Saturday, 15 December 2012

Taliban attack on Peshawar airport leaves 5 dead

Taliban attack on Peshawar airport leaves 5 dead

December 15, 2012 - Updated 2112 PKT
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PESHAWAR: At least five people were killed and more than two dozen injured after terrorists attacked the Bacha Khan International Airport here on Saturday, Geo News reported.
The attackers were armed with explosives, rocket launchers, assault rifles, and suicide vests, security sources said.
"First the attackers breached the airport boundary wall with a car-bomb. Then they fired rockets at the airport to make headway" said an official.
That was when the security forces opened fire at the invading insurgents who fired back giving rise to a fierce gunfight.
"The crossfire continued until security-men neutralized all the attackers", the official added.
Sources revealed the bodies of two terrorists wearing suicide vests were still lying inside the airport.
"Four suicide vests have been defused so far", security sources told Geo News.
The banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has taken credit for the attack.
The airport was sealed after rockets and bullets rained on it form all sides as it was hard to nail the location of the attackers, however according to unofficial reports the rockets were fired from the tribal area.
"At least five rockets were fired at the airport", sources said quoting security forces.
Earlier three loud explosions were reported from different areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's capital, but later they turned out to be rocket fire near airport.
Heavy gunfire erupted after a third explosion inside the airport on top of two earlier rocket attacks.
In the beginning, it was hard to say for sure who were the attackers and what was on their mind as no one was allowed to enter the airport, sources said.
"There was no knowing what's going on. Security forces have sealed the airport after besieging it. All the roads leading to the airport have been blocked as well", sources told Geo News.
Sources also said that the shooting that came on the heels of rocket attacks subsided as soon as security forces took control of the airport, however sporadic firing continues.
Senior Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Bashir Bilour while talking to media persons confirmed a vehicle being on fire but denied any casualties.
He, however, said that he had knowledge whatsoever as to what the situation was inside the Peshawar airport.
On the other hand sources in Khyber Teaching Hospital confirmed fatalities and dozens of cases of serious injuries.
"We received injured with bullet, shrapnel, rocket shell casing wounds. Some of them are critical", the hospital administrator told Geo News.
Some injured were also shifted to Lady Reading Hospital.
Women and children are also among the injured as two rockets fell (on the residential area) outside and three inside the airport premises.
Reportedly one of the rockets struck a residential block, while the other blew away a part of airport's boundary wall with loud bangs which shattered the windowpanes and damaged the walls of the buildings close-by.
Airport operations have been put on halt. All the arrivals have been diverted to other airports. A lone commercial jet on the airport was reported to be undamaged.
Aerial surveillance of the affected area was also underway.
A spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) told media that all the arrivals have been diverted to Islamabad and Lahore airports. He said that only a commercial aircraft was present at the airport when the attack took place.
The spokesman added that passengers who have been waiting in the airport for their scheduled flight to Jeddah were safely shifted to lounge.
Sources added that airport has not been cleared so far.
A statement issued by Pakistan Air Force (PAF) said that unknown terrorists attacked the airport to take control of the it.
"The attackers fired rockets to make their way into the airport but the security forces kept them at bay. They could not enter the premises", said the PAF spokesman.
The spokesmen also added that the security forces were in control of the situation and stood alert.
The search and clearance operation would continue until all the potential threats were removed, said an official.

baloch in culture


balochi ladies dresses


Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Kash and Javak








This dress was bought last year, the design as you see is not something you see everyday. I think this design was very new, and only some tailors in Z-dan sew this model. However I would not wear this dress, (it's not mine!), but I like the way the tailors play with their fantasies, in order to reach more costumers.


The dotch is however a Kash and Javak, and is a classic dotch, I feel a connection with this dotch, because all my aunts and the eldery have a least one Kash and Javak. It is the dotch that is most wanted, most expensive, the most complicated to embroid, the oldest but still the dotch that is always "modern".


I remember how my aunts and grandma used to explain the difficulties with embroiding a Kash and Javak, often eye-irritations as a consequence. And I also remember how outside I felt, whenever I visit my cousins. All of my cousins, age 10 up, were embroiding their dotchs, and I could only watch and be fascinated.
I think it is important to know the HARD WORK that is required when embroiding most dotchs, and we who buy/wear them don't think about the work and effort behind it. It's not "just embroiding", it is spreading and keeping a culture alive. Thumbs up for u guys!


