Liberated woman of Balochistan is the mother of a free nation.

Liberated woman of Balochistan is the mother of a free nation.

Today marks the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day.
It is a day for the women in the world enjoy liberation but today more than 10,000 Baloch mothers and sisters are screaming loudly of horrible nightmares of their loved ones which were made disappeared by the Pakistani army in the occupied Balochistan. There are over 1100 cases registered with the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) by the London based International Voice for the Baloch Missing Person (IVBMP). As per Balochistan based Voice for Missing Baloch Persons (VMBP) for the last seven months Baloch mothers have embraced over 105 decomposed bodies for their loved ones which were abducted, tortured and killed by Frontier Corp (FC) in the occupied Balochistan.
Today the Baloch mothers are being punished for raising the slogan of a secular and democratic Balochsitan.
Unlike Canada, the US and other western countries, photos of abducted children do not appear on the back of a return envelop or on a bus, in occupied Balochistan the mothers know where they are, in the torture cells of Pakistani Army. Today Balochistan is in turmoil due to kill and dump policy of Pak Army.
Indigenous Baloch populace are being militarized and marginalization for the last 63 years by Pakistan Army. Today the hostile military operation of Pakistan Army combined with the terrorist actions of kill and dump policy of mutilated dead bodies have prompted an exodus of over 80 percent of the native Baloch population from Kohlu and Dera Bughti. The social, economic and political effects of the ongoing military operation on the civil society are devastating, especially for women and children. One such case in point is the mass exodus of 84,000 internally displaced people from the war torn areas of Kohlu and Dera Bugti. According to UNESCO, among the thousands of displaced families, 26,000 women and 33,000 children are forced to live in refugee camps under sub-human conditions without proper shelter, food and medicine. So far 76 fatalities, mostly children, have been reported in these camps, scattered in the districts of Quetta, Nasirabad and Jaffarabad. Islamabad is in complete denial of the realities and has blocked all aid to these suffering people of Balochistan by international aid agencies.
Today the world is oblivious to the peace making role of Baloch women in the Baloch history. Banari, the sister of Chakar Khan, chief of Baloch tribes, led the Baloch tribal army in war against Delhi in late 15th century and won the throne for Moghul emperor Humayun.
The secular nature of the primitive tribal structure was the source of gender equality in Balochistan for centuries before the arrival of the ‘puritan brand of Islam’ (Deobandi) and the British colonial rule. The religious orthodoxy preached gender discrimination, while the British changed the primitive tribal set-up of collective land ownership into a feudal control of the land owned by the chieftain. This religio-economic mix later on was inherited by Pakistan as state policy of control and exploitation based on ethnic, religious and gender bias.

Pakistan’s collaboration with the fanatic Islamist is not hidden to any rational mind. This military-mullah alliance had brought constitutional changes against religious minorities and women. This alliance had fueled a culture which is hallmark of terrorism and violence against women and other minorities in Pakistan, which did not only destroyed the very basis of human creativity but growth and democracy. Dr. Shazia Khalid(raped by Pakistani Army official in Balochistan) Zarina Marri(disappeared in Balochistan), Salman Taseer(Governor Punjab, killed by a Jiahdi police) and Shebaz Bhatti(a Christian Minister killed by a Jihadi). They have all became victim to the forces of darkness cultivated by the decades old policies of this Military-Mullah alliance.
Despite the hardships, women of Balochistan are fighting back the decadent system maintained by the state as a borrowed tool of oppression from their colonial masters. Never before in the modern history of Balochistan, there has been such an upsurge of political activism among women across Balochistan – from Karachi to the coast of Bandar Abbas - struggle against military and mullah atrocities is transcending the gender barrier.
Probably the Baloch women have found their inner Banari, leading the way to battles against the enemies of equality and freedom. Today the morally bankrupt state of Pakistan and Iran with their twin evils of theocracy and military autocracy are responsible for all the crimes committed against women. If a woman was more independent in the medieval Baloch society then what good is this so-called modern state of Pakistan and Iran?
The history have given the Baloch Women the inescapable choice- a choice about the future –and the future belongs to freedom – freedom from the state that has generated ideological, political and social basis for gender bias, discrimination and crime against women. Today, womens’ liberation in Balochistan is connected with the broader question of national emancipation of the people from the yolk of religious conservatism and military adventurism.
Liberated woman of Balochistan is the mother of a free nation
Imtiaz Baloch
Information Secretary
Baloch Human Rights Council (Canada)
Member International Voice for the Baloch Missing Person (IVBMP)
(Balochistan is a Texas size state occupied by Pakistan in the year 1948. This is the fifth Baloch uprising against the Pakistani brutal military regime)

Rehman Malik: the Civilian Face of Pakistan’s Military Establishment

Rehman Malik: the Civilian Face of Pakistan’s Military Establishment
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik, the civilian face of the country’s powerful military establishment is a continuation of the former dictator General Pervez Musharraf’s policies in Balochistan. He is the one who sanctioned and devised the policies of empowering Frontier Corp (FC), the Pakistani paramilitary, in Balochistan involved in enforced disappearances and the ‘kill and dump’ activities.
The two recent dead bodies found yesterday, February 23, 2011 were identified as Mehboob Wadela of Baloch National Movement (BNM), disappeared from Karachi in April last year. The other body was identified as Rehman Arif’s, who was a member of the Baloch Republican Party (BRP) and was abducted four months ago from Gwadar bringing the total to 103 bullet-riddled bodies of missing persons over the past seven months.
On February 23, 2011 Amnesty International urged the Pakistan government to immediately account for the “alarming number of killings and abductions in Balochistan attributed to government forces in recent months. http://www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/pakistan-balochistan-atrocities-continue-rise-2011-02-23

On February 25, 2011 the Hong Kong based Asian Human rights commission condemn the disappearances in Balochistan and called it a routine work of the Frontier Corps (FC) and state intelligence agencies. AHRC further added that since last year the law enforcement authorities have introduced a new trend in which they kill the disappeared person extra judicially so as to destroy any possible evidence of their involvement. http://www.ahrchk.net/ua/mainfile.php/2011/3676/

