Baluch student leader severely beaten by Pakistan Military officers

Occupied Baluchistan: Bahram Baluch, a student of Baluchistan University was abducted on 3rd September 2010 from compound of Baluchistan University, Quetta. He has suffered extreme torture at the hands of his official captors. Speaking to Radio Gwank Baluchistan, Mr Bahram Baluch said that the intelligence agencies of Pakistan have started monitoring his activities after he has protested against the extra-judicial arrest of his University friends.

He said that he was on a bus going toward home when the Pakistani intelligence agencies have stopped the bus. According Behram Baluch the Pakistani security forces have first checked the ID cards of passengers and on asked him (Behram) to get off the bus.

Mr Behram Baluch also revealed that he has been questioned by an Army Major and according to BSO-azaad leader the Major has confessed to killing of several other Baloch abducted persons and threaten to kill him as well if he tries to run away from their captivity.

Describing the torture that Mr Baloch suffered said that he was mostly hit with butts of guns, belts, kicks and punches. Meanwhile an army Major has held a gun on his head and threatened to kill him. He said that he has also been questioned about BSO-azad, whereabouts of the Chairman of BSO-azaad and his affiliation with BLA and other Baloch resistance Organisation.

It is worth mentioning that Pakistan military and intelligence agencies have already killed several Baloch in cold-blood and dump their bodies in deserted area. Behram Baloch is perhaps one of the lucky persons who have survived and has been released after the University administration has interfered. Torturing and abducting of Baloch political and student activists are common practice of Pakistani military and the Intelligence agencies.

Also read story of Khalid Hayat Jamaldini

BRP Gwader Zone president Rehman Arif Baloch goes missing

President of BRP Gawader Zone has been abducted early Sunday morning along with his relative, they were going to hospital for check up of his relative but in the half way they were abducted by Pakistani intelligence agencies. After a few hours the abducted relative of Rehman Arif was released but Rehman Arif is still missing.

Occupied Balochistan: BRP has protested against the abduction of their Gwadar Zone president Mr. Rehman Arif Baloch in front of Turbat Press Club here on Sunday. The protesters demanded the immediate recovery and release of all Baloch political activists. They also chanted slogans against Pakistan and its intelligence agencies.

Meanwhile the family of Mr. Abdul Rehman Arif Baloch has reported that he went missing three days ago from Karachi. According family sources Mr Baloch was looking after a relative in a Karachi hospital at the time of his abduction. On 3rd September 2010 Mr Rehman Arif along with a relative was seen leaving the hospital near Rancho Line Karachi, eyewitnesses reported that plain clothed men have stopped and abducted the BRP leader and his relative. After few hours his relative has been released but Mr Rehman Arif is still missing.

BRP and other political parties have strongly condemned the abduction of BRP’s Gwader Zone president. The Baloch Nationalist political parties vowed that extra-judicial arrests of their activists and leaders cannot weaken the Baloch struggle for their liberation. The warned of extreme protest if the abducted Baloch leaders and activists are not released until EID (the Muslim festival after the month of fasting). 

International Voice For Baloch Missing Person Protested Against Enforced-Disappearances In Baluchistan

London: International Voice for Baloch Missing Persons has held a 5 hours long protest against enforced-disappearances of Baluch student and political activists. The aim of the protest was to highlight the issue of growing forced-disappearing of Baloch political leaders and activists by Pakistani and Iranian authorities. Number of Baloch and other Human Rights activists participated in the protest to show solidarity with the families of Baloch political prisoners and to condemn Pakistan and Iran atrocities against Baluchistan.

Pakistan is already being closely monitored by international media because of its dubious role in supporting Taliban and Al Qaeda insurgents and constant meddling in the Afghan affairs. Its military and security establishment are well aware of the fact that if the foreign media, somehow, manage to get the real insight of what is going on inside Baluchistan, it may put serious constraints on country’s foreign policy choices. Pakistan knows its limit in Baluchistan. It, indeed, is conscious about the severe consequences that would follow, should it commit a-Rwanda-style genocide in Baluchistan.

After all, its past atrocities in the East Pakistan, which later became Bangladesh, is still being investigated. Pakistan, thus, resorts a policy of denial, deception and secrecy with regards to its misconducts in Baluchistan. It attempts to hide its widespread human rights abuses against the Baluch people.

