balochistan.

Khan refused to believe that the situation in occupied Balochistan was slipping out of his government’s control. He stated that the military operations carried out by the well-equipped Pakistani armed forces, supported by gunship helicopters, fighter jets, heavy artillery, and ground troops have effectively stabilized the region by suppressing the Baloch resistance forces.

He said that people are getting the wrong impression that the Baloch nation has turned against the Pakistani occupying forces; the majority of Baloch are loyalist and they support his government. He promised to take a press party to the area to enable them to verify his claim.

Khan alleged that the oppressed people of Balochistan were desperate for major development in their territory for the past 58 years of occupation, and now his government is taking concrete measures to help them. He assured that major funds are being allocated for this purpose.

He said that the Pakistani military regime is finally trying to address the deprivation experienced by the people of occupied Balochistan for so many years, but his government is not going to allow anyone to use bombs to damage national assets so they can express their grievances. Khan stated that provinces might have reservations about certain issues, but it does not mean that they have the right to have a separate constitution or have their own flag.

The General Secretary of Government of Balochistan in exile, Mir Azaad Khan Baloch was surprised that the Pakistani military regime continues to attack innocent, non-combatant Baloch men, women and children with sophisticated weapons, and then sends its envoy to demand the Baloch freedom fighters must surrender before any talks can be initiated.

According to Baloch, the Pakistani occupying forces must stop all military operations in Balochistan before any talks can be initiated. He questioned that how can Pakistani military regime expect the Baloch forces to surrender their arms while the Pakistanis continue their attacks on Baloch nationals. He believes that this is a ploy by the Pakistanis to further oppress the Baloch nation.

He assured that if the Baloch forces surrendered, then there is no one left to stop the ruthless Pakistani forces to conduct systematic ethnic cleansing to eliminate or displace the entire Baloch population from Balochistan. It is in the interest of the Pakistani occupying forces to take full control of the natural resources, the coastal region and the transit routes of Balochistan to benefit the people of Punjab.

Baloch added that the loyalist of the Pakistani occupying forces are confusing the Baloch people to think that it is in their best interest to continue living under Pakistani occupation. But, the reality is that during the last 58 years, the Pakistanis have usurped Balochistan and its people. The time has come for the Baloch nation to rise and fight for their self-determination. He emphasized that it is NOW or NEVER!

Baloch News Bureau Report

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

Iran mocks the UN Human Rights Council

2006-06-23T05:39:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE:

KALAT, Balochistan -- The participation by Tehran’s notorious chief prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi at the first session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva has drawn international outrage.

Earlier today, the General Secretary of the Government of Balochistan (in Exile), Mir Azaad Khan Baloch said, “The Iranians are making a bold statement of defiance by including Mortazavi, a known violator of human rights, as part of their delegation to the UN. This man is a criminal and he has killed thousands of ethnic Baloch in Iranian occupied Balochistan. He must be punished for his crimes, and not entertained in the corridors of the UN building”.

On Wednesday, Canadian Foreign Minister Peter MacKay said, “The presence of Mr. Mortazavi in Iran’s delegation demonstrates the government of Iran’s complete contempt for internationally recognized principles of human rights. The Government of Canada expresses its disgust at the fact that Iran would choose to include such a person in its delegation to a new UN body intended to promote the highest standards of respect for human rights”.

MacKay said that by including Mortazavi in its delegation Tehran was trying to discredit the UN council.

“Two official Iranian government investigations found that Prosecutor General Mortazavi ordered the illegal arrest and detention of Canadian journalist Zahra Kazemi, which led to her torture and death. He then falsified documents to cover up his involvement in her case. Mr. Mortazavi has also been involved in the harsh clampdown on the Iranian press and the arrests of many Iranian journalists”, the Canadian Foreign Minister said.

In a letter to Luis Alfonso de Alba, the President of the UN Human Rights Council, Mohammad Mohaddessin, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the opposition National Council of Resistance of Iran, said that he was shocked and dismayed at Mortazavi’s presence.

“By all standards, Mortazavi is a criminal against humanity. His direct involvement in the suppression of all voices of dissident in Iran is common knowledge. At the time of Mohammad Khatami’s presidency, Mortazavi, in his capacity as the Media Judge, shut down 80 papers close to the ‘reformists’ and was directly involved in all the crimes of the recent years against the Iranian people. Last fall, he ordered the implementation of the sweeping ‘Zafar’ plan in Tehran in which 2,000 young people in different districts were arrested and imprisoned. In January 2006, he was responsible for a crackdown on the Tehran's transit workers who went on strike for their overdue wages”, Mohaddessin said.

“I urge the Human Rights Council to expel this criminal and call on the Swiss Judiciary issue an arrest warrant for him, so that he is brought before a competent international tribunal for crimes perpetrated against humanity”, he added.

