US Baloch Show Concern Over Balochistan Situation

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Members of the Baloch community in the Pacific Northwest of the US held a rally here Sunday evening to protest human rights violations in their native Balochistan.

Braving Seattle’s chilling rain, the protesters at the city’s Westlake Park included women and children and carried signs and banners with pictures of the missing Baloch allegedly picked up by Pakistan’s security forces and intelligence agencies.

“We are here to raise awareness about what is happening in Balochistan,” said Zahid Ali Baloch, a young protester among a group of more than 25 Baloch who showed up for the Sunday’s rally.

The protesters demanded from the US government to stop Pakistan’s military aid. “US taxpayers’ money should not be used to commit crimes against humanity,” read a sign.

Ali Baloch, 21, expressed similar views. “Pakistan is not only committing crimes against humanity in Balochistan but also misusing the aid provided to them to fight the Islamic militancy in its northern tribal area.” He says Pakistani security forces are crushing Baloch dissent with the help of US military aid. “We would like to urge the United States government to stop the aid.”

This was the first event of its kind organized by the US Baloch in this part of the country, said Jalil Delwash, one of the event organizers. “This provided us a chance to mobilize the Baloch community in the area and raise a voice against injustices committed toward our people in Balochistan,” he said.

Seattle is the largest city in the Pacific Northwest famously known for being the headquarters of tech-giants such as Microsoft and Amazon.com as well as the Boeing Company, world’s leading airplane manufacturer. The city is also believed to have the largest Baloch population in the country.

Ali Baloch expressed his concerns about mass graves recently discovered in Khuzdar district of the province. ”We request the international community and media to take notice of the plight of the Baloch people.”

Ali Baloch says Balochistan is losing an entire generation of young and promising people. “If the situation is not paid attention to, Balochistan will turn into a graveyard.”