Indifference or Blackout
The previously overlooked fury in Balochistan against the mainstream media has gradually transformed into full-fledged public expression of dissatisfaction with how the national media covers the troubled province. Disgruntled young Balochs blame the media, particularly the private news channels, for allegedly building up the entire crisis in Balochistan by not objectively and completely reporting the conflict since its inception. They say neither are they pleased with the amount of coverage the country's largest province gets in the news bulletins, talk shows and documentaries nor are they appreciative of some journalists' pro-government depiction of the situation in Balochistan.
Balochistan and its "˜jealous husband'
When she last visited Islamabad, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had a Pakistani woman tell her, during a town hall-style meeting in Islamabad, that the relationship between America and Pakistan was that of an unappreciative mother-in-law (the mother-in-law of course being America). A similar analogy also applies to Islamabad's relationship with Balochistan. To me, the Centre acts like a suspicious husband with Balochistan, always in doubt of the latter's loyalty and fidelity.
Pakistan Unites Against Rohrabacher's Pro-Baloch Congressional Resolution
When Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher concluded a controversial hearing of Foreign Affairs Sub-Committee on Oversight and Investigations on February 8 calling for the Baloch people's right to self-determination in the southwest of Pakistan by saying "this was certainly not a stunt on anybody's part," he simply meant more staggering developments had yet to come.
Pakistan's festering wound
The landmark initiative Dana Rohrabacher has taken in support of Balochistan, together with five other Congressmen, should spur liberals in India and Afghanistan to move similar resolutions in their respective parliaments. It is for both the countries to decide to what extent they can stand by the Balochs.
Remembering Qambar Chakar, who loved information technology and was killed in its quest
Baloch parents must educate their children about two important facts as we mark the first "killed and dumped" anniversary of one of the most charismatic student leaders of our times: Who Qambar Chakar was and why he was killed. Although hundreds of brilliant young Balochs have been engulfed by the government's "˜kill and dump operations' in Balochistan, Qambar Chakar merits special tributes for his remarkable role in Baloch reawakening. Many say he was killed by the Pakistani intelligence agencies too young while we think they killed him too late as he had already left a visionary legacy.
Baloch Hal Editorial: What Does it Mean to be a Baloch Suicide Bomber?
Friday's suicide bombing outside the residence of Mir Shafiq Mengal, the son of a former interim chief minister, which killed at least fifteen people and injured thirty others, leaves us with absolutely murky prospects of peace in Balochistan in the upcoming year 2012. While for the rest of the country it was a routine bomb blast, historians and experts on Balochistan must bookmark today's newspaper pages for future references.
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