حزب مردم بلوچستان Balochistan People’s Party بلوچستانءِ اُستمانءِ گــَل
America-Kurdistan Friendship League (AKFL)
واشنگتن 24-6-2007
BACKGROUND
For over 100 years, 50 million Kurds in Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria have
been denied self-determination, independence, cultural autonomy, and even
most basic human rights. Kurds fell victims to Saddam Hussein's sadistic
bloodletting, to fanatical Iranian mullahs and before that the Shah; various
Turkish governments, and Assad's ethnic cleansing in Syria.
Kurdish cultural heritage extends over a 4000-year history, to the ancient
Medes that ruled Persia. Until recently, the Kurdish language, religion,
history and way of life has been suppressed in Iraq. The demise of Saddam's
dictatorship, and the regional autonomy of Iraqi Kurdistan, has created a
Kurdish cultural Renaissance in Iraqi Kurdistan.
In Syria, Iran, and Turkey however, the condition of Kurdish minorities is
still deplorable, and most basic human rights, not to speak of cultural
autonomy, are being denied and the respective governments or regimes have
supported policies of oppression against Kurds.
The idea of America-Kurdistan Friendship lobby or league started early this
year when a group of American, and Kurds met in Kurdistan of Iraq. Today, we
would like to announce to the world, in particular to the American and the
Kurds the formation of America-Kurdistan Friendship League (AKFL) as NGO to
promote friendship among the people of America and Kurdistan.
The principle goal of the AKFL is to provide Americans with a deeper
understanding of Kurdish life, and living. To develop personal relationships
and long-term cultural cross-fertilization between the two societies, with
the hope of providing Kurds with best of American values, and enhance
democratic, and civil institutions that would bring Kurdistan in closer
partnership with the West
MISSION
AKFL will seek to acquaint Americans of all aspects of Kurdish life
including Kurdish Islam, the role women play in Kurdish society, Kurdish
history, its expressive arts, and current politics.
AKFL will organize symposiums and conferences that would bring Kurdish and
American leaders together in US and Kurdistan.
AKFL will seek to promote peace and democracy in the Middle East, as well as
religious tolerance and friendship between Arabs, (Israeli) Jews, Kurds,
Persians, and Turks.
The AKFL will initiate trade, commerce, investment, and educational
exchanges between America and Kurdistan. AKFL would organize student
exchanges as well as missions of American businesspersons in search of
investment and trade with Iraqi Kurdistan (expanded to Syria and Iran once
peace and democracy prevail in these countries).
OUTCOME
The principle goal of the AKFL is to provide Americans with a deeper
understanding of Kurdish life, and living. To develop personal relationships
and long-term cultural cross-fertilization between the two societies, with
the hope of providing Kurds with best of American values, and enhance
democratic, and civil institutions that would bring Kurdistan in closer
partnership with the West.
Mr. Sherkoh Abbas
Mr. Charles Kahn
Ms. Maureen Lynch
Mr. Foster Friess
Mr. Husein Yezdanpena
Mr. Brian Perion
Mr. Josiah J. Puder-Counsel
Mr. Joseph Puder
Dr. Djowan Sevinik
Mr. Lance Silver
Dr. Jack Wheeler
America-Kurdistan Friendship League-AKFL
Waşington
06/24/2007
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Heat, hunger and frustration following Pakistan floods
29 June 2007
By Mubashir Fida, International Federation
Information Officer, Turbat, Baluchistan
It’s Friday prayer time in Turbat and the loudspeakers are eerily silent,
when they would normally be blaring the call to prayer. However the mosques
of this remote town, which lies 75km from the Iranian border, are full
anyway, with flood-ravaged residents seeking some comfort.
Turbat is located in the Kech valley in the south-western corner of
Baluchistan and has been cut off by road since 26 June. There is no power.
The flood waters and rain, which accompanied cyclone Yemyin, tore through
the town and surrounding districts, damaging or destroying homes and
infrastructure.
Following the heavy rains, residents now have to endure blisteringly hot,
humid conditions. This area of Pakistan is harsh and unforgiving at the best
of times, with a bleak landscape of brown compacted mud, rocks and craggy
mountains devoid of much vegetation.