Now I know that most people who embroid dotchs, do not do it because they want to "spread and keep the culture alive", they embroid because that's their only way to earn money. The balochi ladies are mostly at home, and not working at offices, so embroiding dotchs is their job, their way to make a living and is a big help, especially for those whose husbands are jobless, or drugaddicts. Therefore the competition between the different dotch-embroiders is very high, so one has to come up with different ideas so that their dotchs are the most unique.

Friday, May 9, 2008

Love On Daneshgah Street in Z-dan



I often wonder how it would be if life was not how it is today. How would my life be growing up in Z-dan amongst relatives and balochis, instead of being the only black-haired girl on the bus?

Would I have the ability to do the simpliest things I can do today, like going out and taking a walk? Could I be a student, in Daneshgah Azad (Azad University)?

Mentioning the Daneshgah Azad, gives me flashbacks from those summers in Z-dan, when I used to take long walks on the Daneshgah street in Z-dan. That street was quiet famous because it had more than 5-6 internet-cafés and was the place to hang out for the students in Z-dan.


Whenever walking on that street, especially Thursday nights, was a moment to enjoy. I felt as if I was part of a Naguib Mahfouz-book, don't ask me why! (Cairo and Z-dan has nothing in common, but I got that feeling anyway:P )

The girls, wearing heavy make-up, and tight dresses/mantos, were walking on the street with a self-confidence one could kill for.
(I was wearing balochi clothes, black chador and some comfortable slippers, the only "make-up" I was wearing was some moisturizing skin cream I rubbed on my face just before leaving the house!)

The guys on the other hand, had 3 kilos hair-gel rubbed on their hair, and with worn-out jeans and tight t-shirts they would check out every girl passing by, and often being so brave/rude that they would follow the girls and change numbers after a short conversation.

I thought this was amazing, the way everything was so crystal-clear;

guy sees girl, guy like girl, guy gets girl


The funny thing was that I never saw balochi girls on that street, but a lot of balochi guys....and I sure checked them out! :D

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Always Cheers Me Up


This video is very dangerous, it might cause dancing fever, and the body will react with moves that you can't really control...





Anyone knows how I can separate the song from the video clip?

Monday, May 5, 2008

PinkyPink






This dress is not a complete dress yet. With that I mean, the embroidment is finished, but not the dress as a whole, the dress is in "pieces", sleeves apart etc.




It was ready the day before my flight from Z-dan, so I just picked it up from the tailor and put it directly in my bag.


The tailor, who has embroided this dress, works in a store called "mecka"-store, on Khayyam street, in Zahedan. He actually finished the dress in less than three weeks, an emergency-situation. The fabric was bought in Chabahar, and I think it matches with the embroidment quiet well. Chabahar is heaven for good fabrics, the fabrics there are not so "heavy" as the ones in Zahedan....got the word "heavy" from Ck who mentioned it in a comment!:)

This embroidment costs $30, cheap cheap cheap!:) I'm planning to give some plain tunics to the tailor, and get them embroided too, so I can wear them outside Z-dan...




I have just booked my ticket, in about 30 days I will be in Zahedan, with a chador and complete hijab :) Will upload pics from there too, so don't worry! Can't wait to show u guys the town, the ppl and everything that I found interesting....

Just have to find a good digital-camera, and it got to cost less that $200, anyone who wants to give away a camera for charity?:D

Wednesday, April 30, 2008


Life Goes On...




Moments like this, makes one realize how unneccessary most of the problems in life are.

Life is so much more than arguing, lying and stressing out. Enjoying life has been a far-away vision, everybody is busy with fighting and trying to "solve" own problems/issues. But why not accept the way things are, and just move on....God has plans for each one of us.

A smile, a hug, or even giving a nice comment can fulfill another persons day. Try it, you'll see.

Life is not always what you want it to be....but you can shape it into the better. It's all about the attitude of enjoying life.








Off subject: Avocado Plant



Me and my mom have been trying to make our own avocado plant,(love avocado!) but after 2-3 tries we decided to forget about it. Then after eating an avocado, I decided to give it a last try.


I took the avocado "stone" and put one toothpick on one side and another toothpick on the other, so the avocado "stone" was "hanging" in a pot, half of the "stone" was in water and the other half above the water.

