Geneva [Switzerland]: Human rights activists from Sindh and Balochistan provinces, as well as the members of the Baloch American Congress and local leaders of the diaspora in Switzerland, organized a protest near the United Nations office in Geneva against the brutalities inflicted by Pakistani Armed Forces in country’s largest province.
Residents of the Balochistan province of Pakistan continue to witness ‘state-backed brutalities’ at the hands of Pakistani defence forces. The province has long demanded and protested for its independence from Pakistan and has been on the receiving end of state suppression.
Members of these organisations gathered in large numbers in front of the Broken Chair monument at Geneva holding banners and chanting slogans highlighting Pakistan’s atrocities in Sindh and Balochistan.
Razzak Baloch, a member of the Baloch Human Rights Council (BHRC), lamented Pakistan for its continuous brutalities in Balochistan.
“According to Pakistanis, Pakistan was created by God. But when this Pakistan was created by God, Pakistan did not have Balochistan in it. Balochistan was not a part of Pakistan, in 1948, the Punjabi army (Pakistan’s Punjab province) invaded Balochistan. They are looters. They want the resources of Balochistan. They want the gold of Balochistan to survive.
United Nations, you see the conflict of Balochistan, you have to intervene,” Baloch said in his statement
The leader while referring to the militarization of the Balochistan, Sindh and other provinces stated that the Pakistani government must revoke its armies from these areas.
“We want the Pakistani army out of Sindh. We want the Pakistani army out of Pashtunistan. We want the Pakistani army out of Pakistani-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Enough is enough. When are you going to make the Pakistani barbarian army accountable? They are killing our people. They want our wealth. They want to silence us. But the Baloch is not going to be silenced. Baloch is going to resist. The land of Balochistan belongs to Balochistan. The land of Sindh belongs to Sindhis and the land of Pashtunistan belongs to Pashtuns,” he added.
Razzak Baloch also referred to the problem of enforced disappearances in Balochistan and urged for the attention of United Nations into the situation.
He claimed, “Thousands of our young men are in their jails, in their dungeons, in their torture cells. And they take their eyes out and throw them in the street. When will the United Nations feel that Baloch is also a human being? Pakistan is not obeying the rules set by the United Nations. Pakistan is an outlaw army. We want the Pakistan army out of Balochistan. We want them now. You have to stop Pakistan to carry out the Balochistan operation. They are sending their tanks. They are using their gunship helicopters. They are using their death squads to silence Baloch. Baloch is not going to be silenced.”