Baluchistan: The Story of Another Pakistan Military Genocide

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 12 Mar 2007 02:51

Was Pak Supreme Court Justice sacked and arrested due to petition on Gwadar?

http://www.saag.org/%5Cpapers22%5Cpaper2165.html

If so, it would indicate just how intent Musharraf is on building that Chinese naval base.

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 20 Mar 2007 07:11

Gwadar port being inaugurated:

url

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 21 Mar 2007 09:17

Gwadar Port Commences Operation

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6469725.stm

Rony · Post by **Rony** » 28 Mar 2007 02:17

Iran and pakis come together to crush baluch freedom fighters

There have long been accusations that Iran and Pakistan were cultivating rival Baluch factions to mkae trouble across each others' borders. This latest development is another indication that the Baluch are now acting independently of their erstwhile clientsâ€”causing Tehran and Islamabad to close ranks to crush them...

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 13 May 2007 02:58

People still not reaping benefits from Gwadar port:

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financia ... 2VUD80.htm

Rangudu · Post by **Rangudu** » 11 Jul 2007 17:56

[quote]When oneâ€™s house is not a sanctuary

By Reema Abbasi

THE scene in Awaran village near Mashkay district in Balochistan is one of mourning. Almost every home wears a pall of grief. A young Ali Akber sits in the hostile heat of a dark hovel and tries to console a newly-wed bride and an old mother. His brother Munir Mengal went missing on April 4, 2006, upon arrival from Bahrain at Karachi Airport. Mengal is just one of many whose identity threatens his life.

â€œHe was running a Balochi channel called Baloch Voice. When we went to report the case, we were told that an FIR cannot be registered against an agency so we had to file a petition in the Sindh High Court,â€

Paul · Post by **Paul** » 13 Sep 2007 22:56

Baloch freedom fighters blow up Paki vermin

Sanku · Post by **Sanku** » 23 Oct 2007 11:44

Nothing we didnt know already but more publicity never hurts

'Pakistan supporting pro-Taliban groups'

Laks · Post by **Laks** » 22 Nov 2007 08:24

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7106270.stm

A top rebel leader from Pakistan's troubled province of Balochistan has been killed, his family says.

Mir Balaach Marri, alleged head of the banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), was killed in Afghanistan, Pakistani intelligence sources told the BBC.

Dilbu · Post by **Dilbu** » 22 Nov 2007 12:54

India should try and bring Baluchistan issue in UN just as Porkis did for Kashmir. Then they will say it is an internal issue like we said, then we use the same weapons they used. I can't wait.

What goes around comes around, you Porkis.

Rye · Post by **Rye** » 22 Nov 2007 19:56

I disagree that India has to take Balochistan to the UN --- Balochistan is Pakistan's internal affair "that India is confident will be solved in these trying times for Pakistan as a nation". Given how brilliant the Pakistani army is, India is better off with the likes of Musharraf and Kiyani "controlling" pakistan. Taking this to the UN only brings outside predators into the region. India has no use for that kind of developments.

Dilbu · Post by **Dilbu** » 22 Nov 2007 20:04

Rye wrote:I disagree that India has to take Balochistan to the UN --- Balochistan is Pakistan's internal affair "that India is confident will be solved in these trying times for Pakistan as a nation". Given how brilliant the Pakistani army is, India is better off with the likes of Musharraf and Kiyani "controlling" pakistan. Taking this to the UN only brings outside predators into the region. India has no use for that kind of developments.

Almost all of those outside predators are already involved in there. Unkil, chinkil, eyeran and allah knows who else. (I mentioned it as a joke though, the UN thing)

Rye · Post by **Rye** » 22 Nov 2007 20:06

Dilbu wrote:

Almost all of those outside predators are already involved in there. Unkil, chinkil, eyeran and allah knows who else. (I mentioned it as a joke though, the UN thing)

China is only a few more deaths of chinese engineers away from getting out of Balochistan. The US is already confined to its air bases and the US's focus is anyway in FATA. Iran has an interest but that is a more reasonable and long-standing interest given the number of Balochis in Iran.

sumit-mia · Post by **sumit-mia** » 22 Nov 2007 23:25

I am really hoping for Beluch ppl, they would form a country like Bangladesh. As pakistan never learns, beluch ppl should get their independence.

