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Article Source: BBC News - Japan hit by massive earthquake
Pakistan's many crises have overshadowed a nationalist insurgency which has killed at least 1,000 people since 2008.
The southwestern province of Balochistan is one of the most under-developed regions in the country and has become the site of a long-running battle between separatists and security forces.
The government maintains that killings in the region are due to inter-tribal violence, but human rights groups say state security is behind the killings.
The deaths of at least 1,000 people since March 2008 in the ongoing nationalist insurgency in the volatile Pakistani province of Balochistan have often been overshadowed by the country's other troubles. Yet as the BBC's Syed Shoaib Hasan discovered, the suffering there is every bit as acute.
#1 - Sat Jun 18, 2011 4:54 AM EDTGetting to the vast Baloch tribal settlement of New Kahan is not easy. It is tightly guarded by a ring of checkpoints.
We slip quietly past through a gravel path with help from a local guide.
New Kahan is home to thousands of tribal Baloch people. The Baloch rebel anthem plays as children gather for assembly.
Desperate poverty
Habibullah, an 11-year-old recites passionate and tragic lyrics: "We are the sons of the Baloch... we are the sons of lions... we are the protectors of the orphans and the destitute… our blood is our nation's salvation."
#2 - Sat Jun 18, 2011 4:55 AM EDTKALAT, Balochistan – The crisis in Balochistan is escalating into a full-fledge “Baloch War of Independence” in Pakistani-occupied Balochistan due to the oppressive policies of the Pakistani military dictatorship of General Pervez Musharraf. The Punjabi-dominated Pakistani armed forces have launched ethnic cleansing in Balochistan against the ethnic Baloch people; they are systematically kidnapping, imprisoning and murdering Baloch nationals by the thousands.
The Baloch are resenting this Punjabi invasion and oppression, and retaliating with full vengeance. While defending themselves, the Baloch view all Muslim Punjabis in Balochistan as collaborators of the Pakistani occupying forces (which is a fair assessment regarding the role played by the majority of Punjabis in Balochistan), and henceforth, they are considered the enemies of the Baloch people.
In defense of Balochistan in this “Baloch War of Independence”, GOB (Exile) has instructed all Baloch nationals to consider any employee of the Government of Pakistan in occupied Balochistan as an enemy soldier no matter what their ethnicity (including Baloch loyalists) and engage in battle with them unless they surrender and are taken as prisoner of war. Since, the majority of the Pakistani government employees in Balochistan are Punjabis most of them are not required to wear any government-issued uniform, which may cause confusion for the Baloch soldier to differentiate government employees (enemy soldiers) from non-government employed civilians.
#3 - Sat Jun 18, 2011 5:02 AM EDTPROCLAMATION
HEADQUARTERS
GOVERNMENT OF BALOCHISTAN (IN EXILE)
General Orders No. 002, KALAT, September 08, 20061. This General Order is for the purpose to eliminate the possibility of collateral damage in the “Baloch War of Independence” in Pakistani-occupied Balochistan.
2. All employees of the Government of Pakistan (including provincial government and semi-government organizations) who are working inside Pakistani-occupied Balochistan, whether they wear government-issued uniforms or not, are declared enemy soldiers, no matter what their ethnicity, religion, gender, and age. The Baloch soldiers will engage these enemy soldiers in battle until they surrender as prisoner of war. Thereafter, these prisoners of war will be treated in accordance with the Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
3. Majority of the Pakistani government employees in Pakistani-occupied Balochistan are ethnic Punjabis. Whenever they wear civilian clothing, it may cause confusion for the Baloch soldier to differentiate between a government employee and a civilian. Whenever and wherever a Baloch soldier may encounter an ethnic Punjabi, it may result in a deadly skirmish.
4. The Baloch soldier will take every possible measure to avoid collateral damage. But, due to high tension in guerrilla warfare, errors in judgment may cause death of the opponent.
5. To avoid unnecessary and accidental death of non-government population, especially the ethnic Punjabis, the Government of Balochistan in Exile orders all Muslim Punjabis to vacate Balochistan immediately for the sake of their own safety. Those Punjabis who defy this Proclamation are accepting the risk of staying in a war zone, implying their role as collaborators of the occupying forces, and assuming the responsibility of getting killed as enemy combatant or taken as prisoner of war by the Baloch soldiers.
6. Muslim Punjabi children under the age of 12 are exempt from this Proclamation.
7. All non-Muslim Punjabis and members of Ahmadiyya Muslim community are welcome to stay in Balochistan as long as they are not employees of the Government of Pakistan. To differentiate themselves from the Muslim Punjabis, the non-Muslim Punjabis and Ahmadiyya Muslims must carry at all times on their person a Pakistani passport or National I.D. Card (both of which requires the holder to be identified on religious basis, similar to the yellow armband with Star of David required of the Jews to wear during the Nazi era in Germany) and must present it to a Baloch soldier on demand.
8. It is the purpose of the General Secretary to warn all ethnic Punjabis in Balochistan on humanitarian grounds to the dangers of being present in a war zone, and given the opportunity to vacate Balochistan in a timely fashion without incurring any loss of innocent lives.
9. All Muslim Punjabis who have decide to leave Balochistan within 90 days will not be harmed as long as they hoist the Flag of Balochistan on their homes, businesses, vehicles, bicycles, motorcycles, etc. and wear an armband depicting the colors of the Flag of Balochistan. For gaining safe passage out of Balochistan, they must hoist the Flag of Balochistan on their means of transportation.
10. All patriotic Baloch will use efforts to make this order effective.
By order of
MIR AZAAD KHAN BALOCH
General Secretary
The Government of Balochistan in Exile
http://governmentofbalochistan.blogspot.com/
#4 - Sat Jun 18, 2011 5:03 AM EDTThe ISI death squad have been abducting and killing Baloch students, lawyers, leaders, political activists, doctors and human right activists in different cities of Balochistan for a long time now. In the small towns it’s a different story all together where Frontier Corps and Army conduct large scale operations during which artillery and rockets are freely used against innocent civilian Baloch population.
But apparently this was not enough and hence the secret agencies have started killing individuals who are working on Baloch history, culture and literature. Professor Saba Dashtiyari was a highly respected Baloch intellectual and a Professor in the only university in Balochistan, but that did not deter ISI death squad’s from targeting him. As usual an unknown Islamist group claimed the responsibility for the killing.
Balochistan university, is an anomaly in Pakistan’s universities because it is not controlled by pro-Taliban Jihadi group Jamat e Islami.
Instead secular student bodies are far more active and prominent in this institute and that could be a contributing factor for Professor Saba’s killing, because Pakistan’s military and secret agencies have being pushing for Talibanization in Balochistan for a long time and Baloch intellectuals and nationalists like professor Saba Dashtiyari have been protesting against it.
Professor Saba’s death could be a message to all Baloch nationalists in the university that they should either embrace Pakistan sponsored Talibanization or be ready for consequences.
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