Thousands attend Newroz celebration in London

More than ten thousand people attended the Newroz celebration held in London's Finsbury Park, shouting "Biji Serok Apo".


ANF
LONDON
Monday, 21 Mar 2022,
London celebrated one of the most magnificent Newroz of recent years. Promoted by the Kurdish People's Assembly, the celebration was attended by more than ten thousand people who flocked London's Finsbury Park with the slogan "Dem dema Azadiyê". A giant banner of Kurdish people's leader Abdullah Öcalan and Mazlum Doğan and photographs of British fighters from YPG who lost their lives in Rojava were hung on the stage.

Many institutions such as Heyva-Sor, Partizan and MLKP opened information stands in the park. Young people wore T-shirts with pictures of Kurdish people's leader Abdullah Öcalan, and wore guerrilla and traditional clothes.

The Newroz celebration started with a minute's silence in memory of the martyrs of the revolution and democracy.

British Kurdish People's Assembly co-chairs, Elif Sarıcan and Miraz Serhat, underlined that Newroz expresses resistance and freedom, and added that there will be an all-out struggle for Newroz in 2022 and the physical freedom of Kurdish people's leader Abdullah Öcalan.

Koma Zelal took the stage followed by Firaz Dag Children's Choir. Omid Şerîfî from Rojhilat sang in Kurmancî and Soranî.

Cemevi President Filiz Koç gave a speech on behalf of the Democratic Forces Union, which includes many institutions from Kurdistan and Turkey. Expressing that Newroz is a symbol of resistance, Koç underlined the common struggle against fascism.

The British Representative of the Syrian Democratic Council, Mesud Kasu, said that the Turkish state carries out a policy of genocide not only against the Kurds of Turkey, but also against the Kurds of Rojava, Bashur and Rojhilat.

Heval Agit, who made a speech on behalf of TCŞ, said that the Kurdish youths will fight until they ensure the physical freedom of Leader Öcalan.

The MLKP wished that 2022 Newroz would be a day when the isolation against Öcalan and all revolutionary prisoners would be lifted.

Keir Starmer, the leader of the main opposition Labour Party in England, stated that the Kurdish people are discriminated against because of their national identity and face oppression and violence, and that Newroz will bring democracy, prosperity and peace to Kurdistan and the Middle East. wished.

Songs by Hozan Canê

Hozan Canê warmed the crowd when she sang for Kurdish people's leader Abdullah Öcalan.

Haringey Mayor Peray Ahmed and council members greeted the people celebrating Newroz.

Baydemir: The AKP plan failed

Kurdish politician Osman Baydemir said that the Kurds need national unity and added: “We have to recognize our friends and enemies. Today, they forced us to have hundreds of thousands of Kurds refugees in Afrin. The reason for this is Ankara. Those who want peace in Ukraine are waging war in Kurdistan. This is hypocrisy. The unity of the Kurds against fascism and occupation is essential. The Turkish state's plan to overthrow the Kurds, was collapsed by the millions who took to the streets in Newroz. When the gates of Imrali are opened, peace will be achieved through negotiations."

Corbyn: The way to peace is Öcalan’s freedom

Former Labour Party Leader, deputy Jeremy Corbyn, described his visit to Amed in 2008, and said that the struggle of the Kurdish people for their identity, language and culture was met with great violence by the Turkish state. Corbyn called for freedom for Abdullah Öcalan, the Kurdish leader and 'Mandela of the Middle East'.

After the speeches, artist Ferhat Tunç took the stage. Explaining that they were in exile because they were fighting against fascism, Tunç underlined that they would not back down from the struggle.

Artist and rapper Serhado closed the celebrations.

KCK’s Bayık sends message to Qandil Newroz: No power can stop this spirit

In a video message to the Newroz celebration in Qandil, KCK Executive Council Co-Chair Cemil Bayık said, “No power can stop this spirit, for it is the spirit of freedom, unity and resistance.”

