Baloch activists expose Pakistan’s atrocities on international platform

The Norway chapter of PEN International, an organization of social activists involved in the protection of freedom of expression, organized a discussion among activists from around the world in Oslo, Norway, at which prominent Baloch leader Mehrang Baloch spoke on the ongoing issue of forced disappearances and extrajudicial killings. Cast light on. In Balochistan.

The Baloch leader in his/her statement highlighted that during the last two decades, in the name of counter-terrorism operations and peace, a large number of people have been forcibly disappeared by Pakistani forces.

“The area I come from has been battling violence and insurgency for the last seven decades. “During the last two decades, in the name of counter-terrorism operations and peace, Pakistani security agencies have forcibly disappeared a large number of youth, mostly students, engineers, doctors, political activists and journalists.”

he/she further stressed that these people have been detained in detention centres, tortured and their families are not aware of their whereabouts.

“Not for days, but for years, even if there are cases where disappearances have been reported for decades. And the family did not know whether their loved one was alive or dead,” said Baloch.

Mehrang Baloch emphasized that even today it is practiced by fascist states and repressive states like Pakistan.

he/she further said, “Even today, it is practiced by fascist states, by repressive states like Pakistan. During these last two decades, in the name of counter-insurgency operations and peace, many of our properties have been forcibly disappeared. And then their mutilated bodies were found in Balochistan. They were being killed in detention centres.”

Baloch said the true number of those disappeared is unknown, as the state has not allowed the United Nations or international groups such as Amnesty International to investigate the nature of this humanitarian tragedy.

“But when local workers’ rights groups tried to document the numbers or raise their voices, they themselves disappeared. “These stories of victims of enforced disappearance are very difficult to tell,” he/she said.

Sharing his/her experience of suffering at the hands of Pakistani administration, Baloch said, “I myself am a victim. My own father was disappeared by agents of the Pakistani state in 2009. he/she was murdered and his/her bullet-riddled body was found in 2011. When I was in 10th class, this was the day when my result was declared. That day, I found my father’s body, my younger brother went missing when I was graduating in medicine in 2017.

he/she highlighted that they campaigned and held rallies for him/her in Balochistan, adding that he/she was released after three months.

“But my case is not extraordinary. There are worse cases in Balochistan. However, there are victims and there are families with no one left to tell their stories. And even though there are villages that have been destroyed and there is no one to tell their stories.

In his/her statement he/she also said that there are hundreds of children, teenagers and young people whose fathers, uncles or brothers have been missing for weeks, months and in some of the worst cases, years.

“They don’t know if they are alive or not. Along with these youth, the majority of whom are women. I am campaigning and putting pressure on the Pakistan Supreme Court, Parliament and security forces to release those who have gone missing or at least produce them before the courts if they have committed any crime,’ ‘ They said.

Baloch said that Pakistani authorities have resorted to violence instead of addressing these issues.

he/she also mentioned the Long March which failed due to the neglect and misbehavior of the Pakistani administration.

“I traveled more than 1600 km for more than a month in December and reached Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, on a cold evening with children and women. We were beaten, accosted, humiliated and tortured by the police. The controlled media was used to launch a malicious campaign against us. On social media, we were abused and trolled by state accounts,” she said.

Emphasizing that journalists were intimidated and prevented from providing media coverage, Baloch said that Pakistan’s powerful intelligence agencies forced people not to react to the peaceful movement.

“The media ignored us during our protests. The scams were sent right out of the National Press Club in Islamabad. And there was no coverage of this peaceful movement. We have been sitting there for more than a month,” she said.

Baloch further expressed hope and said that he/she is hopeful because the number of people who are behind this violence and those who are using violence is less.

“Maybe they have the power to rule over us. But those who believe in humanity, who believe in peace, we are in large numbers.”