After a couple of weeks the "stone" opened itself, and an avocado root was visible!! We then planted it in a pot with soil.......
Now after several week my avocado plant is growing like never before!

Saturday, April 26, 2008


Green?!




This green dress has a special thread, one single thread consists of several colours, this one has silver-green-white. This was in fashion some year ago, and all the balochi girls wore this dress but they had a different form on the dress, the so called "kalosh", which means that the dress is short, and could be tightened through the sides. I did not like the kalosh-form, so I had mine without any special form, the good old. The price of this dotch is very low, about $45-55, and this fabric was very cheap too.


The thing is that the balochi ladies in my family don't recognize the cheap fabrics, they tend to buy the most latest and expensive fabric, and often consider the cheap ones "horrible". Since I don't live there, I have another view on clothes. I buy whatever it costs, with that I mean if I see a fabric I like, and it's cheap =PERFECT! If it's expensive, I won't buy it, no matter how fantastic it is.
 

I remember one time I had picked out a gorgeus dotch (full of mirrors,and I love mirrors!) which only costed $30, and a cheap matching fabric. I went to the lady-tailor, and told her to sew this one for me, and she actually refused, and said that she would not accept cheap clothes like this! I was shocked, and that was the last time I went to her. I would love to upload pics on that dress and let u guys see how nice it matched, but I forgot it in Z-dan, next year inshallah! :)

Friday, April 25, 2008


White dress?


I have never liked the idea of having a white fabric when it comes to balochi dotchs, maybe weddings, otherwise no. This dress is not plain white, it has "glitter" all over the fabric. Not very fond of big flowers, that's why I chosed this fabric with little detailed flowers . The dotch is very detailed, it is called a "gavak" in pieces, the color of the dotch is not so colorful, it's some kind of "milky-colour", but I like the design of the dotch on the chest, it is like a upside down pyramid :)

What do you guys think about this dress?

Tuesday, April 22, 2008


Beautiful Does Not Mean Expensive!





Here is a dress, made 2 yrs ago, but still very beautiful and still in fashion! The dotch is called "Kash va Javak", and with light and dark brown thread. I wore it on a wedding and it looked great, the dotch matches the fabric perfectly. It has the normal form, not tight or fitted. Not a party-dress, but good when you don't want to be in the center of attention :)
This dotch costed $70, and the fabric $30, so the whole set was cheap comparing to other dresses.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

 

 


Murder on Balochi Women in Z-dan


Just read news from Z-dan, not so good I'm afraid.

Lately a lot of balochi girls (at least 10) have been kidnapped, raped and murdered in Z-dan. Their corps, placed in plastic bags, had been thrown in suborn Z-dan.
These news have been taken as a shock the Zahedani population, as very few crimes has been committed against Balochi women. The serialkiller, has been caught, and is kept hidden by some balochi clan in Z-dan. The Clan refuses to hand him over to the Police.

But according to some sources, the serialkiller said that he kidnapped the Balochi girls,and handed them over to the Police, where these girls were raped, and killed.

This is scary shiet. I bet every Balochi girl in Z-dan feels fear, because they have otherwise been kind of sacred. It is also sad, because the balochi families will decrease their daughters freedom to go out in the town, to the University etc.

Can We Wear Balochi Clothes Outside?




Since I don't live in a Balochi community, I have never DARED to wear my balochi clothes outside the home.

Sometimes I see brave pakis wear their Shalwar Kameez going to school, and I actually admire them for wearing their own clothes in a society where everybody has to wear the latest fashion.


So...I promised myself, that I have to design a Balochi dress, that I can wear outside, and actually look GOOD at the same time. And,I did. This is the result, with 3/4 arms, kind of like a tunic. It is perfect for the summer! (since I only wear hijabish clothes outside)





The color of the fabric matches the dotch/embroidment, and it has a lot of mirrors. Actually my sis embroided this dotch, she designed the dotch and she also SEW it! This dotch/embroidment is called "Zarafshan".






I've worn this dress several times in downtown,and received positive reactions, people LOVED it...wow...I was walking and at the same time spreading our culture.






Tell me Your opinion, can we balochis design more clothes that are showing our balochi culture, and at the same time appreciated by western?

Thursday, April 17, 2008


I Want This....