Two staff members from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red
Crescent Societies reached Turbat on 28 June and quickly discovered what the
urgent needs are.
“Food is the number one priority at the moment,” says the International
Federation’s disaster management coordinator in Pakistan, Asar ul Haq.
“This place is completely cut off. While the flood water has subsided, all
major roads have been damaged and bridges have been washed out. With no
traffic coming in, food is becoming scarce in some places,” says ul Haq.
The International Federation, working with the Pakistan Red Crescent, is
arranging for a one week ration of food for 3,000 families to be brought in.
The food may have to be delivered by one of the government’s C-130 Hercules
flights, which have begun arriving, if the roads aren’t repaired soon.
Turbat is just one of hundreds of towns and villages affected across seven
districts of Baluchistan. The provincial relief commissioner estimates that
900,000 people may have been affected by the storms and flooding.
“The major problem is access and communications,” ul Haq explains. “Much of
Baluchistan is remote and sparsely populated. With roads out, telephone
lines down and electricity off, finding out who is affected is as big a
challenge as helping them.”
The local authorities say it will be days before the full impact of the
cyclone and deluge will be known. There is a reported death toll of 34 in
Baluchistan, but that is at best a “guesstimate,” according to officials.
There is a sense of frustration amongst affected communities who can do
little but sit and wait. Schools have become emergency shelter centres, jam
packed with disgruntled families whose homes were washed away.
Local Principal Mohammad Baksh surveys his classrooms, now full of flood
affected people, and recounts how he and his family fled as the Sorab dam
burst, wiping out 95 percent of the 500 homes in his village.
“In the night, suddenly the dam burst washing away our houses. We were left
homeless and barely escaped and took refuge here. We desperately need
food…we don’t have anything to eat and we need shelter,” he said.
A Pakistan Red Crescent assessment team is on its way from Quetta to Turbat
to work with the International Federation team already there. They will also
help coordinate the delivery of 2.1 tonnes of medical supplies, which are
being sent from Red Cross Red Crescent warehouses in the North West Frontier
Province, which was hit by a devastating earthquake almost two years ago.
The Baluchistan response follows on from the efforts of the Pakistan Red
Crescent supported by the International Federation and the ICRC in the
neighboring province of Sindh.
The Pakistan Red Crescent is running medical camps in slum areas of Karachi,
treating affected people following the 23 June storm which claimed over 200
lives. The teams saw over 1,000 patients in just three days – many of them
children.
The National Society is also operating medical and relief teams in the
districts of Dadu and Thatta, which have suffered flooding as a result of
heavy rain.
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Relief work not launched yet, say BSO women
By Our Correspondent
QUETTA, June 30: The Baloch Students Organisation (women wing) has said that
the government has failed to launch relief and rescue operation in the
flood-hit areas of Balochistan.
The BSO leaders said the cyclone and floodwaters played havoc with the lives
of people and added that the calamity was as destructive as the October 8
earthquake.
Speaking at a news conference at the press club on Saturday, BSO (women
wing) spokeswoman Farida Baloch said the ruling PML, PPP and the MMA had no
vote bank in Makran and for that reason these parties were least bothered
about the suffering of flood-hit people.
She said the champions of the Baloch rights and the so-called nationalists
had also failed to raise the issue forcefully.
She said that had the matter been highlighted appropriately it could have
attracted international institutions to come to the rescue of the helpless
people.
Ms Baloch criticised human rights organisations, saying that they had not
even issued press statements to express solidarity with the people hit by
floods.
She appealed to the United Nations, European Union and international donor
agencies to provide assistance to the affected people in Turbat, Gwadar,
Pasni, Ormara, Khuzdar, Kalat, Nushki, Jhal Magsi and Jaffarabad.
She said that the government had huge funds to construct cantonments and
launch what she called anti-Baloch mega-projects, but it had no money to
carry out an adequate relief and rescue operation.
Meanwhile, Sardar Wali Mohammad, chief of the Reki tribe and the provincial
leader of the ruling PML, demanded that the Balochistan governor and the
chief minister should send relief teams to Mashkal that had been badly
affected by flash floods.
At a press conference, he said that four days had passed, but relief work
had not been undertaken in the Mashkal tehsil yet.
He demanded that people in marooned areas be rescued immediately.