Baloch House

Manish Shukla Dec 24, 2020, 08:43 AM IST, The CPEC Authority will construct a fenced wall around the city of Gwadar, creating a massive discontent and furore in the region. New Delhi:  The CPEC Authority - a joint institution of Pakistani and Chinese governments to oversee CPEC projects has started to construct a fenced wall around the city of Gwadar, creating massive discontent and furore in the region. A wall measuring 10 feet in height is going to cover the length of 30 km. Human rights defenders argue that besides maintaining secrecy around the projects, one major objective to fence  Gwadar  is to control entry and exit of individuals entering and exiting the port city as one of the major constituents of the fencing plan is to construct two entry points to the city. Activists fear that the entry-exit control mechanism is being developed to prevent the entry of human rights activists and media from entering into the city and reporting on the severe human rights violations by the Pak

Karima Baloch Photograph:( Twitter ) Dec 22, 2020, 10.30 PM (IST)  Threats, forced disappearances and mass killings - that's how Pakistan tries to crush dissent in Balochistan. The state-sponsored campaign of oppression has forced many to leave homeland Balochistan even as lakhs of Balochis fled overseas in search of safety. However, Pakistan seems to have sent its death squads after them. This year has seen a string of mysterious deaths. First, a Baloch journalist was found dead in Sweden, then two deaths took place in Afghanistan and now in Canada another mysterious death has taken place. It is not a local crime story.  Karima Baloch  is the latest victim. She was a vocal critic of Pakistan and its army and openly highlighted the human rights violations in Balochistan and how women from vulnerable groups in Pakistan have been targeted. Her activism forced her to move to Canada five years ago. She was living on refugee status. Three years ago Karima Baloch made a big claim. She sa

Balochistan [Pakistan], December 23 (ANI): Protest rallies were carried out in different cities across Balochistan on Wednesday against the killing of prominent leader and activist Banuk Karima Baloch in Canada. Hundreds of people including activists gathered in various places in Quetta and Hub City demanding a fair probe by the Canadian government into Karima's sudden death. Karima, a vocal critic of the Pakistan Army and government atrocities in Balochistan, was found dead in Toronto. The 37-year-old Baloch activist had arrived in Canada in 2016 and campaigned extensively against disappearances and human rights violations in the troubled Balochistan province. "Balochistan: protests in Quetta and Hub city, against the suspicious death of Baloch political and Human Rights Activist, Karima Baloch," activist Fazila Baloch tweeted. "Quetta, Balochistan: Hundreds of men and women are protesting against the killing of Karima Baloch, a political and human rights activist.

  The Dhabeji Special Economic Zone (SEZ) to be developed under the framework of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Sindh province will generate $1 billion investment and provide 100,000 direct and indirect jobs for local population, a top official said. IANS   Dec 24, 2020 09:38 AM IST     China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (Photo: defenceaviationpost) Karachi, Dec 24:  The Dhabeji Special Economic Zone (SEZ) to be developed under the framework of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Sindh province will generate $1 billion investment and provide 100,000 direct and indirect jobs for local population, a top official said. Speaking at a conference here on Wednesday, Abdul Azeem Uqaili, CEO of the Sindh Special Economic Zones Management Company (SEZMC), said the total development cost of the Dhabeji SEZ is estimated at $120 million and is being developed under public private partnership mode through an international competitive bidding process, reports Xinhua news agen

Cold-blooded murder, says Baloch activist on Karima's death Toronto [Canada], December 22 (ANI): A prominent Baloch political activist has alleged foul play behind the mysterious death of Karima Baloch, a young Baloch activist in Canada, saying the Baloch leaders and activists need protection as they are on the target of Pakistan's secret agencies. Naela Quadri Baloch, Chairperson of Baloch People's Congress, who is also living in Toronto said, " The cold-blooded murder of Baloch leader Karima Baloch is totally unacceptable for the Baloch people. It is a matter of grave concern for us - those Baloch activists who are not safe in Balochistan and to raise their voice if they leave the country, the ISI goons, their assassins, their target-killers, they chase us."Karima Baloch, who escaped Pakistan in 2016 to take refuge in Canada, was found dead at Harbourfront on Monday. The police found her body drowned off an island just near Toronto's lakeshore. Karima had be

 “The cold-blooded murder of Baloch leader Karima Baloch is totally unacceptable for the Baloch people. It is a matter of grave concern for us - those Baloch activists who are not safe in Balochistan and to raise their voice if they leave the country, the ISI goons, their assassins, their target-killers, they chase us,” Naela Quadri Baloch, Chairperson of Baloch People's Congress, told ANI.

