|
Pakistan attacks Baluchistan, again
Many civilian casualties, homes destroyed
Musharraf’s
ruthless suppression of the Baluch people
London and Quetta, Baluchistan – 21 December 2007
“Pakistan launched a renewed military offensive against the
people of Baluchistan on 6 December 2007. The often indiscriminate attacks
on civilian settlements took place mostly in the Kahan and Dera Bugti
regions, and involved the deployment of heavy artillery, fighter aircraft
and helicopter gunships,” said British human rights campaigner Peter
Tatchell.
Mr Tatchell campaigns to expose human rights abuses by the
Pakistani government and military in occupied Baluchistan – a once
independent nation that was forcibly annexed by Pakistan in 1948.
These reports have been corroborated by Mehran Baluch, the Baluch
representative to the UN Human Rights Council (see his public appeal for
international action below).
“Pakistan’s attacks have reportedly resulted in deaths of over
100 men, women and children. More than 200 houses and other buildings,
including schools and clinics, have been bombed and burned to the
ground,” added Mr Tatchell.
“Many farm animals were also killed in the
attacks, depriving poor people of their livelihood.
“Faced with this state terrorism by the Musharraf dictatorship,
thousands of Baluch people have fled into the mountains to escape the
military onslaught,” said Mr Tatchell.
In addition, Pakistani troops have been poured into Jafar Abad,
Sangseela, Pat Feeder, Gori, Loti, Panjgoor, Tirbat, Dasht-e-Goran,
Dasht-e-Tala, Kohistan-e-Marri, Arand, Tratai, Siahgari and surrounding
areas to suppress pro-independence agitations and protests against
Pakistan’s murder of the Baluch nationalist leader, Mir Balach Marri.
According to Baluch campaigner Anjuman Ithehad Marri:
“The Pakistani army used helicopter gunships and carpet bombed
innocent Baluchs in the Kahan, Taratani and Kamalan Kech areas. Dozens of
innocent Baluchs, most of them shepherds and farmers, were shot dead by
Pakistan's terrorist army. In addition, hundreds of houses were burnt and
livestock killed.
“Pakistan's terrorist army arrested over 400 innocent Marri
Baluch people in Kohistan Marri, including women and children, and took
them to unknown places. No one knows about there whereabouts. Twenty-five
of those arrested were tied to trees and shot dead.
“We appeal to international peace-loving communities and
organisations, including the Red Cross, United Nations and Amnesty
International, to send a fact-finding team to Baluchistan to see
Pakistan's barbarism with their own eyes,” he said.
According to another report smuggled out of Baluchistan:
“The Pakistan army is operating a shoot-to-kill policy.
Around 500 innocent civilians, mostly women and children, were kidnapped
by the Pakistan army and transferred to detention camps, where they are
being treated inhumanely. Over 2000 people from these areas have had to
abandon their homes to take shelter in mountains and caves to save
themselves from the fire power of the Pakistani military. Currently most
of the affected areas remain encircled and closed off by the military.
Nobody from the outside world is allowed into the region to witness the
atrocities. The operation is on-going and continues unabated; bringing
more suffering and further loss of innocent Baluch life. This new intense
military operation is an attempt to silence and demoralise the rightful
struggle of the Baluch people for their freedom. It comes in the aftermath
of the killing of Baluch national hero, Mir Balach Marri, and the arrest
of Mir Hyrbyair Marri in the UK.”
See below the Urgent Appeal by Mehran Baluch, the Baluch
representative to the UN Human Rights Council, and links to the history
and photos of the affects of the current Pakistan military offensive in
Baluchistan.
Further information:
In Pakistan:
Sardar Attaullah Mengal, former Chief Minister of
Baluchistan - 00 92 21 534 6730, 00 92 21 540 6420
Sardar Attaullah Mengal is a Baluch nationalist leader. He is an
ex-Chief Minster of Baluchistan whose government was illegally removed in
1973. This ‘coup’ was followed by a massive military operation in
Baluchistan that resulted in the death of more than 50,000 Baluchs. Mengal
remained in prison for seven years after his government was dismissed. He
is the founder of PONM (Pakistan Oppressed Nations Movement) and is
currently the head of Baluchistan National Party. His son Sardar Akhtar
Mengal, also an ex-Chief Minster, has been in prison for the last two
years.
In the UK:
Peter Tatchell: human
rights campaigner – 020 7403 1790
Dr Haleem Bhatti: Chair of World Sindhi Congress - 07939 177 286
Ms. Ambreen Hisbani: coordinator of the Sindhi Baluch Forum - 07930 397
082
Samad Baloch: Balochistan Action Committee (UK) - 0782 508 7032
Abdullah Baloch: Baluch nationalist and human rights campaigner - 07737 14
1325
Urgent Appeal – Defend Baluchistan
By Mehran Baluch, the Baluch representative to the UN Human Rights
Council
“I bring to your attention another grave situation that has
arisen in Baluchistan. Since the 6 December 2007, a fresh intensive
military offensive has been launched in Kahan and Dera Bugti Districts of
Baluchistan, by the tyrannical and oppressive Punjabi-Pakistani armed
forces.
“The Western-backed Punjabi army has been sent into the town of
Kahan where it is operating with full force against the poor, peaceful and
innocent Baluch civilians. The brutal, indiscriminate military tactics
violate the ethics of warfare; involving despicable and atrocious war
crimes. The condemnation of these crimes against humanity is a duty of the
civilised world.
“The dictatorial, corrupt Musharraf and Kiyani regime in
Islamabad has abducted over 500 Marri Baluch people from the town of
Kahan, the ancestral headquarters of the Marri tribe. In addition,
hundreds of homes have been burned, schools destroyed and livestock
killed. The Pakistani military is carpet bombing the region and scores of
Baluch civilians have been killed by indiscriminate bombardment and air
strikes using gunship helicopters and fighter jets.
“The army is operating under shoot-to-kill orders from the
Islamabad regime; resulting in thousands of people fleeing into the
mountains. The occupiers have set up temporary concentration camps where
those abducted are being ill treated.
“We request human rights organisations to visit the region and
witness the slaughter for themselves. We also strongly urge the UN Human
Rights Council to send a fact-finding mission to Baluchistan to
investigate these attacks.
“Pakistan is determined to kill the Baluch people and has
deployed its entire state machinery to crush and eliminate the Baluch
nation. This is state terrorism and is in contravention of international
human rights laws.
“We hope the international community will not ignore the
situation in Baluchistan in the way that it stood back and allowed the
genocide in Rwanda.
“Under the regime of Musharraf and his military chief, General Kiyani,
the people of Baluchistan will
always be abused as the enemy. The right to
self-determination is the only solution for Baluchistan.
“The escalated military offensive is no co-incidence, but part of
a pre-planned strategy to crush the Baluch people. It coincides with the
killing of the legendary Baluch patriot, Balach Marri, in the Sarlat area
of Naushki in a military operation on 21 November 2007, and in the arrest
of his younger brother Hyrbyair Marri and fellow Baluch patriot Faiz
Baluch in London on 4 December 2007.”
ENDS
Briefings on the Punjabi-Pakistani
oppression in Baluchistan
BALUCHISTAN DOSSIER (BNP) - 2006
http://www.bso-na.org/files/Balochistan_Dossier1.pdf
Photos relating to the current
military attacks on Baluchistan
|
