LAHORE, Dec 9: On the International Human Rights Day on Saturday (today), the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has
called upon every citizen to join the people of Balochistan in their struggle for the realisation of their rights and to urge the government
to try to ensure respect for the rights of the people in the long suffering province.
In a statement issued on Friday, the HRCP said: “This year the HRCP is commemorating Dec 10, the International Human Rights Day,
in solidarity with the people of Balochistan in support of their aspirations to realise their rights.
“We believe that the human rights situation facing the people in Balochistan, irrespective of their ethnic, religious or sectarian identity,
is an issue of foremost concern in the country today. The HRCP reiterates its grave distress at the absence of adequate measures to
resolve lingering issues of human rights violations.
The statement also highlights the increasing forced disappearances in the province.
“It is a matter of grave alarm that 107 new cases of enforced disappearance have been reported in Balochistan in 2011, and the
‘missing persons’ are increasingly turning up dead. Bodies of at least 225 ‘missing persons’ have been recovered from various parts of
the province since July 2010. It is scandalous that not a single person has been held accountable for these disappearances and
killings. The situation is particularly grave for non-Muslims and minority Muslim sects. As many as 80 Shia Hazara people have been
killed in the province this year alone, for no reason other than their religious belief.
“The HRCP also has serious concern at targeted killing of teachers, intellectuals and non-Baloch ‘settlers’ in Balochistan and calls upon
all political elements in the province and beyond to unequivocally condemn these killings and play their role in ending such callous acts
of violence. The precarious situation in Balochistan has further been compounded by targeting of human rights defenders in the
province by the various parties to the simmering conflict, making access to reliable information on the human rights situation all the
more difficult. The murder of two HRCP activists and three journalists in the province in 2011 signifies the dangers that those
highlighting human rights violations face on a daily basis.
The HRCP called upon the government to deal with threats to human rights defenders and facilitate their safe access to all parts of the
province. It also expected the civil society and the media to engage more diligently with the issue and play their role in ending the
silence on violations of human rights and demand justice for violations.
“The primary responsibility for ensuring rights and tackling this unfortunate state of affairs lies with the government, but that does not
mean that the people have to remain passive spectators until the state is woken from its slumber. The people must realize that these
problems are not Balochistan’s problems alone and that their resolution is a vital prerequisite to the progress and prosperity of the
country. It is time for every citizen to join the people of Balochistan in their struggle and reassure them that they do not stand alone in
their struggle for the realisation of their rights.”
http://www.dawn.com/2011/12/10/human-rights-day-hrcp-urges-respect-for-the-baloch.html.....
HRCP expresses solidarity with Balochistan people
LAHORE: On International Human Rights Day today (Saturday), the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has called upon
every citizen to join the people of Balochistan in their struggle for the realisation of their rights and to urge the government to make
vigorous efforts to ensure respect for the rights of the people in the long suffering province.
In a statement issued on Friday, the commission said, “This year HRCP is commemorating December 10, the International Human
Rights Day, in solidarity with the people of Balochistan in support of their aspirations to realise their rights. This is because we believe
that the human rights situation facing the people in Balochistan, irrespective of their ethnic, religious or sectarian identity, is an issue of
foremost concern in the country today. The HRCP reiterates its grave distress at the absence of adequate measures to resolve
lingering issues of human rights violations. It is a matter of grave alarm that 107 new cases of enforced disappearance have been
reported in Balochistan in 2011, and the ‘missing persons’ are increasingly turning up dead. Bodies of 225 ‘missing persons’ have been
recovered from various parts of the province since July 2010. It is scandalous that not a single person has been held accountable for
these disappearances and killings. The situation is particularly grave for non-Muslims and minority Muslim sects. As many as 80
members of the Shia Hazara community have been killed in the province this year alone, for no reason other than their religious belief.
The HRCP also has serious concern at targeted killing of teachers, intellectuals and non-Baloch ‘settlers’ in Balochistan and calls upon
all political elements in the province and beyond to unequivocally condemn these killings and play their role in ending such callous acts
of violence.
The precarious situation in Balochistan has been further compounded by targeting of human rights defenders in the province by the
various parties to the simmering conflict, making access to reliable information on the human rights situation all the more difficult. The
murder of two HRCP activists and three journalists in the province in 2011 signifies the dangers that those highlighting human rights
violations face on a daily basis. pr
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\12\10\story_10-12-2011_pg7_15
Chief Justice of Pakistan urged to take notice of
disappearances in Balochistan
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Karachi: A day ahead of International Human Rights Day, a rights group on Friday urged the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take suo moto
notice of enforced disappearances in Balochistan as the government-formed committee had failed to deliver.
