We
want a government in Iran that guarantees equal rights for every
citizen
By Shahzada Zulfiqar
Abdul
Malik Reiki, chief of Irans Jundallah group
It
was six years ago that Abdul Malik Reiki alias Mulla Malik, an
Iranian Sunni Baloch, and 30 others joined hands and formed an
organisation called Jundallah. Before declaring war against the
Iranian state, he sent a delegation of tribal notables to the
Iranian government demanding equal rights as enjoyed by the Shia
majority of the country for the Sunnis and the Baloch. Once the
government refused to consider these demands, the Jundallah members
took to the mountains and declared war to secure rights of the
Sunnis and the Baloch living in Iran. Reiki now tops the Iranian
government�s most wanted list.
Reiki says hundreds are willing to join Jundallah, whose current
membership stands at 600. But, he says, the organisation cannot
admit them all because it is run on small donations from the Iranian
people and, therefore, it is not economically viable for it to have
too many members.
Reiki�s parents have also fled their home for fear of persecution
and now live in the mountains along with other members of the
militant leader�s extended family. Reiki lives on the Iranian border
with Pakistan but he and his men constantly carry out attacks inside
Iranian territory. These attacks involve raids on the posts of
border-security forces, killing or injuring security personnel,
looting their arms and ammunitions and holding the officers hostage.
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