Germany: Baloch, Sindhi, Pashtun and Kashmiris delegations attend conference against human rights violations

FRANKFURT: The International Friends of Sindh have organised a conference on ‘human rights violations in Pakistan’ in Germany’s Frankfurt city on Saturday and invited Baloch, Pashtun, Sindhi, Kashmiri and other nation’s representatives as guest speakers.

The organiser of conference Mr Saleem Sanai, the leader of International Friend of Sindh, in his opening remarks, welcomed delegates including the Amnesty International Pakistan desk head Sigrid Krieg.

He also emphasised on the need for unity between Baloch, Pashtun, Sindhi, Kashmiris and people of Gilgit Baltistan to counter atrocities against their nations.

The other speakers at the conference spoke about Pakistani state atrocities in their respective regions and expressed their disappointment at the silence of UN and other international human rights bodies on human rights violations.

The Baloch speakers included Free Balochistan Movement’s activist Beebagr Baloch, Hakeem Wadhela of BNM, Mohammad Baloch of BRP and Abdullah Abbas a representative of Baloch Human Rights Organisation (BHRO).

Mr Abbas gave a detailed presentation about human rights violations in Balochistan including enforced-disappearances, abduction of women and children and extrajudicial killing of Baloch activists.

The Baloch representatives also spoke about the recent surge in the abduction of Baloch women by Pakistani security forces and reports of sexual assaults against Baloch women in Pakistani army camps.

The Free Balochistan Movement representative Beebagr Baloch said, ‘All the occupied nations and victims of Pakistani state terrorism including Baloch, Pashtuns and Sindhis should unite and help each support each other at all forums be it international or on the ground. Together we can defeat this artificial state and religious monster – which is currently on its last legs and struggling to survive.’

He also briefly spoke about Pakistani state forces atrocities against religious and other minority groups in Balochistan including Christians, Hindus and Hazaras.

He urged the international human rights groups including amnesty international and UN to stop ignoring the plight of the Baloch nation and ‘speak up before it is too late.’

The representatives of Pashtun Tahafuz Movement included Safdar Khan, Aurang Zaib Alam and Peer Riaz who spoke about recent ‘Pashtun spring’ and Pakistani forces atrocities in Pakhtunistan.

Jameed Maqsood, a representative of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, spoke about Pakistan’s use of Jihadi groups to dilute the Kashmiri people’s struggle for their rights. He also spoke about deteriorating human rights violations in Pakistan held Kashmir.

The Pakistan desk head of Amnesty International Sigrid Krieg presented a detailed report of Amnesty’s work about human rights violations in Pakistan. She also stressed that all oppressed nations should increase their cooperation and work together in future.

German-based Pakistan born poet Atif Tauqeer read his two poems during the conference which received huge appreciation from the audience.