Unrest in Baluchistan

Most have never heard of it. Tucked in below Pakistan and Afghanistan, the resources-rich territory was probably included in the goals of the invading Soviet Army in 1979. Yet, it remains a semi-lawless wild west of Asia, boyhood home to WTC-1 bomber Ramzi Yousef and his Uncle Khalid, the architect of WTC-2.

Both also had a hand in designing the original unsuccessful Bojinka airplane plot, which several Pakistanis recently tried to recreate. Now the area is in utter turmoil.

The unrest was triggered by a government crackdown that resulted in the death of a 79 year old insurgent icon named Bugti. The New York Times:

The spokesman, Tariq Aziz, said that soldiers had not known that Mr. Bugti was in the cave when they advanced on it and that he had not been singled out.

It's not the same Tariq Aziz, the one near death and locked up in Iraq--or is it? As of this post the Times had the name hyperlinked to a page listing stories about the bespectacled Iraqi version. Yes, it's just a screw-up, but a tad ironic since many believe the Baluchis backed Hussein against Iran in the 1980s.

The unrest may have interesting political implications for Musharraf, which is surely something the west is watching with great interest.