Human rights in Balochistan

By Shahdad Baloch

The patriot Baloch leader and head of Free Balochistan Movement, Mr Hyrbyair Marri, has received an invitation from Mr Vijay Jolly of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and president of Delhi Study Group (DSG) to attend a conference on ‘Human Rights in Balochistan’ in New Delhi India. Mr Marri has accepted the invitation and agreed to travel to India to advocate for Baloch freedom struggle and inform the Indian public about ongoing gross human rights violation in Balochistan. The subject of the event is about human right and representatives of oppressed nations from all over the world are eligible and bear the right to attend every forum anywhere in the world.

But there is hue and cry in Pakistan, which has been committing the worst ever human rights violations since it occupied the sovereign Baloch state in March 1948. Pakistan, since its separation from Indian, has a history of war crimes and crimes against humanity – from the scenario of Bangladesh to Balochistan. Pakistan is afraid of Hyrbyair Marri’s visit to India and the reason behind this is crystal clear; that Pakistani state forces are at the “death knoll” owing to their wrongdoings with the Baloch nation in specific and Pashtun and Sindhis in General.

Pakistan has been engaged in the killing of the Baloch nation en masse by using several methodologies. One is the covert military offensives against Baloch nation since 1948 and the more recent, which is open before the world, is the brutal killing of Baloch veteran Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti on August 26, 2006.The news of which was aired by prominent media outlets of the world including BBC, CNN, AL JAZEERA etc. The clandestine operation includes the “kill and dump” policy of Pakistan and raising several death squads against pro-freedom Baloch. These death squads enjoy the chest headed support of Pakistan army and notorious ISI. Still, thousands of Baloch from all walks of life are missing, forcibly abducted and disappeared, the evidence of which is the ongoing protest by Voice for Baloch Missing Persons where families of abducted Baloch have been on strike for past many years – over three thousand days.

Immediately after accepting the invitation by Hyrbyair Marri, Pakistan and its media have once again started crying wolf by trying to link Hyrbyair Marri with Baloch Liberation Army (BLA). It is not the first time that Pakistan has come up with such false accusation but repeatedly it has accused Hyrbyair Marri and rest of Baloch leaders in exile with the same allegation. The reason is Pakistan is afraid of Baloch worldwide diplomacy, especially by energetic scores of protests by free Balochistan movement and its leader Hyrbyair Marri, which in the short span of time gained the attention of international media and communities at large.

Pakistani accusations against Mr Marri were proved wrong when Hyrbyair Marri and his friend Faiz Baloch were acquitted by a court in the UK in the wake of charges against them and trying to link them with the BLA. They were arrested due to frequent allegations by Pakistan to the British government but Pakistan’s bid was foiled by the independent judiciary of the UK- there wasn’t any evidence for Pakistan to prove their accusation. Hence, the only reason was that Pakistan wanted to deceive the UK into believing their lies and deport Hyrbyair Marri from London so that he and other Baloch leaders abroad would face the criminality of Pakistan in the torture cells like thousands of other Baloch.

Pakistan, to fulfil its evils designs against Baloch freedom movement, wants all Baloch to dwell in Balochistan so they are within its reach and that the world is unable to know about its brutalities and military aggression in Balochistan. It is a pre-planned attempt by Pakistan to gather all freedom lovers and destroy the leadership of the Baloch nation, as it did with Nawab Akbar Bugti, Lala Munir, Sher Muhammad and chairman Ghulam Muhammad. Hence, the imminent visit of Hyrbyair Marri on the invitation of India is irritating Pakistan and it’s media units because it is afraid of exposing its horrific actions against humanity in Balochistan. An example of which was brutal murder of professor Saba Dashtyari, who raised his voice against human rights violations in Balochistan but in return Pakistan killed him. It is an evident message on behalf of Pakistan that every voice that asks for the rights of the Baloch nation would face the same consequences.

Indian foreign minister, Sushma Swaraj, answered well in UNGA session while countering Pakistan’s allegations against Indian involvement in Kashmiri people human rights. She narrated the popular phrase of “Look who is talking!” That was indeed a slap on the face for Pakistan and its representatives in the United Nation. The allegations of terrorism by Pakistan are strange because it is itself, the ‘Godfather of terrorists’. The recent evidence of whom was the spokesperson of Taliban, Ehsanullah Ehsan, who was created by Pakistan but they made him surrender immediately when America dropped “mother of all bomb” in Nangarhar province of Afghanistan, where hundreds of Pakistan backed Taliban and military personals were serving proxy for Pakistan against Afghan and Indian people.

Under further immense global pressure, Pakistan has conducted the interview of “rejoiced gesture” Ehsanullah Ehsan through its popular GEO TV channel’s programme “Jirga”.Yet the killer of Afghans, Indians, American and NATO is dwelling at GHQ of Pakistan. The recent release of Mullah Baradar and presence and free roaming of UN-designated terrorist Hafiz Mohammad Saeed are also clear examples of Pakistan’s collusion with religious fanatics.

Pakistan has alleged that Hyrbyair Marri is wanted in Pakistan due to charges against him but Pakistan, as a country in whole, should be declared wanted for providing a safe sanctuary to Osama Bin Laden – the mastermind of 9/11 near a military garrison in Punjab. The 26/11 attackers of Bombay attack also found safe haven in Pakistan. The bombers of 7/7 UK attack were also said to be frequent visitors of Pakistan and were influenced by Pakistan’s notion of Jihad.

We Baloch ask Indians: Could they believe the shambolic state of Pakistan whose foreign minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, openly said “Imran has played a giggly on Kartarpur corridor inauguration” where both Imran and the Army Chief Bajwa shook hands with founders of Khalistan Movement in India? If Pakistani forums are open for those Kashmiris who are spokespersons of Pakistani army against India, who mostly burst their spleen against India, then why should India feel any sort of hesitation for inviting the genuine and peace-loving leader of the Baloch nation on a crucial event?

Indian people should be given the opportunity to hear the story of Balochistan from one of the top leader and pioneer of the current Baloch national liberation struggle, Mr Hyrbyair Marri, on their soil. This will help to build people-to-people contact and strengthen relations between Baloch and Indians. But the need of the hour is that the government of India should not succumb to any sort of pressure from rogue states like Pakistan. We Baloch nation hope that India will stand on its invitation and provide Mr Marri with the forum to present the case of the Baloch nation to the Indian people and Indian media. We hope this invitation will encourage Afghanistan and Bangladesh to take similar steps and so will the rest of the world come forward to support the Baloch liberation struggle against Pakistan’s colonial rule over Balochistan.