“We are not satisfied with the commission’s performance and urge the CJ to take cognizance of continued disappearances,” said the
chairperson of the Baloch Human Rights Organization. Speaking at a press conference at the Karachi Press Club on Friday, Nargis
Baloch said the human rights situation in Balochistan had assumed an alarming proportion.
Ms Baloch, flanked by two other rights activists, said kidnapping of ordinary people, political workers, students and professionals had
become routine. The Baloch women activists said this year, nine persons belonging to the Marri tribe were kidnapped in Windar while
16 members of the tribe were abducted from Khuzdar. Beside, bodies of several missing persons had been found dumped in various
parts of the province, they added.
Nargis Baloch said the whereabouts of Zarina Marri, a woman allegedly in illegal detention, were still not known.She said bodies of over
300 political workers had been found while abductions and killings of political activists had increased in recent years.
The BHRO office-bearers said that these killings had triggered an extreme sense of insecurity in Balochistan. Nargis Baloch claimed
that the provincial government had no powers as the security forces were running the province.
She said several check-posts have been set up where the residents were being subjected to undesirable attitude and raids on houses
and academic institutes were routine. Lately, religious extremism was being promoted there as incidents of acid throwing on women had
been reported while killings on sectarian basis had increased.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=81536&Cat=4&dt=12/10/2011
‘To be a Baloch is to embrace death’
By Rabia Ali
December 10, 2011
ABDUCTED: 5,000to 6,000 is the number of people ‘missing’ in Balochistan, according to the HRCP.
KARACHI: What is happening in the largest province of the country remains behind a veil of secrecy. There are some who dare to
speak, but only if their privacy is protected. For “to be a Baloch openly is to embrace death,” says one such woman.
Sarah* is one of thousands of victims of oppression in Balochistan to whom the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has
dedicated this year’s Human Rights Day (today).
Speaking to The Express Tribune by telephone from Quetta, Sarah, 35, cannot hold back her tears when narrating the story of her
province, which she says has changed colours over the years – from dusty brown to blood red.
Working for a development NGO for seven years put her in the line of fire of intelligence agencies, she says, who claimed she was an
agent of an Indian intelligence agency.
In 2008, she says she was forced to quit her job and put under house arrest. Men in white shalwar kameez surrounded her house and
her phones were tapped for three years, she says. Threats and harassment followed everywhere before she was granted freedom. “I
am a teacher and I believe in fighting for my rights. But, for how long? I don’t know.”
Many houses in her neighbourhood have seen worse. Young boys with an eye pulled out return home in a white shroud after being
picked up, allegedly by security agencies.
However, there are the lucky ones who return home alive. Two boys who went missing and miraculously returned were not willing to
talk. “Our phones are tapped. Please leave us alone,” they said.
Families of those who have died or have been abducted are unwilling to speak for fear that their words might take the life of another
beloved one.
This situation in Balochistan has made thousands leave the province. According to HRCP’s estimates, around 100,000 people have left
since 2007.
A surgeon who moved from Quetta to Karachi says her brother was picked up and charged with false cases when he was in college in
Quetta. He was lucky enough to escape to a foreign country, while all his friends met the fate of death. “Raids and kidnappings are the
story of every house,” she said. Locals believe that the younger generation is being targeted. “They are trying to scare generations so
that they don’t raise their voice for their rights.”
Vice chairperson of the HRCP’s Balochistan chapter, Tahir Hussain, says from July 2010 to November 2011, around 300 dead bodies
were found—some even of 14-year-olds. Two dead include two people from the HRCP as well, while the number of people missing
range from 5,000 to 6,000.
While locals stay indoors, leaders fighting for the separatist movements remain miles away from the danger zone. Balochistan National
Party leader Akhtar Mengal is in Dubai since 2009. “If I come back, my name will be included in the ECL and I need to go abroad for a
lung treatment,” he said.
Despite the top leadership being away, he sees the separatist movements growing stronger. He claims that 26 people from his own
party have been killed.
The separatist movements gained momentum after Akbar Bugti’s death. “Bugti’s national flag had four stars representing the four
provinces. He believed in a federation. But by his murder, the government has given the message that Balochistan will never be
accepted.”
Sarah, the surgeon and Akhtar Mengal are sure of one thing: ‘There is no foreign presence or Indian agents in the province. It’s our
own men behind the killings.’
*Name has been changed to protect privacy
Published in The Express Tribune, December 10th, 2011.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/304521/to-be-a-baloch-is-to-embrace-death/
Related Links:
| International Human Rights Day: HRCP urges respect for the Baloch rights |