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==See also==
==See also==
* [[Human rights abuses in Sindh]]
* [[Human rights abuses in Jammu and Kashmir]]
* [[Human rights abuses in Kashmir]]
* [[Human rights abuses in Manipur]]
* [[Human rights abuses in Assam]]


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 11:14, 18 October 2012

Human rights violations in Balochistan
LocationBalochistan
DateOngoing
TargetCivilians and combatants
PerpetratorsPakistani security forces
Baloch separatist groups
MotiveMilitary clampdown

Human rights violations in Balochistan are a major cause of concern to the international community[1] and have been described by Human Rights Watch (HRW) as having reached epidemic proportions.[2] Brad Adams the director of the Asia branch of HRW has said that the Pakistani government has not done enough to stop the violence.[3] Violations include torture, enforced disappearances of those suspected of either terrorism or opposing the military, ill treatment of those suspected of criminal activity and extrajudicial killings.[4]

Background

See also: Balochistan conflict

Balochistan consisted of four princely states three of these, Makran, Las Bela and Kharan; willingly joined with Pakistan in 1947 during the Partition of India.[5] The forth and largest Kalat lead by the Khan of Kalat, Ahmed Yaar Khan choose independence as this was one of the options given to all of the princely states by Clement Attlee.[6] In april 1948 however Pakistan mobilized it's armed forces and deployed them in Kalat, and the Khan was forced to accede to Pakistan.[7] The Khans brother Prince Karim Khan declared independence and fled to Afghanistan to seek aid and began an armed struggle which failed as by June 1948 Balochistan was subsumed as a region of Pakistan.[8] There were a further three insurgencies in the region after 1948, 1958-1959, 1962-1963 and 1973-1977 with the fifth nationalist insurgency having begun in 2002.[9] The 1958-1959 conflict was caused by the imposition of the One Unit plan which had been implemented in 1955. This led to further resistance, and by 1957 Nauroz Khan announced his intention to secede and Pakistan declared martial law one day later.[10] Pakistan bombed villages and deployed tanks with support from artillery. Nauroz was arrested and died while in prison, his family members were hanged for treason.[11] According to Dan Slater pro independence feelings in East Pakistan and Balochistan increased in parity with continuing military intervention in the political arena.[10]

Missing persons

Main article: Missing persons (Pakistan)

In the period 2002-2005 it is estimated that 4000 people were detained in the province, of these only 200 were taken to court and the rest have been held incommunicado.[12]

In June 3, 2012, Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani on Saturday directed the Balochistan chief minister to take special measures to trace the missing persons.[13]

Military abuses

The Pakistan Rangers are alleged to have committed the majority of human rights violations in the region.[14] The Inter-Services Intelligence(ISI) have also been accused of massive human rights abuses in Balochistan by Human Rights Watch, with the disappearances of hundreds of nationalists and activists. In 2008 alone an estimated 1102 people were disappeared from the region.[15] There have also been reports of torture.[16] An increasing number of bodies are being found on roadsides having been shot in the head.[3] In July 2011, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan issued a report on illegal disappearances in Balochistan and identified ISI and Frontier Corps as the perpetrators. Through daily news reports it has been noted that ISI and Frontier Corps puts to death illegally abducted Balochs whenever there are attacks on FC's personnel or bases in Balochistan.[17]

Baloch separatist groups

Baloch insurgent movements have carried out a wide range of systematic human rights abuses in Balochistan, including targeted killings of ethnic non-Baloch civilians. This has caused an economic brain drain in the province. According to the Chief Minister of Balochistan Nawab Aslam Raisani, "a large number of professors, teachers, engineers, barbers and masons are leaving the province for fear of attacks. This inhuman act will push the Baloch nation at least one century back. The Baloch nation will never forgive whoever is involved in target killings." Raisani noted that these immigrant settlers had been living in Balochistan for centuries and called their targeting by Baloch insurgents "a crime against humanity".[18]

See also

References

  1. ^ Akbar, Malik Siraj (12 December 2011). "Balochistan – a human rights free zone". Dawn.
  2. ^ "Pakistan: Upsurge in Killings in Balochistan". Human Rights Watch. July 13, 2011.
  3. ^ a b Walsh, Declan (28 July 2011). "Pakistan's military accused of escalating draconian campaign in Balochistan". The Guardian. Cite error: The named reference "Walsh" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  4. ^ World Report 2012. Human Rights Watch. 2012. p. 362. ISBN 978-1-60980-389-6.
  5. ^ Hasnat, Syed F. (2011). Global Security Watch—Pakistan (1st ed.). Praeger. p. 78. ISBN 978-0-313-34697-2.
  6. ^ Bennett Jones, Owen (2003). Pakistan: eye of the storm (2nd Revised ed.). Yale University Press. p. 132. ISBN 978-0300101478.
  7. ^ Malone, David (2010). T. V. Paul (ed.). South Asia's Weak States: Understanding the Regional Insecurity Predicament. Stanford University Press. p. 175. ISBN 978-0-8047-6221-2. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ Singh, RSN (2009). The Military Factor In Pakistan. Lancer. p. 191. ISBN 978-0-9815378-9-4.
  9. ^ Rashid, Ahmed (2008). Descent into Chaos: How the War Against Islamic Extremism is Being Lost in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia. Allen Lane. p. 36. ISBN 978-0-7139-9843-6.
  10. ^ a b Slater, Dan (2010). Ordering Power: Contentious Politics and Authoritarian Leviathans in Southeast Asia (1st ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 283. ISBN 978-0-521-16545-7.
  11. ^ Khan, Adeel (2004). Politics Of Identity: Ethnic Nationalism And The State In Pakistan. Sage. p. 116. ISBN 978-0761933038.
  12. ^ Dwivedi, Manan (2009). South Asia security. Kalpaz. p. 103. ISBN 978-81-7835-759-1.
  13. ^ PM Gilani orders Balochistan CM to trace missing persons, The News, June 03, 2012
  14. ^ Catherwood, Christopher. Encyclopedia of War Crimes and Genocide. Facts on Files. p. 340. ISBN 978-81-309-0363-7. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  15. ^ Jackson, Richard (2011). Terrorism: A Critical Introduction. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. Chapter 9. ISBN 978-0-230-22117-8.
  16. ^ "Pakistan: Security Forces 'Disappear' Opponents in Balochistan". Human Rights Watch.
  17. ^ http://www.hrcp-web.org/pdf/balochistan_report_2011.pdf
  18. ^ Baloch, Shahzad (9 August 2010). "Raisani seeks mandate for talks with insurgents". Express Tribune. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
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