Sammi and Ali Haider. Both missing their school and walking to demand justice for their abducted fathers.

1971 Rapes: Bangladesh Cannot Hide History.

The post- Liberation War generation of Bangladesh know stories from 1971 all too well. Our families are framed and bound by the history of this war. What Bangladeshi family has not been touched by the passion, famine, murders and blood that gave birth to a new nation as it seceded from Pakistan? Bangladesh was one of the only successful nationalist movements post-Partition. Growing up, stories of the Mukti Bahini,(Bengali for “Freedom Fighter”), were the stories that raised us.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/worldviews/2012/05/21/1971-rapes-bangladesh-cannot-hide-history/

Walk for Justice and ,Peace,Freedom.

UN how long should the Balochs suffer?

Bangladesh freedom war A child leads .

Bangladesh freedom war A child leads a street procession during the mass revolt of 1969. The boy was killed shortly after the photograph was taken.

Iran: More than Persia

Baluch, Kurd, Turks of Azerbijan are all separate nations and their countries have been occupied by Iran/Persia. They are striving to have their countries back where they can live free of Persian dictation and freely practice their culture, language and religion.

"While Iran is commonly referred to as Persia, Persians account for roughly half the population. The remaining half is comprised of ethnic minorities; mainly Azerbaijanis, Kurds, Turkmen, Arabs and Baluch."

When Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was campaigning, he promised the country’s many ethnic minorities to expand the use of their languages. Rouhani recently signaled his intent to keep that promise, by appointing Iran’s first presidential aid for ethnic and religious minority affairs, acknowledging the country’s minority challenges.

In the multi-ethnic state that is Iran, the political meaning of the population’s diversity will have serious consequences as political normalization with the West continues. Both the United States and the European Union should understand the significance of Iran’s multi-ethnic makeup and prepare policies that can address it.

Washington and Brussels should view this process as similar to when Mikhail Gorbachev began opening the Soviet Union to the West, it quickly became apparent that the Soviet Union was –not only composed of Russians. Later, it became clear that what the West had considered to be “Yugoslavians” or “Czechoslovakians” were, in fact, many different ethnic groups.  Few of these peoples shared a civic-state identity.

In the same way, while Iran is commonly referred to as Persia, Persians account for roughly half the population. The remaining half is comprised of ethnic minorities; mainly Azerbaijanis, Kurds, Turkmen, Arabs and Baluch.

The Azerbaijanis are the largest minority, accounting for a third of the population. Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei is an ethnic Azerbaijani, as is one of the main opposition leaders, Mir-Hossein Mousavi.

Ethnic minorities pose a particular security problem for Iran. They primarily live in the border regions and many share ties with members of their ethnic communities in neighboring states, including Azerbaijan, Turkey, Iraq and Pakistan. Iran’s domestic makeup affects its foreign relations with most of its neighbors.

Iran’s Constitution grants ethnic minorities the right to use their ethnic languages in media and other publications, as well as for education. In reality, however, Iran has not allowed ethnic minorities to run schools or give testimony in courts in their native languages. Non-Persian media and publications have been limited.

The multi-ethnic composition of Iran could affect regime stability. In a potential regime crisis, the ethnic factor could play a role in toppling the government — as it did in the collapse of the Shah regime and the ascent to power of the Islamic Republic in 1979.

Yet, in contrast to the role that ethnic populations played in bringing about the collapse of the Soviet Union and the breakup of Yugoslavia, Iran’s multi-ethnic demographics may undermine the reform movement. Many pro-democracy Persian activists in Iran fear full democratization because it could lead to the end of Persian dominance.

Iran’s ethnic minorities demonstrate varying degrees of identification with the regime. Most seek expansion of their cultural rights within Iran. In this, they are seeking to change the nation’s policies, not its borders.

However, some groups, including Kurds and Baluch, are now waging a violent struggle against Tehran. The Western media does not often focus on these ethnic struggles. When they do it is usually framed in religious terms, referring to Sunni minorities and ignoring the ethnic basis of the conflict.

Regular skirmishes now take place between government forces and residents of Iran’s Kurdish provinces. Hundreds of Iranian Kurds have been arrested in the last year and many are still in detention.

Another focus of violent confrontation is between Tehran and the Baluch-populated regions that border Pakistan and Afghanistan. Senior Iranian security and other government personnel have been assassinated in this region; most recently a public prosecutor.

Responding to these ethnic upheavals, Tehran has long blamed outsiders. Rouhani has done this as well, attempting to delegitimize the demands for language and cultural rights by depicting these ethnic minorities as tools of foreign governments, primarily Britain, the United States or Israel.

Most foreign governments, however, including the United States, have not formulated specific policies toward the ethnic minorities. They rarely even factor them in when assessing regime stability, and are cautious in their contacts with representatives of the ethnic minorities who seek outside support.

In fact, even U.S. government-supported media outlets like Voice of America and Radio Liberty rarely report on the discrimination against Iran’s ethnic minorities or the violent confrontations taking place with the central government.

Though actively meddling in Iran’s ethnic politics does not seem prudent, the Washington and European governments should include Tehran’s discrimination toward its ethnic minorities when reporting on the state of human rights there. U.S. government analytical units and officials dealing with Iran should consider the response of ethnic minorities when assessing regime stability in Iran.

