Thursday, April 11, 2013

Sorry Saga Of Baloch Misries: A Document Highliting The Baloch Genocide

Posted: September 11, 2012 in news

Barbaric Punjabi armies are famous of their genocide techniques in Bengladesh.They are using very same in Balochistan as well. Baloch settlements are facing Ariel bombardment time and again, gunships roar upon nomadic villages, and military tanks ruin the crops and corpses both. At the start of recent conflict, Punjabi armies bombarded Bugti fort in Dera Bugti. At March 17, 2005 Shelling of Pakistani Air force and artillery left 70 dead and Countless wounded, including men, women and children. Mass graves discovered in Singsilah, Mand and Chaman were enough to open the eyes of international community but controlled media played a pathetic role to hide the atrocities. Pakistan army reportedly threw the abducted Baloch, from a height of thousands of feet by choppers in Noshki to express their tyrant intentions. Baloch detainees were burnt alive in Singsilah area of Dera Bugti by drowning them in containers of boiling charcoal. Just to put back Gestapo in the row of brutality, Baloch women and children were forcibly thrown in the flares of their burning homes in Biti area of Dera Bugti. Baloch women and Children killed in Ariel bombardment.
Hundreds of thousands Baloch families are forced to relocate in adjoining Sindh and Punjab, where they are leading a miserable life. Pakistani forces often threaten the IDPs in Sindh and Punjab, kill and abduct their youth, take away every source of their livelihood and burn their camps to ashes. A recent offensive on a temporary settlement of Baloch IDPs in Rajan Pur area left three dead and they abducted 12 men. Many NGOs of international repute are on record when they tried to help Baloch IDPs they were forcibly stopped by the State. Recently Pakistani forces launched an offensive an ancient Baloch settlement of Liyari- Karachi, to punish those who sheltered Baloch IDPs, though this armed action was labeled other way to deceive the international community. During Liyari operation, ambulances of different NGOs were not allowed to take injured ones to the hospitals. Abdulsattar Edhi of Edhi foundation said publically on electronic media that he went to serve the humanity in Gaza, Iraq, Afghanistan Egypt and other war torn countries and no one stopped him to work, but Pakistani authorities are not allowing his aid workers and ambulances to enter in Baloch areas.
More than 15000 Baloch families are forced to take refuge in neighboring Afghanistan. Baloch refugees of Afghanistan prove that a war torn country is a better option to save the lives of their families. Devilish forces of Pakistan did not spare them there as well. Abducting Baloch youth How do they treat Baloch What should it be called, genocide?
International media reported more than a dozen of attacks on Baloch refugee camps in Afghanistan by Inter Services intelligence of Pakistan army. Such attacks often cause heavy causalities and misery of poor refugees is multiplied. Thousands of Baloch youth and political worker are illegally abducted and their fate remains unknown. Abductions at massive scale still continue. While drafting these lines family of a 16 year old Farooq Bugti approached and registered that their child was abducted by Para-military forces of Pakistan army in the day light, from capital city of Quetta today. More than a thousand people have been killed in custody, and their unrecognizable mutilated bodies are dumped in waste. So for 500 plus dumped bodies of abducted Baloch have been recognized by their families while others are buried unidentified. Baloch political workers, intellectuals, students, poets, artists, writers and journalists are targeted by the death squads of Punjabi military. Private militias, developed as the fifth columns of military are busy in Baloch genocide with different names. Sitting ministers of Pakistani Government in Balochistan are on record, who accused Pakistani military a sequel of Bangladesh tragedy. Provincial chief of police provided the video evidences in Pakistani Supreme court to prove that Paramilitary forces are carrying out a systematic campaign of abductions and extra judicial killings of Baloch. Chief Justice of Pakistan says the State authorities must keep their forces on leash to stop the bloodshed. But it seems that Pakistani forces are determined to eliminate Baloch nation at any cost.