These two bodies show the blood lust of the Pakistani establishment. The body of Rehman Arif portrays the brutality of the Pakistan Army in which the eyes were poked out; tongue was cut off, arms and legs wrapped around each other in the agony of death. Both were shot at a point-blank range in the head, the bullet tearing away a line of flesh up from the forehead entering the brain. Both bodies have vivid crimson or black scars down the left side of their throats. This kind of brutal and horrific method of killings were not even witnessed in the medieval time, what Pakistani establishment has been applying against the Baloch innocent masses struggling for their legitimate rights.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik had already threatened the Baloch populace that until and otherwise Baloch will salute the flag of Pakistan this operation will not stop. This is the exact clone polices of former Dictator Musharraf‘s towards Balochistan. This so-called democracy even went one step ahead to save the strategic interest of Pakistani Army in Balochistan by introducing the bullet-riddled dead bodies. And not even a week passes by when Baloch mothers, sisters, and children are not being gifted with a mutilated dead body of their loved ones which are leaving life-long scars, both physical and psychological on the Baloch nation.
Over 10,000 people have been made disappeared and over 1100 cases are registered with the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) by the London based International Voice for the Baloch Missing Person (IVBMP).
These decomposed bullet-riddled bodies are only 1% of the total disappeared made by this "caravan of death", headed by the Pakistan Army. The grieving families are desperate to know about their loved ones. It is not hard to believe that Pakistani Security Establishment (ISI) had mutilated those bodies so horrendously that the only solution was to "disappear" the corpses and bury them into the history.
The slaughter of the Baloch had started the day Pakistan occupied Balochistan in a military coup in the year 1948. The Baloch have seen more than six decades of suffering at the hands of this apartheid government.
Once, a friend of mine told me that “Every time a Baloch is murdered, a bit of Pakistan dies”. The number of bullet-riddled bodies, which we are receiving, has turned Balochistan into a graveyard and has left no room for Pakistan to stay in Balochistan. And every Baloch heart is crying freedom from Pakistan’s brutal occupation.
The Pakistan civil society and the ISI-backed spin media outlets shamelessly refuse to cover Balochistan, specially the issue of the missing persons, and try to divert the whole issue by the claims of the killing of non Baloch in Balochistan. The logic of civil society in Pakistan and of those who demand that Baloch should stop the resistance is absurd. The civil society absolves the aggressor and occupier - armed with the deadliest weapons of death and destruction of the responsibility, while blaming the victim, prisoner and occupied. And instead of being sympathetic with relatives of those mutilated dead bodies, a concerted effort is waged to trivialize this tragedy by calling it a plot of foreign forces to disrepute Pakistan. This is like rubbing salt to the Baloch wounds.
For the last 63 years Baloch in Pakistan have been under siege, incarcerated, and sealed off from the rest of the world, air and sea, slowly genocide, bombarded homes, schools, no one is spared from Pakistan’s brutal death policies. This river of blood is being shed under lies and false pretexts. The collective punishment did not halt, but accelerated – as they brought the enforced disappearances and bullet riddle bodies.
I don’t know why I remember the Australian independent MP Mr. Bob Katter. He said that Pakistan is long overdue for NATO intervention, and said that this intervention is inevitable and imminent. Mr. Bob Katter demanded that Australia should support NATO’s intervention into Pakistan.
On the World Summit 2005 almost all countries adopted the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) doctrine. This doctrine puts the protection of human lives against human rights violations in the centre and envisages three steps 1.Responsibility to Prevent 2.Responsibility to react 3.Responsibility to rebuild
Pakistan has failed to contain the slow motion genocide of Baloch populace and hence the second step, the reaction to “large-scale loss of human lives”, is decisive. To prevent this slow motion genocide which is heading towards a large scale genocide we urge the International community to intervene in Balochistan and give Baloch masses the right to chose their own destiny.
Imtiaz Baloch
Spokes Person
Baloch Human Rights Council (Canada)
The writer can be reached at Imtiaz2000@hotmail.com, BHRCCanada@gmail.com

The Missing Baloch: The Tragedy of Zakir Majid.

The International Day of the Disappeared on August 30 is an annual commemoration day created to draw attention to the fate of individuals imprisoned at places and under poor conditions unknown to their relatives or legal representatives. 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 1100 documented Baloch political activist are held in incommunicado by Pakistani Army. Balochistan is a Texas sized state occupied by Pakistan and Iran. This is the fifth uprising by the Baloch populace against the Pakistani Regime for Baloch nationhood.
The day of June 8th, 2009, was the last time when the family saw Zakir Majeed. The security personnel of Pakistani Army in the presence of Zakir’s two friends forcibly abducted Zakir on a gun point and whisked him away from Mastung Balochistan to an unknown destination. Since then the family and the Baloch nation had no reliable news about Zakir’s fate. Zakir’s family and Baloch nation have been left at the mercy of the anguished torments and worse imaginations.
Young and Vibrant Zakir Majeed is the Senior Vice Chairman of Baloch Student Organization (AZAD). Mr Zakir Majeed, a student of M.A in the University of Balochistan and a charismatic leader whose life was one of constant travel, moving from one town to another to organize BSO on the gross root level and educating the Baloch youth about the plight of Baloch Nation. Zakir continually expanded his organizational reach and was very effective amongst Baloch Youth. Mr Zakir Majeed is not the only one, according to Balochistan Based (VBMP)Voice for Baloch Missing persons and newly formed Sweden based International Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (IVBMP), since 2005 there had been more than 8000 enforced disappearances including women and children under the age of twelve years. According to IVBMP there over 1100 documented Baloch political activist who are victims of enforced disappearances, abduction, tortured and imprisonment incommunicado.
The Perpetrators of enforced disappearances, the Pakistani Army systemically executing the leading Baloch Intellectuals and leadership through its Securities Agencies, local paramilitary arm and its affiliated death squads such as Baloch Mussalha Defah Tanzeem, Sapah-e-Shuda, and Insar- ul Islam etc. It seems, the evil set design of Pakistani military establishment, to systemically eliminate Baloch leading political cream is entering into a second phase, where the nucleolus of the political parties, trade unions, journalists, doctors, teachers, poets, lawyers and student are being forcefully disappeared and within twenty days their dead bodies are found with the marks of brutal tortures. 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. This week two political workers’ bullet-riddled bodies, later on identified as Mohammad Omer Baloch and Arz Mohammad Pirkani, both resident of Quetta, Balochistan were found. According to the families of these innocent victims, both were abducted 20 days ago by the Pakistani intelligence agencies. This brought the total into 14 into two weeks.
This despicable and cutthroat set plan is outright genocide. These illegal acts against Baloch nation is set in the context of Pakistani repression, demonstrating that Pakistan’s election to the UN human rights council is far from being deserved.
Zakir Majeed, Ehsan Arjmandi and Din Mohammad Baloch’s case were picked up by Asian Human Rights Organisation(AHRC) and were submitted to the UN Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) and to the UN Special Rapporteurs on Disappearances.
http://www.ahrchk.netstatementsmainfile.php2009statements2400/. On August 07, 2009, Mr Ehsan Arjemandi , a Norwegian Baloch Human Rights Activist , was forcefully abducted by the state intelligence services while Mr Arjmandi was on a visit to his mother in Balochistan. This victim of enforced disappearance was picked up in front of several people by the security personnel on a gun point in a car with registration number ADN6928. On July 25, 2010, in an interview to a Norwegian journalist the Interior Minister Reham Malik blatantly agreed to Mr Arjmandi’s arrest. Since 2009, this is the first time that Pakistani establishment had agreed to Mr. Arjmandi’s arrest. During all this time Mr. Arjmandi was never produced to any court of Law. He is in prison in incommunicado. This completely manifest the mindset of Pakistani establishment towards the Baloch enforced disappeared political workers. Following link is the interview of the Journalist with Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik.
http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/verden/1.7223592
After the brutal discredited military regime of Retired General Musharraf, the Pakistan Army yielded power to a civilian government. Zakir Mothers hopes were temporarily elevated by the announcement of the civilian government that Mr. Zakir Majeed along with thousands of other disappeared political workers would emerge from the darkness of their secret cell. On January 22, 2010, after the UN intervention, Pakistani establishment announced Zakir Majid’s release and said he will be celebrating EID with his family. But there is only a terrible silence from the Government of Pakistan since then, the family is awaiting Zakir return. A week from today there is another Eid.
Zakir’s Family is trying to raise the profile of the disappeared people in Balocistan, waged a token hunger strike which is entering today into his 109th day. The health condition of his mother is worsening due to the constant crying and waiting for his sons. The family approached the government’s authorities to locate Zakir’s whereabouts, filed a constitutional petition in Balochistan High Court and in Supreme Court but Pakistani secret agencies work under no Law and are not accountable to any court of law and institution.
It is suspected that Zakir had been killed by the security forces as they had done with other missing Baloch political leaders like Ghulam Muhammad Baloch and others.
There is a saying in Balochi that Baloch mothers always gave birth to children with courage. Today, on the International Day of the Disappeared please join hands with Baloch against the atrocities of Pakistani Security agencies on the Baloch populace. Today, get together and cry freedom for the oppressed nationalities of the world. Today, come and scram along, with the family of disappeared Baloch to end all enforced disappearances and demand to reveal the fate and whereabouts of all persons subjected to enforced disappearance.
By Imtiaz Baloch