ANF
QANDIL
Monday, 21 Mar 2022,

The Newroz celebration in Qandil is continuing enthusiastically. The celebration area is decorated with PKK, KCK and PAJK flags as well as posters of Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan. People from four parts of Kurdistan have come to the celebration, and artists from four parts of Kurdistan take stage during the events.

More than 20 books written by Abdullah Öcalan are exhibited in the area. People showed great interest in the book “My whole life was a struggle” written by Sakine Cansız, one of the founders of the PKK, who was murdered in Paris in 2013. The book was translated into the Sorani dialect by Aram Pencewini.

A video message from KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union) Executive Council Co-chair Cemil Bayık was screened, and the messages of the Communities of Women from Kurdistan (KJK) and the Azadi Movement were read out.

BAYIK: NEWROZ SPIRIT IS THE SPIRIT OF FREEDOM AND RESISTANCE

Bayık remarked that Abdullah Öcalan and the PKK based their struggle for freedom on the spirit of Newroz. “No power can stop this spirit, for it is the spirit of freedom, unity and resistance,” he said.

Bayık emphasized that the PKK is a symbol of unity and resistance and that it represents the entire Kurdish people. “Qandil is also a fortress of resistance for the Kurds. The Kurdish people should know the reality of Newroz very well. Newroz is the development of unity and resistance,” he said.

The KCK executive recalled that guerrilla forces mounted an outstanding resistance and paid a heavy price last year. “The Turkish state's plans were frustrated thanks to the prices paid. Our fighters carried out heroic deeds in Garê, Werxelê, Mam Reşo, Zendura and Girê Sor.”

Bayık stressed that these fighters are not only the martyrs of the PKK and North Kurdistan, but also the entire Kurdish people and Kurdistan. “They were martyred for the peoples and humanity. Martyrs of the Kurdish people are the martyrs of humanity.”

'KDP POSES A MAJOR THREAT TO THE KURDISH PEOPLE'

Bayık said that the Turkish state receives support from South Kurdistan’s ruling party, Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in its invasion and genocidal attacks across the region.

“The KDP serves the Turkish state in every way. We asked the KDP to join the national unity, but unfortunately, it is now at the service of the invading Turkish state and enemies of the Kurdish people.”

Insisting that the Turkish state wants to defeat the PKK and the Kurdish people, Bayık called on the Kurdish people to stand up against betrayal, to protect themselves and to strengthen their struggle for freedom.

“The KDP poses a major threat to the Kurdish people and South Kurdistan with its collaboration with the enemy,” he warned.

Bayık also drew attention to the isolation imposed on Kurdish leader Öcalan in prison. “He is currently being held hostage in İmralı. The Kurdish people cannot accept the isolation and torture in Imrali because the freedom of Öcalan is the freedom of the Kurdish people.”

Bayık stated that the Kurdish people should stand up against the occupation and the oppression of the Turkish state, and that the KDP should end its cooperation with the Turkish army. “If this is not prevented, it will be a major threat to the Kurdish people,” he said.

KJK: THIS YEAR’S NEWROZ REVOKES LAUSANNE TREATY

The KJK said in its message to the Qandil Newroz that “it is time for free women and free society.”

“The 50th Newroz celebration of the people's freedom struggle has revoked the Lausanne Treaty and defeated the line of betrayal and fascism,” the KJK said.

“Despite all the attacks, massacres and conspiracies, the Kurdish people are standing and struggling in the spirit of Newroz resistance,” KJK said and noted that the Kurds are leading this struggle not only for themselves, but also for all supporters of freedom in the entire world.

“This place is not only Qandil, but also Amed, Qamishlo and Mahabad,” the Azadi Movement said in its message.

The Azadi Movement emphasized that the freedom struggle would be strengthened everywhere.

One million people attend the Newroz rally in Amed

The rally in Amed marked the historic high point for Newroz in Kurdistan in 2022. 