So far, according to one estimate about 8000 people, including men, women and children, have been abducted in various parts of Easter occupied Baluchistan. Just in the month of August 2010, the Pakistani intelligence agencies killed fifteen Baluch political activists who had been picked up from different areas and remained in their custody.

Later, their mutilated bodies were thrown in open fields. As the security situation further deteriorates in Baluchistan, Pakistani security forces may attempt to kill more of those who are forcibly abducted. Pakistan is also attempting to use them as human weapon in a desperate bid to deter political forces and their activists to distance themselves from the
Baluch cause for national liberation.

International Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (U.K section) has urged the International Human Rights Organisation, The UN, and EU to take notice of Pakistan’s and Iran’s atrocities in Balochistan. The I.V.B.M.P has also requested the Baloch Diaspora to take practical step against abduction of their breathers in Balochistan.
It has been decided that International Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (UK) will continue their campaign against human rights violations in Balochistan and in this regard it will protest first Sunday of every month in front of different important official locations in London. 
Click here to view more pictures of the protest

Pakistani army's Barbarism

BSO Azaad's Junior Joint Secretary Bahram Baloch who was abducted by pakistani security forces on 3 September from Baluchistan University is released after severe torture, below are some of his pictures.

HUB: Pakistan FC shot dead innocent Baluch student

Occupied Baluchistan: Pakistani FC has opened indiscriminate fire on a peaceful rally in Hub Baluchistan; as a result of the firing one Baluch student Mohammad Jan Marri was killed.

According to details the residents of Mahmoodi Mod had took out a peaceful protest rally against electricity load shading. Eyewitness reported that as soon as the protesters arrived on main road the security forces opened indiscriminate firing on them which resulted in the martyrdom of a Baluch innocent student.

The residents of Hub and Baluch students and Political organisations have strongly condemned the Pakistan FC for firing on peaceful protesters. They said these people were exercising their democratic right to protest but the state forces have restored to brutal violence which is a proof of FC’s hooliganism in Baluchistan.

Religious Butcher Pakistan

Pakistan has a long history of using Religion as a weapon to play for her own vested interests. Be it the creation of a Punjabi Dominated State named Islamic republic of Pakistan (Where one can hardly find Islam as a principal for justice and equality), or using the Islamic card for making a Nuclear bomb, Destruction of Afghanistan, Genocide in Bangladesh, Genocide in Balochistan and proxy war against India, Pakistan Used Islam as a Tool, and successfully manipulated the illiterate and uneducated people for the dangerous designs of Pakistan establishment.

Pakistan was created by the colonial power Great Britain to curtail the Communist expansion, using the name of Islam, and since that day Punjabi establishment used the Islamic card on every occasion she could. The First Prime minister of Pakistan chose American block making an excuse that the USSR block is non muslim atheists whereas Americans are followers of Chrisit who was a true prophet.

Similarly Pakistan used the Fanatic mullahs in Bangladesh against the pro liberation Bengalis and created Extremist armed groups like Al-Badar, Al-shams and Razakars for massacre of the Pro liberation Bengalies. Jumat-e-Islami and other religious political parties played an important role for the propaganda and recruitment process of these armed groups of mercenaries, by spreading rumors that the Bengali resistance forces are actually Hindus and killing them will get you to heavens where 60 Hurs (Fairies) are waiting for you. Millions of Muslim were massacred, raped and displaced by these so-called Islamic Groups in the name of Islam.

After the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Pakistan once again utilized the Islamic Card to fight the proxy war of the west in Afghanistan. Afghanistan is till date facing the consequences of that war. During the same era getting encouraged with the success of muhjaideens in Afghanistan decided to use teh sialmic card in Kashmir and elsewhere. As a result the Kashir valley started burning in the war on the name of war between Islam and Hindusim. Hundred and thousands of Kashmiri Hindu Pandits were massacred and force to migrate from Kashmir.

The Same game was played in Chechenya, by inducing Islamic fanatic in the genuine Chechen resistance forces resulting in the complete highjeck of the movement by Al-qida and Thaliban.

Gen Zia who was a follower of Wahabi version of Islam, created Islamic sectarian groups to undermine the Shia Minority in the country, this project was funded by the Saudi Government and as a result the groups like Sipa-e-Sahaba and lashkar-e Jangwai were created, who murdered thousands of innocent shia muslim so far. Iran the sister country of Pakistan as a result created shia armed groups and used them against the sunni muslims.