Contents
Introduction 3
Atrocities: 6
Socio-Economic Situation: 8
Natural Resources-A history of loot and plunder: 11
Oil and Gas 11
Coal 13
Copper and Gold 14
Ports and Coastline 15
Ormara-The port of boats 15
Gawadar-The gateway of cool breeze 16
Jewani – Nursery of Marine life 16
Sonmiani – The port of gold 16
Damb-The Deep 17
Gaddani- The beach of wild goats 17
Violence – Mise en scene 18
Legal Information: 22
UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS 22
Declaration on the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance 30
Institutions Involved: 39
Involvement of Pakistani military 39
Para-Military forces 41
Frontier Constabulary 41
Pakistan Coast Guards 42
Pakistani Spy Agencies 43
Military Intelligence- MI 43
Inter Services Intelligence-ISI 44
State sponsored private militias: 45
Peace Force 45
Mussalah Difai Tanzeem 47
Tehreek-e-Nifaz-Aman 48
Mutahida Mahaz 49
Lashkar-e-Jhangavi 50
Sipah-e-Muhammad 51
Pseudo steps of Government to deceive the international Community: 52
Presidential apology 52
Aghaz-e-Haqooq -e- Balochistan 53
Parliamentary Committee of Gilani Regime 54
Parliamentary Committee of Raja Regime 55
Judicial Commission 55
Suo motu notice of Supreme Court 56
Enforced Disappearances and extra judicial killings in Balochistan: 57
Corroborating Evidences 59
Effected Groups 61
Political Vanguard, abducted, killed and dumped 62
The Intelligentsia Silenced 63
Abduction of Students, Generations on Stake 64
Nation deprived of professionals 65
Culture overturned 66
Observations of Human Rights Organizations: 68
Human Rights Watch-HRW 69
Amnesty International 70
Voice for Baloch Missing Persons – VBMP 72
International Voice for Baloch Missing Persons – IVBMP 73
Human Rights Commission of Pakistan – HRCP 74
Comic part of the human tragedy- State side justification of genocide: 75
Insurgency 75
Enforced disappearances 76
Extra Judicial Killings 77
Response of International Community: 78
US Congressional hearing on Balochistan 79
Resolution in US Congress, recognizing Balochistan right to self- determination. 80
UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances 82
Conclusions: 83
Recommendations 84
Annex 85
Innocent Baloch National Martyered in cold blood 85
Availabe data of Baloch Nationals killed in the custody of Security forces after abduction 130
Baloch Nationals Abducted by Pakistani Security Forces 145
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Polls in Pak just a sideshow of the ruling military-dominant civilian leadership: Tarek Fatah



Mr. Tarek Fatah, a Canadian citizen of Pakistan origin, an author and a journalist, said on Wednesday that the forthcoming general elections in Pakistan should just be seen as a sideshow of the ruling military-dominant civilian leadership, adding that it wouldn't matter who wins or loses, as political power will remain in the hands of Pakistan's armed forces and its intelligence wing - the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI).
Speaking to ANI in an exclusive interview here, Fatah said: "For the Pakistani ruling establishment, which is the military civilian complex that rules the country ,elections are a side show at the federal level. Who wins and who loses, power will still remain in the hands of the Pakistan armed forces and the ISI."
"This has been the case for a long time, because of U.S. Congress restrictions. Even if the military stages a coup, they (the U.S. Congress) can in an instant, immediately stop all military and civilian aid," Fatah said.
"Elections will have a greater impact at the provincial and not much at the federal level. Take for example the situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where the Awami National Party (ANP) is in power. They have been decimated and systematically assassinated by the Taliban and other Jehadi groups that are funded and supported by the Pakistan military.
They have been decimated and systematically assassinated by the Taliban and other Jehadi groups that are funded and supported by the Pakistan military. The real question is what will happen if the ANP is overthrown and defeated in the next election? Then, there is the 2014 withdrawal of U.S. troops and other foreign troops from Afghanistan, which could mean that the Pakistan-based Taliban will take over Kabul. That is a broader strategic issue," Fatah said.
Commenting on developments in the south of the country i.e. Balochistan, Fatah said there was a rift between Baloch nationalists, Akhtar Mengal and the national party of Bizenjo.
There are leaders like Harbiyar Marri , Mehran and Brahamdagh Bugti who have declared the elections invalid because the Pakistan Army is still picking up Baloch youth and dropping them from helicopters, Fatah claimed.
"The latest is they are stealing organs of dead Baloch youth and selling them in markets. So, there is a division in the Baloch nationalist vote, but I think Akthar Mengal of the BNP has some understanding, therefore, he is popular and will form the government in the province. He will, however, face restrictions because the Pakistan armed forces will be on the margins, watching his every move and decision," Fatah said.
He will, however, face restrictions because the Pakistan armed forces will be on the margins, watching his every move and decision," Fatah said.
The Canadian citizen of Pakistan origin author and a journalist further said that Pakistan is a country that has been living under the shadow of gun since its creation in August 1947.