Same as Bangladesh, they are deprived from their own natural resource. Before 1971, same happend to us we did the income part and west pakistan did use the money for them.

May allah be with them, to follow our example.

vvijay · Post by **vvijay** » 22 Nov 2007 23:39

Baluch are not lucky enough to have a strong country bordering them. Iranians and pakis will continue the baloch genocide until unkil attacks both or they disintegrate.

enqyoobOLD · Post by **enqyoobOLD** » 23 Nov 2007 07:56

TSPA/NATO kill Baloch leader

[quote]
Balach Marri killed: Violence in Quetta, schools closed

By Saleem Shahid
QUETTA, Nov 21: Baloch leader Nawabzada Balach Marri was killed along with his bodyguards in a clash somewhere inside Afghanistan on Wednesday, triggering widespread violence in Quetta and some other parts of Balochistan.

Two policemen and three others were killed in incidents of firing, bomb explosions and armed attacks while several government vehicles, offices and shops were set on fire.

Three people were killed on Kalat Street when unknown armed men opened fire.

Late in the night, the government called out the Balochistan Constabulary and ordered the closure of all educational institutions.

Nawabzada Gazeen Marri, the elder brother of Balach Marri, confirmed his death. â€œNawabzada Balach Marri was killed in a clash with security forces,â€

Airavat · Post by **Airavat** » 18 Dec 2007 03:22

Escape of a terrorist

There is deep frustration in the British intelligence community that Rauf, sometimes dubbed one of the UK's most wanted men, had such light security and slipped away so easily. Counterterrorist sources acknowledged, however, that the Pakistan authorities had adopted a helpful attitude to the extradition request recently.

Rauf's case has generated controversy since his detention in August 2006. US and UK intelligence services were originally said to have clashed over the timing of his arrest, the British reportedly preferring to keep him and alleged UK-based conspirators under surveillance. More recently the protracted extradition process has provoked claims that Rauf's return to the UK was being eased along by the charging of two UK-based activists who campaigned for the independence of Baluchistan.

The activists, Faiz Baluch, 25, and Hyrbyair Marri, 39, both of London, were charged with inciting another person to commit an act of terrorism "wholly or partly outside the UK". Both had protested against Pakistan's rule in Baluchistan.

Campaigners allege the pair are being traded for Rauf. That claim was again denied by the Home Office yesterday: "Each extradition request is assessed on its own merits ... there's never been any question of reciprocity."

Airavat · Post by **Airavat** » 27 Dec 2007 06:49

Sameer Arshad,TNN

Pakistan's undeclared war in Balochistan is taking alarming proportions. The Punjabi settlers, long resented by the local people are fleeing the province as the ethnic gulf widens in Pakistan's biggest province.

Islamabad, locked in a bitter conflict with Baloch nationalists is now finding it hard to restore order in the region on boil since the Pakistan army started a military operation two years ago.

"The resentment against Punjabis is so strong that many of them have been forced to vacate Baloch areas. They are either moving to Punjabi ghettos or the Pashtun-dominated areas," says a Quetta-based programme officer for an International humanitarian organisation.

The officer said the worry for Islamabad should be that Pashtuns, who are a sizable minority in the province, are supporting Baloch nationalists in their struggle.

"Though violence continues unabated in Balochistan, Islamabad seems to be winning the information warfare by blocking information from the region," he said.

Faiza Mir, international relations professor at the Balochistan University, Quetta, said the resentment among Balochs stems from deprivation. "The education, health, and other social indicators in the province are low compared to other areas of the country," she said.

"Balochistan provides Pakistan the most precious source of energy, natural gas. The revenues from Balochistan run into billions of dollars annually, but Balochs are getting nothing in return," she said. She said the killing of tribal chieftain Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti further infuriated Balochs and made them more determined to fight for their rights.

