Baloch Press Review: The “Kill and Dump”
Posted: 10 May 2011 03:03 PM PDT
By Yousaf Ajab Baloch
Human rights violation is rapidly increasing in Balochistan. The “Kill and dump”of Baloch youth is one of the most outstanding issues confronting the province at the moment. No week passes without the abduction of Baloch political activists or peaceful citizens, or the recovery of their bullet- riddled dead bodies.
The victims belong to diverse walks of life. Federal intelligence agencies and Frontier Corps (F.C) are alleged to commit such crimes with utter immunity.
Reports of various human rights organizations, highlighting the murders of Baloch political workers, journalists, human rights activists, have been paid a deaf ear by the government authorities. This further validates the accusations about authorities’ complicity.
According to the relatives of the missing persons and the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP), more than 150 dead bodies of Baloch missing persons have been recovered since July 2010 to April 2011.
These people were firstly abducted by intelligence agencies and later on their bullet-riddled dead bodies were found from deserted areas of Balochistan. Besides this, according to the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP), more than eight thousand are still missing. Unfortunately, because of Baluchistan’s hypocritical media, the world community hardly knows anything about the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Balochistan.
Some Baloch newspapers and websites are the only sources which highlight this, what Baloch nationalists call a “genocide” and human rights violation.
Last month, the loss of human rights activists, political workers and journalist echoed in the Baloch press.
The Bolan Voice
The Bolan Voice, an English language magazine published from Baluchistan’s Bolan District, reported in its March edition all the murdered Baloch, who had either been abducted or later on killed or allegedly target killed by intelligence agencies. The report “Previous Month Has gone with decomposed dead Bodies of Baloch” discusses kidnapping, extra judicial killing of disappeared Balochs and assassination of political workers and pro-nationalist Balochs.
The report says “In March the series of throwing decomposed bodies continued, this month, many Balochs from different walks of life lost their lives, they belonged to fields of Journalism, government service, education, politics.” The former report discusses the assassination of Agha Mehmood Khan.Ahmadzai, one of pro nationalist and supporter of the Baloch independence movement. Besides this, abduction and extra-judicial murder of following have been discussed: Shahzaman Kurd 22, an activist of the Baloch Student Organization (BSO-Azad), Yasir Baloch, Nazir and Nuroz Khan Baloch; Deen Muhammad Marri ,Arif Noor and Muhammad Nawaz Marri; Farfeed Baloch, Sale Muhammad including the killing of Hameed Shaheen, a founding member of the BSO and Baloch journalist-cum poet Rahmatullah Shaheen.The month concluded with the recovery of six more dead bodies of missing persons who were all missing for a long time. Four of them belonged to the Baloch Republican Party (BRP), and two more bodies even could not be identified.”
Tawar
On April 30, leading newspaper of Balochistan Daily Tawar writes in the editorial “Missing Siddque Eido and Yousaf Nazar Turned into Dead Bodies”. The editor argues: “increasing human rights violation is creating human tragedies. Due to this not only there is mourning situation but also it seems to raise fire of hatred and revenge. In this scene of fire and blood the mutilated and decomposed dead bodies of missing can be seen every where ,which is not only the ruthlessness of the murderers of Baloch missing persons. However, it is also disclosing the absence of empathy of champions of human rights, peace and justice defenders. Concerned to this matter Baloch nation is hopeless to get any attention from former organization. Because such organizations make mountain out of molehill but they are silent when alive Baloch are turned into the dead bodies.”
The editorial further highlights, “One of the fresh incidents is the recovery of the dead bodies of missing Siddque Eido the prominent human rights defender, member of HRCP (the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan) and Mr.Yousaf Nazar an activist of the Baloch Students Organization (BSO-Azad).The guilt of these human rights activists, journalists and political activists is said to be reporting of human rights violation, which they could not bear and according to their level in journalism, literature and in social field raised voice against cruelties to Baloch nation. Such contribution and view point of Siddque Eido and Yousaf Nazar was not acceptable by those powers who consider the Baloch struggle for rights and ownership of land fatal to their interests.”
The Balochistan Express Quetta
On April 27, Daily Balochistan Express published a one-column report on its front page reporting a complete shutter down called by the Baloch National Front (BNF) and Baloch Republican Party (BRP) in Khuzdar, Turbat, Panjgur and other adjoining areas condemning the recovery of five bullet-riddled bodies of Baloch missing persons: Zareef Baloch, Shahmeem Baloch, Murtaza Zehri, Muhammad Ayoub,and Muhammad Hafeez.The newspaper quoted statement of protesters,
“The state is violating the human rights in Balochistan.The protesters from the United Nations to take serious note of extra- judicial killing of Baloch in the hands of state functionaries.”
Azadi Quetta
On April 27, Daily Azadi, Quetta, quoted a BBC report on its front page in three columns in which some families ,whose loved ones had been disappeared and later killed, had been interviewed. The interviewed family members alleged that intelligence were responsible for “kill and dump” in Balochistan. They said their near and dear ones had been tortured to death.
The report concludes with the statements of victim families about the Balochistan Package, “The (Balochistan Package) is fraud, drama, and it is only for those who are appeasing the State. We reject package, those who are supporting it, they are venal. Our fault is that we are Balochs and demand our rights. The Balochistan Package is mere rhetoric. In reality, it has no existence and we reject it.”
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