"Since 1953, Pakistan is been under military rule or military authority. The difference this time is that there is widespread insurgency, that has resulted in sectarian killings, and where every political party now has their own armed wings. Previously, politicians used to campaign in jeeps or trucks with few supporters. Now, they have to move around in armed convoys. So, Pakistan will always be under a gun, and it is not some foreign gun, it is their own military guns, plus their own creation of Jihadi groups like the Pakistani Taliban, which in the end, will cause Pakistan to self destruct," Fatah said.
Commenting on the situation prevailing in Punjab in the east, Fatah said that the Nawaz Sharif-led Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) or PML-N, appears to have emerged as the best manager of the administration and the economy in comparison to other parties.
Commenting on the situation prevailing in Punjab in the east, Fatah said that the Nawaz Sharif-led Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) or PML-N, appears to have emerged as the best manager of the administration and the economy in comparison to other parties.
"They have a threat from Imran Khan, who has linked up quite openly with the Jamat-e Islami. People fear that he is a populist that can turn into a Fascist overnight, something similar to the Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto like rule. It really doesn't matter at the federal level who wins. The People's Party is going to lose the elections, that we know. The fact that they survived five years is victory enough for them, because it is the first government ever to complete a full term of office. That itself Is a laurel that they can rest on, but they cannot form the next government," Fatah added.
He also described Pakistan's former President General Pervez Musharraf as a "court jester' who has seen too many Bollywood movies.
"He (Musharraf) is the Gope (Gope Kamlani, one of Hindi cinemas most popular comedians) of the 1950's. He is simply there and playing for someone's constituency, which I can't figure out, but he is the entertainment that will be seen around.
He is simply there and playing for someone's constituency, which I can't figure out, but he is the entertainment that will be seen around. He has absolutely nothing to do with Chitral, he has nothing to do with Karachi. He is a complete rogue, a person who should be tried for treason by a military court because he overthrew not the civilian government, but the commander-in-chief. He is the general who overthrew the chief of army staff. So, he is there for entertainment purposes. He can't win, he can't lose," said Fatah
Fatah said that as of now he saw the PML-N probably winning the most electoral seats because of its better administrative skills and its management of the economy.
However, he cautioned that its partnerships with radical Jihadi groups could go against it.
He also described President Asif Ali Zardari as the smartest politician, "because his term of office continues, the chief justice would have gone, the army chief, General (Asfaq Pervez) Kayani would have gone, and who knows, Mr. Zardari can pull up a coalition with the PML-N as the leading partner and PPP as the junior partner."
"In Pakistan, politics is not based on priciples or ethics, which shouldn't surprise India."
"In Pakistan, politics is not based on priciples or ethics, which shouldn't surprise India. You know how it is," he said.
Fatah described Imran Khan as "just a pretty old face".
"He is a cricketer. He has no political past. It took him 40 years to understand the genocide that took place in East Pakistan. He didn't have ability to say that he has just now learnt that three million people died. He is filling the vacuum in a certain space. Pakistanis need a white knight every few months, with shining arms and comily dressed. Sometimes, it is Ayub Khan, sometimes it is Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and sometimes it is Moulana Qadri. It is a very feural mindset that hopes that someone will deliver them, as if Sallahudin Ayubi is coming to take the crusaders out of Pakistan. It is not going to happen. He (Imran) might win about 20-30 seats, but cannot go beyond that," Fatah said.
"Pakistan was created on a lie. It is a fraudulent concept, which never had a standing, by any rational means anywhere in the world. Islam is not a nation. When a Bengali can't talk to a Kashmiri, what sort of a nation is it? You don't find Turks mingling with Somalis, it's simply not true. Mr. (Mohammad Ali) Jinnah pulled off a fraud, and, the very existence of Pakistan is based on that lie, and if there was any evidence needed, then the 1971 war with East Pakistan, and the creation of Bangladesh, proved that there is no two- nation theory," Fatah said.
(Mohammad Ali) Jinnah pulled off a fraud, and, the very existence of Pakistan is based on that lie, and if there was any evidence needed, then the 1971 war with East Pakistan, and the creation of Bangladesh, proved that there is no two- nation theory," Fatah said.
"Everyone in Pakistan harps about the two-nation theory. I don't think that they either have the courage to face the truth, that it is based on a permanent wound that would keep on providing victims, people will keep on dying to keep the theory right," he added.