In 1948, Pakistan annexed Balochistan against the will of the Balochs, which resulted in three wars of independence, the first led by Karim Khan in 1948, in 1968 led by Nawab Nowroz Khan, and then in 1973-1977 by a coalition of Baloch tribes.

The disparities, too, are wide. Gas reserves in Balochisitan supply most of Pakistan with its energy, but remain off limits to the local population.

Sui, for example, is the single largest source of natural gas in Pakistan since 1950s. However, people in the area are yet to be provided natural gas. Balochs also resent the construction of the deep-sea port in Gwadar, as they fear the port would be used to rob their resources.

"Instead of redressing Balochi aspirations, Pakistan is imposing control through force. Thousands of nationalists have been detained; many have simply disappeared. With the nationalist under siege, many activists are losing faith in the political process and now see armed resistance as the only way to secure their rights," Brussels-based International Crisis Group (ICG) said in its recent report.

It said that Islamabad was relying on divide-and-rule policies by supporting Islamist parties in a bid to counter the secular forces in Baluchistan

Dilbu · Post by **Dilbu** » 27 Dec 2007 15:33

Balochs also resent the construction of the deep-sea port in Gwadar, as they fear the port would be used to rob their resources.

No wonder India would like to pRAWide some support to baluchs. If you can kick the Gwadar project, you can kick the combined musharaffs of TSP and Chinkil.

Rudranathh · Post by **Rudranathh** » 29 Dec 2007 12:36

X-posted from TSP thread. Orginally posted by ASharma.

Balach Marriâ€™s shocking death

THE mysterious death of Balochistan Liberation Army chief and former member of the Balochistan provincial assembly Balach Marri is a huge loss for the Baloch masses. Sadly, the military regime used the demise of the Baloch leader for political purposes.

In an array of statements the military spokespersons of the federal government held the grandson of Nawab Akbar Bugti, Brahamdagh Bugti, responsible for the death of Balach Marri. This was apparently an effort to create schisms in the Baloch nationalist movement. In response to these statements, Brahamdagh Bugti said that the Marri leaders recognise those responsible for the death of Balach Marri.

The killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti and the treatment meted out to him after his death clearly shows the grudge held by the central government and the military brass against the leaders of the Baloch movement. Those engaged in winning the rights of the Baloch continue to suffer derogatory treatment.

The military leadership seems to be obsessed with its grudge against the Baloch leadership [and] the central government appears to have taken a step forward to counter the Baloch struggle with brute force.

This attitude on the part of the central government and the military leadership might increase the hostility felt by the marginalised nations and that could go against the interests of the country. It is the need of the hour to create an environment of trust in the country and engage the leadership of the marginalised nations in a meaningful dialogue. Sanity demands a pragmatic approach to resolve the conflict.

We the editorial team of Pukhtoon condemn the killing of Balach Marri and express our solidarity with the Baloch people. â€” (Dec 2007)

enqyoobOLD · Post by **enqyoobOLD** » 29 Dec 2007 12:41

Dilbu:

Pls kindly do not toss out such pRAWocative statements or dRAW baseless conclusions.

Dilbu · Post by **Dilbu** » 29 Dec 2007 17:56

enqyoob wrote:Dilbu:

Pls kindly do not toss out such pRAWocative statements or dRAW baseless conclusions.

Sorry boss, got carried away.

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 30 Dec 2007 01:18

It is only a matter of time before baloch groups resentful of pakjabi military encroachment link up with the paktaliban who are also fighting the pakjabi army.

Now that Sindhis are increasingly alienated and radicalized after moti-BB's death, they too should feel more sympathetic to the baloch. And Karachi is literally a stone's throw from the baloch border, too.

Juggi G · Post by **Juggi G** » 23 Jun 2008 16:39

Exclusive Interview : Pakistan’s Rebel Leader
Rediff India
Balochistan's Top Leader Nawab Khair Baksh Marri in a Rare Interview.