Pervin Buldan recalled the urgency of implementing Abdullah Öcalan's declaration in order to achieve social peace.

ANF
AMED
Tuesday, 22 Mar 2022, 07:49

The mass rally in the resistance stronghold of Amed (Diyarbakır) marked the historical highlight of the Newroz New Year celebrations in Kurdistan this year. The whole city, which was lit up everywhere in green, red and yellow, was on its feet. Hundreds of thousands were on the move, in the end there were a good million people on the Newroz area. "Now is the time of success", the motto of Newroz this year with the main demand "Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan", was visible in the masses going to the park reacting to the shelling of gas grenades and water cannons with the slogan " Bijî Serok Apo”. Police provocations by attempting to arrest young people at countless checkpoints and on the celebration grounds failed due to verbal resistance. Newroz in Amed was once again more than just a festival. It was a demonstration of the indomitable will of a resistant people, an act of civil disobedience and, above all, a day of political struggle.

The program was rich and varied. On stage, political speeches alternated with music by artists such as Rojda, Azad Bedran, Servet Kocakaya, Kazo, as well as messages sent from prison by former HDP MP Leyla Güven and the deposed co-mayor of Amed, Adnan Selçuk Mızraklı from. The chairmen of the parties from the Kurdistan Alliance appeared on the stage together with the political veteran Ahmet Türk. The 79-year-old appealed to the political parties in Kurdistan, divided into four, to find "national unity. It is time that we came together to formulate common positions. If we really care about the Kurdish cause, we have to come to an understanding and put differences aside. History will not forgive us for behaving differently, nor will our people. It is necessary to make policies suitable for the new era, strengthen democratic forces and rally our people around common values.”

The co-chair of the grassroots coalition Democratic Society Congress (DTK), Berdan Öztürk, led his speech by saying, “The undertone of this year's Newroz is unmistakable; It's the time of success, it's the time of victory. This Newroz is the celebration of Abdullah Öcalan's freedom."

Öztürk spoke about the phase from 2014, when the so-called destruction plan (“Çöktüre Planı”), a military and political concept of annihilation against Kurdish society and its organized structures, was initiated in Ankara and war, crises and conflicts have been unfolding ever since continue to intensify. "This is the only strategy of the rulers in Ankara. They have chosen hostility towards the Kurds as a way instead of listening to the words of Abdullah Öcalan, which said: freedom, equality, democracy and just peace. It's not too late to stray from the wrong path and make peace with this people."

The highlight of this year's Newroz in Amed was the speech by HDP chairperson Pervin Buldan, who was greeted with the slogan "Bijî Serok Apo" and received thunderous applause. “Once again, it is the people of Amed who are making history on this day. Newroz is our traditional historical spring festival, which has become a political festival in resistance to oppression and colonialism. Newroz also means hope, brotherhood and courage. On this historic day you have once again defied those who do not respect your rights. This attitude, which deserves to be appreciated, is the manifest expression of the Roadmap to Democracy, Peace and Justice.”

Noam Chomsky sends Newroz message to Van

U.S. linguist Noam Chomsky has sent a message of greeting to participants in the Newroz celebration in Van: "It is a privilege for me to be able to make even a small contribution to the remarkable struggle of the Kurdish people."


ANF
VAN
Sunday, 20 Mar 2022,

U.S. linguist Noam Chomsky has sent a greeting to participants in the Newroz celebration in the northern Kurdish province of Van, where tens of thousands of people gathered on Sunday amid snowfall to welcome spring. Chomsky, in his message broadcast over a large screen, emphasized that the Kurdish people were fighting "heroically" for freedom and justice and that their resistance had always been "inspiring" to him.

