The Baloch issue taking a turn for the worst?

[waz]

http://www.dawn.com/2006/09/22/top4.htm


Grand jirga in Kalat decides to move ICJ




By Saleem Shahid

KALAT, Sept 21: A grand Baloch jirga, convened here on Thursday after about 126 years, announced in a declaration that a case would be filed in the International Court of Justice against what it termed violation of agreements signed by the State of Kalat, the Crown of Britain and the government of Pakistan pertaining to sovereignty and rights of the Baloch people.

The Khan of Kalat, Mir Suleman Daud Ahmedzai, presided over the jirga held in the Shahi Hall. It was attended by 85 tribal chiefs and about 300 elders.

The declaration expressed concern over the ‘colonial occupation’ of the Baloch land by Punjab in violation of the accord signed by the state of Kalat and the government of Pakistan in 1948.

The declaration was read out by the chief of Jhalawan, Sardar Sanaullah Zehri. It described the ongoing military operation in Balochistan as state terrorism and called for an immediate end to the operation and release all arrested political workers.

It rejected the Sui tribal jirga’s decision to abolish the Sardari system in the Bugti area and termed the action taken at the behest of the government an interference in tribal affairs and said that tribal matters should be resolved in accordance with customs and traditions.

The declaration said that the jirga recognised the heirs of Nawab Akbar Bugti as legitimate owners of the property of the deceased, adding that it would resist allotment of the property to anyone other than the heirs.

The jirga condemned the tragic incident of Aug 26 in which Nawab Bugti was killed and demanded an investigation into the cause of his death by the International Human Rights Commission to ascertain the factual position.

The declaration rejected the mega development projects, including the Gwadar uplift programme, and said that the Baloch people would not accept the agreements signed by the government with international companies.

The declaration demanded reunification of all divided Baloch lands into one entity.

In his speech, the Khan of Kalat said that the presence of so many sardars in the Baloch national jirga belied the claim of President Pervez Musharraf that 72 tribal chiefs were supporting his policy. He asserted that all Baloch people would abide the decision of the jirga.

Chief of Sarawan Nawab Aslam Raisani said that in accordance with the 1940 Resolution, all nationalities should get their rights, and except currency, foreign affairs, defence and communications all subjects should be transferred to provinces.

He said that after capturing power, President Musharraf had assured to work for promoting harmony, but now the military rulers wanted to resolve issues at gun-point. He said that if Kashmiris fighting for their rights were called freedom fighters, the Baloch should not be dubbed terrorists.

Sardar Sanaullah Zehri said that the Baloch people were unfortunate that despite having abundant resources, long coasts and a rich culture, they were being oppressed by outsiders who had occupied their land. The use of gun, he said, could suppress them for some time but they would again rise for their rights.

Chief of BNP (Mengal) Sardar Akhtar Mengal said that the Khan of Kalat had gathered all the Baloch at a time when the attention of international and regional powers was focused on Balochistan.

Sardar Mengal said that the Baloch people would live with honour, dignity and equal rights and with complete control over their resources. Otherwise, he warned, they would be free to take a decision to protect their sovereign status.

Chief of Magsi tribe Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Magsi said that had the grand jirga been convened when security forces attacked Nawab Bugti, and not after his death, the situation would have been different today. He said that some forces were trying to exploit the matter politically.

He also said that no-one must forget that “we had taken oath as governors, chief ministers and ministers on the Constitution that we are now opposing”.

He called for abiding by the decision of the jirga. Nawab Muhammad Khan Shahwani, Dr Hakim Lehri, chief of Balochistan National Congress, Sardar Asif Mengal, Sardarzada Jehanzeb, Mir Amanullah Zarakzai, Sardar Nadir Badini, Sardar Rahimdad Lango, BSO chairman Mohinuddin Baloch, Yousuf Masti Khan, Sardar Balkhsher Mazari, Amanullah Kanrani of the JWP, Mir Taj Muhammad Jamali, Sardar Aslam Bizenjo, Baloch Students Organisation chairman Bashirzeb Baloch and Sardar Sher Jamaldini also addressed the Jirga.

 

[sparten]

No, its just a show. The army has destroyed their camps, most of their people have surrendered. Remember a landed fish trashes the most.

The more pertinant issue is what rthe Magsi tribe said. The fact that the leaders were at the Jirga dose not mean they endorse it. Read last weeks Friday Times Sardar Aslam Bizenjo was humming a different tune then.

The rest of them are there for the photo op.