Now in Balochistan once again Pakistan is playing the same game in order to ignite a civil war, for this purpose numerous Baloch leaders were murdered by the so-called Sipa-e-Shuda-e Balochistan, and Ansar-ul-Islam type fake groups, beside that Lashkar-e-Jangwai is Used against the Shia of Balochistan, and one can find Pakistani media claiming that BRA, BLA and Lashkar-e-Jangwai are collaborating against the shias. On contrary to this everyone knows that BLA & BRA are strictly secular and nationalist forces whereas Lashkar-e-Jangwai is a Extremist Wahabi Group. The Nationalist Forces of Balochistan had always fought agaisnt the religious extremists and until recently many Baloch Political workers and leaders were killed by these religious elements on the name of Islam blaming the Balochs being communists and atheists. The Question rises how come these two opposite & rival force will collaborate with each other. When Baloch is never motivated to fight on the name of religion.

Moreover Lashkar-e-Jangwi is a Punjab based organization promoted and supported by Pakistani ISI for its own vested interests, how come aAnti Pakistan and anti ISI resistance movement will support such a group.

These rumors of BLA & BRA collaboration with Lashkar-e-Jangwi is just an effort by the enemies of Baloch to defame Baloch movement on national and international fronts and create tensions among the Local Baloch with the Afghanistan based Hazara Community who have mostly migrated and settled in Balochistan after the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

It is the need of the time that Baloch Political parties, Baloch intellectuals and writers should expose the ISI/MI drama and Isolate the sectarian religious groups in Baloch Society.

From the Baloch nightmare to the British "Guantanamo"

As told to Karlos Zurutuza and Wendy Johnson.
A shorter version of this article (De la pesadilla baluche al Guantánamo "británico") will appear at gara.net in the near future.
Photo by Karlos Zurutuza


September 1, 2010

"Did you know where Balochistan is the first day you came to this court?” I asked the jury. “Now you know where it is, and what’s happening to our people there.”

I was born in Western Balochistan. My family lives on both sides of what some people call “the border between Iran and Pakistan.” The name of my village is Kohak, and it is quite close to Panjgur town of Eastern Baluchistan (Pakistan-occupied Balochistan). Kohak was originally located in Pakistan, but our villagers tell us that one day they awoke to find themselves Iranian—the town had been given to the Shah of Iran. Nobody knows when the transfer officially took place.

"Did you know where Balochistan is the first day you came to this court?” I asked the jury. “Now you know where it is, and what’s happening to our people there.”

We don’t record our birth dates, but my guess is that I was born in 1982. Our way to remember is to relate our birth with something relevant that happened at the time; it can be big floods, a war, drought, etc. In my school documents it was recorded as 1982. Because we had few opportunities in Kohak—no school and no public transportation, only a mosque—my mother decided to send me to Quetta, Balochistan. The living conditions of the family on this side of the border were relatively better. I was around ten when I moved to Quetta for primary education. I went to high school and studied pre-medical at Baluchistan Degree College in Quetta, as well.

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International Voice for Baluch Missing Persons (U.K section) to protest against enforced-disappearances

When: Sunday 5 September between 12 to 5pm
Where: In front of 10 Downing Street (The British PM’s House)
Nearest Tube Station: Westminster Tube Station

London:As Pakistan army launched its fifth military incursion in Eastern Baluchistan, the Baluch masses, appalled by military’s excessive use of force against civilians, voiced their anger unanimously against the state. As a result, the army further intensified its terror campaign across the Baluchistan – killing scores of innocent men, women and children and arresting thousands of political workers on trumped-up charges, while, driving around a quarter of a million people out of their towns and villages.

Quite clearly, by introducing such ruthless tactics against civilians, the military hoped that people would eventually give up their support for the Baluch national cause.

In a similar vein, Islamic Republic of Iran, fearful of growing resentment against the regime, from very day of its presence in Western Baluchistan has been relying heavily on brute force to terrorise Baluch people. The Islamic Republic has been conducting public executions ceaselessly in major Baluch cities. Its secret police and Para-military forces have abducted unknown number of Baluch political activists. Many of these victims are reported by the regime media of being hanged but without giving their dead bodies to their families. Others are still missing.

And yet, in spite of their repressive policies, both states, Iran and Pakistan, have failed to break the resolve of Baluch people in their struggle for their democratic rights.

