Disappearance of women and children by Pakistani army is the height of collective punishment. Dr. Murad
Dr. Murad Baloch, Secretary-General of Baloch National Movement, termed the abduction and forced disappearances of women and children from Gichk area of Panjgur as a continuation of collective punishment and said that such incidents had been happening frequently in Balochistan.
He added, “Pakistan is inflicting collective punishment on the Baloch nation through its horrific barbarism and genocide, so that the Baloch nation may give up its struggle for independence. But history has shown that nations cannot be suppressed by such crimes, instead, their faith is strengthened. They become aware of the fact that it is impossible to get rid of these atrocities without getting rid of this life of slavery.”
Dr. Murad Baloch said that a young girl named Samani daughter of Shay Jan, Ajmal son of Shay Jan, Dur Mohammad son of Hassan and his wife Bibi Maryam, his youngest grandson Rashid son of Awaz, Muhammad Karim son of Yar Mohammad and his wife Shah Pari, Yarjan son of Dilmarad, Waheed son of Qadir Bakhsh, Saleem son of Muhammad, Nazir son of Umeed have been abducted by Pakistani army from Gichk and transferred to secret cells. Despite a lapse of several days, their whereabouts are still unknown.
He said that with the onset of Musharraf’s imperialist plans to usurp Balochistan, began a renewed and never-ending cycle of Baloch genocide and war crimes. Initially, people were released half-dead after the worst punishment and inhumane torture. But over time, human rights violations in Balochistan took a terrible turn. During the PPP’s Zardari government, the “kill and dump” policy was an addition to it. Nawaz Sharif continued these crimes and a process of burying people in mass graves started during his rule. His accompliance in these crimes was the then Chief Minister of Balochistan, Dr. Malik and Co. Today, he and his same National Party is trying to use the cases of Baloch enforced disappeared persons against Imran Khan’s government.
The BNM Secretary-General said that nothing has changed for the Baloch nation. The so-called Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan before becoming Prime Minister had said in his TV interviews about missing persons that if he were the Prime Minister, no one would be enforced disappeared in Balochistan. Of course, the Baloch nation was convinced at that time that these were all political slogans. Today, during the Imran Khan government, the policy of abduction took a new harsher shape, and women and children have become victims of enforced disappearances, a new addition to the previous policies. This collective punishment is a brazen war crime.
Dr. Murad Baloch concluded, “I appeal to local and international human rights organizations and activists to respond immediately as your silence encourages Pakistan to commit more heinous crimes. The biggest need of the hour is for all organizations and institutions to raise their voices to stop this unbridled and terrorist state from committing Baloch genocide.”