Sajjad Hussain 23 December 2020, 2:22 pm Islamabad, Dec 23 (PTI) China has sought additional guarantees before sanctioning a USD 6-billion loan for the Main Line-1 (ML-1) railway line project in Pakistan, due to the country's weakening financial position, according to a media report on Wednesday. China has also proposed a mix of commercial and concessional loans to fund the rail project, going against Islamabad's wishes of 'cheapest lending'. The issue of additional guarantees was raised during the third joint ML-1 Financing Committee Meeting held ten days ago (December 13), The Express Tribune newspaper reported, quoting official documents. A senior Pakistani official involved in the negotiations said China raised the additional guarantees issue during the meeting but did not make it part of the draft of minutes shared with Pakistan. The draft minutes have not yet been signed by both the countries. The ML-1 project includes dualisation and upgrading of the 1,872-km rai

ANI 23 December 2020, 6:12 pm Hakeem Baloch London [UK], December 23 (ANI): A Baloch leader has demanded a thorough investigation into the mysterious death of Banuk Karima Baloch, a political and human rights activist in Canada as she was receiving life threats and abusive messages on her social media accounts. Hakeem Baloch, President of Baloch National Movement UK Zone, who is also her close friend, call her a brave lady who can't commit suicide. "She received many threat calls on her social media accounts, abusive messages, and comments that's something which shows the mentality of the enemy of the Baloch nation," said Hakeem. The 37-year-old Baloch activist, who came to Canada in 2016, campaigned extensively against disappearances and human rights violations in the troubled Balochistan province. "Statements from her family and close friends have revealed that they don't believe, and the Baloch nation doesn't believe that she becomes a victim of an acc

By   Colin Perkel    The Canadian Press Posted December 22, 2020 11:47 am EST   WATCH ABOVE: The body of a Pakistani activist living in exile in Toronto has been found. Police are ruling the death as non-suspicious, but it’s being questioned by her friends and family who say she had received threats for years. Miranda Anthistle reports. TORONTO — The apparent drowning death of an internationally prominent Pakistani dissident whose body was pulled from the water near downtown Toronto sparked anger, grief and suspicion on Tuesday. STORY CONTINUES BELOW ADVERTISEMENT Police said they had found Karima Mehrab, 37, dead on Monday. Mehrab, widely known as Karima Baloch, had been reported missing a day earlier. “It is currently being investigated as a non-criminal death,” Toronto police said in a statement. “There are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances.” However, a close friend and fellow activist told The Canadian Press that Mehrab had recently received death threats, and he and

20 hours ago Locals have slammed the government's decision to put up barbed wires around large parts of the Gwadar port city in Balochistan. China has invested heavily in the area. According to Pakistan's The News newspaper, the Gwadar Fencing Project kicked off last week under supervision of the country's army and provincial authorities. Naseer Khan Kashani, chairman of the Gwadar Port Authority, told the daily that the fencing project will change the security dynamics in the port city. Balochistan's provincial government plans to fence off 24 square kilometers of the city, which is at the center of the $50 billion (€41 billion) China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. According to local media, there will be two entry points to the fenced part of the city, and more than 500 surveillance cameras will be installed. The main reason behind building the fence in Gwadar is to protect the Chinese-funded projects from Baloch separatists, who oppose CPEC. Many Baloch po

3 min read   .   21 Dec 2020 Bloomberg The real-life environmental and social impact of China’s infrastructure initiative shouldn’t be overlooked A lot has been written about China’s multibillion-dollar  Belt and Road Initiative . Economists have debated the debt dynamics. Political scientists have analyzed how it fits into the rising power’s geopolitical strategy. And climate experts have decried the emissions China is adding to the atmosphere by supporting  fossil fuel  projects. Rarely do we hear from the people whose lives are directly affected by the program. Earlier this year, a coalition of activist groups published Belt and Road Through My Village, a compilation of interviews with about 100 local residents who live close to BRI projects in five Asian countries. It was a chance for them to express their concerns, and the list is long: disputes over land use rights, water and air pollution, deforestation, and loss of indigenous culture are just some of the issues they raised. The

THE NEWSPAPER'S STAFF REPORTER ISLAMABAD: Two former chief ministers of Balochistan Sanaullah Zehri and Dr Abdul Malik Baloch have come on the radar of the National Accounta­bility Bureau (NAB) for alleged misuse of authority. A meeting of the NAB Executive Board presided over by its chairman retired Justice Javed Iqbal on Tuesday approved inquiries against the two former chief ministers. Talking to  Dawn , a senior NAB official said the inquiry against Mr Zehri and Dr Malik was being initiated for “misuse of authority”. “The meeting accorded approval to conducting 15 inquiries against various personalities, including two former chief ministers of Balochistan Dr Abdul Malik and Sanaullah Zehri and Akbar Durrani, former secretary, home department, Quetta,” said a press release issued by NAB. The meeting was attended by NAB deputy chairman Hussain Asghar, prosecutor general (accoun­tability) Syed Asghar Haider, director general (operations) Zahir Shah and other senior officers. The N

Karima Baloch, an activist, who had been vocal about Pakistan Army & govt atrocities in Balochistan, has been found dead in Canada, Balochistan Post reported. Written by Jay Pandya Karima Baloch, an activist and former chairperson of Baloch Students Organisation ' Azad who had been vocal about Pakistan Army and government atrocities in Balochistan, has been found dead in Toronto Canada, according to Balochistan Post. Karima was a Canadian refugee and named as one of the world's 100 most "inspirational and influential" women in 2016 by the BBC. She had gone missing on Sunday and was last seen at approximately 3 pm on the same day. Toronto Police had requested for public assistance in locating her. However, now her family has confirmed that Karima's body has been found. A staunch critic of Pakistan govt Karima Baloch, a famous personality in Balochistan, is believed to be the pioneer of women activism there. She has also raised the issue of Balochistan in the Un