Pakistan is already being closely monitored by international media because of its dubious role in supporting Taliban and Al Qaeda insurgents and constant meddling in the Afghan affairs. Its military and security establishment are well aware of the fact that if the foreign media, somehow, manage to get the real insight of what is going on inside Baluchistan, it may put serious constraints on country’s foreign policy choices. Pakistan knows its limit in Baluchistan. It, indeed, is conscious about the severe consequences that would follow, should it commit a-Rwanda-style genocide in Baluchistan.

After all, its past atrocities in the East Pakistan, which later became Bangladesh, is still being investigated. Pakistan, thus, resorts a policy of denial, deception and secrecy with regards to its misconducts in Baluchistan. It attempts to hide its widespread human rights abuses against the Baluch people.

So far, according to one estimate about 8000 people, including men, women and children, have been abducted in various parts of Easter occupied Baluchistan. Just in the month of August 2010, the Pakistani intelligence agencies killed fifteen Baluch political activists who had been picked up from different areas and remained in their custody.

Later, their mutilated bodies were thrown in open fields. As the security situation further deteriorates in Baluchistan, Pakistani security forces may attempt to kill more of those who are forcibly abducted. Pakistan is also attempting to use them as human weapon in a desperate bid to deter political forces and their activists to distance themselves from the
Baluch cause for national liberation.

It is, therefore, imperative to raise the issue in western capitals and work to highlight the plight of our brothers and sisters in international humanitarian organisations.

International Voice for Baluch Missing Persons (U.K section) is organising a sit-in protest against enforced-disappearances and cold-blooded murder of Baluch prisoners at the hands of Pakistan Military, Para-military and the police. We urge all Baluch who reside in the United Kingdom to join this protest and voice their opposition against abduction and disappearances of Baluch political and social activists by the Islamic fundamentalist states of Pakistan and Iran. We also request other free born people and friends of Baluch people to join the protest to help us raise voice against Pakistan’s and Iran’s atrocities in Baluchistan.

No way to tell which is worse Gaza, Iraq, Afghanistan, Balochistan , says Amnesty official

A Baloch activist being arrested in his homeland by non-Baloch paramilitary and police officers.

Photo: Daily Tawar

WASHINGTON DC: There is no way to measure which is the worst when it comes to human rights violations: Gaza, Iraq, Afghanistan or Balochistan.

Curt Goering, who is senior deputy executive director of Amnesty International USA (AIUSA), and currently works at the organization’s national section headquarters in New York City, said this at an Iftar gathering organized by the Amnesty International at its Washington DC headquarters Tuesday.

Iftar is breaking of fast at sunset in Ramadhan, or Muslim lent.

Goering, who is a Middle Eastern expert, has been involved with Amnesty International at many levels for nearly three decades.

Goering had come to Washington DC to make a presentation about the Israeli blockade of 125 square miles Gaza strip, with a population of 1.6 million.

Local volunteers of Amnesty International listened with rapt attention as Goering said anger was running high among the Palestinians in Gaza against the United States, Russia and the United Nations for contributing towards their plight .

In addition to Gaza, there are many occupied territories, including Balochistan which is under Pakistani occupation, Iraq and Afghanistan which are under U.S. occupation, and Goering was asked if there is a formula to say which place is the worst in terms of human rights violations.

He said human rights practitioners have so far not developed any formula to say which area Gaza, Iraq, Afghanistan or Balochistan is the worst.

“I like to visit Balochistan,” Goering, who has been to many countries in the Middle East area, expressed his keen interest.
Though the issues of Iraq, Afghanistan and Gaza are internationally well-known, the struggle in Balochistan is the least reported in the Western world.

Pakistan is allegedly engaged in worst forms of human rights violations including extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests and detentions, alleged use of chemical weapons, torture, massive human displacements, firing on peaceful demonstrations and enforced disappearances in Texas-sized Balochistan. Their occupied homeland was also used for nuclear tests, Baloch nationalists bitterly complain.

Goering has been a staunch advocate against use of torture during armed conflicts.

Families of victims of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in Balochistan have long demanded that human rights practitioners visit their bloodied homeland. However, Islamabad views westerners in Balochistan with grave suspicions and is presently opposing the setting up of consulates of the United States and United Kingdom in capital Quetta as a “security risk.”.

