International community and Media should not refer Balochistan as a province of Pakistan

Artesia, California. (July 16, 2017) The Jagriti and the Kashmir Hindu Foundation organised its second annual conference to commemorate the United Nations World Refugee Day conference on 16 July 2017 in California United States.

The speakers highlighted ongoing human rights violations in Balochistan, Sindh, Pakistan occupied Kashmir and Hindus in Bangladesh. The speakers also talked about the plight of political refugees who fled their native countries because of state terrorism against their people and now live an uncertain life in Western countries and Europe.

The speakers included Human Rights activist and author, Dr. Richard Benkin, Aziz Baloch representative of Free Balochistan Movement from Canada, Dr. Saghir Shaikh, General Secretary World Sindhi Organization, Dr. Amrit Nehru, president of Kashmiri Hindu Foundation, and Kathleen Staunton, district director for 48th district on behalf of Dana Rohrabacher.  Mr Rohrabacher was scheduled to attend the conference but due some other engagements he personally could not attend.

Dr. Benkin in his speech emphasised about of unity among oppressed and persecuted nations he said, “United we cannot lose; divided we cannot win.”  With unity, he said, we can expose the links between states like Pakistan, radical Islamist extremists, and their gross human rights violations and attempted genocide of the Baloch and others; within a context that recognizes how they hurt US and democratic interests and thereby win the support of US lawmakers and other western, democratic states.

Aziz Baloch a representative of Free Balochistan Movement from Canada read out the message of the the pro-freedom leader and head of FBM, Hyrbyiar Marri.

The Baloch nation has never enjoyed any peace, stability and prosperity since the British imperial army invaded Balochistan in 1839. The British drew the Goldsmith Line in 1871, and Durand Line in 1893, and divided Balochistan into three parts, in order to weaken the Baloch and Afghan nation. Despite these divisions the Baloch struggle to regain their independence continued. The Baloch in Western part of Balochistan pushed the Persian out of their homeland by 1910 but Persian rulers reoccupied it in 1928. Similarly, after the British withdrawal from the sub-continent, the Easter part of Balochistan became independent in August 1947 but it was invaded by the Muslim Punjabi army of the newly created state of Pakistan 1948. Whitehall’s creation was aimed at dividing the sub-continent and weakening India.

Since, then the foreign occupying powers have been treating Balochistan as their colony, and the international community including the United Nations remained and continues to remain silent against the Baloch genocide by Pakistan and Iran. Pakistan has made Balochistan a slaughter house for the people of Balochistan. Regular military attacks, enforced-disappearances and abduction of Baloch women and children have become daily routine of the Pakistani army across Balochistan. Lately, Pakistan forces have started to abduct and terrorise the women and children of those Baloch activists who are involved in peaceful and political struggle for freedom of Balochistan.

The latest and ongoing military offensives started in the year 2000, and continue to this day in its full force in Balochistan. Pakistan also tested Islamic nuclear bombs in the Koh Kambaran range and Chaghai hills in Balochistan on 28 May 1998. Pakistan army, its proxies and the criminal death squads have arrested, disappeared, imprisoned, tortured, killed and displaced thousands upon thousands of Baloch political and human rights activists over several decades.

Many of the displaced Baloch refugees have sought protection in Western democracies including in the USA. However, the Baloch asylum seekers live an uncertain life in their host countries because the authorities, of the countries where the Baloch seek protection, treat them as Pakistanis. We appeal the world powers that Baloch refugees should not be called Pakistanis because they are victims of Pakistani state terrorism. Baloch refugees should be given political asylum and protection under the UN and international conventions. Deporting Baloch refugees back to occupied Balochistan will be tantamount to pushing them into the jaws of death.

Pakistan is not only committing war crimes in Balochistan but it is also involved in regional terrorism and international blackmailing in the name ‘fight against terrorism’. Thankfully, the world is now slowly realising the double crossing of international community by the Janus-faced state that is Pakistan – because of its involvement, support and sponsoring of religious terrorism. It’s now an undeniable fact that Pakistan has cunningly played a blinder with the West for the last 70 years or so, as it’s involved directly or indirectly in almost all terrorist attacks in Afghanistan, Balochistan, India and in many Western capitals. Majority of the attackers were either Pakistan born, or they visited Pakistan at some point before becoming religious monsters and murderous Jihadists.