 

[Skeptic786]

http://www.dawn.com/2006/09/22/top4.htm


Grand jirga in Kalat decides to move ICJ




By Saleem Shahid

KALAT, Sept 21: A grand Baloch jirga, convened here on Thursday after about 126 years, announced in a declaration that a case would be filed in the International Court of Justice against what it termed violation of agreements signed by the State of Kalat, the Crown of Britain and the government of Pakistan pertaining to sovereignty and rights of the Baloch people.

The Khan of Kalat, Mir Suleman Daud Ahmedzai, presided over the jirga held in the Shahi Hall. It was attended by 85 tribal chiefs and about 300 elders.

The declaration expressed concern over the ‘colonial occupation’ of the Baloch land by Punjab in violation of the accord signed by the state of Kalat and the government of Pakistan in 1948.

The declaration was read out by the chief of Jhalawan, Sardar Sanaullah Zehri. It described the ongoing military operation in Balochistan as state terrorism and called for an immediate end to the operation and release all arrested political workers.

It rejected the Sui tribal jirga’s decision to abolish the Sardari system in the Bugti area and termed the action taken at the behest of the government an interference in tribal affairs and said that tribal matters should be resolved in accordance with customs and traditions.

The declaration said that the jirga recognised the heirs of Nawab Akbar Bugti as legitimate owners of the property of the deceased, adding that it would resist allotment of the property to anyone other than the heirs.

The jirga condemned the tragic incident of Aug 26 in which Nawab Bugti was killed and demanded an investigation into the cause of his death by the International Human Rights Commission to ascertain the factual position.

The declaration rejected the mega development projects, including the Gwadar uplift programme, and said that the Baloch people would not accept the agreements signed by the government with international companies.

The declaration demanded reunification of all divided Baloch lands into one entity.

In his speech, the Khan of Kalat said that the presence of so many sardars in the Baloch national jirga belied the claim of President Pervez Musharraf that 72 tribal chiefs were supporting his policy. He asserted that all Baloch people would abide the decision of the jirga.

Chief of Sarawan Nawab Aslam Raisani said that in accordance with the 1940 Resolution, all nationalities should get their rights, and except currency, foreign affairs, defence and communications all subjects should be transferred to provinces.

He said that after capturing power, President Musharraf had assured to work for promoting harmony, but now the military rulers wanted to resolve issues at gun-point. He said that if Kashmiris fighting for their rights were called freedom fighters, the Baloch should not be dubbed terrorists.

Sardar Sanaullah Zehri said that the Baloch people were unfortunate that despite having abundant resources, long coasts and a rich culture, they were being oppressed by outsiders who had occupied their land. The use of gun, he said, could suppress them for some time but they would again rise for their rights.

Chief of BNP (Mengal) Sardar Akhtar Mengal said that the Khan of Kalat had gathered all the Baloch at a time when the attention of international and regional powers was focused on Balochistan.

Sardar Mengal said that the Baloch people would live with honour, dignity and equal rights and with complete control over their resources. Otherwise, he warned, they would be free to take a decision to protect their sovereign status.

Chief of Magsi tribe Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Magsi said that had the grand jirga been convened when security forces attacked Nawab Bugti, and not after his death, the situation would have been different today. He said that some forces were trying to exploit the matter politically.

He also said that no-one must forget that “we had taken oath as governors, chief ministers and ministers on the Constitution that we are now opposing”.

He called for abiding by the decision of the jirga. Nawab Muhammad Khan Shahwani, Dr Hakim Lehri, chief of Balochistan National Congress, Sardar Asif Mengal, Sardarzada Jehanzeb, Mir Amanullah Zarakzai, Sardar Nadir Badini, Sardar Rahimdad Lango, BSO chairman Mohinuddin Baloch, Yousuf Masti Khan, Sardar Balkhsher Mazari, Amanullah Kanrani of the JWP, Mir Taj Muhammad Jamali, Sardar Aslam Bizenjo, Baloch Students Organisation chairman Bashirzeb Baloch and Sardar Sher Jamaldini also addressed the Jirga.

we should not simply dismiss what has happened...instead we should take it as a wake up call and re-double are efforts to address the greivances of the people of baluchistan.

The way Pakistan has been run so far for the last 59 years...there is absolutely no means being provided to people from all four provinces to meet and spend time with each other atleast some time of their life. First time a balochi in baluchistan sees a punjabi is when probably he is looking up the barrel of his gun.....this is no way for brothers to meet. :smile:

if the punjabi people were given a tour of interior sindh or baluchistan....then they will understand for themselves why punjab is being blamed and has been blamed since the formation of Pakistan. Similarly if balochi/sindhi people were shown parts of punjab....specially the siraiki belt they will understand too that simply blaming PUNJAB is not the answer to all their woes and infact they along with poor punjabis have a common enemy and oppressor......elites which have dominated Pakistan and even dominated politics pre-pakistan.