Chomsky also strongly protested the incommunicado detention of Abdullah Öcalan, the mastermind of the Kurdish liberation movement, who has been held as a political hostage in the Imrali island prison since 1999. "Mr. Öcalan has been subjected to appalling isolation. This isolation also affects the Kurdish people. It must be broken," Chomsky said. The message was met with celebratory cheers from the celebrating crowd in Van.

HAPPY EQUINOX

NOWRUZ/NEWROZ/ 

HAPPY PERSIAN NEW YEAR

Dozens of people celebrate Newroz in Mexico City

Dozens of people responded enthusiastically to the call by the small number of Kurds living in Mexico City to celebrate Newroz.


ANF
MEXICO CITY
Tuesday, 22 Mar 2022,

Last year, the Newroz fire was lit in the state of Chiapas, where the Zapatista movement was born.

This year, dozens of Mexicans and people from other parts of Latin America came together for Newroz in the capital, Mexico City, enthusiastically responding to the call of the small number of Kurds living in the city.

The celebration took place in Los Dinamos Ecological Park in the southeast of the city.

People who came together on Monday morning, after walking along the river, reached the area where Newroz will be celebrated.

Decorating the area with yellow, red and green colours, Kurds and Latin Americans hung flags symbolizing their own people's struggles next to the Kurdistan flags, turning the area into an international struggle area.

Everyone brought wood to grow the Newroz fire and prepared meals to share.

The friends of the Kurdish freedom movement gathered around a big table to enjoy the Newroz celebration for the first time.

At the table where the current situation in Kurdistan and the isolation on Kurdish people's leader Abdullah Öcalan were discussed, the vital importance of solidarity and common resistance among peoples was emphasized.

The group, which lit the Newroz fire by promising to expand the freedom struggle in 2022, especially in Kurdistan, Mexico, Colombia, Walmapu (Chile), jumped over the fire and danced halay to the accompaniment of Kurdish music.

Mexican Newroz celebrations continued until sunset, demanding freedom for Abdullah Öcalan.

KURDS PEACEFUL NORWUZ CELEBRATION ATTACKED BY ERDOGAN THUGS

Nowruz celebration in Turkey descends into clashes - in pictures

Turkish riot police used pepper spray against the crowd that had gathered to celebrate the Persian new year

FOR PHOTO DESCRIPTIONS SEE Nowruz celebration in Turkey descends into clashes - in pictures (thenationalnews.com)

WATER IS LIFE
Abbas urges end to Israel's looting of Palestinian water

Abbas’ speech marks World Water Day

News Service18:19 March 22, 2022

File photo

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday called for halting Israel's looting of Palestinian water resources.

"How long will the world remain silent about the fate and life of our Palestinian people being held hostage by the [Israeli] occupier through its racist practices and its control over our resources and our legitimate rights," Abbas said in a speech marking World Water Day.

Abbas said the world must find "just solutions to the issue of water that our [Palestinian] people suffer from."

"The [Israeli] occupation controls the water sources below and above the ground." Abbas said. “Greed of the occupation in our land and water is still the basis for all illegal settlement expansion,” he added.

Marked on March 22, World Water Day highlights the importance of fresh water. The day is used to advocate for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.

Writing by Ahmed Asmar

ArcelorMittal Removes Russian Materials From Steel Supply Chain

Eddie Spence, Bloomberg News

A rolling mill at the ArcelorMittal SA Ghent steel plant in Ghent, Belgium. Photographer: Valeria Mongelli/Bloomberg , Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) -- ArcelorMittal SA, Europe’s biggest steelmaker, has eliminated Russian commodities from its supply chain following the invasion of Ukraine.

Governments and companies across Europe are trying to curb their dependency on Russia, driving up prices of energy and commodities. The country has been a key supplier of iron ore and coal for the region’s blast furnaces and ArcelorMittal took three weeks to plan how to halt flows. 

The steelmaker said it previously sourced about a fifth of the coal for its European mills from Russia. The company also bought iron ore from sanctioned billionaire Alisher Usmanov’s Metalloinvest, according to its annual report.

