Proposal to end “Human rights Violence” in Balochistan

Throughout history, people’s human rights have been violated, but efforts have also been made to
address the violations, and protect their rights. Human rights are rights as regarded belonging to all
people. Today we are all entitled to the same rights. In a sense, we are all equal. Everyone has the
right to life, liberty and security of person.

Human rights are rights and liberties that are guaranteed to everyone at birth but as we know there
are some countries like Baluchistan is facing sever issues as violence against human rights.

Balochistan is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. It is the largest province in terms of land area,
forming the southwestern region of the country, but is the least populated. There have been human
rights violation under dictatorial regimes in the Pakistan province of Balochistan. Balochistan situation
is a little more complex. 

Human rights violations in the Balochistan province of Pakistan have drawn concern in the
international community, being described by Human Rights Watch (HRW) as having reached
epidemic proportions.

The violations have taken place during the ongoing Balochistan conflict between Baloch
nationalists, terrorist and the Government of Pakistan over the rule of Balochistan, the largest
province by land area of modern-day Pakistan.

Brad Adams the director of the Asia branch of HRW has said that the Pakistani government has not
done enough to stop the violence.

The Human Rights violations include but not limited to torture, enforced disappearances of those
suspected of either terrorism or opposing the military, ill treatment of those suspected of criminal
activity, and extrajudicial killings.

Baloch insurgent movements have also been accused of grave human rights abuses in
Balochistan, including targeted killings of ethnic non-Baloch civilians by Human Right Organisation.

Journalists, teachers, students, and human rights defenders have been targeted in Balochistan
according to the South Asia Terrorism Portal. According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), Baloch
Separatists militants are responsible for attacks on schools, teachers and students in the province. As
a result, many teachers have sought transfer to secure areas such Quetta or have moved out of
province entirely. Moreover, Separatist groups have also claimed responsibility for killing Journalists in
the province.

Apart from Human Right Organisations, Baloch separatists themselves have accused each other of
being involved in Human right violations. Separatist accuse each other of being involved in extortion,
kidnapping and even raping local Baloch.

The U.S. Department of State estimates that in 2012 at least 690 civilians were victims of violence in
Balochistan. A report from the Interior Ministry in 2012 stated that Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Lashkar-e-
Balochistan, Baloch Musalla Difa Tanzeem, and the Baloch Liberation Army were involved in violent
disturbances. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan estimates that these groups and others
killed 2,050 innocent persons and injured another 3,822 in 2012.

The US Department of State Country Report on Human Rights Practices for 2015 and 2016 pointed
out, “Pakistani authorities did not allow international organisations access to detention canters most
affected by violence in KP, FATA, and Balochistan.”

While perpetrating enforced disappearances and extra-judicial killings, the government of Pakistan
also tried hard to suppress any information about its actions coming out. In the Freedom in the World
Report for 2016, Freedom House said that the Pakistan government blocked more than 400,000
websites that year.
The provincial government in Balochistan blocked access to a Baloch human rights blog run by
journalists. The government blocked several Baloch websites, including the English-language website
The Baloch Hal and the website of Daily Tawar, a Balochistan-based newspaper.

In a report in 2014, the International Crisis Group had pointed out that Pakistan’s policy in Balochistan
has been one of brutally suppressing the Baluch insurgency, instead of trying to understand and
accommodate demands for political and economic autonomy. According to the Human Rights
Commission of Pakistan, the last few years have seen a rise in civilian casualties in Balochistan
because of operations by the security forces.

Balochistan comprises 43% of Pakistan’s land area and 6% of Pakistan’s population. But the
representation of the Baluch in Pakistan’s institutions is not proportional to their number.

According to reports by Pakistani experts and by the International Crisis Group, as of 2006, there
were only 15,000 Baloch in the 550,000-strong army (excluding paramilitary forces) or approximately
1.3%.

These injustices need the world’s attention.

Balochistan is the cauldron of the worst human rights violations in Pakistan, which does not have a
good track record of upholding human rights in general. Its oppression of religious minorities –
including Christians and Ahmadis – is widely recognised.

In recent years, Hazara Shias in Balochistan and Shias in Parachinar in the FATA have also come
under attack and subjected to ethnic cleansing to facilitate militant operations in their traditional areas
by Afghan Taliban and the notorious Haqqani network.

We should not let Balochistan become a battleground for rival external powers. The people of
Balochistan deserve better than being oppressed by Rawalpindi and Islamabad or being used as
pawns in international great games.

Instead of attacking and destroying the Baloch, Sindhis, Pashtun, or Muhajirs, the Pakistani military
establishment should focus on eliminating safe havens for international terrorists like Al-Qaeda, ISIS
and the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban.

The World Baloch Organisation (WBO) has launched an awareness campaign in New York City to
highlight the alarming human rights violation in Balochistan. This comes as world leaders gather in the
city to attend the annual United Nations General Assembly session.

As part of the campaign, mobile billboards are being driven around the United Nations headquarters,
with messages like "United Nations help end human rights abuses in Balochistan" urging world
leaders to help end the human rights abuses inflicted on the people of Balochistan.

International human rights bodies and the United Nations should visit Balochistan and investigate the
situation. They should stop Pakistan armed forces from committing such war crimes against humanity.
Human rights commission, United nation working on it.

I join all of you in recognising the sacrifice of the Baloch people. May the sacrifice of thousands of
Baloch men and women – bear fruit and Balochistan get justice because,

“Life is not a matter of place, things or comfort; rather, it concerns the basic human rights of
family, country, justice and human dignity “