Europe which consisted of 13 states ( and has become 25 and still looking for more ) has had a program in which school children spend part of their school holidays in each others countries...for example for 2 weeks or 1 week english school would go and spend time in Germany.....German school kids off to holand.....holand in France ( this is not school exchanges but simply go and live in the area of natural beauty etc in private hotels )........so at early age kids are getting accustomed to their fellow Europeans and being exposed to other's languages, developing tolerance and understanding of other. For older people....we know the european football league with 3 european wide cups being held annually....literally tens of thousands of football fans are moving from country to country....get exposed to and used to the culture and traditions of their fellow europeans. Holidays are encouraged in each others countries with cheap travel subsidisedm and now the new trend of owning property in other european states. Academia across europe is brought together by giving grants to students to go and study in countries other than their own. This is apart from making european students...treated as home students for even first degrees.....like at UK university you get greek students doing BSc and BA....these greek students didnot come to UK of their choice or wanted to ( like people in pakistan ), they infact didnot have numbers/grades good enuff to get into Greek universities....hence simply come from there to take places at UK universities to get their degrees at the expense of the UK taxpayer. Believe it or not there is no longer free university education for UK's own students ( government pays for student's course fee who's family is poor...but they still have to pay for other expenses for which government gives loan and takes the money back from your pay packet when you get a job )....yet there is no taming or stopping students coming from other europeans states into UK. Because all this is thought for the greater good of Europe as a whole. We as pakistanis have never initiated programs for the greater good of Pakistan. People to People contacts will discourage the development of myths which are essential ingredients in building up ethnic hatred that is seen in baluchistan and interior sindh against punjabis.

Punjabi elites too need educating regarding realites on the ground in other provinces. For the sheer size of punjab ( population wise ) it can and has dominated the affairs of Pakistan--their is nothing wrong in this.....it is how you go about things that are bone of contention. The dominace is leading to resentment out of sheer ignorance and arrogance to which smaller provinces are subjected to. Take for example......baluchistan produces gas worth 80 billion......we give them 4 billion and that doesnot even fully cover the budget of the baluchistan government...who then have to borrow money from State bank to make ends meet......think for a while what does a baluchi get out of being Pakistani???? other than stacking loans on the heads of his people????? despite having waste natural wealth of Gas????? wouldn’t every baluchi be better off the moment he gets independence from Pakistan.....for a start their national budget would jump from 4 billion rupees to 80+ billion...and no matter how much is stolen from them...they still would get more out of it individually than they are getting now, which is zilch. This is a reality we all need to understand and counter...for it is on this that all enemies of Pakistan play upon....when creating chaos in Baluchistan.....since independence is not an option for them right now......what else can you expect from average baluchi...than hateful rants against Punjab as a whole....which he sees in a dominant position...who if he ( punjab )wanted could make his ( baluchi) lot better the moment he wanted to. Mushy govt is doing multi-billion dollar projects in baluchistan......but then again simply out of ignorance we fail to see that...those projects donot address the grievance of people of Baluchistan...who are the least likely to benefit from them......what good is a road from gwadar to karachi....if one doesnot even have shoes on his feet...let alone a vehicle to drive on the road.....furthermore although the projects slated would make Pakistan as a whole stronger strategically....this then brings into play....our old masters which want to see Pakistan poor and weak....and to obstruct those national projects.....they have all along harbored and incubated snakes from baluchistan...which they have since let lose to create trouble in Baluchistan.......but it is never late to treat fellow muslims...with respect and fairly....if we did that...i am sure they themselves will crush the snakes among them.

In short we should not be chasing events in baluchistan but leading them.

 

[sword9]

Rebel army kills 11 Pak army soldiersAmir Mir
Tuesday, January 02, 2007 22:52 IST

LAHORE: As the Pakistani security forces have launched a fresh military operation against the Baluch nationalist in the troubled Baluchistan province, the rebel Baluchistan Liberation Army has claimed having killed 11 Army soldiers in an ambush in the Kohlu Marri area and that too without suffering any loss at the hands of the enemy forces.

Azad Baloch, a spokesperson for the banned BLA claimed in a message faxed to the Pakistani newspapers that their fighters had shot down two helicopters of the Pakistan Army besides killing eleven soldiers in a retaliatory attack.

The BLA spokesman conceded that having launched a fresh military operation in Kohlu Marri just a day before Eidul Azha with the help of helicopter gun ships, the Pakistani security forces were successful in destroying several bases of the Baluch tribal militants.
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1072440

From the Dawn
http://www.dawn.com/2006/12/30/top9.htm

He told newsmen over satellite phone that helicopters fired missiles and dropped bombs in the area. He also claimed that militants of the banned Balochistan Liberation Army shot down a helicopter during the fighting while three vehicles of the security forces were destroyed.