List of Young Baloch Men hanged/killed by Iranian Regime in 2004-2010

Execution of political prisoners, especially in occupied Kurdistan and Balochistan, is common in Iran. This morning ,Abdolhamid Rigi, a political prisoner who endured a long period of pressure and torture in Iranian regime’s jails, was hanged in Zahedan prison accused of “moharebeh and instigating corruption on earth. The state-run media published photos of his corps hanging from a noose in an attempt to create an atmosphere of terror and fear among people and especially youths in Baluchistan

List of Young Baloch Men hanged/killed by Iranian Regime in 2004-2010


Place Hanged/Killed Name Date
Qazalhesar prison in Karaj Hanged Ahmad Shahbakhsh 20100608
Qazalhesar prison in Karaj Hanged Sanjar Totazahi 20100608
Qazalhesar prison in Karaj Hanged Baqhi Amini 20100608
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Jamshid Mir 20100526
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Abdol Hamid Rigi 20100524
Balochistan Killed 4 , unkonwn 20100523
Jask Killed Zaman Balouchi 20100522
Nasir Abad Killed Dorra Shahdostzahi 2010-05
Nikshahr Killed 1 , unkonwn 20100509
Prison of Kerman Hanged Abdolnaser Moradzahi 20100419
Prison of Kerman Hanged Nezar Berahui 20100418
Prison of Kerman Hanged Faizullah Berahui 20100418
Prison of Isfahan Hanged Ghader 20100412
Sarawan Killed Three , unkonwn 20100406
Jakigwar/Negor Killed Three , unkonwn 20100406
Balochistan Killed Barkat Zamorani 20100318
Balochistan Killed ?? , Unknown 20100318
Balochistan/Kerman Killed Mohamad Ali Bolaidai 20100227
Iranshahr Killed One , unkonwn 20100224
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Dadelah Rigi Kordi Tamandani 20100221
Iranshahr Killed Eisa Dostkam 20100204
Sarawan Killed Two,unkonwn 20100131
Zahedan Hanged Khodayar Rahmatzahi 201001-?
Prison of Khash Hanged Allahnezar Naroi(Shahbash) 20100120
Iranshahr Killed Moradbakhsh Kadkhodai 20100107
Taybad Killed Four,unkonwn 20100101
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Mosa M 20091216
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Haleghdad F 20091216
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Ghader R 20091216
Mirjaweh Killed One , unkonwn 20091207
Khash Killed Three , unkonwn 20091114
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Abdolhamid Rigi 20091103
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Khairmohamad Ozbak 20091028
Balochistan Killed Four, unkonwn 20091022
Sarawan Killed One , unkonwn 20091014
Balochistan/Kerman Killed One , unkonwn 20091003
Taybad Hanged Five , unkonwn 20090929
Balochistan Killed ?? , unknown 20090927
Taybad Killed 9 , unkonwn 20090914
Mirjaweh Killed One , unkonwn 20090913
Mirjaweh Killed One , unkonwn 20090901
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Masoud Ghamshadzahi 20090725
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Ayub Rigi 20090725
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Manucher Shahbakhsh 20090714
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Mohamad Hasan Shahuzahi 20090714
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Abdolrazaq Rashidi 20090714
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Yaqub Ghamshadzahi 20090714
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Abdolbaset Shaihaki 20090714
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Edris Noutizahi 20090714
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Abdoqeyas Didan Naroui 20090714
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Abdosaboor Rakhshan 20090714
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Asadullah Wafaee 20090714
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Abdolhahaleq Mirbalouchzahi 20090714
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Tareq Abadiyan 20090714
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Yahya Rigi 20090714
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Khalil Ahmad Rigi 20090714
Balochistan Killed One , unknown 20090707
Karaj Hanged Khodabakhsh Rigi 20090704
Karaj Hanged Najibullah Gorgij 20090704
Karaj Hanged Jamshid Haleqdadi 20090704
Qum Hanged Mohamad- Kh 20090701
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Ahmad Dastgoshadeh Naroi 20090620
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Esmail Qaderi 20090620
Khash Killed Haji Hozoor Bakhsh Shahnawazi 20090608
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Abdol Hamid Rigi 20090606
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Reza Qalandarzahi 20090606
Zahedan Killed Abdolbasir Mosazahi 20090605
Zahedan-Bam Killed 4 , unknown 20090605
Kerman Hanged 1-5 persons 20090603
Zahedan Killed Saeed Hashomzahi 20090603
Zahedan Killed 10 , unknown 20090531-20090606
Zahedan Hanged Haji Noutizahi 20090508
Zahedan Hanged Qolamrasool Shahuzai 20090508
Zahedan Hanged Zabiullah Naroei 20090508
Khash Killed One , unknown 20090525
Prison of Iranshahr Hanged Abdol Qafour - K 20090522
Zabol Killed One , unknown 20090522
Zahedan Killed One , unknown 20090515
Hajiabad/Zahedan Killed Allah Nezar Shahbakhsh 20090513
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Reza Qoli - S 20090508
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Mohammad Mehdi -Kh 20090508
Balochistan Killed 3 , unknown 20090505
Taybad Hanged 8 , unknown 20090502
Khash Hanged Abdolbari Norzahi 20090429