'We are the Masters of our Land'

'I occasionally feel Ashamed of not having done enough for the Baloch Land'

'We are unlikely to compromise on any thing less than freedom'

'Punjabis Should Quit Balochistan'

'Some Baloch have Sold their Loyalties'

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 13 Jul 2008 16:00

http://fastrising.blogspot.com/2008/05/ ... istan.html

heh, I like the comment at the end

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 13 Jul 2008 16:17

And of course the latest news from VOB:

http://www.balochvoice.com/index_a.html

enqyoob · Post by **enqyoob** » 19 Sep 2008 07:20

Rhymes, doesn't it?

Quetta rocked by rocket attacks

QUETTA, Sept 17: Three powerful explosions caused by rockets rocked the city on Wednesday evening.

Police said that the first rocket exploded near the Chaman Housing Society minutes before Iftar, the second near a food outlet on Smungali road and the third near an apartment in the same area.

No casualty was reported, but windowpanes of nearby houses and shops were smashed.

Soon after the explosions, police arrived at the places and the local administration deployed extra security personnel in the city.

Police said the places from where the rockets had been fired could not be ascertained.

The Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the attacks and said these were in response to the operation being carried out by security forces in New Kahan area.

Meanwhile, a pro-government tribal elder was injured in a bomb blast in Sui.

Sources said that Paind Khan, a former commander of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, was going home when his bike hit the bomb on a road in Mohammad Colony area.

Sui police arrested three suspects in connection with the blast.

In another incident, a gas pipeline was blown up in Gwadar, suspending supply to the town.

enqyoob · Post by **enqyoob** » 12 Dec 2008 16:59

up - can't afford to have these valuable threads drop off the deep end

Tilak · Post by **Tilak** » 13 Dec 2008 22:34

X-Post:

The man who survived Pakistan's Gestapo
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Rahimullah Yusufzai

Businessman Munir Mengal's disclosures about his 22 months' detention in Pakistan are shocking and painful. The only known reason for his arrest and torture at the hands of former president Pervez Musharraf's government was his intention to launch a Balochi language satellite television channel, Baloch Voice. If even half of his allegations are true, it would be easier for us to understand why so many Baloch are angry and willing to pick up the gun and fight for their rights.

For the first time after his arrest on April 4, 2006, and his release in February 2008, Munir Mengal has spoken in detail about his ordeal. He was interviewed in an unnamed European country where he has found refuge by the Reporters without Borders (or Reporters sans frontieres), a Europe-based non-governmental organisation dedicated to the freedom of the press.

In a press release issued on Dec 11, Reporters without Borders, said: "Munir Mengal's shocking and damning account should prompt Pakistan's civilian authorities to open an immediate investigation into the case. It is inconceivable that those responsible for this political abduction should be allowed to go unpunished." The strong-worded press release added: "Mengal was arrested, physically and psychologically tortured, humiliated and robbed by members of the security forces, above all Military Intelligence. If Pakistan wants to put an end to such illegal and barbaric practices, justice must be done in this case, which has been the subject of a great deal of comment by the media and by leading figures in Pakistan and abroad."

Munir Mengal wasn't doing anything illegal or in secret. From his account it is obvious that he was getting his TV station registered in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where Dubai has emerged as the operational base for a growing number of satellite television channels, including some with Pakistani ownership. He had publicly announced the launch of his TV channel to more than 3,000 people at a major event in Quetta in February 2006. And he had willingly decided to come to Pakistan from the UAE after receiving a call on March 28, 2006, from an official of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), who invited him to come to Karachi to discuss his request for a license for Baloch Voice.

Munir Mengal alleged that, upon arrival at the Karachi airport on April 4 that year, an army officer in civilian dress confiscated his passport and took him to a military detention centre. In his interview, he named the army colonel and two majors who physically and psychologically tortured him at the military barracks at Malir in Karachi. He recalled how he wasn't allowed to sleep for 72 hours and then thrown into a small underground cell where he spent several months blindfolded and handcuffed. He alleged suffered physical and mental torture at the hands of his captors, who kept asking him why he wanted to set up the Baloch Voice TV channel and as to who gave him the idea and support for the project.