“We are independent now,” said Geert Van Poelvoorde, the steelmaker’s European chief executive officer, said in an interview from Ghent in Belgium. “For the third quarter, we need to buy a bit more from non-Russia. But this is not a big issue.”

The war in Ukraine will reshape global flows of raw materials, according to Van Poelvoorde. Within a few months, Russia will re-route exports of coal from Europe to China, which will in turn buy less of the fuel from Australia.

“Russians have always been very opportunistic,” Van Poelvoorde said. “There will be a world re-balancing.”

Steel prices have surged to fresh record in Europe after the European Union moved to curb Russia’s exports to the bloc. High energy prices have also forced some steel mills to curtail production, further hitting supply.

ArcelorMittal’s portfolio of iron ore and coal mines helped to ease the company’s pivot away from Russia, but other European steelmakers will find sourcing alternative supplies more challenging. About half of the coal consumed by Europe’s steel industry comes from Russia, according to Van Poelvoorde.

The European Union is discussing massive borrowing to finance energy projects that would help wean the bloc off its dependence on Russian gas. Decarbonization will increase the scale of the challenge, with the main path to net-zero steelmaking requiring large quantities of green hydrogen that can only be produced with vast amounts of renewable electricity.

Using hydrogen to decarbonize ArcelorMittal’s Ghent plant -- which produces 3.6% of the EU’s steel -- would require four gigawatts of power capacity, Van Poelvoorde said. That’s the equivalent to about a sixth of Belgium’s current total.

“The commission and the member states should be aware of the numbers, because I think they underestimate a bit what we’re talking about,” he said. “We need massive energy.”

©2022 Bloomberg L.P.

Pakistan's troubled province

Balochistan – tradition versus globalisation

Attacks by separatist groups in Balochistan, Pakistan's largest province, 

have increased recently. Mohammad Luqman looks into what is driving

 the flare-up in this frequently overlooked regiontip

Almost unnoticed by the international press, two coordinated attacks were carried out on Pakistan army military posts in the southwestern province of Balochistan a few weeks ago. A Baloch separatist group claimed responsibility for the act a short time later. What surprised observers was the quality of weaponry carried by the militants and the extent of their military expertise. Although various armed groups have been at odds with the central government for many years, the latest attacks have taken things to a completely new level.

Balochistan is both Pakistan's largest and its most sparsely populated province. The north of the region with its capital Quetta is predominantly inhabited by Pashtuns and is far more developed than the rural south. The inaccessible mountains and deserts of Balochistan are home to Baloch tribes who have lived according to their own traditions for centuries.  Even today, the word of the tribal leaders – the sardars – carries more weight than many a state authority. They rule over their tribespeople like feudal lords. Occasionally internal conflicts are still settled using archaic tribal law, the riwaj or Baloch mayar.

In exchange for cooperating with the state, the sardars are allowed to assume their traditional role. Moreover, they also receive royalties from the extraction of resources on their tribal lands. This type of indirect rule is a throwback to colonial times. Balochistan was incorporated into British India relatively late (1870). Managing such an inaccessible region was dependent on the tribal leaders who, in return for their loyalty, were given relative autonomy over tribal affairs. Following independence, the new state of Pakistan simply incorporated these colonial structures.

Pending the final partition of India, the largest Balochistan principality, Kalaat, was initially reluctant to join Pakistan. Ultimately the prince did agree, following some tough negotiations. Yet, the climbdown led to strife within his family, with his brother leading a vain attempt at armed rebellion.

A meagre existence: after more than 70 years of independence,

 Balochistan is still severely underdeveloped. Lack of infrastructure, 

poor education and health services, as well as a strong sense of their

 own marginalisation, has generated considerable resentment among

 the population. Much of the profits generated by raw material extraction 

are siphoned off by multinational companies, the sardars or central government, 

while the majority of Balochs continue to live in poverty

A region neglected

After more than 70 years of independence, Balochistan is still severely underdeveloped. Lack of infrastructure, poor education and health services, as well as a strong sense of their own marginalisation, has generated considerable resentment among the population. Much of the profits generated by raw material extraction are siphoned off by multinational companies, the sardars or central government, while the majority of Balochs continue to live in poverty.

