Pakistani aggression against Baloch Political activists in exile

Since the occupation of Balochistan in 1948 Pakistan has subjected the Baloch people to brutal human rights violations including military operations, indiscriminate bombardment and abduction of Baloch political activists. Thousands of Baloch have been abducted and literally tortured to death in custody by Pakistan army and intelligence agencies in past more than 60 years.

Baloch civilian population in far flung areas of Balochistan have been bombed, people’s livestock were killed in aerial bombardments, Baloch political prisoners were thrown down from helicopters and several houses and villages of Baloch people were bulldozed in acts of collective punishment by Pakistani forces.

The state barbarism and brutalities is continuously on the rise, only in the end of past century Pakistani intelligence agencies and military intelligence have abducted more than 18,000 active Baloch workers and among them more than 1600 have been killed under-custody. Their badly tortured and mutilated bodies were found dumped in cities and desolated areas across Balochistan.

In January last year three mass graves were discovered in Mazhi area of Tootak village in Khuzdar Balochistan. Sources form the area reported that at least 169 bodies were found from those graves. Similarly there has been reports of mass graves in Badri area of Wadh, Ferozabad area of Khuzdar and Pishin, Balochistan. Pakistan military have conducted at least one hundred military operations across Balochistan from Barkhan to Gwadar in 2013. In each of these operations fighter jets, gunship helicopters, military tanks and lethal weapons were indiscriminately used against Baloch civilian populations. Hundreds of Baloch including elderly, women and children were injured and killed in these operation and thousands of Baloch were forced to flee their hometowns and village because of continuous military aggressions.

Balochistan currently presents scenes of a war and Baloch political activists have been badly affected by this tedious war. The deep effects of this war can be seen in Baloch society that is why Balochistan is lagging behind in economic, social and educational sectors. Many Baloch families and activists have migrated to other countries because of state terrorism against them. There is a large number of Baloch community residing in Sindh, Afghanistan and Arabian Gulf states. Many Baloch have also fled to Europe, America, Canada, Australia and other countries around world where they requested political asylum.

State human rights violation and migrations of Baloch political activists remained out of focus of the international media because Pakistan intelligence agencies and military have made Balochistan a no go area for media persons. The International and Pakistan media do not write about this issue due Pakistani security forces embargo around Balochistan. The Baloch media outlets are under constant fear and attacks by state forces hence they are also not able to highlight the issue of migrations from and report on state repression against Baloch political activists in Balochistan and abroad. The Pakistani media in Balochistan is under state’s pressure and they distort facts while reporting on Balochistan issue, the international media also relies on Pakistani media to report on Balochistan conflict. In such conditions to the Baloch political activists abroad are the only sources who can inform the international community about ground reality in Balochistan. That is why Pakistan is trying conceal its crimes against humanity in Balochistan and Pakistani rulers and military are trying to pressurise other countries to take action against Baloch political refugees.

Pakistan’s so called civilian government and the military have now started international propaganda against Baloch activists and started to pressurise the host countries to take action against Baloch political refugees in their respective states. Last month the Pakistani Prime Minister visited Bahrain, Chief of Army Staff General Raheel and DG ISI Rizwan Akhtar visited Afghanistan and demanded countries to take action against Baloch victims of war and Pakistani state repression.  The Pakistan Senate Committee for foreign affairs recent statement indicates that Pakistan has conquered Balochistan and raised Pakistan’s flag on an occupied land while Pakistan’s foreign secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry confirmed in a statement that they [Pakistan government and army] in their efforts to repress the voice of Baloch diaspora have contacted several European countries.

On 14 January Pakistani army chief General Raheelf Sharif and DG ISPR major general Asim Bajwa visited United Kingdom and demanded action against Baloch political refugees including Baloch leader Hyrbyair Marri in London.  Mr Marri, who belongs to powerful Marri tribe of Baloch nation, is one of the influential Baloch pro-freedom leaders. He also served people of Balochistan as a provincial minister in Balochistan Assembly but later [based on his experience as a minister] he declared Pakistan as an undemocratic state and stayed away from elections and parliamentary process of Pakistan. He has been in exile living in London since late 1990s and he has raised the issue of Balochistan’s illegal occupation, state repression and human rights violations in Balochistan at different forums and in different media outlets.

Baloch pro-liberation parties and leaders have strongly condemned and criticised Pakistan’s efforts to pressurise democratic and sovereign nations to take action against Baloch activists. The Baloch pro-freedom groups are of the view that Balochistan was illegally occupied and has been victims of countless military operations since occupation.

It is the basic political human right of any person to flee from an area where their life is at risk and to seek refuge in another country and request political asylum. The right to asylum and protection is enshrine in universal declaration of Human Rights and other international convents – in this regard paragraph 1 of article 14 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: “Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.” Pakistan, however, is using its Jihadists proxies [her national assets] and trying to scare and blackmail the European and Gulf states and putting pressure on them to take action against peaceful political activists because these activists are exposing Pakistan’s war crimes against Baloch people.

The International Community especially democratic European states, Scandinavian states and America should not be blackmailed and bullied by Pakistan and succumb to the pressure of Pakistan’s military chief who is involved in war crimes in Balochistan. World must take notice of Pakistan’s crimes against humanity and bring Pakistani military generals to the International Criminal Court for massacring Baloch men, women and children.