Some of the claims and allegations made by Munir Mengal constitute explosive stuff. For example, he alleged that he was taken to see Gen Musharraf in some army barracks in Saddar in Karachi, where the then president offered to release him if he agreed to abandon his TV station project. The date was Oct 26, 2006, and Munir Mengal had been held incommunicado for six months. The meeting, in Munir Mengal's words, went like this: "Pervez Musharraf was waiting for me in a room with Gen Azeem and Maj Gen Bajwa. After apologising for the way I had been treated, the president asked me, in English, to give up my TV station project. He promised to release me if I pulled out of the media domain. He also offered me a copy of his book so that I could appreciate his commitment to Pakistan. After refusing his deal, I was taken back to my cell and was tortured by MI agents again." Mengal also claimed that Musharraf aide Tariq Aziz offered him a political job and money in return for abandoning the planned TV station.

Munir Mengal claims to have witnessed many human rights violation during his detention. He alleged that a young Baloch woman was sexually tortured and once thrown naked into his cell for his humiliation. He wasn't aware as to what happened eventually to her.

Another allegation made by Munir Mengal is about his interrogation by Iranian agents in June or July 2006. The Iranians wanted to know as to what he had done to promote the cause of the Baloch, who inhabit not only parts of Pakistan but also Iran's Sistan-Balochistan province and Afghanistan's Helmand and Nimruz provinces. Until now we had heard and read about American secret agents interrogating Pakistanis and foreigners captured in Pakistan but this is the first time that allegations about Iranians being allowed to interrogate Pakistani Baloch have been made. If true, this means that Iranian and Pakistani authorities are cooperating in tackling their common Baloch problem.

All these are serious allegations and will surely be used by Baloch nationalists to stoke the fire of resistance and even separatism. Though the present democratically elected government wasn't involved in arresting and torturing Munir Mengal and the command of the Pakistan Army has changed, the present set of rulers owe it to the nation and the Baloch people to clarify the situation in view of the negative fallout of the allegations made against Military Intelligence. The military command too should respond to Munir Mengal's allegations, as holding someone in custody for 22 long months and torturing him merely for his planning to launch a Balochi TV channel is beyond reason and unacceptable. President Asif Ali Zardari, himself a Baloch, has already sought forgiveness from the Baloch people for the five military operations, including one ordered by his late father-in-law, former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, and taken some steps to remove their grievances. But a lot more needs to be done to inspire hope among the Baloch in the federation of Pakistan. It is time for the politicians to undo the wrongs and heal the wounds of the Baloch people, who have suffered immensely in every military operation that was launched to crush their struggle for constitutional rights.

Munir Mengal was released by the intelligence services on August 4, 2007, after being held incommunicado for around 16 months in Sindh. By then a public campaign for his release had been launched by Baloch political parties and organisations like the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, the South Asia Free Media Association and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. The courts had also been approached on his behalf and decisions given in his favour. The Balochistan High Court ordered his release on Sept 10, 2007, after ruling that he had committed no crime. However, he was kept in Khuzdar province in Balochistan under the Maintenance of Public Order Act on the ridiculous charge that he was disturbing public order, despite his being in captivity. His woes finally ended on Feb 23 this year, but not before someone in the security services threatened to kill him. Following his release, Munir Mengal stayed in hiding for several weeks before managing to leave the country from Turbat airport in Balochistan. From the safety of his European abode, he has now told the story of his ordeal while in custody of an intelligence agency.

As the name of his aborted TV channel, Baloch Voice, suggests, Munir Mengal wanted to give a voice to his people at a time when human rights violations were being committed in Balochistan and many Baloch had gone missing. He was a prosperous businessman and had even been given a "Legend of the Year" award by President Musharraf in August 2005. He had sold his properties and raised Rs13 million to start up the TV station. Instead he landed in a secret detention cell and lost his money. His plans to launch the Baloch Voice TV channel in June 2006 are now in tatters.