Against this background, calls for more rights and autonomy have been audible for decades. Although there were pockets of isolated resistance prior to the millennium, the conflict with central government saw major escalation during the 2000s. Prominent sardar, politician and ex-governor of Balochistan Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti mounted a rebellion against the military government of Pervez Musharraf. In the ensuing military offensive by Islamabad, the popular 79-year-old tribal leader was killed in his mountain hideout. Bugti's death exacerbated the situation. The 2000s saw the emergence of other armed groups who carried out attacks on the army from their mountain hideouts. The government responded with further repressive measures. Political activists and those critical of the administration mysteriously disappeared, or their bodies reappeared under unexplained circumstances. People were quick to blame the security forces. To this day, the issue of missing persons remains one of Balochistan's central problems.

For its part, the Pakistani establishment accused the Afghan and Indian governments of harbouring the separatists and supporting them to destabilise Pakistan. Following the Pakistani military offensives, some of the rebels did indeed leave for Afghanistan or ask India for support. Since the Taliban's return to power in 2021, activity by Baloch separatists, who continue to use Afghanistan as a retreat, has increased.

On Balochistan's western border with Iran, another conflict has been simmering for many years. A number of Islamist terrorist groups have taken root there, repeatedly carrying out attacks on Iranian security forces or Shia pilgrims. Iran has long demanded that Islamabad take tougher action against these organisations, which has repeatedly led to diplomatic tensions between the two countries. Meanwhile, the inaccessible mountains and deserts make it difficult to monitor the border. In an ambitious project, a border fence is now being built between the two countries. A few days ago, both sides also agreed on better coordination to secure the border. Stronger surveillance could also make it more difficult to illegally smuggle fuel and other goods from Iran.

When the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor was agreed in 2013, 

there was an outcry in Balochistan. Separatists view the Chinese investments 

with suspicion and accuse Beijing of wanting to exploit the province's

 raw materials without benefitting the people of Balochistan. Balochistan

 (in the western part of the country) is Pakistan's largest province in terms

 of area and also its least populous, and is rich in precious metals such

 as copper and gold. Nevertheless, the province is one of the least

 developed regions in southeast Asia

The new deep sea port of Gawadar

Since 2002, when China noticed Gawadar's potential, Balochistan has been making international economic headlines. Chinese companies built Pakistan's first deep-sea port there in 2006, and in 2013 Islamabad signed the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which will connect the two countries through an improved road and rail network extending through to the port of Gawadar. In this way, Beijing hopes to gain access to the Arabian Sea, while Islamabad is hopeful of more foreign currency. In record time, the government pushed the development of this small fishing village, with little involvement of the local population. Despite the modern port, the old neighbourhoods still lack drinking water or electricity.

Military checkpoints, erected after attacks by Baloch nationalists, further complicate the daily lives of Gawadar locals. Recently, major real estate entrepreneurs and developers have set their sights on the town. They are luring potential investors from all over Pakistan with the promise of newly planned housing societies and luxury flats in prominent locations. In late 2021, frustration erupted in one of the biggest protests the town has yet seen. For weeks, demonstrators blocked a main road until their demands were heard. A central demand of the protests was for the government to take decisive action against illegal fishing by Chinese trawlers. Fishing is a major source of income for the city's inhabitants and foreign trawlers threaten this livelihood.

Gawadar exemplifies the complex problems of Balochistan. Despite the government's frequent assertions that it wants to take the concerns of the population seriously, many feel that rapid development is being driven forward at their expense. 