Separately, the U.S.-based Mission for Establishment of Human Rights in Iran (MEHR IRAN) said that it was a “mockery of human rights” if Mortazavi was allowed to attend the council’s current session.

“He is responsible for numerous imprisonment, tortures and executions in Iran and should be arrested by Swiss judiciary and be tried for crimes against humanity utilizing all available international avenues including the International Court of Justice, International Criminal Court and treaties such as Convention Against Torture”, the group said.

On Thursday, François Bugingo, the president of the press freedoms organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF), said “The presence in Geneva of Mortazavi, a man who was directly involved in the death of Canadian-Iranian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi, is absolutely unacceptable.

Kazemi was arrested on 23 June 2003 while photographing the families of prisoners outside Evin Prison, north of Tehran. Tortured while in detention, she died from her injuries on 10 July 2003.

“By sending Said Mortazavi as a human rights delegate to Geneva, the Iranian government is showing its real face”, Kazemi’s son, Stephan Hachemi, said.

“Iran continues to be the Middle East’s biggest prison for journalists and bloggers, with 13 jailed last year. Threats, interrogation, summonses, arrests and arbitrary detention are all on the increase. Journalists often manage to stay out of prison only by paying very high bail. The situation has not improved since hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took over as president”, RSF said.

Baloch News Bureau Report

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

Karzai urges the world to wage war on Islamic militants inside Pakistan

2006-06-23T00:02:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE:

KALAT, Balochistan – President Hamid Karzai voiced his concern on Thursday over growing attacks by Islamist insurgents in Afghanistan and urged the world to extend the war against the militants beyond his country’s borders into Pakistan.

Afghanistan is going through its bloodiest period of violence since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001 and ahead of the NATO takeover from U.S. forces in the volatile south. Pakistan’s notorious spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has intensified its activities in Afghanistan to destabilize Karzai’s government.

“We are concerned about the situation and about the increase of attacks against our country,” Karzai told a news conference at his heavily fortified presidential palace.

More than 1,000 people, including more than 40 American and Coalition soldiers, have been killed in the violence this year alone. Among the latest casualties were four U.S. soldiers, killed in a clash on Wednesday.

“We know the causes. There are shortcomings and inabilities in our system, that weakness is present all over the country,” Karzai said.

“But there is no doubt it is largely because of foreign factors, terrorism and planned and coordinated attacks.”

Karzai did not elaborate on “foreign factors” but Afghan officials have repeatedly accused neighboring Pakistan of offering full military support to Taliban and al Qaeda militants who they say launch attacks from the Pakistani side of the border.

Karzai also complained about what he called, a lack of full cooperation from the international community to root out insurgency outside Afghanistan, especially Pakistan. The fact is that Pakistan’s ISI is not only providing support to terrorists who wreck havoc inside Afghanistan, but they are also involved in terrorist activities in northern India, primarily in the Kashmir region. The world’s four most wanted terrorists, bin Laden, al-Zawahri, Mullah Omar and AQ Khan are hiding under state protection in Pakistan.

He spoke of stopping terrorism in a strategic way.

“That means the world should go where terrorism is nourished, where it is provided money and ideology (Pakistan)…this war of terrorism should not be limited to Afghanistan.”

Asked whether U.S.-led forces had adopted a wrong approach in Afghanistan, Karzai said he had argued for a “thorough look” at how to proceed with the war against terrorism.

He said he had urged the international community to provide more help in training and equipping the Afghan army and police.

Karzai has been leading Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban but his writ does not go much beyond major cities.

He said he discussed growing insecurity in Afghanistan with the leaders of neighbouring countries, including the Pakistani military dictator, General Pervez Musharraf, at a regional summit in the Chinese city of Shanghai this week.

Islamist guerrillas are mostly active in eastern and southern regions, bordering Pakistan, where they enjoy considerable support from the Pakistani military regime.

Pakistan, which conducts mock-battles with so-called Islamist insurgents to appease the west, has denied helping the militants and urged Afghans to do more to stem violence on their side of the border.

Both the Iranian Islamic regime and the Pakistani military regime are now facing serious threats from the liberal and secular Baloch freedom fighters that have waged the “Baloch War of Independence” to liberate Iranian and Pakistani occupied Balochistan. The world community is now taking notice of this new development, and are seriously considering supporting the Baloch resistance movement.

Pakistan is the reason that Iran will soon become a nuclear-armed state threatening global peace with their WMD (weapons of mass destruction). Unless these two rogue states are disarmed, the world will be held hostage to their whims. The Baloch and other ethnic minorities in these countries can be mobilized to create unrest to lead to an implosion similar to the one in the former Soviet Union.

The Government of Balochistan in Exile agrees with Karazi’s suggestion to take the war on terrorism to the next level and attack Pakistan. The Baloch forces are already fighting the Pakistani forces and would be ideally suited to join the Coalition forces.

Baloch News Bureau Report

Mir Azaad Khan Baloch
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/

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