Statements by Marri Ittehad

Mr. Chakar Marri said that the Government had already used Balochistan and its land mass in testing of nuclear weapons and missiles. Now the Government is planning to install mobile launchers. Chakar Marri suggested that the Government first should attack the first enemy of the people, that is poverty and backwardness on this soil and that should be banished from Balochistan. Our homeland should not be used in arms race, mainly nuclear weapons, Chakar Marri said. 

Chakar Marri was of the opinion that the presence of Chinese naval fleet will be dangerous and it would be a provocation for the Indians and the United States-- the two countries having vital interests to defend the sea lanes and the oil routes to East Asia and Europe. 

He expressed concern that the security and well being innocent Baloch people is threatened with the recent developments in the whole region. He said that the Government should seize the present opportunity and enter into talks with India giving a life to peace efforts. He said that the Government should hold talks with India and save the whole region from complete destruction. Saturday, May 26, 2001

He appealed to the Superior Judiciary to take a suo motto notice to unlawful shifting of Ali Baig Marri into police custody from judicial lock up. He said that the Government would be held responsible if any harm is done on the innocent tribesmen in official custody. Mr. Lashar Marri demanded immediate release of Ali Baig Marri, Alam Pirkani, Mir Ghulam Nabi Bangulzai and others implicated in concocted criminal cases. 

The Marri Ittehad claimed that the Government wanted to keep Nawab Marri under pressure by arresting innocent people. Nawab Marri is denied medical facilities in prison making him more sick and weal. The Marri Ittehad also condemned the police excesses on the protesters of MQM and Jiay Sindh demand legitimate share of water from the Indus source. He said that the Punjab Province had its own five rivers only and got no right on Indus, the sixth river. Tuesday, April 17, 2001

He said that rulers considered Nawab Marri a big hurdle in the way of their designs, which they had against Baloch nation. He said that despite passage of 53 years injustice is being continued with Baloch people and nothing way done by any government for their welfare. 

Chakar Khan Marri claimed that rulers wanted to exploit natural resources of the Baloch nation but they would not allow any government and person to loot these resources, which belongs to whole Baloch nation. He strongly criticized the military government’s policies and said that they were sacking the people of Balochistan from the government service in the name of downsizing and rightsizing. Sui Southern Gas Company dismissed recently many people from Balochistan from service. He said that such actions against Baloch people were creating scene of deprivation amongst the people this backward province. 

He said that on the posts of Vice Chancellor and pro-Vice Chancellor no Balochistani people were appointed, which was a great injustice with the people of this province. He claimed that agencies have involved Nawab Marri in murder case of Justice Nawaz Marri while none of the family member of Nawab Marri was involved in this incident. 

He demanded of the government all Marri’s including Nawab Marri should be released without further delay and cases should be withdrawn against them. Spokesman of the Marri House said that through such tactics Nawab Marri and other Baloch leaders would not compromise on the rights of Baloch people and would continue their struggle for the achievement of their just rights. Wednesday, March 28, 2001

He said that Nawab Marri opposed the Constitution claiming that it did not contain the necessary autonomy to the Federating Unit and thus he refused to sign it or give it the prestige of agreed constitution of Pakistan. The spokesman said that events of 1973 are being repeated as the Government is making preparations for it.

 He said that the Baluch did possess the necessary will to resist the use of brute force by the Government. On this basis, the Baluch people are demanding complete autonomy, control over all the resources and opposed to loot and plunder of our resources by aliens, the statement said. 

He recalled the statements and speeches of Nawab Marri asking the Baluch people to unite and resist the exploiters and those usurping the resources of Balochistan. He had advised the people then not to compromise the national interest, no sell out of patriotism. He deplored that a Baluch patriot is being dubbed as a terrorist and subversive element. 

He said after loosing East Pakistan and emergence of Bangladesh, the rulers did not learn a lesson and repeating the past mistakes. He praised the platform of PONM defending the right of smaller Federating Units and forging unity among the nationalist forces all over Pakistan, mainly in the smaller Federating Units.

 He criticized the Punjab and its leadership of denying legitimate right of complete autonomy to provinces, insisting exploiting the resources of other provinces on different pretexts. Mr. Lashar Marri said that the judiciary should come to the rescue of the detained Marri tribesmen and if the courts fail to provide any relief to innocent people, then the Baloch people will loose trust in the judiciary, a Press release said. March 01

He claimed that over 200 persons, all of them Marri tribesmen, were arrested by the Police in connection with the Justice Nawaz Marri murder case. He said with the arrest of more people, the police started a fresh wave of arrest and harassment. Mr. Chakar Marri claimed that it is pressure tactics by the State machinery to force Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri to surrender the right to exploiting the natural resources of Balochistan. 

He thought that the Government could not achieve this objective as Nawab Marri would not surrender to the will of the rulers as the Marri Tribe chief preferred to remain in prison that to surrender. He claimed that police arrested Sher Jan, Akbar Khan and two students aging less than 10 years in the raid. He demanded their immediate release along with others taken into custody for the past one year. Thursday 8.2.01

It also termed the recovery of weapons, ammunition from the Marri tribesmen as “ cock and Bull story”. The constant raids on Marri Baloch's is not understandable though the Government agencies rounded up more than 200 Marri tribesmen, the statement claimed. It ridiculed the recovery of weapons from the Marri Camp saying that the police and other security officials are using it a pretext to violate the sanctity of four walls of the innocent and law abiding people in search of more weapons, the statement said. It appealed to the Chief Justice of Balochistan High Court to take notice to alleged torture, arrest and illegal detention of Marri tribesmen by the police and others and order their release immediately. 