Ultimately, peace and long-term stability in Balochistan can only succeed if central government does a better job of addressing the needs and concerns of the region's population. Much remains to be done.

Mohammad Luqman

© Qantara.de 2022

Mohammad Luqman is an Islamic scholar and South Asia expert with a special research focus on Pakistan.

Chinese-owned port instigates insurgency

in Pakistan’s Balochistan

by PAUL ANTONOPOULOS


China’s acquisition of Gwadar port, a linchpin of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, has instigated an insurgency as local Baloch firms and labour are excluded in favour of Chinese companies and workers.

This has heightened pre-existing feelings of marginalisation in Pakistan’s underdeveloped Balochistan region, with Baloch nationalist forces either wholly rejecting the project or voicing for greater share in these projects.

In response, tribal forces in Balochistan have opposed CPEC and nationalist groups have been involved in acts against the project.

CPEC, just one part of China’s global Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), has served to further exacerbate the divide between state and regionalist forces due to the exclusionary and Punjab-centric planning.

In fact, Gwadar has seen protests against CPEC in the specific context of fish resource exploitation by Chinese trawlers despite China’s coastline being thousands of miles away from Pakistan.

According to ANI, many of the local fishermen vacated their fishing spots due to the construction of Gwadar port in hope of a better future. However, the federal government granting fishing permission to the Chinese fishermen ignited widespread unrest.

This unrest culminated in a 28-day sit-in in 2021, led by Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), in which a massive number of people, including men, women, and children, participated. The protesters ended the sit-in after an agreement with the federal government.

The government accepted all the demands of the protesters, calling these demands legitimate.

However, many Balochs fear that these demands would not be fulfilled by the government. A recent bomb blast on a Chinese convoy symbolizes the deep distrust of regionalist forces against China-led development, which they view as extractive and exploitative.
CPEC is adding to accumulated separatist feelings among the Baloch population.

While Pakistan now sees the CPEC as the key to “lifting” millions of Pakistanis out of poverty, at the same time controversy will continue to hound the ambitious infrastructure-building project.

In the past, China has pressured Pakistan to review its 18th constitutional amendment (2010) – in particular, its transfer of powers and resources to the provinces – so that CPEC projects could be advanced without “provincial hurdles.”

Ever since the CPEC’s inauguration, there has been controversy about the eastern and western routes of the scheme’s projects.

Provincial and nationalist forces have highlighted what they see as the deliberate neglect of the western route, which lies along more underdeveloped regions of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) and Balochistan provinces without intersecting the more developed Punjab provinces, which is on the CPEC’s eastern route.

The original route-planning was altered in ways that only benefit central Punjab.

SEE LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: Search results for BALOCH 

Nuclear warhead deployment spotted in UK amid NATO’s burgeoning Russia crisis

Is the UK and Boris Johnson trying to send Russia a message?

News Service March 22, 2022

File photo

A British nuclear-armed convoy was seen heading to an arms depot in Scotland amid rising tensions between NATO and Russia as Moscow forges on with its invasion of Ukraine.

The military convoy, which was said to be carrying up to six nuclear warheads, was spotted on the motorway only half a mile from Glasgow’s city center, as it headed to the Royal Naval Armaments Depot Coulport (RNAD) on Loch Long, reported NukeWatch.

The route is often used for defense vehicles, however, the timing is 'alarming' after Putin put Russia's nuclear weapons on high alert, NukeWatch, an organization that tracks the transportation of the UK's Trident nuclear warheads, stated.

“There must be some reasoning in their madness but they'd never enlighten us as to what that is,” said Nukewatch UK Campaigner Jane Tallents, adding that there hasn’t been nuclear warhead transportation since October 2021.

Reports state that the recent activity of the nuclear convoy may be a way of sending a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russia's war on Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24, has been met with international outrage, with the EU, US, and UK, among others, implementing tough financial sanctions on Moscow.

More than 1.2 million people have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries, according to the UN refugee agency.