Baloch observe International Day of the Disappeared as 1000s still missing

WASHINGTON, DC: The International Day of the Disappeared Monday was marked by the Baloch Diaspora in a somber mood as the fate of more than 1,100 documented victims of enforced disappearances is still unknown in Balochistan in southwest Asia.

The United nations has declared August 30 as the International Day of the Disappeared to draw attention to the fate of thousands of victims of enforced disappearances in the world.

“In Balochistan, since 2005 there had been more than 8000 enforced disappearances including women and children under the age of twelve years and currently over 1,100 documented Baloch political activist are held in incommunicado by Pakistani Army,” said Imtiaz Baloch, member of the International Voice for Baloch Missing Persons, Sweden.

“For the last few weeks the Pakistani Killing machine had intensified and Baloch are shocked over the extreme cases of execution of the political workers, while the said victims were the victims of enforced disappearances. Almost every victim has bullet holes in their heads,” said Imtiaz Baloch.

While the pro-independence groups inside Pakistan held meetings to highlight the issue of enforced disappearances, the Sweden-based International Voice for Baloch Missing Persons plans to hold a sit-in protest in front of 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the British prime minister in London on September 5 at 12 noon.

On Monday, the I.V.B.M.P. sent out an urgent appeal on behalf of Farzana Majeed, sister of a victim, to the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances.
Ms. Majeed said her brother Zakir Majeed, resident of Khuzdar and student of Mehreen University, Lasbela, who is senior vice chairman of the Baloch Students Organization Azad was abducted by Pakistani secret agencies on June 8, 2009 from Mastung in “occupied Balochistan.”

She said the family lodged an F.I.R in the nearest police station and filed petitions in the High Court of Balochistan and the Supreme Court of Pakistan against the highhandedness of the Pakistani law enforcement agencies, but in vain.

She requested the WGEID to prevail upon Islamabad if there is any allegation against her brother, he should be produced before the courts in Pakistan.

The WGEID consists of Jeremy J. Sarkin, who is the Chairperson from South Africa and includes Olivier de Frouville from France; Osman El Hajjé Lebanon; Jasminka Dzumhur from Bosnia and Herzegovina; and Ariel Dulitzky from Argentina.

“Zakir’s continuous disappearance has affected our entire family, specially the education of our siblings,” Banuk Farzana Majeed said.

The WGEID in Geneva took up the cases of Zakir Majeed, Dr. Deen Mohammad Baloch and Ehsan Arjemandi last year, but their families still have no word about their fate.

“We expect action on the part of international institutions for the releasing of zakir majeed and all abducted people,” Farzana Majeed said in a separate email to this reporter .”Their lives are not safe in the custody of secrete agencies of Pakistan.

“Our people are not criminals or thieves. They educated. Doctors, lawyers, professors and students and leaders who are struggling for there basic rights of the Baloch nation. They are in torture cells for a long time.

In July Pakistan interior minister Rahman Malik had confessed to a Norwegina television channel that Norwegian national of Baloch descent, Ehsan Arjemandi was in the custody of Pakistan intelligence. The victim family said Arjemandi has not been produced in any court.

The I.V.B.M.P. held its first teleconference on August 14, and has submitted the forms for Ali Asghar Bangulzai, who was abducted on October 18, 2001 in Quetta; Jalil Reki, who was abducted on February 13, 2009 in Quetta; and Safeer Baloch, Agha Abid and Abdul Sattar Baloch who were abducted on August 15. 2010 from Panjgur.

Comprised of pro-independence writers, intellectuals and activists from United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway and Balochistan, the more than 20 strong committee is based out of Sweden.

“Torture and kidnap of Balochs in Balochistan by the Pakistani law enforcement, especially the paramilitary forces, have become very common practice since the last few years,” Baloch intellectual and poet Khalid Hayat Jamaldini writes in the The Baluch (www.thebaluch.com). “They kidnap us, arrest us on false charges, torture us, brutally murder us and then throw us away.”

The I.V.B.M.P. has informed the WGEID it is ready to provide the United Nations with as much details as they may need about the 1,100 documented cases of victims of enforced disappearances in Balochistan.

The I.V.B.M.P. has also promptly informed the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Torture, Manfred Nowak, about the recent spate of killings of Baloch activists. These killings were reminiscent of the Pakistani army brutalities in the erstwhile East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, in 1971.

http://www.examiner.com/foreign-polic ... ed-as-1-100-still-missing