Balochistan/Kerman Killed 4 , unknown 20090420
Zamuran/Balochistan/Pakistan Killed Bibi Moluk 20090414
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Normohamad Ismailzahi 20090310
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Mojib Rahman Kord 20090310
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Babak Kord 20090310
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Mohamad Joma Khan Hossseini 20090310
On the border/Balochistan Killed 6 , unknown 20090308
Iranshahr Killed Behzad - Sh 20090305
Prison of Zahedan Hanged 1 , unknown 20090303
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Molawi Khalil Bahramzahi 20090303
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Salahudin Zardkohi 20090303
Mirjaweh Killed 4 , unknown 20090302
Esfahan Hanged Omid 20090221
Taybad Killed 9 , unknown 20090203
Taybad Killed 10 , unknown 20090131
Taybad Killed 6 , unknown 20090121
Taybad Killed 2 , unknown 200901-?
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Bohadoor Naroi 20090103
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Jalal Akbar Joma Aloshi(Jalal Shirani) 20090103
Nikshahr Hanged Abdolrahman Balochzahi 20081228
Khash Killed Jalal Rigi 20081225
Zabol Hanged Faiz Ahmad Naroi 20081223
Balochistan Killed One , unkonwn 20081220
Prison of Sarakhs Hanged Mohamad Amin Berahui 20081213
Taybad Killed 4 , unknown 20081210
Prison of Zahedan Hanged P - D 20081206
Prison of Zahedan Hanged M - M 20081206
Prison of Zahedan Hanged A - R 20081206
Prison of Zahedan Tortured to death Mohamad Berahui 20081202
Mirjaweh Killed One , unknown 20081202
Prison of Zahedan Hanged A - N 20081129
Prison of Zahedan Hanged H - F 20081129
Taybad Killed 15 , unknown 20081126
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Hossein Nohtani 20081124
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Abdullah Dahmardeh 20081124
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Mohamad Berahui 20081124
Mirjaweh Killed 4 , unknown 20081118
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Nazir Ahmad Nasiri 20081110
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Jamali Bolizadeh 20081110
Balochistan Killed 10 , unkbown 20081108
Balochistan Killed 5 , unknown 20081103
Prison of Zahedan Hanged E - M 20081027
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Kh - N 20081027
Jask Killed Shahmorad 200810-?
Iranshahr Killed 2 , unknown 20081026
Rodbar/Kerman Hanged One , unknown 20081022
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Watan - Y 20081021
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Mohamad Salim 20081021
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Zahor - Sh 20081021
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Anwar - D 20081021
Zabol Killed Akbar Sancholi 20081016
Zahedan /Pir Soran Killed Ahmad Wafaee 20081013
Zahedan /Pir Soran Killed Nader Rigi 20081013
Zahedan /Pir Soran Killed Nser Shahbakhsh 20081013
Zahedan /Pir Soran Killed Allah Nezar Kebdani 20081013
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Shahram Aywani 20081013
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Ramazan Rafiee 20081013
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Sasan Dogushkani 20081013
Kottgan/Zamuran/Pakistan Killed Mulla Salim Sorkizahi 20081010
Balochistan Killed About 38 ,unknown Last 2 months
Zahedan/Sapid sang Killed Abdullah Shahbakhsh 2008.10.06
Zahedan/Sapid sang Killed Hamid Shahbakhsh 2008.10.06
Nikshahr Killed One , unknown 2008.09.26
Zahedan Killed One , unknown 2008.09.18
Iranshahr Killed Mohamad Hossein Borr 2008.08.24
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Habibullah Pirwali 20080826
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Hossein Ali Shahraki 20080826
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Mojtaba Mozafari 20080826
Sarbaz/Iranshahr Killed Sharif Sarkoeri 20080824
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Bahram N 20080820
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Hassan Sadeqpoor 20080813
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Golmohamad Salehzahi 20080811
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Rahim baranzahi 20080811
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Lalmohamad Zainadini 20080811
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Asadullah Eshaghzahi 20080811
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Yaghub Mehrnehad 20080804
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Abdolnaser Tahri Sadr 20080804
Zahedan Killed One , unknown 20080804
Zahedan Hanged Hadi Amri son of Hamid 20080729
Tehran-Evin Hanged Abdolreza Shahbakhsh 20080727
Tehran-Evin Hanged Sohrab Kamalzahi 20080727
Balochistan Killed One , unknown 20080724
Balochistan Killed One , unknown 20080724
Zahedan Killed One , unknown 20080721
Iranshahr Killed Three , unknown 20080720
Balochistan Killed One , unknown 20080719
Zahedan Killed One , unknown 20080708
Prison of Chabehar Hanged Mohamad Zareh 20080706
Balochistan Killed Three,Unknown 20080628
Zahedan Killed Abdosamad Shahbax 20080620
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Alireza Berahui 20080616
Prison of Chabehar Hanged Yunes Rahmandost 20080615
Prison of Chabehar Hanged Mohamad Hussein Noorzai 20080615
Balochistan Killed One , unknown 20080611
Khash-Paskoh Killed Khodad Shohlibor 20080607