Moreover, Radio Liberty and other U.S. government-supported media outlets should give a voice to these ethnic minorities.

The rising ethnic activity in Iran will likely lead to increased demands for policy responses from the United States and Europe. These governments should be prepared. It is best not to wait until people are marching in public squares to understand their aspirations.

PHOTO: An Iranian Sunni Kurd woman sits at the Jame Mosque in the city of Sanandaj in Kordistan province, 763 km (477 miles) northwest of Tehran, May 10, 2011. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl

http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2013/12/16/iran-more-than-persia/

Baloch missing person's 2nd phase of 1400 km long march has begun to bring their plight to local & international community

From Karachi to Islamabad a long march has started for the recovery of missing persons from Balochistan.
Baloch missing person's 2nd phase of 1400 km long march has begun to bring their plight to local & international community
The Voice of Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) has started the second phase of the Long March, this time from Karachi to Islamabad covering a distance of approximately 1,400 kilometers. The first phase of the March started on October 27 from Quetta and ended in Karachi where the marchers demonstrated in front of the Karachi Press Club on November 23. The marchers covered a total of 730 kilometers. In Karachi they carried out a hunger strike and conducted two seminars and two press conferences to bring their plight to the general public and the international community. The marchers were made up of 20 persons representing some of the families of the disappeared and included women, children and the elderly. The marchers were led by Mama Qadeer Baloch, a man of the age of 70.  The participants suffered blistered and bruised feet but have again started a march. This time double the distance of the one they have completed just 19 days after arriving in Karachi. During the first stage the marchers were attacked and threatened and received numerous threatening phone calls from persons believed to be from the security forces. During their protest and hungert srike in Karachi some ministers, including the Minister of Defense, and politicians visited their camp and assured them that their loved ones would be recovered very soon. However, these promises were proved to be false and nothing has been done. Indeed, it was made evident when the former Chief Justice, Iftekhar Chouhdry, in the daily hearing of cases of disappearances instructed the military and the Minister of Defense to produce 35 missing persons who were handed over in 2009 to the Pakistani authorities by the government of Afghanistan. The Malakand jail authority also confirmed that the military took custody of these persons in 2010. Since then, not only are their whereabouts unknown but enforced disappearances have continued unabated. The government has made the excuse that seven out of the 35 persons have gone missing and have never been produced in court. This more than anything else proves how hollow the promises of the Minister of Defence were.

http://www.humanrights.asia/news/ahrc-news/AHRC-STM-240-2013

NO REST FOR FAMILIES OF MISSING PERSONS

http://newsweekpakistan.com/no-rest-for-families-of-missing-persons/

Bugti refugee, Zar Khan Bugti s/o Gulzar Bugti killed in an apparent target killing by the personnel of Pakistani secret agencies in Spin Boldek, Afghanistan.

Bugti refugee, Zar Khan Bugti s/o Gulzar Bugti killed in an apparent target killing by the personnel of Pakistani secret agencies in Spin Boldek, Afghanistan.

Bugti refugee, Nehal Khan Bugti s/o Durk Khan Bugti killed in an apparent target killing by the personnel of Pakistani secret agencies in Spin Boldek, Afghanistan.

Bugti refugee, Nehal Khan Bugti s/o Durk Khan Bugti killed in an apparent target killing by the personnel of Pakistani secret agencies in Spin Boldek, Afghanistan.

The Pakistan Deep State will never learn. On the anniversary of theiThe Pakistan Authorities have banned the only Balochi news channel in the country, Vsh News.

The Pakistan Deep State will never learn. On the anniversary of their defeat in Bangladesh, the Pakistan Authorities have banned the only Balochi news channel in the country, Vsh News. What a disgrace and how Pakistan's foot soldiers in the Canada and the rest of the West will defend such blatant censorship. Shame on them.

Relatives of people who have gone missing in Balochistan set off on a gruelling 1200-kilometre march from Karachi to Islamabad .

Last year it was 14000, now ‪#‎VBMP‬ sources say its 15550+ confirmed cases but still international  human rights organizations are silent.

1500 Kilometers Foot March for Hope , Peace and Justice and Freedom.

1500 Kilometers Foot March for Hope....Per il sicuro recupero di dispersi Baloch persone dei loro familiari facendo lunga marcia da Karachi a Islamabad, che è 1500 km.........................................................Para la recuperación segura de las personas desaparecidas baloch sus familiares haciendo larga marcha de Karachi a Islamabad, que es 1.500 kilometros.......................................For the safe recovery of baloch missing persons their family members doing long march from Karachi to Islamabad which is 1500 km

Sindhis welcome #vbmplongmarch (@mmatalpur behind Mama)

Mama Qadeer Baloch message: "I have just been informed that Allah Bax Somoro editor of Amami Awaaz, a Sindhi Newspaper, has published a statement, attributing it to me, I said Sindhi are not with me. I strongly condemn this statement I have said anything like that. I always spoke for Sindh's unity and I say they are our brothers. Sindhi and Baloch share the same pain and we should cooperate with each other. The agencies have asked him to published this statement to create confusion among us. #vbmplongmarch