At a time when private TV channels are mushrooming and the number of stations broadcasting in national languages such as Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto and Saraiki is growing, it is unfair to deny permission for a Balochi language television channel. According to an estimate there are six million Baloch living in South Asia and in the Middle East, where they have found work and prosperity. One way of undoing the wrongs committed against the Baloch people and removing the grievances of Munir Mengal and others like him is to allow a Balochi TV channel to operate from Pakistan. The Baloch must be given their provincial rights and encouraged to join the political mainstream if the Pakistani establishment wants Balochistan to stabilise and remain a proud and willing unit of the federation of Pakistan.

Tilak · Post by **Tilak** » 13 Dec 2008 22:55

Balochi TV station director says he was held incommunicado for 16 months and tortured on Pervez Musharraf’s orders
Government urged to investigate Military Intelligence
rsf.org
11 December 2008

Pakistani businessman Munir Mengal, a member of the Balochi minority who was arrested for planning to launch a Balochi satellite TV station and was held for 22 months by Military Intelligence and the police, has talked to Reporters Without about his ordeal. He was interviewed in the European country where he has found refuge.

Mengal told Reporters Without Borders that, while held incommunicado, he was taken to see the then president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, who asked him to abandon his TV station project in return for his release.

“On the evening of 26 October 2006, when I had been held incommunicado for six months, I was taken to the Saddar barracks near Karachi,” Mengal said. “Pervez Musharraf was waiting for me in a room with Gen. Azeem and Maj. Gen. Bajwa. After apologising for the way I had been treated, the president asked me, in English, to give up my TV station project. He promised to release me if I pulled out of the media domain. He also offered me a copy of his book so that I could appreciate his commitment to Pakistan. After refusing his deal, I was taken back to my cell and was tortured by MI agents again.”

Mengal also claimed that Musharraf aide Tariq Aziz offered him a political job and money in return for abandoning the planned TV station, called Baloch Voice.

“Munir Mengal’s shocking and damning account should prompt Pakistan’s civilian authorities to open an immediate investigation into the case,” Reporters Without Borders said. “It is inconceivable that those responsible for this political abduction should be allowed to go unpunished.”

The press freedom organisation added: “Mengal was arrested, physically and psychologically tortured, humiliated and robbed by members of the security forces, above all Military Intelligence. If Pakistan wants to put an end to such illegal and barbaric practices, justice must be done in this case, which has been the subject of a great deal of comment by the media and by leading figures in Pakistan and abroad.”

Mengal was arrested after landing at Karachi international airport on 4th April 2006. A military officer in civilian dress confiscated his passport and took him to a military detention centre. “I was physically and psychologically tortured in the Malir barracks by Col. Muhamad Raza and majors Nadim and Atta,” he said.

“After not letting me sleep for 72 hours, they stepped up their questioning: ‘Why do you want to create this TV station’ and ‘Who gave you the idea and who is supporting you.’ Then they threw me in a small underground cell. I spent several months blindfolded and handcuffed (...) The first three days of torture were terrible. I still have back pain from the kicks I received. At the same time, the long interrogation sessions during the first five months were exhausting mental torture.”

Mengal witnessed many human rights violations in this military-run prison. “A young Balochi woman, Zarina Marri, was used as a sexual slave by the officers and, to humiliate me, they even once threw her naked into my cell. I did not know what happened to this mother of a family, who was arrested by the army in our province.”

Mengal said he was also interrogated in June or July 2006 by Iranian agents, who wanted to know about what he had done to promote the cause of the Baloch, the inhabitants of a mountainous region that includes parts of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran.

The intelligence services released him on 4 August 2007, after he had been held incommunicado for more than 16 months. As a result of a public campaign and court decisions in his favour, the military were forced to smuggle him out of Sindh province, where they had been holding him.

His ordeal should have ended on 10 September 2007, after the high court of the Pakistani province of Balochistan ruled that he had committed no crime and ordered his immediate release.

But he was arrested two days later and was placed in Khudzar prison in Balochistan. Qalat police chief Abdul Aziz Jhakrani said he was being held under the Maintenance of Public Order Act. But as his lawyer asked at the time: “How could he be disturbing public order if he was already being held by the security forces?”

