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President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
Washington,
DC
Subject:
Atrocities of Pakistani Army against Baloch and Sindhi people
Dear Mr. President:
Members
of Baloch and Sindhi communities in United Kingdom would like to draw your
attention to the heinous crimes of the Pakistan’s military regime against
Baloch and Sindhi people and in this regard we would like to seek your
urgent intervention.
A brutal
army operation is being carried out by Pakistani State establishment in
Balochistan and Sindh for the last many years. The army operation resulted
in the loss of more than 1000 innocent Baloch lives including women and
children. According to UN figures more than 80 thousands have been
displaced in only one district in Balochistan. Pakistani army has been
carrying out systematic gross violations of human rights. During the last
four years more than 400 hundred educated youth, social activists and
tribal elders have been kidnapped and kept in arbitrary custody and
torture cells by intelligence agencies. The whereabouts of many kidnapped
persons are still unknown, and we believe that their lives are in serious
danger. By all accounts the acts of terror on the part of Pakistani army
establishment tantamount to acts of genocide against Baloch and Sindhi
people.
It should
be noted that the people of Balochistan have been voicing, by political
means, their resentment against the manners in which they have been
treated by Pakistani state since its occupation in 1948. It should be
noted that the state establishment in response to socio-economic and
political demands of Baloch people, always resorted to ruthless use of
military power.
Pakistan’s present military leader, General Musharaf, on scores of
occasions has unambiguously affirmed to physically eliminate Baloch
national leaders. Last year, one of the Baloch nationalist leaders Nawab
Akbar Bugti was killed and his dead body was humiliated by Pakistani army.
Recently another popular Baloch nationalist leader and former Chief
Minister of Balochistan, Sardar Akhtar Mengal, has been arrested and been
put into solitary confinement. Mr. Mengal is not being allowed to meet his
relatives and lawyers. His trial is being conducted inside a jail. He is
being maltreated and reportedly being administered harmful materials in
his food. Two other prominent Baloch and Sindhi leaders, Ghulam Mohamad
and Dr. Safdar Sarki, have been picked up by Pakistani military personnel
and their whereabouts are unknown.
There is
an immense sense of insecurity among Baloch and Sindhi people as Pakistani
army and other the law enforcement agencies stationed in Balochistan and
Sindh are involved in illegal manipulations and patronization of
miscreants, religious fundamentalists, anti-social elements and
international drug traffickers. Baloch and Sindhis are worried about the
safety of their national leaders.
The
tactics adopted by the armed forces, para-military forces, civilian
administration and state security agencies of Pakistan are the violation
of international conventions regarding human rights and all recognized
human values. In the absence of any meaningful international pressure,
Pakistani armed forces and security agencies are perpetrating all kinds of
brutality and human rights violations with impunity. Ironically, the
recent atrocities which are tantamount to genocide of Baloch people are
being carried out by a military regime which is supposed to be the ally of
United States in the war against terrorism.
Mr.
President, now it is an open secret that Pakistani establishment has been
playing a very dangerous double game. It pretends to fight against
terrorism but reality is that this is only a ploy to extort money from
United States and other Western Nations to strengthen its military,
nuclear and support capabilities to enhance religious fundamentalism, and
international terrorism all over the world. Pakistani establishment has
been exploiting the support of Western world for the terrorization and
suppression of voices of smaller nationalities in Pakistan. The weapons
that you supplied to fight against international terrorism are being used
to kill innocent Baloch and Sindhi people.
The
Baloch and Sindhis in UK, therefore, request your immediate intervention.
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We
appeal for immediate
United
States intervention in order to stop the killing of innocent Baloch and
Sindhi people by the rogue Pakistani Army. We request that immediate
actions may kindly be taken in order to force Pakistani military regime
to stop the ongoing military operation in Balochistan and respect the
human rights as per their obligations to international law and UN
declaration of human rights.
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We
appeal for immediate pressure on Pakistani President to release Sardar
Akhtar Mengal and other Baloch and Sindhi national leaders.
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We will
be grateful if an international commission may be set up to investigate
the Pakistani army’s crimes against humanity committed in Balochistan.
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We will
welcome any kind of
United
State’s mediation or arbitration between Baloch and Pakistani state for
a just settlement of Baloch national question.
It is
imperative that the situation in Balochistan should be treated as an
emergency. We request that this petition should be taken as an urgent
humanitarian appeal. Immediate intervention by your can save not only a
lot of innocent lives but it can stop the present situation to change into
a total genocide of defenceless Baloch people by Pakistani army, the like
of which was witnessed by the world in East Pakistan during 1971.
Thanking
you in anticipation,
Balochistan Action Committee (UK)
E-mail:
balochactions@yahoo.co.uk
World
Sindhi Congress
http://www.worldsindhicongress.org/
Balochistan
Rights Movement
Sindhi
Baloch Forum |