| Immediate halt to military operation in... |
| Tuesday, 02 September 2008 | |
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Condemning government’s apathetic attitude towards Balochistan and its disinterest in safeguarding the rights of Baloch nationals, activists and members of the civil society have called for an end to the military operation in the region that has claimed lives of thousands of innocent people besides displacing several others. “It has been six months since the so-called democratic government came into power, but to date they have not been able to control the military operation that continues to target innocent civilians in the region,” said Dr Malik, an activist and senator in the Balochistan Assembly. He was speaking at a roundtable conference on “Balochistan’s conflicting situation and its impact on women”, organised by the Aurat Foundation at a local hotel on Monday. Malik accused the rulers of using intelligence agencies to meet political motives and reducing the Baloch nationals to a minority by killing and displacing them. “Even in the Balochistan Assembly, most members are appointed by the intelligence agencies,” he said. Activists present at the conference condemned pro-establishment Baloch feudals, land mafia and drug mafia who, according to them, were equally responsible for jeopardising the integrity of the province. Malik said that instead of recognising and respecting the diverse cultural identities of Pakistan, including Balochistan, the state is trying to discriminate against them to achieve their ulterior motives. He highlighted that a proof of government discrimination against the province was the fact that there was currently no representation of the province on national television, as of other regions. He condemned the media for not giving enough coverage to the crisis in the region despite the fact that this was the fifth operation in Balochistan in the past 61 years. “Today when our national integrity is in question and we are receiving threats despite being nationals of this country and how can the government expect the Baloch to be loyal towards the country,” questioned Naila Qadir, her voice breaking with tears in her eyes as she spoke on the impact of the current crisis on women in Balochistan. She said that it was the women who suffer the most in the province when their husbands, brothers and sons go missing. “Bombs and targeted killings are a routine now because of which, today, the only thing on our minds is our personal security. We are unable to think of anything else. Hundreds of our people have been forcibly displaced in search of a better life too,” she said. She said that children have been forced to discontinue their education because they fear being ‘picked up’ by the intelligence agencies. Qadri said that the people of Balochistan were aware of the importance of their province with respect to natural resources and the government tactics being applied to exploit these resources. She alleged ‘15kg of gold’ is being provided to China on a daily basis from the mines in Mehrgarh, an agricultural settlement in Balochistan. National Workers Party (NWP) leader Yousuf Masti Khan’s fiery speech on the current crisis in Balochistan in the context of federalism drew a huge applause from the audience who were convinced that the struggle of Baloch nationals was not an isolated one as the entire country was engulfed in a similar crisis. “Even democratic governments have let us down in the past as the dictatorial regimes. The impact of military intelligence control is just as strong in Karachi as in Balochistan and even people living in this urban part of the country are being denied their basic human rights,” said Khan. He said that foreign interests in the region and other Central Asian states, because of fuel and gas, was known to all, but it was the foreign policy of the leaders since the inception of the country that has brought the country to this juncture. PPP MPAs Farheen Mughal and Humeira Alwani, who, when tried to defend the role of their government, were denied their right to do so following which both the legislators walked out of the conference. Anis Haroon presented facts about the murder case of five women in Jafferabad, which was condemned by all and Ishaq Mangrio, a member of the fact finding team in Balochistan, also shared his experiences at the meeting. |
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