Things seem pretty hot in that region.

 

[Bull]

well after the killing of Bugti things were supposed to over. now whats this?

The indians are at it again,i suppose!!!

 

[sparten]

"Azad Baloch". Says all you need to know really know. They shot down 2 helicopters. If they ever did that, then every bomber of the PAF would pay them a little visit.

 

[Bull]

"Azad Baloch". Says all you need to know really know. They shot down 2 helicopters. If they ever did that, then every bomber of the PAF would pay them a little visit.

Why use such heavy weaponary against your own people,gun ships and bombers?

Look at India,the IA only uses infantry to fight of the pigs.

 

[alamgir]

all above mension names no one with out sardar.

 

[Awesome]

When Bugti was around we saw high profile incidents twice or thrice a month. Attacks have calmed down.

If anything I think we need to prepare to block the sardars from invoking the ICJ on this. They have no legitimacy in the matter especially when there's an elected government there.

Also they can't argue lack of development. If we compare the money spent on them it's gone up from 1995... by a factor of 10!

Invoking the ICJ shows their desperation. The militancy has failed. They are no longer fighting as an army as they did with Bugti around. If we can give them this final knock politically, they'd have no say!

 

[TomCat111]

The indians are at it again,i suppose!!!

Is there a doubt?

 

[TomCat111]

Look at India,the IA only uses infantry to fight of the pigs.

Yet pigs still roam free, rather are in power in states like Gujarat.

 

[sparten]

When Bugti was around we saw high profile incidents twice or thrice a month. Attacks have calmed down.

If anything I think we need to prepare to block the sardars from invoking the ICJ on this. They have no legitimacy in the matter especially when there's an elected government there.

Also they can't argue lack of development. If we compare the money spent on them it's gone up from 1995... by a factor of 10!

Invoking the ICJ shows their desperation. The militancy has failed. They are no longer fighting as an army as they did with Bugti around. If we can give them this final knock politically, they'd have no say!

The sardars are in for as bit of a shock when t6hey go to the ICJ, the latter is or nations, not people.

As for the militancy, its finito, kaput. Except for a few incidents. Already Pakhtuns are busy trying to convince islamabad to divert the development money to them, since they were the good guys in the late rebellion.

 

[TomCat111]

If anything I think we need to prepare to block the sardars from invoking the ICJ on this.

On contrary, I hope they will go to ICJ. Please allow me to eleborate.

The September 21, 2006, Grand Jirga of Baloch tribal chiefs at its traditional venue of Kalat was organized by the present Khan of Kalat, Mir Suleman Dawood. It was attended by 70 Baloch sardars not only from Balochistan but also from Sindh and Punjab. Though every Pushto speaking Sardars refused to join the jirga/circus. The following October 2, jirga held in Quetta created 3 forums for representation.

1. The authoritative Supreme Council headed by Khan of Kalat and included chief of Sarawan, Nawab Aslam Raisani, chief of Jhalawan, Sardar Sanaullah Zehri, chief of Bairak, Nawab Shahwani, and former Balochistan chief ministers Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Magsi and Sardar Akhtar Mengal.
2. The National Council in which every Baloch sardar, big and small, is a member.
3. The Grand National Council, which would meet once a year in the royal court of Khan of Kalat and gives representation to all Balochs.

Then the most important decision taken by the jirga was to seek legal advice for approaching the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to protest the violation of the "autonomy pact" under which the accession of the independent state of Kalat with Pakistan was finalised on March 31, 1948. The jirga’s declaration was to move the court as an oppressed nation against the state and rulers of Pakistan for not honoring the pact, which promised autonomy to Kalat in all matters except defense, foreign affairs and communication. By taking the decision to approach ICJ to protest the violation of the “autonomy pact”, the grand jirga (representative body of Bolochs) has by default become a legal party of “autonomy pact”. Hence, the jirga has publically admitted Balochistan to be a part of Pakistan.:banana2:

 

[sword9]

"Azad Baloch". Says all you need to know really know. They shot down 2 helicopters. If they ever did that, then every bomber of the PAF would pay them a little visit.

Then you would loose them as a people forever. The Iraqi did that regularly to the Kurds, and we all know how about the Kurdish and Iraqi equation.

 

[lulldapull]

A mil-17 and a Bell-216 were shot down using AAA fire. These guys need to be made to understand that the Baloch ppl will not stand for rubbish, illegal immigration, usurping of our rights and resources.

There are airstrikes and shelling everyday by Punjabi military, but the Baloch are fighting back and killing them too.

We would like to thank the Afghan govt. and India for their help in these most difficult times.

Thank you.