WORLD SINDHI CONGRESS

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 PRESS RELEASE

British Sindhis, Balochs and Pushtuns demonstrated today in front of the house of Prime Minister Tony Blair at 10 Downing Street, London to protest the atrocities by the Pakistan government.  The ex-patriots demanded that the British government stop its unconditional support of Pakistan’s military dictatorship.

The protest was triggered by recent gross violations of human rights in Pakistan.  On January 2, a female physician serving in Sui, a small town in Baluchistan, was allegedly gang raped by Pakistani military personnel.  The rape occurred at her clinic which was located in a highly fortified area.  The military interfered with the police investigation, not only destroying physical evidence, but removing at witnesses in police custody at gunpoint.  Moreover, the Pakistani military has responded to protests by the indigenous Baloch against this high-handedness with characteristic brutality: they have shelled Baloch towns, bulldozed homes, and blocked the access of local Baloch to natural springs that provide water to the villagers.

The protest was organized by the Sindh Baloch Forum, a coalition of Sindhi and Baloch organizations in the United Kingdom.  Speakers at today’s rally included Dr. Lakhu Luhano and Ms. Suraiya Makhdoom of the World Sindhi Congress, Mr. Sarmad Baloch of the Baloch Action Committee, Mr. Mehran Baloch of the Balochistan Rights Movement, Mr. Kadir Bux Jatoi of the Washington-based World Sindhi Institute, Ms. Zaidi from the Pakistan Workers-Peasants Party, Mr. Gul M. Jakirani of the Sindh National Front, Mr. Habib Jan of the Pakistan Peoples Party, and Mr. Khalid Langha of the National Party of Pakistan.

The speakers expressed their outrage at the continuing human rights violations in Pakistan.   Dr. Lakhu Lohano said, it was “unbelievable” that even in the 21^st century, “Pakistan doesn’t feel ashamed to deploy its army against the people demanding justice.”  He urged the world to take a note of the brutal mindset of the Pakistani military, pointing to a recent statement by Pakistani dictator General Parvez Musharraf threatening the Baloch by saying "they will not know what hit them.”   Dr. Lohano said that given this mindset, it was dangerous to trust the military dictatorship with nuclear weapons.   He urged the European nations to use the large-scale economic assistance they currently provide Pakistan as leverage to ensure that fundamental human rights of the Sindhi, Baloch and Pushtun people are respected.

Ms. Suraiya Makhdoom pointed to the economic devastation of the Sindhi people that has been caused by Pakistan’s anti-environmental policies.   She pointed out that the river Indus has been the lifeblood of the Sindhi people since the time of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization.  “Pakistan has destroyed agriculture, forests and fisheries of Sindh by damming and diverting the water of Indus and its tributaries,” Ms. Makhdoom said.  She added that the world must recognize that “right to water is right to life.”

Ms. Makhdoom noted Pakistan’s horrible record of oppressing women through discriminatory laws.  For example, the Hudood Ordinance deters victims of sexual assault from reporting the crime by not only requiring four Muslim eye-witnesses to prove the crime, but by also exposing women who fail to produce these witnesses to charges of adultery or fornication.   Other Pakistani laws require that a woman’s testimony be given half the weight of a man’s testimony.   Pointing to the recent rape case, she asked, “How can one expect a woman to get justice in Pakistan today?”

Mr. Sarmad Baloch said that although the founding principle of Pakistan was autonomy and equality of the federating units, the principle had been “systematically disregarded for the last 58 years.”   He said the current situation had led the Baloch to the verge of opting out of the Pakistani federation.  Mr. Baloch said only democracy and equal representation for the nations of Pakistan could guarantee peace in South Asia.

Mr. Mehran Baloch said that the current negotiations between India and Pakistan will not bring peace as the core problem was “not Kashmir, but the military regime of Pakistan.”  As long as Pakistan is able to exploit oil, natural gas, coal and other natural resources of Balochistan to build its Punjab-based military, this regime “will continue to promote conflict, not seek genuine peace.”

Mr. Baloch condemned the recent moves by Pakistan to turn the Baloch into a minority in their own province.  He said that Pakistan is developing a deep sea port in Gwadar, Balochistan for its military and building settlements of Punjabis in Balochistan despite the “vigorous opposition” of the Baloch people to such moves.   Pointing to the genocide carried out by the Pakistan army in Bangladesh, Mr. Baloch expressed fears that in case of a freedom movement in Sindh and Balochistan, Pakistan “may use weapons of mass destruction against the Sindhi and Baloch peoples”. 

Other speakers who addressed the rally were Mr. Kadir Bux Jatoi, Director of WSI, USA,  Ms. Zohara Zaidi member of Worker-Peasant Party (Mazdoor Kissan Party) UK, Mr. Gul Mohamad Jakhrani, Secretary General of Sindh National Front,  Mr. Habib Jan, UK representative of  Pakistan Peoples Party, Mr. Khalid Langhu leader of National Party of Balochistan, B.B. Chaudhary, senior member of Communist Party of Bangladesh.

Demonstration was also attended by Mr. Jamil Shaikh, member of Sindhi Doctors Association of UK, Mr. Shahzado Wadhio, Secretary General of Sindhi Sungat UK, Mr. Munawar Laghari, Executive Director of WSI, Dr. Haleem Bhatti, Senior Vice Chairman of WSC, and Ambreen Hisbani, Executive member of WSC.

Mr. Jakhiran said, “Sindhi people will fight shoulder to shoulder with Baloch people, if Pakistan army declared war against Baloch people.”

Mr. Langhu said “Balochistan is not Bangladesh were Pakistani army run away after killing and raping millions of Bangladeshi innocent civilians. If army started war against Baloch people then they will not have any space on earth to run or hide."

Mr Quadir Bux Jatoi of WSI said that we want right of self-determination for all the people, Sindhis, Balochs, Pahtuns.

Ms Zaidi of PMKP said that one nationality is ruling whole of the country in Pakistan. She said PMKP wants right to self-determination for all the people.

Dr BB Chaudhry of CPBB said that Pakistan is already broken as Bangladesh has left it. He said we should fight together to achieve our goals.

Mr Habib Jan of PPP said that Pakistan military should know that it's not 70's it's 2005. If you kill us, we will also kill you. He said PPP demands not to usurp the rights of Sindhis and Balochs. He demanded to arrest the culprits involved in Dr Shazia's rape and punish them.

Ms. Suraiya Makhdoom and Mr. Mehran Baloch delivered a memorandum to the Prime Minister’s residence (attached). 19.2.05