Balochi policemen finally helped him leave Khudzar prison on 23 February as the military were trying to arrest him. “As I was still rejecting their blackmail, an officer came to the prison to threaten to kill me,” said Mengal, who was finally able to rejoin his family. He went into hiding for several weeks and then managed to leave country from Turbat airport.

Mengal had the idea of creating a TV station for the Balochi minority in November 2005, at a time when many human rights violations were being committed in Balochistan. “I was a prominent accountant and fairly prosperous businessman,” he said. “President Musharraf even named me ‘Legend of the Year’ in August 2005. But I wanted to set up a TV station that would give the Baloch their own voice so I sold all my properties and shares to put together the 13 million rupees necessary to start up the station. The army stole all this money while I was held. They emptied my 14 bank accounts.”

A TV station for the Baloch

The Baloch are Pakistan’s only ethnic minority that do not have a private TV station in their own language. Baloch Voice was to have started satellite broadcasting in June 2006 after being duly registered by Mengal in the United Arab Emirates. He had planned to reach the six million Baloch living in South Asia and the Middle East.

Mengal had announced the station’s launch to more than 3,000 people at a public event in Quetta in February 2006. Knowing he was in danger, he moved to the United Arab Emirates, which was already the station’s main operational base. But on 28 March 2006, he received a call from an official with the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), who invited him to come to Karachi to discuss his request for a licence for Baloch Voice.

Many Balochi civilians have been arrested and held incommunicado or summarily executed by the Pakistani security forces at part of their efforts to combat Balochi separatism.

Raj Malhotra · Post by **Raj Malhotra** » 14 Dec 2008 11:32

I don't know if it is a coincidence but Activities in Free Balochistan seem to have dropped off (not being reported) since Mumbai train blasts

JE Menon · Post by **JE Menon** » 14 Dec 2008 20:57

Is that a general feeling you have or is there some data you have seen behind it? Serious question.

My observation is that things have not dropped off at all, and in fact have escalated in Baluchistan and other parts of Pakistan since the Mumbai blasts.

anupmisra · Post by **anupmisra** » 14 Dec 2008 22:50

I am glad to see this thread on Balochistan liberation and wish there was a way to perhaps combine other regional mutinies in Pukistan under one thread. There is a serious move in Balawaristan (Gilgit and Baltistan areas of POK) which wants to free itself from the pakjabis.

Here is a link to one recent event where representatives from that region asked India to help them and perhaps even support their educational needs.

Northern Areas: a tale of neglect, denial?

New Delhi, May 29 (IANS) Rebellion and resentment that have been brewing among people of the Northern Areas, part of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, is fast reaching a crescendo against persecution by the Pakistani armed forces, the continuing denial of legal and political rights, and devious attempts at demographic engineering in this strategic region.

Unlike Pakistan's other four provinces, the Northern Areas have no political representation and no status under Pakistan's constitution and is directly administered by Islamabad through a non-elected federal minister for Northern Areas.

"For the last 60 years, we have not been given political rights. Why has India not helped us?" he asked. "We want India to speak up against atrocities committed by the Pakistani army against indigenous people of Gilgit-Baltistan," he said.

"We don't recognise the Hurriyat. There is no representation of the Hurriyat in Baltistan.

"India should have quotas for us in the Indian Institute of Management, the Indian Institute of Technology and other law colleges of India. It will be a big help to us," said Shafquat Ali Inqlabi, a resident of Gilgit.

SwamyG · Post by **SwamyG** » 01 Jan 2009 11:56

Solution for a Free Balochistan : All Baloch convert to Hinduism
Why is this making rounds? The source blogspot seems to have a date of September 2006. But lots of news about this around 23/24 of December on the net.

brihaspati · Post by **brihaspati** » 01 Jan 2009 19:37

Recognizing a free Balochistan by India could be one way for putting pressure on Pak. Pakistan dares not recognize a free Kashmiri nation in retaliation - as that is against its interests and agenda. The campaign about "becoming Hindus" could be (1) a hoax, to trap any naive reactions from any Baloch quarters or foolhardy Indian overenthusiasm (2) could be a subtle threat to Pak government and its Jihadi core (3) could be an indirect call of help to the "Hindu" section in Indian politics to do more for the Balochs in the face of relative non-chalance of the UPA - which practically does nothing more than pay lip-service to the Baloch cause.