This is a dotch that I have to buy this summer, this one is from Iranshahr, in Sistane Balochistan, Iran. I'm gonna have a dark fabric for this dotch/embroidment. This one costs $170-200. Here's pics from the guptan, zee and the slevees.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008


Couldn't have said it better.


Someone wrote this as a comment, love it.

One Who Abandons Her Culture Is A Slave

Monday, April 14, 2008


Pink Mirrors




This dress is another of my favorites, I love the arms, and the sleeves are a little bit "kalosh"(wider sleeves.) This was fashion 3 years ago, and the dotch is from Pakistan. I remember one wedding where at least 10 balochi girls were wearing this kind of dress but in all sorts of colours, green,black,red...u name it. I don't think this dotch has a name, because the dotch and the fabric are sold together, and you have to give it to a tailor for him/her to seperate and cut the dotch to the design you want.

Panochi vs G-por





This dress is kind of fancy, but I think it's a little bit tooooo "much". The dotch is called Panochi and the fabric is called G-por. I love the names they have, the fabric is very beautiful, it has another fabric under it because it will be transparent otherwise. I actually saw a couple of girls wearing this fabric but without the silkfabric under, so their arms were totally visable, and sure did they enjoy the attention! I'm tempted to remove this dotch and have it on a black fabric, but the G-por was so expensive, it would hurt to get the fabric ruined.......


Thursday, April 10, 2008


1000 mirrors?






This one is my most expensive dotch, it contains around 1000 mirrors/adenk (I tried to count them, but got tired after 600!) Anyways, it cost $350-400....a lot, but it's lovely, the dotch is named KASH and JAVAK, with a darker red, and very detailed.










Wednesday, April 9, 2008


Lack of Time




When You live outside Z-dan, it's hard to get well prepared for weddings. You don't have the ability to get go to the bazaar and look at the latest embroided zee-astonk/ dotch.




In Z-dan, and other places, you have to be on TIME, planning is neccessary! Because if you want a new dotch, you will have to give it to some local afghani to get it embroided, and that takes......SEVERAL MONTHS! This dotch took around 4-5 months to get finito, and that's the whole set...the sleeves for the arm and feet, the lower part the "guptan", which can also have a pocket.....and the upper part, the "zee".




This one is my absolute favorite, even though the guptan is not "perfectly" straight....but just look at the colours used...very detailed. I think I paid $200 for this dotch, but worth it. But I'm actually thinking of putting this dotch on a black fabric...so that the colourful dotch can be more noticed and not "blended" with this colourful red fabric.......what do you guys think?



Tuesday, April 8, 2008


West vs Balochi?



I've been thinking of this new model.............look at the sleeves...

Saturday, April 5, 2008


Z-dan



Party Dress?



The other day while me and my sis were dancing like crazy ( We are preparing ourselves for a BIG wedding this summer!) I realized that I didn't have a real "party dress" to wear. I also noticed that my sister, who is otherwise a good dancer, didn't look so good when she was wearing her big balochi dress. Then it came to me that I needed a dress that is a little bit tight...so that my dancing skills can be noticed while dancing.... ... The dress should be like.."WOW!" but still have the balochi dotch. The arms should be a little big "kalosh",the upper part should be tight, and the lower part a little bit wider.....This is what I kind of mean...this cute pink balochi dress. I can make it tighter, just look at the back detail......I think it is what I need at the henna-day.......what do you guys think?

Thursday, April 3, 2008


Balochi vs Chinese ?





How can we change the balochi dress....still having its traditional shape..but with details taken from other cultures? Lately I've been thinking of how the balochi dress would look like if it had influences from the chinese dress? Very anxious to see how it would look...got to fix one when I visit Z-dan this summer...the problem is to find somebody who knows what I'm talking about...any ideas?

I mean, the dress can't be tooo tight...if it is..it must be "open" in the sides..like pakistani clothes. And the collar would look awsome..the arm should be the same...so the question is...what kind of dotch would fit to this design? It's difficult to find a dotch that can have that collar....so going to the tailor and make him do something nice....that's an alternative...

Tuesday, April 1, 2008


Revolution



This blogg is a revolution. A baloch girl sharing her thoughts and ideas with the rest of the world. My goal is simple, to reach out to all balochs in the world, both inside Balochistan and outside. I will bring up everything...from balochi clothes to politics....it depends what goes around in my head. I hope I will reach to that goal....if I don't...well...who cares...life is not always what you want it to be.