Pakistan: ARMY WANTS TO SNATCH RIGHT OF OWNERSHIP OF BALOCHS: ASMA

Renowned Human Rights Activist and Former President Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) Asma Jahinger has said that Army wants to exploit the resources of Balochistan and wants to snatch the right of ownership of the Baloch people. “I receive threats that why I visit Balochistan and what relation I have with them,” She said this during a one day conference of Supreme Court Bar Association on Balochistan held here at a local hotel in Quetta on Sunday. The Conference was organized by the President of Supreme Court Bar Association Yasin Azad. Number of federal and nationalist parties and human rights organizations attended the conference including, Voice for Baloch Missing Persons, PPP, PML-N, Balochistan National Party (Mengal), National Party, JUI, JI, Pakhtunkwa Mili Awami Party, Markazi Jamiat Ahl-i-Ahdis, and Awami National Party. Asma Jahinger further said, “I’m highly agonized whenever mutilated dead bodies appear as I’m too a mother and can feel the pain.” She said that she had file a petition in 2007 the supreme court wherein she had asked the ISI and MI that whom they were accountable and under which law they operated She said that the same questioned was raised by Farhat Ullah Babar in the senate upon which he received reply from security agencies that they were accountable to the Defence Ministry in operational sense but some other accountabilities were state secrete which could not be told to Senate. She said that thousands of people have come up with witnesses that who picked their beloved ones but no arrests had been made in this connection. She said that She and Zahoor Shahwani, the president of Balochistan Bar Association (BBA), had a met (late) Nawab Akbar Bugti before operation and asked him if he was ready for talks, upon which he had replied, “Talks! with language of guns? Orders have been issued for my, Balach Marri and Barhamdagh Bugti’s murder,” Asma Jahinger said that the same later proved to be true and the agencies good incentive of killing political leaders with impunity, adding that the assassination of the Benazir Bhuto was a consequence of that impunity. She said that whenever she contacted with someone the issue of Balochistan, she got the reply that law and order situation existed in all province. Negating the notion, she said “The law and order problems were created in Balochistan by our own protectors.” She said that Ulema had a positive role in Balochistan and they were not imported ones that’s why they could better understand the Balochistan issue and could help in bringing down the killing of Hazara, settlers and Baloch in the province which is a human rights violation. She said that nobody was born a separatist in Balochistan, but they were born as nationalists and it was not a sin, adding that they have the right to work for the welfare of the people. “They were compelled to take that course by us,” she said. She said that the representatives of Balochistan were seen in the super-markets of Islamabad, adding that if they can not handle the situation and fear for their lives, they should resign the government. Chalking out way-forward, she said, “It has to be decided who is going to rule in Balochistan: civilians or the Khaki, elections are to be conducted free and fair or by ISI or MI?” She demanded that a High Powered Commission should be created with fullest mandate of reaching out all the stake-holders and implementing their suggestions. She said that the High Powered Commission should have the authority to take decisions and the army chief, “Mr. Kyani this is what we civilians want and you will do it.” She recommended that Supreme Court should monitor the upcoming elections so that they could be transparent and genuine leadership could come to the fore. However, she expressed her fear that given the volatile situation elections may not take place in Balochistan, saying that if they don’t the blue caps (UN representatives) would be controlling the matters in Balochistan. Addressing on the occasion former President of Supreme Court Bar Association Ali Ahmed Kurd said that target killings had turned Balochistan in general and Quetta in particular a highly volatile place, adding that those silent on acts of killing were a party to it. He said that this conference would not yield any results until the responsible were made accountable. He said, “If the people of Pakistan don’t come on the roads and oppose the cruelty, as we did for restoration of judges, nothing is going to improve.” He said that it was very true, as quoted by fourth caliph of Islam Hazrat Ali, “States could survive with pagan rule but not with cruelty and injustice,” The Acting President of BNP (Mengal) Dr. Jahnzaib Jamaldini said that the conference had one positive thing that the invited guests from all over the country saw the appalling conditions in Balochistan and the damaged infrastructure. He said that the word, disgruntled Baloch, was a contemptuous word for Baloch as they hatred was not of a one day rather it was result of 64 years long deprivations. He said that nobody bothered about the fate of Baloch for the last ten years when they were killed and their bodies thrown in barren place, adding that but since the day a bill was presented in Congress, everyone seemed bothered. He said that Baloch did not need the sympathy of anyone rather wanted the national identity. He said that the rivers of Punjab and their revenue went to Punjab but the under-ground resources and ground resources game was played with Balochistan and all the revenue of Reko-dic, Chamalang, coast of 780 km went to Islamabad. The President of Balochistan Bar Association Zahoor Ahmed Shahwani said that everyone said that FC was involved in the cases of missing persons, adding that a government report on Balochistan Missing Persons also said that dozens of evidences suggested that FC was involved in all the saga of missing persons. He said that on 6th of February 2012 Sadique Umrani accepted on the floor of the assembly that he had eye-witnessed FC killing three people. He said that the Balochistan problem was not a priority of the provincial or federal governments. He said that the Naveed Qamar Committee came to Balochistan only for 3 hours so what could be expected of it without a mandate with such a short visit. He said that mine owners in Balochistan had requested him repeatedly to save them from the brutality of FC, saying that FC demanded 320 rupees on every ton of coal excavated form mines and the owners had to show their ID cards to enter into their own mines. He said that he opposed the governor rule in Balochistan but suggested that FC should be withdrawn from the province at the earliest and it was not a solution but a part of the problem itself. The PML-N Balochistan leader General Qadir Baloch said that nobody spoke of independence before Musharraf era, adding that Balach marri had bore a oath of allegiance to the Pakistani constitution when he had been elected for National and Provincial assembly membership in 2002 and 2007. He suggested that a commission should be formed to investigate if military operation was necessary in 2005. “This will pin-point the all matters and their causes in Balochistan,” the retired general suggested. Mr. Qadir Baloch said that FC did have a Police training and that’s why it misbehaved with the people. The Chairman of the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons Nasarullah Baloch said that some genuine stake holders were missing in the conference whose presence he felt necessary, saying that 450 mutilated dead bodies had surfaced of the university students, doctors and political activists. “These people, the cream of Baloch nation, are killed because they talk and propagate the fact and injustices being done to them.” He said that complete army’s rule prevailed in Balochistan and it was responsibility of journalists to highlight the issue internationally. The founding member of National Party and the veteran politician Dr. Abdul Hayee Baloch said that Balochistan was never a part of India historically and in 1948 both the houses of Kalat had unanimously decided to remain independent. However, Balochistan was forcibly merged with Pakistan and since then by various tactics they were trying to turn Balochistan into Red Indians. “More than 2 million Afghan refugees had been enlisted in voters list to turn Baloch in minority in Quetta only,” he said. “We are not going to be Red Indians at any cost. We will fight and sacrifice our lives for Baloch land,” Dr. Hayee concluded.