The statement claimed that some of the people are detained under 16 MPO ( Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance) as the Government and police found nothing incriminating against the innocent and detained people. It claimed that Nawab Marri had been implicated in a murder case with a view putting more pressure on him for exploiting the hidden wealth of Balochistan for the benefit of the majority nationality. The statement demanded immediate release of Mir Abdul Nabi Bangulzai, Azam Marri, Habib Marri, Musa Marri and all others who were rounded up from the Mach area following the stage-in drama of recovery of weapons. Monday, January 29, 2001

It said that the Minister is leveling wrong and incorrect allegations against the Ghazini Marri Baluch for their alleged involvement in terrorist activities in Marri and other areas. It said it is a lie and a propaganda by the Minister defending his vested personal interests. The statement listed names of many people and many incidents in which the Minister is claimed to have freed those killers or involved in murder charges. 

In regard to Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri and his falling health, it claimed that certain tests prescribed by the specialists can’t be carried out in the prison. Thus, it added, Nawab Marri be shifted to a hospital. It cited the example of Ghulam Nabi Mengal, Executive Engineer arrested on the corruption charges. He was bailed out on medical ground while Nawab Marri is denied this facility. It expressed concern over the dismissal of Baloch officers and engineers from Government service by the present Government giving the clear message that only Baloch officers were corrupt and made the specific targets while corrupt from other ethnic groups were spared glaringly, a Press release said. Sunday, January 21, 2001

He said that the whole of Balochistan is completely backward in spite of fact that it got rich minerals and other natural resources if we comparing Balochistan with other provinces. Mr. Chakar Marri said that Balochistan had never been given the job quota and share of canal water from Indus sources despite the tall claims. He said out of 54 jobs for diploma engineers, only two Baloch's were given employment in their own province. Mr. Chakar Marri said that the Government refused supply natural or Sui Gas to people in Kalat, Khuzdar, Loralai, Chaman, Zhob and other areas while the same facility is extended to the remote corners of Pakistan. 

He said that the Government had failed to construct roads in Mekran, mainly in its coastal belt connecting it with the outside world. He said that the nationalists were allowed to rule Balochistan merely for 20 months, that too with massive intrigues and conspiracies to topple Government their Government. He criticized the rising prices of essential commodities, sources of energy, oil and gas, mass unemployment and the Government craze to impose more and more taxes on the people. 

These steps are causing alienation among the Baloch's, Sindhi and Pakhtoon, the civil armed forces are also contributing a lot in the miseries of the common people. Referring to the stand of Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri that mineral wealth of Balochistan is the property of entire Baluch people and not one tribe or its sub-section and the Marri Ittehad welcome it as it gave us a sense of one nation and one people. On the contrary, agents made no contributions other than loot and plunder of the resources of Balochistan and their opponents sent to prisons, the statement concluded. Thursday, January 18, 2001

He appealed to the High Court to take notice of the torture for confession by the police and other Government agencies illegally detaining people for extracting confession against Nawab Marri. The Marri Ittehad leader criticised the police manhandling or Mr. Sajid Tareen, advocate for Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri. He was insulted and manhandled despite disclosing his identity, he stated. Similarly, some detained prisoners at Mach are also being tortured by the jail authorities and demanded an investigation to manhandling of Jamil Rind and others. He said that the prisoners got the right to live a decent life in the Government custody in Jail. 

If the authorities misbehaved with the prisoners, then the Government ceased to exercise the right to govern the country, he said. He was of the view that the Government is unable to bend or force Nawab Marri to surrender before the authorities as he is a committed man and experienced enough to resist such pressure. Chakar Marri said that the Government is planning a police action in Marri tribal area. He did not elaborate his claim in the statement. 

He reiterated his earlier statement that Marri Baloch's are united under the leadership of Nawab Marri and would continue to extend full support to their leader in all circumstances. Chakar Khan said that certain elements are trying to create differences among the Marri tribesmen on one pretext or the other, but they would not succeed in their designs. He also criticized the Government decision to recruit diploma-holder engineers and claimed out of 54 only four are Baloch's. Monday, January 15, 2001

They appealed to the Chief Justice of Balochistan High Court to take serious notice to the missing people, mainly Mohammad Azam Marri, Musa Marri, Mohammad Yakoob Marri, since their arrest some six weeks back. The statement said that the Marri tribesmen were picked up on unspecified charges and still detained in undisclosed places, nor they were produced any court of law. He hoped that the Court will take suo motto notice to the missing people, violation of fundamental human rights and alleged atrocities on them in places of arrest. Otherwise, they said they would produce evidence confirming that they were tortured and inflicted serious shocks to them during detention. 

The Statement demanded an end to the police action against the Marri tribesmen continuing for the past 10 months. They criticized the ill treatment to Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri and denying him basic health facilities in detention and urged the concerned authorities to shift him to a hospital for better treatment to his ailments. They also criticized those elements trying to create differences among the Marri tribesmen on the basis of clans and sub-tribes saying that we are Marri Baluch and united under the leadership of Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri. 

They praised the services to the tribe by Nawab Khair Bakhsh Khan saying that he took the revolutionary step by freeing Marhatta Marris who were enslaved hundreds of years ago and taken prisoner during the wars against Marhattas in the plains of India. Similarly, they said, Nawab Sahib abolished Sung, an import tax on all goods entering into the Marri tribal agency when he became the Sardar of Marri tribe as whole, in the early 1950s. Tuesday 07.11.2000