Pro-freedom Baloch activists hold protest rally against Pakistan’s nuclear blasts in Balochistan

Baloch demanding independence of their France-sized homeland from Pakistan Friday held an anti-nuclear rally in Sweden as part of an international campaign to raise awareness about dangers of Pakistan’s nuclear arms.

Baloch demonstrators, who gathered in the Swedish town of Gothenburg, were holding posters of Sabeen Mahmud, Karachi activist and human rights defender. Mahmud was shot dead April 24 minutes after organizing a talk “Unsilencing Balchistan” to highlight the issue of enforced disappearances and kill and dump in Balochistan. Her mother was injured in the attack.

Pakistan tested nuclear weapons in Chagai, Balochistan against the popular wishes of the Baloch people on May 28, 1998. Instead of conducting a nuclear impact assessment, which is needed under international safeguards norms, Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission banned any such assessments. There are widespread reports of a nuclear fallout including abnormal births.

The first Baloch protest of the series was held in Germany on 19 April where pro-independence Baloch protesters distributed leaflets to highlight the Pakistani military aggression against Baloch people, the organizers said. They will also request different human rights organisations and anti-nuclear activists to join their protest on 28 May.

Another such protest is scheduled to be held in Vancouver May 12 followed by one on May 17 in London. On May 28 there will be simultaneous protests in different districts of Balochistan and abroad in Germany, Norway, Sweden, Canada and London.

During the series of protests there will also be an online campaign on using hashtag: #NoToPakistaniNukes and #28MayBlackDay to highlight the effects of Pakistani nuclear blasts in Balochistan.

Baloch patriotic leader Hyrbyair Marri has called upon all Baloch and all anti-nuclear proliferation activists around the world to join Baloch campaign. He said Baloch nation has rejected any attempt of using their homeland for any type of weapons of mass destruction, to be used against third countries.

This campaign organizers’ demands include an immediate halt to all Pakistani nuclear activities in Balochistan, allowing independent scientists, international organizations and media to study and assess the harmful impacts of Pakistan nuclear tests in Balochistan, to stop military operation and to remove completely all nuclear weapons, facilities and wastes under supervision of the UN authorities from Balochistan and dispatch of an independent fact finding team to Balochistan to find out about the fate of victims of the state policy of enforced disappearances and kill and an international inquiry into the victims of mass graves in Balochistan.

Courtesy: http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1238555