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BALOCHISTAN : Butchery of Baloch by Pakistani Army , Silence of World community
by Baloch
Thursday February 02, 2006 at 12:16 PM
Why World is silent on ongoing butchery of Balochis in Balochistan , by Pakistani Army . ? Know more visit http://bso-na.org
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=51499&SelectRegion=Asia&SelectCountry=PAKISTAN
PAKISTAN: Focus on the conflict in Balochistan
[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]
© Kamila Hyat/IRIN
Children near Quetta protesting against ongoing violence that is keeping their
school closed
QUETTA, 2 Feb 2006 (IRIN) - An apparent air of calm hangs over the sleepy city
of Quetta, the capital of Pakistan's largest province, Balochistan, lying to the
southwest and bordering Iran and Afghanistan.
Along the dusty, wind-swept streets, where temperatures plummet each night to
below 10 degrees centigrade throughout much of the winter, vendors in woven
woollen caps and heavy shawls sell dried fruit, blankets, mittens and other
items on the pavements.
The 700,000 people of the city go about business as usual – noisy trucks blare
their horns almost constantly, pedestrians keeping hands tucked firmly in jacket
pockets as a defence against the biting cold.
Only the occasional damaged building, or a shallow crater by a roadside, gives
away the fact that Quetta has experienced at least 100 bomb blasts and rocket
attacks in 2005 alone, according to figures provided by Pakistan's interior
minister Aftab Ahmed Sherpao to the country's Senate at the end of December
2005. He added that there had been 187 bomb blasts, 275 rocket attacks and eight
attacks on gas pipelines in Balochistan in 2005.
SIMMERING VIOLENCE
In the Kohlu and Dera Bugti districts of Balochistan, lying southeast of Quetta,
simmering violence between tribal militias and security forces has flared up
recently. Since the middle of December 2005, the sound of gunfire, and of
military planes flying overhead, has been heard day after day. In early January,
tension spread to the adjacent Dera Bugti district – with the Frontier
Constabulary (FC), a paramilitary force, locked in fierce battles with armed
militants, consisting mainly of tribesmen.
The people of the province have long felt a sense of deprivation and alienation
from Islamabad, and have repeatedly demanded greater power to determine their
own affairs. Balochis are also demanding greater control over the rich natural
resources of the province. These include vast fields of natural gas at Sui, in
Dera Bugti.
NEED FOR REGIONAL AUTONOMY
Analysts stress the need for more self-determination for the region. "As
far as possible resolutions [to the current conflict] go, in the first place the
1973 constitution of Pakistan should be implemented, especially in regard to
provincial autonomy,” leading regional observer Ahmed Rashid, told IRIN.
He also spoke of the need to "alter the corrupt mechanisms through which
development aid is currently distributed in the province, with a system possibly
involving neutral monitors… so that the development demands of Balochistan
could be met."
Since early 2005, tensions have been running high between Nawab Akbar Bugti, the
chief of the Bugti tribe, and the government of Pakistan. A dispute over
royalties payable for the mining of gas in Dera Bugti, is thought by some to lie
at the heart of the conflict, observers say.
However, increased attacks in Balochistan on military installations, government
buildings and other targets, apparently by Baloch separatists, have added fuel
to the fire. So too has the controversial case of Dr Shazia Khalid, a young
female doctor posted to Sui, who early last year made accusations that an army
officer had raped her. Angered by this, tribal militias surrounded the gas
fields, leading to a stand-off with state forces, which continued for several
months before arbitration by some government members restored temporary calm.
LATEST VIOLENCE
The latest violence began after eight rockets were fired on 14 December 2005 at
a paramilitary base on the outskirts of the town of Kohlu, a stronghold of the
Marri tribe, while President Pervez Musharraf was visiting it. The Marri tribe's
leader, Sardar Khairbaksh Marri, is regarded as a close ally of Nawab Akbar
Bugti and authorities saw the attack as having been planned by tribal leaders.
Nawab Marri has maintained it was in fact staged by the military.
Three days later, paramilitary forces began what local people describe as an
aerial bombardment of Kohlu town and surrounding areas. The government has
consistently denied any army action and insists that the problems of Balochistan
are created only by a few 'miscreants' encouraged by the province's rebellious
tribal leaders.
In mid-January, three soldiers were killed and three others wounded when their
vehicle struck a landmine in the town of Pir Koh, 400 km east of Quetta. After
the blast, suspected militants launched an attack on a gas field in which 12 of
them died, police said.
HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION GATHERS DATA
Fact-finding missions, sent by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) to
the Kohlu area and to Sui and Dera Bugti in December 2005 and January 2006,
under the leadership of HRCP's chairperson Asma Jahangir, have found a troubling
picture. The fighting has caused widespread damage to buildings, and 85 percent
of the 25,000 or so people of Dera Bugti have been forced to flee the town, the
commission maintains.
In the Dera Bugti area, schools have been closed for the last month. HRCP says
children have not been attending them since March 2005, due to armed skirmishes
between tribal militias and paramilitary troops in the area. "How can the
children go to school? There is a sound of gunfire all the time here, the kids
are terrified and there is a real danger of getting caught in the
crossfire," Jan Muhammad, 40, a father of four, told IRIN in Quetta. He had
fled to the Balochistan capital after leaving Dera Bugti, along with hundreds of
other families, in mid-January.
"Life there is not possible. Homes have been hit. No one is safe. We can
see planes with bombs flying overhead," added his wife, Kaushan Jehan.
The HRCP team, on its visit, found what looked like a ghost town at Dera Bugti.
Almost the entire population, their belongings tied atop trucks, vans, lorries
or donkey carts, had left the town and shops had been closed for over a month.
On the roads leading out of Dera Bugti, caravans of people could be spotted
leaving, watched by security forces manning road blocks.
IMPACT ON CIVILIANS
Meanwhile, the town of Kohlu remains under a state of siege. Entry to the area
is barred, and the 12,000 or so people of the town have remained virtually cut
off from the outside world since the middle of December. There have been
complaints of food shortages, acute problems in taking the sick or injured to
hospitals and normal life has come to a standstill. From towns near Kohlu, such
as Kahan, hundreds have fled. The fact that much of the population of the area
is nomadic makes it difficult to ascertain the precise number of displaced
people.
"There is a war-like situation, ordinary people are suffering greatly,
children have been unable to go to school for months and we were told some
school buildings have been hit," Asma Jahangir told IRIN. She added:
"People told us their children had gone crazy with fear."
HRCP has, in a detailed report on Balochistan released last Sunday, called for
an immediate ceasefire and warned that development plans in the troubled region
must be focused on building civil society, including establishing press clubs,
bar associations and community radio and television networks, which would help
connect the population of Balochistan with the rest of the country.
The fact that many roads in the province have been mined by tribal militias adds
to the danger many civilians face. On Wednesday, six members of a family,
including two women and three children, were killed when a landmine exploded as
their van was travelling along a road near Dera Bugti.
Other roads have been closed due to the fighting and people are sometimes forced
to travel many hours along alternative routes, some consisting only of dirt
tracks, to reach destinations lying just a few kilometres away.
As people continue to flee troubled areas, rights activists are also demanding
camps be set up for them and other assistance provided. "These people have
nowhere to go. They need help," Quetta-based lawyer and activist Zahoor
Ahmed Shawani, said.
[ENDS]
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