Balochistan Killed 7 unknown 20080601
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Mousa Narouei 20080531
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Kabali Cheraghi 20080531
Balochistan Killed 9 unknown 20080527
Balochistan Killed 2 unknown 20080519
Balochistan Killed One , unknown 20080518
Balochistan Killed Farhad Shanbehzai 20080515
Balochistan Killed 4 unknown 20080515
Balochistan Killed One , unknown 20080426
Balochistan Killed 4 , unknown 20080422
Prison of ESfehan Tortured to death Morad Borokzahi 20080417
Daman Killed Shirbakhsh Sohrabzahi 20080412
Zahedan Disapeared and killed Two girls from Hasshomzahi tribe 20080411
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Molawi Abdolqodus Mollazahi 20080409
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Molawi Mohamad Yousuf Sohrabi 20080409
Balochistan/Kerman Killed One , unknown 20080406
Sarbaz Killed One , unknown 20080401
Balochistan/Kerman Killed Three,Unknown 20080330
Pishin Killed Three , unknown 20080328
Zahedan Tortured to death Three women from Rigi tribe 20080323
Khash(Gohar Kouh) Killed Alam Khan Shahbax 20080218
Khash(Gohar Kouh) Killed One , known 20080218
Zahedan/Kerman Killed Ahmad Shahbax 20080216
Kerman/Zahedan Killed One , known 20080212
Sarawan Hanged Mohamad Aslam Mobarakzahi 20080131
Balochistan Killed 14 , unknown 200801
Balochistan Killed Son of Molawi Abdolrahman Chabhari 20080112
Giroft Killed 5 , unknown 20080105
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Abdolghayum Shahgi 20080102
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Babudin Karbalaei 20080102
Balochistan/Kerman Killed Two , unknown 20080102
Zahedan Hanged Mehdi Rigi Jawan 20071231
Zahedan Hanged Naser Hadieh Sasoli 20071231
Balochistan Killed Three , unknown 20071226
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Ezat Sarani 20071226
Prison of Zahedan Hanged 16 , unknown 20071226
Zahedan Killed One unknown 20071224
Prison of Iranshahr Hanged Yaqoub Setodeh 20071218
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Khodadad Shahbax 20071217
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Mohamadreza Saleh 20071217
Iranshahr Killed 12, unknown 20071213
Balochistan/Bam Killed Khodadad Naroei 20071204
Qum Hanged Ataullah Polzahi 20071202
Prison of Zahedan Hanged One, unkonwn 20071202
Iranshahr Killed Bakhshok Shohlibor 20071125
Balochistan Killed Three,unknown 20071124
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Shamsodin Darvakh Gorgij 20071124
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Mahmudshah Pashtoon 20071124
Saravan Killed Two ,unkonwn 20071113
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Rostam sepahi 20071115
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Nader Klabali 20071111
Balochistan Killed ??-unknown 20071107
Iranshahr Hanged Abdolmajid A 20071031
Prison of Iranshahr Hanged Ismail Barani Piranwand 20071030
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Joma Gamshadzai 20071030
Jakigwar_Sarbaz Killed One , unknown 20071030
Mahan Hanged Two ,unknown 20071028
Iranshahr Hanged Ali Khashi 3/3/86
Yazd Hanged Three unknown 20071027
Prison of Zahedan Hanged A.M 20071025
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Z.Gh. 20071025
Prison of Zahedan Hanged A.M 20071025
Birjand Hanged Five , unknown 20071022
Birjand Killed Two , unkonwn 20071019
Zahedan Hanged A. 20071016
Iranshahr Hanged Two, "Ostadi" in aftername 20071009
Balochistan Killed Six , unknown 20071002
Dashtyari-Chabhar Killed One , unkonwn 20070929
Mahan Hanged Mohamad Bamari 20070912
Mahan Hanged Omar Bamari 20070912
Zahedan Killed Abdolshakor sh. known as Shakori 20070909
Sarbaz Killed One , unkonwn 20070910
Shiraz Hanged Gazawo Mahmudzahi 20070905
Shiraz Hanged Alireza Berahuei 20070905
Khash-Zahedan Killed Two , unknown 20070904
Mirjaweh_Rek Malek" Killed Morad Gamshadzahi 20070828
Iranshahr Hanged Two , unknown 20070824
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Shkrollah Kordi Tamandani 20070821
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Hossein Chobi Ali 20070821
Koh Sepit-Sarawan Killed Two man from Gamshadzahi tribe 20070821
Jakigwar_Chabhar Killed Rezaei Nohani 20070817
Sarbaz Killed Mola Shahbax Derakhshan 20070817
Zahedan Killed Two unknown, 20070809
Zahedan Killed Abdoghani Shahbax 20070809
Zahedan Killed Nasrollah Shahbax 20070809
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Sanaullah Mirbalochzahi 20070808
Pirson of Iranshahr Hanged Abdosamad Kachkosh 20070806
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Abdolaziz Esmailzahi 20070806
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Abdoljamal Shahbax 20070806
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Aliakbar Shahbax 20070806
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Halim Shahbax 20070801
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Noormohamad Esmailzahi 20070801
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Abdolmalek Shahbax 20070726
Ewin-Tehran Hanged Sarwar Sarani 20070722
Ewin-Tehran Hanged Hamiullah Totazahi 20070722
Pir Soran-Zahedan Killed Four , unknown 20070720
Zabol Hanged Naeim Molaei 20070720
Zahedan Hanged Golmohamad Kanbarzahi 20070709
Mirjaweh Zahedan Killed-The police fired on their cars 18 , unknown 20070708
Zahedan Killed by unknown people One from Rigi tribe 20070707
