Probe by Britain on the mass grave sites, to a three-party political intervention initiated by Russia, and the suspension of economic assistance by Japan to Pakistan – panel of international activists, journalists and writers outline ways for greater global awareness for the near-extermination of the Baloch populace
New Delhi: Indicting the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for its duplicity – on one hand allowing Pakistan to raise the Kashmir issue, and on the other hand utterly neglecting the genocide carried out by Islamabad in Balochistan – a panel of international activists and journalists demanded a greater global awareness for the near-extermination of the Baloch populace.
Speaking at a webinar – Balochistan Cries – organized by the Centre for Gender Justice and Women Empowerment on June 17, the panelists also asked expressed severe concerns over the demographic changes spawned by the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). They also called upon geopolitical heavyweights – Britain, Russia, and Japan to intervene in Balochistan.
In his keynote address, United Kashmir People’s National Party (UKPNP) leader Sardar Shaukat Ali Kashmiri censured the UNHRC over its apathy towards the Baloch people. Calling Balochistan, a victim of the post-cold war era policies, Kashmiri expressed shock over the failure of the UNHRC to take cognizance of the inhumane suffering of the people. He pressed the demand for raising the Baloch issue at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) – a platform exploited by Pakistan to raise fraudulent remarks on India.
“If the Baloch issue is raised in the UNSC, then it will force the UNHRC to take notice. The war-like situation caused by Pakistan in Balochistan is a threat to regional peace and stability,” Kashmiri said, while appealing all exiled Baloch leaders to press the demand for securing Balochistan a slot on the agenda of a UNSC meeting.
Britain Must Probe Mass Graves
Quoting the statement of Britain’s Minister Nigel Adams of his government been aware of reports of mass graves in three provinces of Balochistan, Human rights activist Naela Quadri Baloch appealed the British Parliament to question Pakistan.
“The British government has detailed information about the mass graves in Khuzdar, Turbat, and Dera Bugti provinces. They must pull up Pakistan on the worsening human rights situation in Balochistan and crimes against its ethnic minorities,” Baloch said.
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Training her guns on the CPEC projects, she claimed that the genocide of her people started with the foundation of the BRI initiative in Pakistan-occupied Baloch lands. She voiced that Islamabad in its bid to assist Beijing’s territorial expansion in the subcontinent was aiming to change the ethnicity and demography of Balochistan by settling thousands of Punjabis and Chinese in the port city of Gwadar.
“Every day more than 25 to 30 men and women are disappearing from their homes and villages in Baloch and Sindh. They are abducted, kidnapped in joint operations carried out by the Chinese and Pakistani armies. Women are raped, tortured, while their children are butchered. This will cause the extinction of Baloch people from their own lands,” she said.
Veteran Italian journalist and South Asian expert Francesca Marino in her cutting remarks on China said that Beijing has weaponized the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic to grow its footprint in Baloch lands.
“Situation is worsening with every passing day in Balochistan, due to the pandemic. Pakistan, supported by Chinese forces, is using the lockdown to carry out murders through the death squads,” Marino said.
Targeting the UN in her brief talk, Marino claimed that the international organization had ‘gone blind’ over its own reports. “They (UN) are aware of the mass graves, the human rights abuses, they know what is happening, yet they won’t act. The cries of Balochistan have never hit the nerve of the west,” she said while staring wistfully at her computer screen during the webinar.
Three-Party Dialogue
German writer and an expert on South Asian affairs Claudia Wadlich Heidelberg called upon Russia to intervene in the situation. Citing Moscow’s friendly relations with Beijing and Islamabad, Heidelberg claimed that Baloch exiled leaders should approach Kremlin.
“Russia can talk to both China and Pakistan, and rein them in control. Superpowers like Russia must step in this issue, as only they can oppose China,” Heidelberg pointed.
She also claimed that Balochistan falls short in the aspect of international advocacy, due to the reeling poverty in the land. “However, the Baloch leaders must try to fund a bigger international activity, which would capture the attention of the big nations,” she added.
Suspension of Japan-Pakistan Economic Assistance
Japanese journalist-turned-human rights activist Shun Fujiki directed that Balochistan is been ignored by international organizations, like the UNHRC, as it is looked upon as an internal issue of Pakistan.
“Power politics is the core reason for such agencies to overlook the crisis in Balochistan. Pakistan has also canvassed a very different picture of Baloch people in front of these agencies. Baloch activists are looked upon as terrorists, and militants. Efforts must be put to correct these false images across international platforms and forums,” Fujiki said.
He also asked Tokyo to check the utilization of funds, extended under the economic assistance program between Japan and Pakistan, by the Prime Minister Imran Khan-led government. According to a report published by the embassy of Japan in Pakistan, the total amount of Tokyo’s economic aid to Islamabad up until March 2019 reached $12. 42 billion.
“The Japanese government must enquire whether their funds are being used to support, facilitate militant activities against Baloch people,” Fujiki said while suggesting Japan to defer all financial assistance programs with Pakistan for joining hands with China.
“What China is doing in the South China Sea, is similarly witnessed in the terrains of Balochistan. Thus, to stop China, Japan should suspend its economic ties with Pakistan,” Fujiki observed.
