Baloch, Sindhi Protest Pakistan Nukes, Terror in Houston

Baloch, Sindhi Protest Pakistan Nukes, Terror in Houston

HOUSTON, USA: May 31, 2011. (By Ahmar Mustikhan) Sindhis and Baloch, who are Americans, on Friday protested in front of the Pakistan consul-general in Houston to condemn Pakistan's nuclear weapons program, Islamabad's support to terrorist outfits and state terrorism against people of Balochistan and Sindh. The noisy protest that was held on Jones Road asked the U.S. government to cut all aid to Pakistan because of its ongoing human rights violations in Balochistan and Sindh. The protest was organized by the World Sindhi Congress and American Friends of Balochistan, They raised slogans demanding an end to the killings in Balochistan and Sindh, against Pakistan's state terrorism against Sindhi abd Baloch patriots and nationalists and sponsoring of terrorist organizations. The protesters mainly raised slogans against Pakistan army and Inter-Services Intelligence, Military Intelligence and Frontier Corps. Initially some Americans thought the protest was meant in support of Pakistan's support of al qaeda leader and came with sticks to disrupt the rally but soon realized what the protest was about and shook hands with the organizers, Malik Baloch of the American Friends of Balochistan and Manssor Samo of the World Sindhi Congress. "The Sindhi American and Baloch American of the United States of America express indignation over the discovery of world's most dreaded terrorist Osama bin Laden just a stone-throw of the Pakistan Military Academy, the South Asian Muslim country's West Point," a joint statement of the W.S.C. and the A.F.B. said. "We are here to register our protest to Pakistan's continued support to global terrorists represented by al Qaeda, Taliban, Lashkar-i-Tayabba and Jaish-i-Mohammed and using U.S. taxpayers monies to finance the world's fastest growing nuclear armaments program," the statement said, adding, "There are no doubts in our minds that Pakistan army generals have turned the country into an epicenter of global terrorism." The A.F.B. and W.S.C. said Islamabad is involved in state terrorism, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and torture of secular Baloch and Sindhi leaders and activists in Balochistan and Sindh. Since July last year, Pakistan has killed around 200 secular Baloch activists. These activists were first forcibly disappeared, tortured, killed execution-style and their bodies dumped on the wayside or in the wilderness in the length and breadth of Balochistan. Fate of as many as 1300 Baloch political and freedom activists who have documented as victims of enforced disappearances by the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons are still unknown. Almost every day bodies of mutilated Baloch freedom activists belonging to the Baloch National Front and Balochistan National Party are being found in Balochistan. It has been reported that more than 40 Sindhi political activists and innocent law abiding indigenous Sindhis have been disappeared in recent years. We are deeply shocked at the murder of one of the prominent leaders of Jeay Sindh Muthida Mahaz (J.S.M.M.), Zulfiqar Kolachi, on March 5, 2011. The disappearance of Muzaffar Bhutto, Secretary General J.S.M.M., on February 27, 2011 is another example. On April 21, 2011 Pakistan security agencies killed three political activists of Jeay Sindh Mutihda Mahaz (J.S.M.M.) including two prominent Sindhi leaders, Sirai Qurban Khuhawar, Senior Vice Chairman and Roplo Choliani and Nadir Bugti. Another prominent leader, Noorullah Tunio, was fatally wounded and burnt in the incident and died later in the hospital. The car in which they were traveling was fired upon by the Pakistani intelligence agents and set aflame. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan's fact finding mission has clearly indicated the involvement of security agencies' in the killings and has condemned the callousness in which the Sindhi leaders were murdered. Several other key political activists such as Mr. Noor Mohammed Khaskheli, Mr. Shahid Notayar of J.S.Q.M., Lala Yasser (J.S.M.M.), Shoukat Brohi (J.S.M.M.), Faisal Wagan (J.S.M.M.), Hameed Shar (J.S.M.M.) remained disappeared. Notably, a number of ordinary law-abiding extremely poor Sindhis who belong to Shah Bandir and Jati areas (villages that border on India) have been illegally captured by Pakistani Inter-Service Intelligence. Among those who are abducted include Ali Bachal Themor, Ghulam Kadir Boryio, Taj Mohammed Themor and Mohammed Boryio and more. On May 6, 2011 on two active leaders of Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (P.F.F.): Haji Abubakar, President of Kaka Village unit and Abdul Ganai Mirbahar, General Secretary of Karachi division P.F.F. The two leaders were campaigning for the protection and preservation of mangroves forest in Karachi. Balochistan presents the look of slow genocide. It seems that Pakistan army generals are