Afghanistan’s Re-Emerging Baloch

Several generations of Baloch line up in Kandahar, southeast Afghanistan

The war-torn country is witnessing the unprecedented revival of a long-neglected community

By Karlos Zurutuza

Abdul Sattar Pordili

“We are the only nation that has fluent relations with all the rest in the country,” claims Abdul Sattar Purdely. A former MP during the rule of Mohammad Najibullah (1987-1992), Purdely today is a professor, writer, and one of the main advocates for the Baloch language and culture in Afghanistan. In his late sixties, he looks tireless.

“In coordination with the Afghan Ministry of Education, I have written the schoolbooks in Balochi up to the 8th grade (15 years old) and they’re already being used at three schools,” Purdely tells The Diplomat just before producing the full set of volumes.

بلوچستان سے مزید دو افراد کی تشدد زدہ لاشیں برآمد

محمد کاظم
بی بی سی اردو ڈاٹ کام، کوئٹہ

پاکستان کے صوبہ بلوچستان کے دو مختلف علاقوں سے مزید دو افراد کی تشدد زدہ لاشیں ملنے کے علاوہ تین بوری بند انسانی ڈھانچے ملے ہیں۔

پولیس حکام کے مطابق جمعرات کو صوبے کے ایران کی سرحد سے متصل ضلع پنجگور سے ایک نامعلوم شخص کی مسخ شدہ لاش اور تین بوری بند انسانی ڈھانچے ملے ہیں۔

Interview: Baloch Activists

Baloch activists on violence in Balochistan and the struggle for self-determination.

By Vanessa Thevathasan and Monomita Raksit

A recent escalation in violence underscores the pressing need for a human rights-based solution to the challenges, violations and brutality faced by the Baloch people. Vanessa Thevathasan and Monomita Raksit recently spoke with human rights and political activists, closely linked with the International Voice for Baloch Missing Persons, on the case for Balochistan self-determination. For security reasons, the names of the activists have been withheld.

Why are you pushing for self-determination for Balochistan?

The Baloch nation is one of the most ancient in the region. Baloch lived in their homeland for thousands of years and had their own sovereign state until the arrival of the British in 1839. British colonialism and subsequent Persian and Punjabi Muslim occupations of Balochistan are illegal and immoral. Baloch has the same rights as any other free nation, to be free from subjugation and to determine its own affairs and future. Freedom is our most natural, inherent right. In its absence there will never be democracy, stability, security and prosperity in the region.

Sept 24: Martyr of Freedom – Advocate Ali Sher Kurd

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مکران میں بلوچستان کا شخص: رجائیت پسند، آزادی کا جنگجو، خطر پیما

بلوچستان لبریشن فرنٹ کے اعلیٰ کمانڈر ڈاکٹر اﷲ نذر سے انٹرویو

انٹرویو : وینڈی جانسن
ترجمہ : لطیف بلیدی

”….جیسا کہ مہذب دنیا جانتی ہے، پاکستان بنیاد پرستوں کی افزائش کررہا ہے….“

باوجود اسکے کہ میڈیا اس خطے کو کس طرح پیش کرتا ہے، بلوچستان شورش زدہ نہیں ہے۔ یہ بے چین نہیں ہے۔ بلکہ یہ حالت جنگ میں ہے۔ اور تمام کھلاڑی، سیاسی اور مسلح، اس کی روح کیلئے لڑ رہے ہیں۔ حال ہی میں دشت کے علاقے، جہاں پہلی مرتبہ داعش (دولت اسلامی عراق شام) کا ذکر بلوچستان کے حوالے سے سامنے آیا تھا، میں لڑائی کے بعد ہم نے اس پر تبصرے کیلئے ڈاکٹر ﷲ نذر سے رابطہ کیا۔

یہ ڈاکٹر ﷲ نذر کا گروہ بلوچستان لبریشن فرنٹ (بی ایل ایف) تھا کہ جس نے داعش سے منسلک لشکر خراسان، جسکی قیادت ایرانی شہری ملا عمر کر رہے ہیں، کیساتھ حال ہی میں دشت میں جنگ کی تھی۔

Balochistan’s Man in Makran: Optimist, Freedom Fighter, Canary in the Coal Mine

Civilized world knows, Pakistan is breeding fundamentalists

Interview by Wendy Johnson

Contrary to how the media describes the region, Balochistan is not restive. And it is not troubled. Rather, it is at war. And all the players–political and armed–are battling for its soul. CrisisBalochistan first interviewed Baloch rebel leader Dr. Allah Nazar in 2011. Following a recent battle in the town of Dasht, in which the ISIS was first mentioned in relation to Balochistan, we reached out to Dr. Nazar for his comments. It was Dr. Nazar’s group, the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), that engaged the Lashkar-e-Khurasan, a group headed by Iranian national Mullah Omar and recently linked to the ISIS in Dasht.

In our 2011 interview, Dr. Nazar raised the issue of intelligence agency-sponsored radicalization efforts in Balochistan, but he is not the only one with early warnings of worse things to come…. Over the years journalist Malik Siraj Akbar and others have written of well-financed programs that are now fostering head-spinning violence in Pakistan. Of this violence, Jan Mohammad Buledi, spokesperson for the chief minister of Balochistan, says with great understatement, “To some extent, the situation is very confusing.”

Sept 18: Murad Sahir

Sept 16: Shaheeda Gulnaz Marri

Human meat a specialty in Quetta

In Baluchistan, a resource-rich province of Pakistan, thousands of innocent civilians and activists have been missing for decades now. The missing individuals have been abducted by Pakistan’s military and associated forces as a way to suppress and subjugate the Baluch people. The actual number of missing people is not known nor has the government taken any steps over years to bring the families to justice.  According to International Voice for Baluch Missing persons 18,000 persons went missing in the 2001-2013, out whom 2000 were killed and their bodies were found mutilated on lone streets.

Amid all these intense situations comes news of human meat being served in Quetta, Baluchistan. In a recent revelation that was shunned by Pakistani Army and no media was allowed to publish the news, in many small restaurants human meat was being served. Hannan Traders supplied meat to these restaurants whose owner, Asghar Hannan also supplied meat at the army stationed in Quetta. The revelation came to be noticed when people from these restaurants started complaining about the meat that was being served was different from usual meat, with difficulty to eat and smelt foul.

Balochistan: Baloch girls killed in Pakistani forces bombardment on her house in Tump

BALOCHISTAN: Baloch social media activists reported that Pakistani army fired mortars on civilian population areas in Tump, Balochistan yesterday evening. As a result at least one Baloch girl age 17 was killed and two others have been wounded.

According to details some unknown people attacked a camp of Pakistani Army in Tump area of Balochistan yesterday. The Pakistan forces, however, retaliated by firing mortars at civilian population in Tump town.

As result of indiscriminate firing one shell hit the house of Mr Mohm Jan killing a 17 year old girl, Shahnaz daughter of Karim Bux Baloch.