We the Baloch people have been telling the world for ages that Pakistan is a cheat and it is deceiving the world but nobody heeded to us. We are glad that today the entire world is coming to the conclusion that Pakistan is a terrorist sponsoring state. The international realisation of Pakistan’s duplicity is a confirmation of our concerns. We hope that the developing sentiment in the US Senate and Congress to stop funding Pakistan and declare Pakistan a ‘terrorist sponsoring state’ will continue to grow and they will succeed in convincing President Trump’s government to stop supporting Pakistan.

One of the basic principle of President Donald Trump is to stop “making bad deals,” as he would put it.  Whatever relation the United States has with Pakistan is a bad deal.  I do not believe anyone thinks Pakistan is an ally of the United States, and a good deal for the United States would be to support the Baloch nation to regain their independence.  It is also the best way to bring US troops home from Afghanistan with a victory that maintains US influence in the region.

We strongly believe that an independent Balochistan is the key to peace in Afghanistan and in the region because an independent Balochistan will not allow Pakistan’s Punjabi army to send their hired proxies and national assets the Taliban, Haqqani Network and other religious extremist groups to Afghanistan via Balochistan. Neither will Baloch nation allow their soil to be used against their neighbouring brotherly nations. The secular and tolerant nature and tradition of Baloch nation are compatible with international values and democracy that is why also the international powers must support the Baloch as their natural allies in the war against terrorism and to defeat the spread of growing religious fundamentalism across the globe.

Apart from promoting religious fundamentalism, Pakistan has lured China into becoming its crime Partner in Balochistan. The China-Pakistan nexus and the so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has become a cause of death and destruction for Baloch nation, especially, for the Baloch people living in Gwadar and Kech districts where Pakistan army carries out regular attacks against innocent civilians in the name of development. We have urged China time and again to stop supporting Pakistan’s evil designs in Balochistan and do not become party between the Baloch and Pakistan conflict. China, however, has chosen to side with the oppressor and occupier against the oppressed and occupied Baloch nation. China’s long term plan, however, is to build a naval base in Gwadar Balochistan and to have control over the strategic strait of Hurmoz to counter US and Indian influence in the region.

We request the International media and all freeborn people to stop calling Balochistan a ‘province of Pakistan’, because this is the equivalent to a severe insult for the Baloch people, as we have never willingly joined Pakistan and neither are we happily living under Pakistani occupation. When the media of neighbouring countries does refer to the Baloch as the ‘people of Pakistan’ it comes across like they are unaware and uneducated in terms of the history of the area. I especially urge the Indian media to refer to Pakistan as the RENEGADE TERRITORY of India, as the land now called Pakistan was not brought by the Mughals, instead that once was part of Bharat that was divided by the British. The only major difference is that the now Pakistanis converted to Islam then out of greed, as a direct response to the Jazia tax. As non-Muslims were forced to pay that tax.

We Baloch have rejected Pakistani occupation from day one, and since 1948 the Baloch resistance against occupation and desire for freedom has never died. The resistance and war of liberation that we are witnessing in Balochistan today is the continuation of the freedom struggle that our ancestors started years ago. The Baloch liberation struggle will continue until the Baloch become in control of their destiny once again, and regain their sovereignty.

Today through this esteemed gathering, we appeal to the democratic nations, international media, international human rights organisations and the regional powers including Afghanistan, India, Bangladesh and other neighbouring states to support our just cause. Indeed, we need your support to regain our independence. An independent Balochistan is not just in the interest of the Baloch, or the region, but it is in the interest of the entire democratic world, as it can bring about regional stability and widespread tranquillity.

Mr Aziz Baloch in his closing remarks said:

• Hyrbyair Marri’s appeal from wold community about not referring Balochistan as a province of Pakistan and the Baloch nation as Pakistanis are important steps to support the Baloch national struggle for freedom.
• The effort of congress and senate should be supported to have further hearings about Balochistan so that the US public and government will know about the Pakistani state atrocities against Baloch people.
• Wold should know Baloch nation’s tolerant and secular traditions as Baloch respect people from different faiths and their right to practice their faiths accordingly.
• US voter and taxpayers should know the money that is given to Pakistan as aid is being used for muting the voice of oppressed and occupied nation.