repeating policies of genocide similar the one they inflicted on Bangladeshis in 1971. Journalists, lawyers and human rights defenders are among the daily victims, which also include students, singers, artistes, and even common shepherds. For example on April 28, 2011 the bodies of another two Baloch activists, Siddique Edo Baloch and Yousaf Nazar Baloch, were discovered from near Pasni Town of Balochistan. Siddique Edo Baloch who was a member of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and a journalist working for a Balochistan based newspaper. The names of 200 victims are too many to mention here but the Amnesty International and the Asian Federation Against Enforced Disappearances have both condemned Pakistan's security and intelligence services. Many Baloch families have lost multiple male members at the hands of your country's Frontier Corps, Military Intelligence and Inter-Services Intelligence (For details visit: www.bygwaah.com). There is an increase in number of atrocities against Sindhi Hindus. On May 12, 2011 a young Hindu named Mohabat Mal, who belongs to the scheduled caste, was abducted by a mob of hundreds of persons from a police station. The police stopped further investigation because of the involvement of a powerful religious group. He was previously abducted by a group of local religious leaders including the leader of the mosque and kept in their custody, allegedly for nine months. The victim alleged that he was raped during his captivity and that he was forced to convert his religion by affixing his signature on plain papers. Islamabad's killing and continued persecution of Christians are hidden from none and the fate of Aasia Bibi hangs in the balance. The families of Baloch and Sindhi victims of enforced disappearances have been protesting in front of press clubs for years now. Petitions have been submitted to Pakistan Supreme Court but the courts are not competent enough to take action against the omnipotent intelligence agencies that are running a parallel government in Pakistan. Islamabad must accept and invite international human rights organizations, especially the Geneva-based Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances, Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Killings, Special Rapporteur on Torture, and U.S. Congressional Fact-Finding mission to Balochistan and Sindh to see for themselves if the country is following the Geneva Conventions in letter and spirit. May 27th is the 13th yearly observance of the Pakistan’s testing of nuclear weapons in Balochistan. According to renowned nuclear physicist Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission specifically prohibited any environmental impact assessment in Chagai where the deadly weapons that were built with alleged Chinese assistance were tested. The local Baloch population has complained of outbreak of strange diseases in the area. We demand of Islamabad to voluntarily roll back its nuclear weapons program without preconditions. We oppose all manufacturing, testing, deployment and any use of all types of nuclear weapons and arms. Therefore, we demand that Pakistan should comply with Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), and Nuclear Weapons Free Zones (NWFZ) and to prevent the proliferation of missiles and related technology. These include, notably, the Hague Code of Conduct (HCOC) and the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). We call upon Islamabad to stop using the U.S. taxpayers money for crimes against humanity in Balochistan and Sindh; stop the military operation in Balochistan and grant the people of Balochistan and Sindh their right to self-determination as enshrined in the U.N. Charter; stop promoting and sponsoring terrorist organizations that pose a threat to regional and global peace and security and dismantle the headquarters of al Qaeda, Taliban, Lashkar-i-Tayyaba and Jaish Mohammed, which have found fertile breeding grounds in Pakistan; immediately repeal the blasphemy law that has been used to target religious minorities; last but not the least we urge Islamabad to either totally disband the terrorist Inter-Services Intelligence or at least bring the dreaded agency under civilian control. "Pakistan must stop using U.S. aid in killing secular activist in Balochistan and Sindh," the joint statement said. Pakistan consul-gernal Aqil Nadeem tried his best to convince baloch and Sindhi activists to call of their protest. U.S. Congressmen who are informed about the protest were Michael McCaul, Mac Thornberry, Ron Paul, Ted Poe, Michael Conaway, Silvestre Reyes, Sheila Jackson Lee, John Culberson, Lamar Smith, Blake Farenthold, Henry Cuellar and Senators John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchinson. Malik Baloch and Mumtaz Memon presented the memorandum to to Mr. Aqil Nadeem. An employee of the consulate, who is supected to be working for the Inter-Services intelligence, took snaps of the protesters. twitter.com/mustikhan