KARACHI, Dec 20: Baloch nationalist leaders have urged the UN and donor countries to stop giving military aid to Pakistan if it is used against its own people. At a joint press conference on Tuesday evening, leaders of the Balochistan National Party and the National Party said the government had launched a “massive military operation” in Marri and Bugti areas of Balochistan, thereby killing many innocent people largely women and children.
Pointing at the grim situation, they said it was fourth operation being launched in the province on the pretext of “saboteurs and miscreants” search, saying that hundreds of people were either kidnapped or detained by the government agencies.
The press conference was addressed by former provincial chief minister Sardar Akhtar Mengal and NP leader and ex-senator Tahir Bizenjo. Leader of opposition in Balochistan Assembly Kachkol Ali Baloch, BNP leader Akbar Mengal were also present.
At the outset, they briefed the newsmen about the prevailing political situation in Balochistan, saying that we had already warned the people of Pakistan that rulers were planning to launch an overall operation in Balochistan to subjugate the people and usurp their resources.
They said the four-party alliance of Baloch nationalists had given a call for observing Dec 21 as black day to protest against military operation in Balochistan. He said rallies would be held all over the country in front of press clubs.
Sardar Mengal said that time had proved that our apprehensions were correct and that the government was not sincere in finding a political settlement of the issue. He accused the rulers of bypassing all norms of decency by bombing innocent people, saying that relatives of the victims were neither allowed to collect bodies for burial nor injured were being admitted in Sibi civil hospital while the injured from other side were being admitted in CMH Sibi.
The BNP leader said according to reports received so far 50 to 60 people mostly nomad women and children were killed and nearly 100 in Marri areas in strafing and bombing which continued till today.
Akhtar Mengal compared the current situation to that of the events of 70s when a military operation was launched in the province after the removal of the first democratically elected government headed by prominent Baloch nationalist leader Sardar Ataullah Khan Mengal.
According to BNP leader, the latest reports indicate that besides helicopter gunship nearly 20 to 25 jets stationed at Sibi are being used in bombing on Marri and Bugti areas. He asked as to why Baloch people had been once again subjected to massive military operation and what their crime was.
The BNP leader urged the UN and donor countries to prevent Pakistani rulers using military aid against their own people otherwise all their claims for human rights struggle would prove false.
NP leader Tahir Bizenjo argued that the Balochistan issue was basically a political issue and could be solved politically.
Tracing the history of military conflict in the province, Tahir Bizenjo said that history witnessed after every 10 years a military operation was launched in the province which had further widen the gulf between the federation and the Baloch people. It proved that military option had never succeeded and it could be resolved only by mutual dialogue and consent.
He said, “We have always adopted peaceful means of protest and offered our cooperation to the government in finding the solution of problems pertaining to Gwadar, construction of new cantonments and rightful share of our people on their own resources and we joined the Mushahid Husain committee for resolving day-to-day political issues and Constitutional committee headed by Wasim Sajjad to resolve the autonomy and issues pertaining to NFC award.”