Pak denies Iranian claim, says Jundallah chief not in Balochistan

October 3rd, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's Deputy Foreign Minister Malik Ammad Khan has assured senators that drone strikes won't be allowed in Balochistan. Replying to senators' concerns about the possibility of drone attacks in Balochistan, he said the government is alive to the situation and is taking effective measures against both the terrorists and other militant elements.

August 24th, 2009 LAHORE - Rejecting foreign media reports that Taliban supreme commander Mullah Omar and the central council of the terrorist organisation were present in Balochistan, Frontier Corps Balochistan Inspector General (IG) Major General Saleem Nawaz has said that they are not functioning from Quetta. Major General Nawaz rejected the claims that the Taliban were operating from Quetta, calling the reports as "baseless".

August 16th, 2009 LAHORE - The Baloch unrest could seriously dent the Pakistan Government's operation against the Taliban and its economy as well, a report in the Financial Times has said. According to the report, the insurgency in Balochistan could distract security forces from tackling the Taliban along the lawless Afghan border and the Swat Valley.

August 14th, 2009 Quetta (Balochistan, Pakistan), - Balochistan Chief Minister, Nawab Aslam Raisani, fell unconscious on Friday while delivering a rather interesting speech at an Independence Day ceremony here. Before he was taken away by paramedics, Raisani said the sense of deprivation among the smaller ethnic groups is the result of the non-implementation of the 1940 Lahore resolution in letter and spirit and that there is an 'urgent need' to 'reconsider' the 1973 constitution.

August 12th, 2009 QUETTA - Khan of Kalat Suleiman Dawood has announced the formation of a council for Balochistan's independence. Announcing the formation of Council for Independent Balochistan in London, Dawood said reconciliation with Pakistan was impossible without the interference of the United Nations and the European Union.

July 30th, 2009 WASHINGTON - US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke said on Wednesday that Pakistani had brought up the issue of India's alleged involvement in Balochistan, but did not give any credible evidence to support their claim. Last week, Holbrooke paid a visit to the Pakistan and held discussion with leaders of that country.

July 24th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik Friday said India was interfering in Balochistan and India-run terror camps in Afghanistan were training youth from Balochistan, Online news agency reported. Malik made the comments while speaking on the Balochistan issue in the Senate, the upper house of Pakistan parliament.

July 13th, 2009 LAHORE - A well known editor of a Pakistani newspaper has accused New Delhi of fanning unrest in Balochistan. During a special programme on a private television channel, Daily Times Editor-in-Chief Najam Sethi blamed India for causing disturbances in Balochistan, and asked Islamabad to strongly protest against it.

July 10th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Increased pressure from the US and the Pakistani Army on the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and al Qaeda may force them to join hands with the militant Sunni radical group Jundallah, a group that staged attacks on Iran and strained Iranian-Pakistani relations. Ashraf Ali, a Peshawar-based military specialist on the Taliban, said that given Jundallah's historical connections with al Qaeda and the Taliban, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan might seek refuge in Balochistan or join the ranks of Jundallah.

June 25th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - The Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has blamed India for creating trouble in Balochistan and trying to destabilize the region for its own benefit. Terming Balochistan as an 'active volcano', Hussain blamed India for harboring terrorism in the restive regions of Pakistan.

June 11th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - One person was killed and 35 hurt in a train blast Thursday in Pakistan's Balochistan province, a media report said. The blast occurred in the third carriage of the Bolan Express traveling from Karachi to Quetta, Geo TV reported.

April 24th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan has tabled 'documentary proof' against India Afghanistan in the Senate, which supports its claims that the two countries are involved in the on-going unrest in Balochistan. The documents stated that New Delhi was providing tactical support and was funding and training Pakistani terror groups.

April 8th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has rejected the presence of al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in Balochistan. "It is not our perception that the al-Qaeda chief is in any part of our country," The News quoted Gilani, as saying.

March 21st, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Awami National Party leader Asfandyar Wali Khan has told to US Ambassador to Pakistan Anne W. Patterson on Friday that drone attacks on Balochistan will be counter productive for Washington.

March 6th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - At least nine workers were killed and 20 others injured Thursday when a blast occurred in a mine in southwestern Pakistan, media reports said. The incident took place in the Sorenge area, some 20 km east of the Balochistan province capital of Quetta, the private Dawn News TV channel reported.