"Pakistan was created to stop the advance of the Soviet Union towards the Arabian Sea. The Soviet Union is dead. Pakistan is still alive, but in a fractured form. It is a state that was created for a purpose that is no longer needed. It is like a worker in a factory that has stopped production, still around, but has nothing to offer. Paki
stan was not created for Islam or for Muslims. Indians might believe that. Pakistan was created by an Anglo-American enterprise to stop the Soviet advance towards the warm waters of the Indian Ocean," Fatah claimed.
He also said it would be naive of Indians to think that greater people-to-people contact between the two countries would encourage moves for peace.
He also said it would be naive of Indians to think that greater people-to-people contact between the two countries would encourage moves for peace.
"It's not going to change the predominantly Pakistani contempt for Hindus. The widespread education of over two generations is not just disgust, but hatred or a superiority complex; that they ruled India for a thousand years, and they will go back and conquer Delhi again. The only reason that (feeling) has lessened today is because of Arab money flowing into Pakistan. The Arabs want them (Pakistanis) to hate America more than they do India," he said.
He added: "As long as Pakistan is in its current form, as a militarised state, the military is not going to give up its wealth creating machine by saying we should have peace with India. No, there is a need to have war with India to sustain the military-civilian establishment. Number two as long as Pakistan's Punjabi majority, which has a serious inferiority complex about their own identity, is unwilling to acknowledge the fact that they are Punjabis of Indian ancestry, not of Arab, Turk or Persian, this identity complex will play out in hostility towards India. The moment hostility towards India stops, there is no reason for Pakistan to exist.
The moment hostility towards India stops, there is no reason for Pakistan to exist. So to sustain Pakistan, you have to hate India, and to hate India, you have to demonise Hindus."
Asked what would be the situation prevailing in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of foreign troops, he said that it all depended on who formed the next provincial government in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
"If the Pashtun nationalists lose the elections, there is 100 percent certainity that Taliban will take over Afghanistan, if in the next Pakistan elections in May, the secular nationalist Pasthun wins, there is less of a likelihood," he said.
He concluded by saying that elections in the NWFP will be of significance for the whole world, because, "the moment secular nationalists lose, the Taliban will win".
He described Pakistan as the Taliban and the country's armed forces as Al Qaeda.
"The enemy that the world is fighting is not the Taliban, Al Qaeda, it is the Pakistan armed forces, it is the Americans who fund the Pakistan armed forces, and it is the Indians who pay respect and do trade with those who seek to destroy India. It doesn't matter who wins in Islamabad, it is who wins in NWFP that will matter," he said.
It doesn't matter who wins in Islamabad, it is who wins in NWFP that will matter," he said. (ANI).









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Balochistan: A road map for peace & self-determination.

Six steps to halt the conflict, protect human rights & secure self-rule.

 PeterTatchell02 
“The national democratic movement of Balochistan is weakened by the lack of unity and coordination and by the lack of a peace plan to secure a negotiated political settlement to the six-decades-long conflict,” said London-based international human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, Director of the Peter Tatchell Foundation.
He is today reiterating the “road map for self-determination” that he outlined at the conference on the future of Balochistan, held earlier this year at the Royal Society in London and organised by UNPO, the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation.
His UNPO speech can be viewed here: http://bit.ly/15ruxZc
Mr Tatchell reemphasised that the major challenge for the Baloch people is “the absence of a programme to deescalate the conflict, end human rights abuses and secure a negotiated political settlement leading to self-determination for the people of Balochistan.”
“There are many laudable aims from many different sectors of the Baloch national democratic movement. But there is no agreed plan on how to get from where the Baloch people are now to where they want to be in the future.
“A plan and unity are vital for success.
“Without a concrete plan for peace and self-determination it will be much more difficult to secure the support of the international community. They want to see a consensus on how the nationalist movement proposes to solve the conflict.
“The Baloch people can put Pakistan on the spot by offering a negotiated political settlement and setting out the means to achieve it.
“I speak as a friend of Balochistan who is very mindful that the future of Balochistan is a matter for the people and national democratic movement of Balochistan. It’s not up to me or any other outsider to make any such decisions. I offer advice, experience and knowledge but the future of Balochistan must be decided by the Baloch people.
“What I’m doing is offering a few ideas for consideration. These ideas are not mine alone. They are the result of discussions I had with a group of Baloch national activists in Geneva in 2010, when we went there to lobby at the United Nations.
