Britain has a moral and legal responsibility to protect Baloch political activists: Hyrbyair Marri

Pakistan military is committing gross human rights in Balochistan to prolong its 67 year illegal occupation on Baloch land. They have martyred thousands of Baloch and several thousand have been disappeared who are missing without a trace from last many years.

London based Baloch leader Hyrbyair Marri expressed these views in an Urdu statement to media on Sunday responding to demand of Pakistan army Chief General Raheel Sharif from government of Britain to take action against Baloch political activists in UK.

He said Pakistan army is raising a hue and cry about religious extremist moving from Waziristan to other cities in order to get more aid from the world in the name of terrorism but in reality all these extremist are creation of the army. “Pakistan’s savage army is creating false fear in world about religious extremists to gain more [financial and military] aid and using those resources indiscriminately against Baloch people. Along with state violence military is also promoting religious extremism in Balochistan.”

He said China and the Western world was providing Pakistan with weapons and military assistance and all these aid is being used against Baloch people instead of the religious extremists. “When an undemocratic country like china, which is committing crimes against other nations, supports Pakistan it is understandable but support by Western democracies raises question about their democratic values and their claims of protection of human rights,” Mr Marri said.

The Baloch leader said that the Pakistan [army] generals are committing worst human rights violations in Balochistan. Under international moral and legal norms the civilised nations should press charges of war crimes, like Yugoslavia and general Pinochet, against Pakistani Generals and bring them to justice at International Court of Justice but the way Pakistani army consider their own country’s constitution useless and violate it any time they want, now they think that international laws are also meaningless. Pakistani army consider the law just as a piece of paper that’s why they think Britain is also like Pakistan hence they are making immoral and extra judicial demands. “There are many Baloch in different countries of world including Britain who fled Pakistani barbarism and took refuge which is their basic human rights and their protection under international laws is the responsibility of civilised world,” he said.

Hyrbyair Marri said that Britain is well aware of Balochistan’s situation because the British Raaj remained on Baloch land for around 108 years and during that time several treaties were signed between Britain and Balochistan. On 11 August 1947 at the time of withdrawal from the subcontinent the British Crown recognised the Baloch people different from other nations in the region and accepted their independence. Soon after the Baloch people declared their full independence. But after only nine months of independence Pakistan violated international borders and occupied Balochistan [at gun point] which continues to date. Soon after the occupation Pakistan started looting Balochistan’s natural resources and kept Balochistan backward in fields of health, education and development. Balochistan situation with regards to education, development and health is same as it was in 1948, there has been no changes after  occupation. He said Pakistan tried hard to radicalise Baloch but because of their traditional norms and historical secular nature the Baloch people paid no heed toward religious extremism.

Mr Marri said, “In accordance with agreements signed between British Crown and the state of Kalat, the then capital of Balochistan, we demand from Britain to help the Baloch against foreign aggression in shape of Pakistani occupation because according article 3 of 1876’s amended agreement between Britain and Khodadad Khan (the ruler of Balochistan at that time) – Britain binds itself to help the Baloch in case of any foreign aggression that threatens the integrity and sovereignty of Baloch nation.”   Article 3 reads as follows: Whilst on his part, Meer Khodadad Khan, Khan of Kalat, binds himself, his heirs, successors and sardars to observe faithfully the provisions of Article 3 of the treaty of 1854, the British Government on its part engages to respect the independence of Kalat, and to aid the Khan, in case of need, in the maintenance of a just authority and the protection of his territories from external attack, by such means as the British Government may at the moment deem expedient.

Mr Marri said this agreement shows that Balochistan was an independent and sovereign state because agreements and resolutions are signed between states. In the light of these agreements it is the moral and legal responsibility of Britain not only to protect Baloch political activists but also to support the Baloch nation in their struggle for freedom of Balochistan.

The Baloch leader further explained that Britain had a similar agreement with Belgium and Netherland which it signed in 1839 under  the ‘Treaty of London’. In first World War Britain first threaten to attack Germany but when Germany attacked France through Belgium, Britain on 4 August 1914 declared war on Germany under the ‘Treaty of London‘ to protect and keep Belgium’s sovereign and independent status. He said as Britain used the agreements with Belgium and decided to fight against Germany and having signed exactly similar agreements with Baloch nation, it is the moral and legal responsibility of Britain to help the Baloch people in a similar way as it did in case of Belgium. He said we hope that the current British government will not succumb to Pakistani conspiracies like the government of Mr Tony Blair and Gordon Brown and repeat the same mistake.

Hyrbyair Marri said Pakistan’s foundation is laid on hatred because the pretext to create Pakistan was on basis of Hindu-Muslim hatred. Pakistan’s hatemongering continued even after it came into existence because after few months of its formation, Pakistan attacked another sovereign state – Balochistan – and is still committing Baloch genocide and conducting continuous operations. In addition the so called vanguard of Islam [Pakistan] committed crimes against Muslims in Bangladesh and the entire world has witnessed that hundreds of thousands of Bengalis were killed and several hundred thousand Bengali women were raped and assaulted. Such crimes are continuation of hatred by this unnatural state.

He said Pakistan is a lethal threat to world peace because from the beginning it started interfering in Afghanistan to destroy the peace of that country. Today Pakistan is a sanctuary and training camp for terrorists around the world. Pakistan is either directly or indirectly involved in terrorist activities in India, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Xinjiang, Kashmir and elsewhere in the world. Balochistan is also under Pakistani occupation, murder, abduction, bombardment and kill and dump policy has continued from past many decades. “It is astonishing that this symbol of hatred and cruelty [Pakistan] army, which is committing Baloch genocide, pretends to be innocent and asks for action against Baloch political activists,” he added.

The Baloch leader said that due to Pakistan’s barbarism and oppression Baloch activists are living abroad and they are highlighting the state viciousness against Baloch people before the world community. The campaigning and activism of Baloch political activists is exposing the true face of Pakistan to the world that is why Pakistan continues to demand action and prohibition against them.

He said, “It is our responsibility to raise our voice at every forum against occupying state repression and barbarism against our nation. Regardless of Pakistan’s demands we will continue to raise our voice to inform the civilised world,” adding that I am sending the copies of agreements of Britain with Balochistan and Belgium to media to show that how Britain abided by its agreement in case of Belgium and went in war against Germany but in case of Balochistan it did not comply with its agreement which resulted in Balochistan’s occupation and repression against Baloch nation.