LONDON: In an attempt to throw light on various issues facing the Baloch in their socio-political circumstances, BSYA convened a major conference entitled, “The Baloch National Struggle: Past, Present and Future” that took place at Birkbeck, University of London on 28th July, 2013. An esteemed panel of Baloch intellectuals and writers were invited to share their insights and expertise on the conference subject to help the Baloch leaders, socio-political activists and the various sections of the Baloch national struggle to accurately assess the circumstances, and challenges faced by the Baloch in order to devise feasible strategies to organize themselves and achieve the objectives of their struggle.
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On February 26, 2012, 17-year-old African-American Trayvon Martin was shot dead by George Zimmerman claiming self-defence; there were no witnesses. On July 13, 2013 the six-woman jury with three choices — guilty of second-degree murder, manslaughter, and not guilty — after deliberating for 16 hours found him not guilty. The only African-American woman on the jury later said that Zimmerman got away with murder. There have been mild protests, while on April 29, 1992 when the accused in Rodney King’s beating case were acquitted, Los Angeles riots followed. And by the time order was restored the riots had caused 53 deaths, 2,383 injuries, more than 7,000 fires, damage to 3,100 businesses, and nearly one billion dollars in financial losses. Some things may have changed in the US but the justice system is still not colour blind; at the time of announcing the judgment, the blindfold on the eyes of the lady of justice slips just a little to ensure that it sees that the victim is black and the perpetrator white.
Sindh: Pakistani forces continue attacks against Baloch refugees and internally displaced people who had to migrate from their ancestral lands because of military operations and continuous atrocities by state forces. The forces attacked Bugti Baloch IDPs in Ghotki district of Sindh yesterday. Houses of IDPs were attacked, looted of valuables and the residents were tortured and abducted. Wadera Hasil Khan Bugti’s house was attacked and his aged mother namely Hani bibi; his wife Murad Khatoon and infant son Abdul Rehman were abducted and taken toward an undisclosed location. the BRP said in a press release.
BSO Azad Hub Zone senior body meeting was held under the presence of Zonal presidency whereas the chief guest was Senior Vice Chairperson BSO Azad Banuk Kareema Baloch. The conference started with two minutes silence in remembering the martyrs. The conference concluded the prior organizational performance report, organizational works, criticism and self-criticism, current affairs and future tasks which were discussed with ease.
The malady of loot of resources by predatory establishments in connivance and partnership with equally predatory multinationals and countries is globally common. The Africa Progress Report produced every May by a panel of 10 prominent figures headed by former Secretary General of the United Nations Kofi Annan highlights the problem. Annan, in a BBC interview after its release, had said that tax avoidance, secret mining deals and financial transfers were depriving Africa of the benefits of its resources boom. Likening it to taking food off the tables of the poor he said, “Africa loses twice as much money through these loopholes as it gets from donors.” The report said that between 2010 and 2012 the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) lost $ 1.3 billion in revenues, equivalent to double DRC’s combined health and education budgets, in five under-priced mining concessions sold in highly opaque and secretive deals. No wonder the ‘Save the Children’ charity says the DRC is the world’s worst place to be a mother in. Naturally, the beneficiaries like Martin Kabwelulu, DRC’s mining minister, had termed the report a ‘pack of lies’.
The Islamic republic of Pakistan continues its inhuman acts of terror against Baloch people even in the holy month of Ramzan as bodies of three previously abducted Baloch have been recovered in Karachi and Dera Bugti area of Balochistan on Thursday night and Friday nights respectively.
Baluch Sarmachar 