“This is our draft road map for peace and self-determination: 
“First, there should be a ceasefire and the cessation of military operations by all sides; with Pakistan agreeing to withdraw troops and paramilitaries to barracks, halt the construction of new military outposts and permit independent monitoring and supervision by UN observers and peacekeepers.
“Second, all political prisoners should be released and the fate of all disappeared persons accounted for.
“Third, there should be unfettered access to Balochistan by news media, aid agencies and human rights organisations.
“Fourth, displaced refugees should be allowed to return, have their properties restored and receive compensation for losses caused by the conflict.
“Fifth, the population transfer of non-Baloch settlers into Balochistan should end.
“Sixth, there should be a UN supervised referendum on self-determination, offering the people of Balochistan the options to remain part of Pakistan, greater regional autonomy and full independence.
“These six ideas are only tentative, draft proposals. They are open for further discussion, refinement and amendment. But they are a starting point for a united front for Baloch emancipation. Surely all Baloch nationalists, whatever their other differences, can agree with them?
“My advice is: concentrate on the issues around which you can unite and then the Baloch movement will be stronger, more effective, and you’ll be taking the first step on the road to a long-delayed, much-deserved freedom,” said Mr Tatchell.
The full text of Peter Tatchell’s speech follows below.
Further information: 
Peter Tatchell
Director of the Peter Tatchell Foundation
London UK – 0207 403 1790 [From outside the UK - +44 207 403 1790]
Peter@PeterTatchellFoundation.org
www.PeterTatchellFoundation.org
“Time to Talk Peace in Balochistan: Solutions To End An Era of Terror”
Full text of Peter Tatchell’s speech at the Royal Society in London, 24 February 2013. 
Thank you very much to UNPO and to all of you for being here today. It’s a great honour to speak alongside so many esteemed speakers who have done so much to profile the Baloch cause.
As many of you will know, I have worked with the Baloch national democratic movement in an attempt to bring international attention to the human rights abuses in Balochistan, both on the Iranian and Pakistani sides. Much of this has been done through my articles in The Guardian newspaper and elsewhere.
What I want to share with you today are some tentative, draft ideas on the potential way forward for the people of Balochistan.
I speak as someone who has been campaigning for more than 40 years, promoting democracy movements and the right to self-determination in countries such as Zimbabwe in the days of white minority rule during the 1970s – and in Angola, East Timor and South Africa.
I am bringing my experience and knowledge to the table – my experience and knowledge of how they succeeded in moving from a regime of occupation to a successful liberation movement that secured independence.
This is the big challenge for us now: how do we get Balochistan from where it is at this moment to where we want it to be in the future.
I speak as a friend of Balochistan, but I’m very mindful that the future of Balochistan is a matter for the people and national movement of Balochistan. It’s not up to me or any other outsider to make any such decisions. I offer advice, experience and knowledge but the future of Balochistan must be decided by the Baloch people.
So what I’m doing today is offering a few points and ideas for consideration. These ideas are not mine alone. In fact, they are the result of discussions, which I had with a group of Baloch national activists in Geneva in 2010, when we went there to lobby at the United Nations.
These discussions came down to the recognition of three major problems faced by the national democratic movement of Balochistan.
Firstly, the lack of unity within the Baloch movement. Secondly, the under representation of women within the Baloch movement. Thirdly, and perhaps the most important point, the absence of a road map to secure a negotiated political settlement. These are the three big challenges that the Baloch movement now faces.
The first major challenge is that the Baloch democratic national movement needs to find a way to become more united. The lack of unity and the divisions that exist are major obstacles to advancing the Baloch movement for self-determination.  To create a national united front is fundamental to success.
Right now, we have a great deal of disunity with many different political parties and guerrilla movements, sometimes with competing sectarian agendas and political rivalries. Whatever these political differences are, surely there are fundamental principles on which they can and should all agree?
This strikes me as absolutely crucial for any advancement.
If you look all throughout history, national liberation movements have only won when they have been united. For me, the unity of the Baloch movement is vital to its success. People have to learn to sink their egos, agendas and histories, and recognize the common issues that unite them.
We saw the consequences of division and disunity in Angola in 1970s. There were three competing national liberation movements: the FLNA, MPLA and UNITA. They all fought their own sectarian quarter, and this delayed the process of winning independence. If they had been more united, I am sure they would have won independence from Portugal many years earlier.
After independence was won, Angola became a bloodbath, as the three movements then fought each other for control of the new state. Hundreds of thousands of Angolan people died. Even today, people are still living with the bloody legacy of that sectarian civil war.