Nikshahr Killed Three , unknown 20070703
Balochistan Killed Two ,unkonwn 20070703
Karaj Hanged Two killed 20070613
Zahedan Tortured to death Wahid Mirbalochzahi 23 20070613
Balochistan Killed Two,unkonwn 20070609
Zahedan Killed One , unkonwn 20070607
Zahedan Killed Two,unkonwn 20070604
Birjand Hanged Four,unkonwn 20070528
Zahedan Hanged Saeed Kanbarzahi 17 20070527
Bam-Zahedan Killed One , unkonwn 20070526
Balochistan Killed One , unkonwn 20070526
Iranshahr Hanged A. Kh. 20070521
Sarawan Hanged ‌ Abdolhaqh Askani 20070520
Balochistan Killed Six, unkonwn 20070519
Bandar Abbas Hanged Parviz Jedi 20070516
Bandar Abbas Hanged Abdolrahman 20070516
Zahedan Killed Roya Sarani 12 20070516
Bandar Abbas Hanged One , unkonwn 1386.01.24
Mashad Hanged Fifteen, unkonwn 20070514
Balochistan Killed Two , unkonwn 1386.01.24
Sarbaz Killed Five , unkonwn 2007.05.05
Zahedan Hanged Zaman Bamari 2007.05.01
Balochistan Killed Four,unkonwn 1386.1.6
Nikshahr Killed Three , unkonwn 2007.04.19
Totan Killed by "Mersad" Aziz Dorzadeh 18،04،2007
Totan Killed by "Mersad" Sirus Shirani 21 18,04,2007
Balochistan Killed by "Mersad" Six , unkonwn 17،04،2007
Zahedan Hanged Two , unkonwn 15،03،2007
Zabol Killed Two , unkonwn 14،03،2007
Zahedan Hanged Nazir Shanbehzahi 14،03،2007
Zahedan Hanged Nasroollah Shanbehzahi 19،02،2007
Zahedan Hanged Ahmad Sarir 20070315
Zahedan Hanged Toraj Seyahkamari 22-10-1385
Sarawan Killed Bashir H 20070130
Zahedan Hanged Ali B. 10-01-2007
Zahedan Hanged Mohamad Sh. 10-01-2007
Iranshahr Killed Abdolwahed Royan 2006.07
Iranshahr Hanged Khodamorad Lashkarzadeh 2006.06
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Abdol Ali baloch 2006.09
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Shahmohamad Barakzahi 2006.09
Zabol Hanged Gholam Kokan 2006.09
Zahedan Hanged Nader Rigi 2006.09
Prison of Zahedan Hanged Mohamad Shibok 2006.09
Iranshahr Hanged Ali Karimi 2006.09(۸۵/۰۷/۰۶ )
Sarawan Hanged Amanullah 30-01-2006
Rafsenjan Hanged Shahmir A 20061230
Rafsenjan Hanged Gholam A 20061230
Rafsenjan Hanged Noorahmad G 20061230
Zahedan Hanged Pordel D. 25.12.2006
Zahedan Hanged Yusof H. 25,12,2006
Zahedan Hanged Mohamad Shahbax 24,12,2006
Zahedan Hanged Changiz Narooei 24,12,2006
Zahedan Hanged Ali Baqheri 24,12,2006
Balochistan Killed Two , unkonwn 24,12,2006
Iranshahr Killed Noormohamad Ahorani 20061106
Zahedan Hanged Abdolmamalek Faqirdadi 20060815
Zahedan Hanged Shidel Shaihakirad 20060815
Zabol Hanged Hamid Reza Saber 20060815
Darzin Hanged Najib Karzahi 200608
Zabol Hanged Mehdi Zahri 20060713
Zabol Hanged Hoshang Keyani 20060713
Zabol Hanged Jalaludin Jamali 20060713
Zabol Hanged Abdol Rahman Safarzahi 20060713
Zahedan Hanged Majid Rigi 20060713
Zahedan Hanged Mohamad Poor Shahbax 2004
Dalgan Killed Two , unkonwn 1385.12.7
Sarawan Killed Three,unknown 29,07,1385
Khuramabad Hanged Karimbakhsh Narooei 29,05,1385
Zahedan Hanged Masoud Narooei 01،03،1385
Zahedan Hanged Abdolwaheed 01،03،1385
Zahedan Hanged Abdol Hamid Narooei 09،03،1385
Iranshahr Hanged Ali Arbabi 18،03،1385
Zahedan Hanged Abdollah Shahbax 20،03،1385
Pir Souran Killed Eshagh Rigi 24.03.1385
Zahedan Hanged Two , unkonwn 05،08،1385
Zahedan Hanged Saeed 07،08،1385
Iranshahr Killed One , unkonwn 06,1386
Sarawan Killed Gholamreza Rigi 06,1386
Zahedan Hanged Naser 07،04،1385
Dalgan The police exploded their house The members of one family 17،04،1385
Iranshahr Hanged Lalbax Sabki 17،04،1385
Balochistan Killed Qader 30،03،1385
Zahedan Hanged Two , unknown 25,03,1385
Iranshahr Hanged Farshid Bamari , known as Mirzok 2006.07.
Balochistan The police exploded their house Satar Dorazahi 2006
Balochistan The police exploded their house Adam Dorazahi 2006
Balochistan The police exploded their house Dorazahi 2006
Zahedan Hanged Abdoha,id Espandaki 30،10،2006
Zahedan Hanged Ahmad Dahmardeh 30،10،2006
Zahedan Hanged Behzad Narooei 30،10،2006
Zahedan Hanged Kahrazahi 2006
Iranshahr Hanged Mohamad Qayomi 05،11،2006
Iranshahr Hanged Najibollah Qayomi 05،11،2006
Zahedan Hanged Behzad 06،11،2006
Zahedan Hanged Mohamad Amin 06،11،2006
Zahedan Hanged Abdollah 06،11،2006
Zahedan Hanged Mohsen 06،11،2005
Zahedan Hanged Majeed 06،11،2006
Zahedan Hanged Nader 06،11،2006
Zahedan Hanged Hadi Daryakash Narooei 2006
Khash Killed Cherag Gamshahzahi 2006
Zahedan Hanged Azizullah Najariyan 2006
Zahedan Hanged Mohebali Gholamian 2006
Iranshahr Killed Medi Sabaki 22،11،2006
Iranshahr Killed Eisa Sabaki 22،11،2006
Zahedan Hanged Morad Gholi 02،12،2006
Zahedan Hanged Jamshid Shaikhi 02،12،2006
Iranshahr Killed Lalmohamad 20060718
Zahedan Killed Abdollah Notizahi 15 2006.02.01
Zahedan Killed Rohullah Notizahi 16 2006.02.01
Zahedan Killed Masoud Shahbax 18 2006.02.01
Iranshahr Hanged Bamari 20060105
Iranshahr Hanged Hoshang Bamari 2005.08
Iranshahr Killed Yusuf Bayegan
Balochistan Killed Molabax Derakhshan
Iranshahr Hanged Shokat Borhanzahi
Iranshahr Hanged Shahnezar narooei
Iranshahr Hanged Lalbax Borhanzahi
Iranshahr Hanged Shirali Khodayari
Iranshahr Hanged Emambax Damoni
Iranshahr Hanged Hamid Mirbalochzahi
Daman Hanged Nader Azargon
Iranshahr The police exploded their house Reza Qaderi
Lashar Killed Kamran Narooei
Iranshahr Killed Mohamadyosef Roin
Iranshahr Killed Nader Sholibor
Zahedan Hanged Yusof Shahbax 1383
Iranshahr Poisoned Saeed Pahlawani 1383
Iranshahr Killed Mosusa Poranoosh 1383
Iranshahr Poisoned Osman Rahmani Zardkohi 1383