But anything done for Balochs should be part of a longer term strategy of moving up through Pakistan and expansion of India into the centre and north, as otherwise the Baloch nation cannot be sustained. Also the Baloch's have to be convinced to restrain themselves at this stage to confine themselves to the Pakistan side of their nation as an independent country -as otherwise the coopertaion needed from Iran for the overall strategic agenda will be lacking.

Yogi_G · Post by **Yogi_G** » 01 Jan 2009 20:36

SwamyG wrote:Solution for a Free Balochistan : All Baloch convert to Hinduism
Why is this making rounds? The source blogspot seems to have a date of September 2006. But lots of news about this around 23/24 of December on the net.

The Baloch liberation movement never fails to surprise me..here they are, an Islamic people putting their Baloch identity ahead of Islam and even willing to foresake the latter if the former is to be achieved.

Or this could be a Porki attempt to give it a Hindu-Muslim hue to appeal to die-hard Baloch Muslims that their idea of secession from Pakistan readily clashes with Islamic identity...

Ahhh...my dream, a Hindu/Buddhist Balochistan, Kashmir, a Zoroastrian Iran...sigh...back to their roots...

Raj Malhotra · Post by **Raj Malhotra** » 01 Jan 2009 21:38

JE Menon wrote:Is that a general feeling you have or is there some data you have seen behind it? Serious question.

My observation is that things have not dropped off at all, and in fact have escalated in Baluchistan and other parts of Pakistan since the Mumbai blasts.

Just a feeling as absense of any major or continous activity by freedom fighters in Balochistan. What is the general basis of your observations?

Muppalla · Post by **Muppalla** » 01 Jan 2009 21:55

SwamyG wrote:Solution for a Free Balochistan : All Baloch convert to Hinduism
Why is this making rounds? The source blogspot seems to have a date of September 2006. But lots of news about this around 23/24 of December on the net.

I don't know about this and I cannot believe that it can happen in even my great grand children's timeline. However, there is a famous actor of 60s and 70s in bollywood called as Manoj Kumar and he is authentic Hindu and is Baloch. He makes a lot of patriotic movies of that time.

Yogi_G · Post by **Yogi_G** » 04 Jan 2009 01:06

Alienation of the Baloch

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 06 Jan 2009 17:02

With no sign of the Paki military changing it bloody ways,we must support the Baluchis as much as possible,both within the country and outside.From the vidence given by the poor tortured baluchi,it clearly shows that Gen.Bandicoot the Musharrat is a man steeped in infamy and has directly controlled Pak's worst human rights abuses in the past.Noithing better can be expected from his chosen successor.

Bharat Rakshak

Baluchistan: The Story of Another Pakistan Military Genocide

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Re: Baluchistan: The Story of Another Pakistan Military Genocide

Re: Baluchistan: The Story of Another Pakistan Military Genocide

Re: Baluchistan: The Story of Another Pakistan Military Genocide

Re: Baluchistan: The Story of Another Pakistan Military Genocide

Re: Baluchistan: The Story of Another Pakistan Military Genocide

Re: Baluchistan: The Story of Another Pakistan Military Genocide

Re: Baluchistan: The Story of Another Pakistan Military Genocide

Re: Baluchistan: The Story of Another Pakistan Military Genocide

Re: Baluchistan: The Story of Another Pakistan Military Genocide

Re: Baluchistan: The Story of Another Pakistan Military Genocide

Re: Baluchistan: The Story of Another Pakistan Military Genocide

Re: Baluchistan: The Story of Another Pakistan Military Genocide

Re: Baluchistan: The Story of Another Pakistan Military Genocide

Re: Baluchistan: The Story of Another Pakistan Military Genocide

Re: Baluchistan: The Story of Another Pakistan Military Genocide

Re: Baluchistan: The Story of Another Pakistan Military Genocide