Contrast Angola with South Africa. In South Africa, the African National Congress (ANC) was able to present a program, the Freedom Charter, which united the different elements of South African society that wanted to end Apartheid. Indeed, the ANC succeeded in uniting roughly 85% of the non-white population behind its broad-based inclusive unity program. That’s why, thankfully, South Africa post-apartheid did not experience bloody sectarian violence, as seen earlier in Angola.
I think these contrasting histories show that division does weaken national democratic movements. Unity is strength. A united national liberation movement is a stronger, more effective movement. This surely has to be one of the key aims of the Baloch people.
The second big challenge to overcome is to increase the participation of Baloch women in the national struggle. I am aware that in some instances, in Balochistan, women have participated in protests, but overall there is an absolutely catastrophic under-representation of Baloch women.
Just look at this room, just look at the panel of speakers. When I go to Baloch protests in London and Geneva, it is 95% men. How can Balochistan win its freedom if it doesn’t involve half the population? You are denying yourselves the effectiveness of the female half of the Baloch people! It’s completely irrational – you are undermining your strength.
No people have won their freedom without women on side. Every successful movement, from the Vietnam liberation struggle to South Africa and the struggle against Apartheid, women have been at the forefront. This is part of the reason why those movements have won.
Right now, the Baloch freedom struggle is operating on half strength, and that’s got to change. The empowerment of women is fundamental to the success of the Baloch cause. The place of Baloch women is not in the home; it is on the frontline of the freedom struggle. If you want to win, you have to change.
The third big challenge is the absence of a peace and self-determination plan. There are many laudable aims from many different sectors of the Baloch national democratic movement. But there is no coherent, generally agreed plan on how to get from where you are to where you want to be.
It is absolutely essential that there is a plan – a road map – setting out how to end the occupation and the human rights abuses, if you are going to move towards a negotiated political settlement.
If you can’t present a plan for peace and self-determination to your own people and to the international community, you are putting yourselves in a position of extraordinary weakness.
The Baloch political movement needs to put Pakistan on the spot by proposing a coherent plan saying: “This is what we want. This is how we’re going to get from here to there”. The international community also wants to see a plan. They want to see what you stand for. How are you proposing to solve the conflict?
If you have not got a plan, then the Baloch people are not going to be taken seriously.
What I did in Geneva with my Baloch colleagues was to draft some tentative, provisional ideas, which we called the “Baloch Freedom Charter”.
I would like to briefly share parts of it with you.
These proposals are an attempt to map out the very simple principles by which you can move the Baloch national movement forward.
First, the Baloch people should demand a ceasefire and the cessation of military operations by all sides. Furthermore, the Baloch people should demand the withdrawal of troops and paramilitaries to barracks and a halt to the construction of new military bases and outposts, combined with independent monitoring and supervision by UN observers and peacekeepers.
Second, all political prisoners should be released and the fate of all disappeared persons should be accounted for.
Third, all of Balochistan should be open to news media, aid agencies and human rights organisations.
Fourth, displaced refugees should be allowed to return, have their properties restored and receive compensation for losses caused by the conflict.
Fifth, end the population transfer of non-Baloch settlers into Balochistan.
Sixth, a UN supervised referendum on self-determination, offering the people of Balochistan the options to remain part of Pakistan, greater regional autonomy and full independence.
Now, these ideas are only a very broad outline. They are open for further discussion, refinement and amendment. But they are a starting point.
The Balochistan national movement needs to present a credible, practical program to be taken seriously – to promote the right of self-determination and to unite the people of Balochistan.
The people of Balochistan rightly want to know what this movement is about, where it’s going and what it wants to achieve. Without a document that sets out a plan for transition and change, they won’t know. Without a concrete programme of demands, the Pakistanis and the Iranians will not be under pressure. Without a document, the international community will be reluctant to come forward to offer its support to the Baloch people because they won’t know what the Baloch people want or how they intend to achieve it. I agree.
This outline programme could be much more detailed and much more specific. But there is virtue in simplicity and brevity. Looking at the Freedom Charter of the ANC, it contained a mere ten key points.
In this speech I have only mentioned six demands. Whatever the differences and divisions between the relevant Baloch political parties in Eastern and Western Balochistan, these six principles are demands that surely everyone can agree with.
Concentrate on the issues around which you can unite and then the Baloch movement will be stronger, more effective, and you’ll be taking the first step on the road to a long-delayed, much-deserved freedom.
Thank you.
ENDS
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