BHRC calls upon the international community to intervene immediately in Balochistan againt the recent atrocities by Pak Army.

URGENT PRESS RELEASE
Toronto, June 1, 2010 – Baloch Human Rights Council (Canada) expressed its deepest concerns over the new wave of gross human rights violations committed by the Pakistani army soldiers in the Makaran region of Balochistan. BHRC has learnt through local sources and press statements of Baloch National Movement (BNM) central leadership that within the last couple of days there has been a significant movement of Pakistani troops in the area of district Gwadar and Dasht. A heavy contingent of military including 80 trucks carrying soldiers, 40 armoured vehicles, artillery, 8 gunship helicopters, and 20 water supplying tankers are reportedly part of the first wave of troop deployment in the region. There is news of more troops on the way to join the military operation.

Sources have confirmed that the Dasht townships of Zaren Bog, Mollai Negwar, Palani Bazaar, Ziarati, Hasadeg, Hor, Chateg, Doro Kandag, and the surrounding villages and tent settlements are under siege by the army. Reports coming in from the area stated that the soldiers have complete control of the meager water resources and have blocked all access to the local population. The livestock has been confiscated in the service of the soldiers and a large number was slaughtered to starve the inhabitants. Sources mentioned that people are not allowed to leave their homes even in case of a medical emergency.

There have been reported incidents of artillery fire directed at the civilian residential areas while gunship helicopters hovered over the towns. According to witnesses, incidents of aerial bombardment of villages have taken place and the fear of casualties is growing, complicated by the military blockade and denial of access to media and medical personnel. An unconfirmed number of youth has been taken away by the soldiers and their whereabouts are yet unknown. So far, names of two abducted persons have been confirmed, which are Mr. Sadiq Ismail, resident of Bal Negwar near Turbat and Mr. Shehak, resident of Gwarag.

BHRC urgently appeals to all international human rights bodies, the U.N., the European Parliament, the international media, and the world community to take urgent notice of the atrocities committed by the Pakistani army against innocent civilians in Dasht, Makaran and elsewhere in Balochistan. The slow motion genocide of the Baloch nation has to be stopped immediately by forceful intervention of world bodies.

Dr. Zaffar Baloch
President,
BHRC (Canada)

No More Islamic Nuclear Bombs

By Imtiaz Baloch
Pakistan is the country that gives national security experts around the world nightmares. Pakistan is a country with an unstable and irrational history- Pakistan is a country that harbors Al-Qaida and its radical Islamic cells- Pakistan is a country with a notorious intelligence service which pampers Taliban- Pakistan is a country whose army's very anthem is to become the mercenary of the Islamic world right from the River Neil to Kashagar(Uyghur) China. It’s a country whose notorious nuclear missiles are named after the Islamic invaders who came from Central Asia to invade India. And if you want to put some more spice into this, it's a country with a nuclear arsenal. The security of this nuclear arsenal is one nightmare, the using of these nuclear on the nonbelievers and non Muslims is another suffocation and walmartizing and retailing of these nuclear arsenals to the rogue counties like Iran, North Korea and Libya is an imminent material danger to the world peace.
Abdul Qadir Khan, the father of the Pakistani Islamic nuclear bomb and a close friend to Ahmadi Nejhad and the notorious ISI, while running Pakistan’s nuclear programme, became a millionaire by selling atomic secrets to Libya, Iran and North Korea. He also used a network of companies in America and Britain to obtain components for a nuclear programme. As per Time magazine, in the early 2000, Qadir Khan caused an alert among western intelligence agencies when his aides met Osama Bin Laden. Sources confirmed that Saudi Arabia, that provides ideological premises to the radical Islam, has financed this Nuclear bomb and is the only country that is allowed to make frequent visit to Pakistan hidden nuclear sites.
Beside all of the above Islamic adventures of Pakistan Army, these atomic blasts had left permanent scars on Baloch history. It was Twelve years ago on May 28, 1998 when peace in the Pakistani occupied Balochistan was brutally shattered with a nuclear blast. The Islamic fundamentalists and their uniformed brethren, the Pakistani army, rejoiced the testing of the first Islamic bomb. The foreign minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran sent his greetings to the Pakistani government of the time while the world leaders were shocked and pleaded for sanctions against Pakistan.

This event was followed by further tests in the Chagai district of Balochistan devastating all life form including the livelihood of the nomadic Baloch tribesmen who were forced by the army to leave their ancestral lands to roam the deserts with their herds and tents. The physical and psychological effects on the people of Chagi Balochistan where these atomic test occurred are limitless, both in scope and time. After the nuclear blast, at miles, several people were burnt; people bled, people blinded, their burnt dead bodies were confiscated by the local Army Chief and declared that they died in heat, but very next day people found several burnt dead bodies of camel, as if camel dies in heat too.

In the last twelve years, Balochistan has become Pakistan’s frontline testing ground for advance nuclear warhead carrying missile technology borrowed from China and North Korea. The WMDs being developed in Pakistan today are part of the Chinese hegemonic design of expansionism in the region to control the energy centers, which include the Deep Sea Port Development of Gwadar in Balochistan, the gateway to oil and gas reserves in Central Asia and the Middle East. The local inhabitants of Balochistan are being forcefully displaced and slaughtered through a brutal military operation so that their resources and land stays in the hands of the Pakistan Army for exploitation and military adventures.

