Hayrbyar Marri
Baluch liberation leader

Story and photos by Karlos Zurutuza. Reposted from the Spanish original at gara.net
August 11, 2010

On the 63rd anniversary of Baluchistan's declaration of independence, Hayrbyar Marri, a prominent leader of the Baluch cause, speaks in an exclusive interview about one of the world's most forgotten conflicts. "There is only one point to negotiate with Pakistan—insists Marri—and that's the unconditional withdrawal of all occupation forces."

Mr. Marri's manner is slow and reserved and he stares directly into the eyes of his interviewer. One may feel somewhat uncomfortable initially, but soon realizes that his attitude is not defiant, rather it reflects the style of traditional Baluch leadership. In fact, we've seen him smile before the interview when he told us about his recent fatherhood, and again when he expressed regret over not having brought a certain copy of the New York Times along—the very one that announced Baluchistan's declaration of independence 63 years ago today.

Exclusive interview of Nasrullah Baloch, chairman Voice for Missing Baloch Persons (VMBP) with The Baloch Hal

Interview by Malik Siraj Akbar

If there is one issue one cannot skip while talking about Balochistan, it is indeed the case of numerous missing persons who have allegedly been whisked away by the state intelligence agencies. Former military dictator General Musharraf , who instigated the conflict in Balochistan, is gone; his policies predominately continue to misrule the gas-rich province. The Baloch Hal spoke to chairman of Voice for the Missing Baloch Persons, a platform that has brought together all the families that simultaneously mourn and await the return of a missing person. Excerpts:

THE BALOCH HAL: When and why was the Voice for the Missing Baloch Persons (VMBP) formed?

By Murtaza Ali Shah

Open in new windowMehran Baloch is the youngest of six sons of veteran Balochistan nationalist leader Nawab Khair Bukhsh Marri. Educated in Oxford, he is an international voice, and arguably the most articulate and passionate one, of the Balochistan case, especially at the United Nations and western think-tanks where his voice is considered critical.

Living in Britain for over 20 years now, Mehran was thrown into spotlight in March 2007 when it emerged that the Pervez Musharraf-led government of Pakistan wanted to trade Mehran against Rashid Rauf, a British terrorist suspect from Birmingham, who was in the custody of Pakistan at the time and wanted in Britain on a number of terrorism charges.

When the details were published, it became known that the Pakistani establishment was attaching a huge price tag to the extradition of the young Marri.

London (28-10-2009): The Baloch have a long history of struggle against repressions and oppression by the Pakistani and Iranian states. Our history, however, pre-dates the formation of both Pakistan and Iran. The Baloch have a history which goes back thousands of years.

During the British Raj, Britain annexed a strip of land adjoining Afghanistan and named it (“British Balochistan”). The Baloch tirelessly campaigned for independence during the final decades of the British Raj. When the British left the Indian subcontinent the Baloch declared their Independence on 11 August 1947. Balochistan remained a sovereign state until it was forcefully

The entire world is open to us, why should we confine ourselves to this country – Nawab Khair Buksh Marri

By Amir Zia

KARACHI: Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri is seen as the kingpin of the radical Baloch nationalist movement, which explicitly demands an independent Balochistan. Although the veteran Baloch leader appears to be living a quiet life in Karachi’s posh Defence Housing Authority for the past several years, his admirers as well as rivals view him as one of the key players of the separatist movement, operating from behind-the-scenes. The shadowy militant Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) – which is waging a low-intensity insurgency in the rugged mountains of Balochistan, as well as targeting government installations, officials and security forces in the cities – is dominated by his Marri tribesmen.

By Malik Siraj Akbar

A confident Baloch guerrilla commander Nawabzada Bramdagh Bugti, 28, believes it is now “impossible” for Islamabad to get him extradited even if he is hiding somewhere in Afghanistan, as claimed by Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik, or elsewhere in the wake of increasing “international moral support” the “ Baloch national liberation movement” is attracting because of its “legitimacy”.

Bramdagh, the fiercest face of the Baloch insurgency, is a grandson of late Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, a former chief minister and governor of Balochistan who was killed by the Pervez Musharraf regime in a military operation on August 26 2006. Since then, the young separatist has taken the command of the armed Baloch fighters who demand an independent Balochistan. While the senior Bugti only demanded provincial autonomy for the gas-rich Balochistan province, Bramdagh differently interprets his grandfather’s dream. He stands for a free and sovereign Balochistan.


Pakistan has been blaming India for supporting Bramdagh’s armed movement via Afghanistan where Islamabad believes this young fighter is currently hiding. The situation in Balochistan has now transformed into a pain in Islamabad’s nick. On his part, the Baloch leader says if he enjoyed international support, he would vanquish his enemy overnight.