Islamic Republic of Iran's threat to world peace is far more than a mere rhetoric. Islamic Republic of Iran’s continuous effort to possess the capability to enrich uranium to the level needed for military purposes and Pakistani Army’s secret help in passing the Nuclear Technology is an imminent fact. This time it will be Islamic Republic to test its nuclear capability, and the venue will be Iranian Occupied Balochistan. The world will just accept this Nuclear Iran as a brutal reality as they did with Pakistan.
Today the temperatures had plunged by about 2 degrees Fahrenheit (1.25 degrees Celsius) over a large area in Chagi District, the faces of inhabitants have turned pale, women giving birth to blind children, people are dying of unknown diseases, the whole area had been contaminated. No independent study has been conducted to calculate the disastrous consequences of this catastrophe caused by this Islamic Bomb. This is the day when rest of Pakistan is on street rejoicing the Atomic Bomb but eyes of Baloch is full of tears and Baloch mourns today.

THERE CANNOT BE JUSTICE WITHOUT FREEDOM

Dr. Zaffar Baloch, the president of BHRC, has delivered his speech in a conference called “Mining (in)justice: at home and abroad” organized by Community Solidarity Response Toronto (CSRT), it has being held in Toronto-Canada from May 7-9, 2010 at the Earth Sciences Building – University of Toronto.


THERE CANNOT BE JUSTICE WITHOUT FREEDOM

There cannot be a human rights violation greater than the enslavement of a people. All the categories of rights and freedoms are lost or snatched away with a single stroke. Such is the plight of Baloch and other stateless nations, subjugated by colonial powers in the past centuries, our forced acculturation, and our annexation into alien political states. The process of loss of nationhood and its rightful place in the world community is a painful experience that lives on in our collective memories. Independence for the Baloch people cannot be simply related to the nation’s socio-economic development, it also addresses the very core question of survival as an historical entity.

Multinational corporations such as Barrick Gold, Tethyan Copper and Antofogasta Minerals have signed agreements for exploration and mining in Balochistan with the new colonizers based in Islamabad, turning a blind eye at the gross human rights violations committed by the state forces against the indigenous Baloch people struggling for sovereignty over their land and resources. The greed for power, gold, and vast deposits of oil and gas is turning Balochistan into a killing field fueled by the decades of political turmoil within the province and in bordering Iran and Afghanistan. It is a common practice of the international companies to sign deals with the military dictators in Pakistan for larger share of profits and convenient terms of agreement. The former military ruler, retired General Pervez Musharaf who introduced Barrick Gold in Balochistan is not just another dictator but actually holds the title of “butcher of Balochistan” for the atrocities he has committed in the nine years of his rule. In a public speech, broadcasted live by the state television and radio, General Musharaf, then President of Pakistan, threatened the people of Balochistan and said, “You won’t even know what hit you.” And he kept his word.

Reko Dik, the area where Barrick Gold has been granted lease of land for mining holds world’s fifth largest copper and gold deposits. This site alone, according to reports, has an estimated 12.3 million tons of copper and 20.9 million ounces of gold now sold to the international companies for US$ 21 billion. Rough estimates suggest that the gold and copper at the surface accounts for US$ 65 billion worth of deposits. And Pakistan’s total national debt is actually is lesser and stands at US$ 38 billion. The final document of agreement between Barrick Gold and Antofogasta was signed in February 2006 under General Musharaf’s military rule and in August 2006 Nawab Akbar Bugti, former Chief Minister and Governor of Balochistan, and one of the most significant Baloch politician and leader of the resistance movement was killed after days of aerial bombing by gunship helicopters. Indeed, dictator Musharaf kept his word. However, only two years after the signing of this agreement, Balochistan’s sitting Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Raisani cancelled the lease of land to Barrick Gold. Chief Minister Balochistan said, “This agreement was against the wishes of the people of Balochistan.”

Militarization and mining in Balochistan go hand in hand. At present, there are four mega military cantonments, 52 paramilitary cantonments, five naval bases, and six missile-testing ranges in Balochistan. The first nuclear test conducted by Pakistan on May 28, 1998 was in Ras Koh Mountain, merely 15 miles from Reko Dik where Barrick Gold is involved in exploring copper and gold. The second and third nuclear devices were tested in the same area of district Chaghai only 60 miles from Reko Dik. Just imagine the devastation already done by the nukes that will be further complicated by the pollution caused by cyanide and arsenic used in mining. As for any kind of impartial investigation to measure radioactivity in the area or pollution caused by mining – the military has declared it a “sensitive strategic zone” where civilians are not permitted to enter. Therefore, the whole Barrick Gold saga in Balochistan is hidden under a thick military blanket with maximum protection. In fact, a testimony of a local physician was published by a foreign journalist on March 3, 2010. The doctor told the interviewer that following the nuclear tests, three scorched bodies of local shepherds were found in the wilderness. The police took charge of the bodies and stated that the cause of death was heat stroke. Next day, reports came in of several dead camels in the same vicinity and nobody believed that a camel could die from heat.

And if you think that the nuclear tests and copper and gold mining in Reko Dik are not enough to pollute the land of district Chagai in Balochistan, welcome to Saindak copper and gold project, located 189 miles from where Barrick Gold is digging for gold. Saindak project is a Chinese investment who now is also interested in buying Reko Dik mining lease after the cancellation of the agreement with Barrick Gold. Negotiations are underway between China’s state owned Metallurgical Group and Islamabad. Since, this Chinese company is already developing the Saindak copper and gold project and China being the largest supplier of military hardware to Pakistan after the US, this could possibly materialize with the blessings of Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, General Ashraf Kayani.

District of Chagai in Balochistan is 50,545 sq Km with a population of 250,000 according to a 2005 estimate. Chagai is an arid zone and faces acute shortage of water. Like the Saindak project, the expected mining operations in Reko Dik will depend on sub-surface water mainly used by local inhabitants for personal usage and for their animals and farming. The local natural resources of water seem barely enough to sustain life in the area and to support the operation of two copper and gold mining projects, a large quantity of water needs to be fetched from far off places and stored in reservoirs. At present the Saindak project is supplied water from a dam, which is located approximately 2 miles from the site. There are plans to build another dam for Reko Dik about 48 miles from the mines. It seems that the state of Pakistan wants to make sure that in case the people of Chagai survive radioactive and chemical pollution, they should certainly die of thirst.

To sum up the ordeal of the people of Chagai and the rest of Balochistan; there is an ongoing brutal military operation, 250,000 have become internally displaced, torture and extrajudicial killing of activists is common, more than 8000 have been forcefully disappeared by the security forces, and there is no salvation from being crushed by the state’s military on one hand and by the so-called mega development projects on the other. People of Balochistan do not seek justice from the state any more because they expect none. Today, after decades of struggle and hardships, the Baloch nation is beginning to realize from their collective experiences of history that ‘there cannot be justice without freedom’.