2009-04-10State agents killed Baloch nationalists, says HRCP

Commission says it has credible information about killing of three Baloch whose bodies were found in Turbat
* Says victims were forcibly picked up from lawyer’s office after a court hearing

LAHORE: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has credible information about the killing of Baloch nationalists by the security forces, a statement issued be the commission claimed on Thursday.

The killing was a dangerous provocation and a grave violation of human rights, HRCP said, adding that Ghulam Mohammad Baloch, Lala Munir and Sher Mohammad – office holders of the Baloch Republican Party and the Balochistan National Party – were picked on April 3 by people in plain clothes, who were accompanied by two vehicles of the Frontier Corps that stood at a distance.

Abduction: “It is reported by credible sources that the three victims were sitting in the office of their lawyer after having attended a court hearing when they were forcibly picked up, blindfolded and taken in cars, closely followed by vehicles belonging to the Frontier Corps. A number of people witnessed the abduction. Mutilated bodies of the three victims were found in an isolated place near Turbat in the early hours of the morning,” the statement said.

HRCP claimed that members of the state security agency had picked up the three victims, tortured and killed them.

Investigation: “HRCP is aghast at this brazen violation of human rights and calls upon the government to get this incident investigated thoroughly so that the perpetrators are brought to justice. It is crucial that the authorities condemn this act and warn the security forces from taking the law into their own hands. Persecution of Baloch nationalists must be stopped and the policy of hounding or maligning them through illegal means be abandoned by the authorities,” the statement read.

HRCP said those involved in any criminal activity must be dealt with according to the law rather than through arbitrary and foul means. “It is imperative that the government set up a high level commission to identify those who indulged in involuntary disappearances, torture and extrajudicial killings of hundreds of Baloch activists during and after the Musharraf regime,” the statement said, adding that victims must be compensated and offenders identified and tried.

It said HRCP warned that the free hand given to the security forces in Balochistan in violating the rights of Baloch nationalists would alienate the people of the province and escalate the level of violence there. “Political demands must be met with political solutions and not through brute force,” the statement said.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009�410story_10-4-2009_pg7_3

Press Release, April 9, 2009

The killings, allegedly by the security forces, of Baloch Nationalists are a dangerous provocation and a grave violation of human rights. HRCP has credible information that Ghulam Mohammad Baloch, Lala Munir and Sher Mohammad, office holders of Baloch Republican Party and Balochistan National Party, were picked up on 3rd April 2009 by people in plain clothes, who were accompanied by two vehicles of Frontier Corps that stood at a distance.


It is reported by credible sources that the three victims were sitting in the office of their lawyer after having attended a court hearing when they were forcibly picked up, blindfolded and taken in cars, closely followed by vehicles belonging to the Frontier Corps. A number of people witnessed the abduction. Mutilated bodies of the three victims were found in an isolated place near Turbat in the early hours of the morning.

The facts strongly suggest that members of state security picked up the three victims, tortured and killed them before dumping their dead bodies, which were discovered in a mutilated and decayed form. HRCP is aghast at this brazen violation of human rights and calls upon the government to get this incident thoroughly investigated so that the perpetrators are brought to justice. It is crucial that the authorities condemn this act and warn the security forces from taking the law into their own hands. Persecution of Baloch Nationalists must be stopped and the policy of hounding or maligning them through illegal means be abandoned by the authorities. Those involved in any criminal activities must be dealt with according to the law rather than through arbitrary and foul means. It is imperative that the government set up a high level Commission to identify those who indulged in involuntary disappearances, torture and extra judicial killings of hundreds of Baloch activists during and after the Musharraf regime. Victims must be compensated and offenders identified and brought to trial. HRCP warns that the free hand given to the security forces in Balochistan in violating the rights of Baloch nationalists will alienate the people of the Province and escalate the level of violence in the Province. Political demands must be met with political solutions and not through brute force.

Asma Jahangir
Chairperson HRCP

2009-04-10Bomb blast wounds four in Khuzdar

Khuzdar: A bomb planted on a motorcycle wounded four people in Khuzdar district of the southwestern province of Balochistan, police said, one day after violent protests broke out over the killing of three Baloch nationalist leaders. Baluch nationalists have for years campaigned for greater autonomy and control of the province's gas resources, while separatist militants have waged a low-level insurgency.

2009-04-10 US condemns killing of Baloch nationalists

ISLAMABAD: The United States has condemned the killing of three Baloch leaders in Balochistan, saying one of them had helped in the release of a kidnapped American U.N. official John Solecki.

"We condemn the recent killings of three Baloch leaders," the U.S. embassy in Islamabad said in a statement.

"One of the individuals played an active role in efforts towards the release of an American citizen and UNHCR official John Solecki."

The U.S. embassy said the role by one of the three leaders killed, Ghulam Mohammed Baloch, in efforts to secure Solecki's released had been greatly appreciated.

"We call on Pakistani authorities to thoroughly investigate these three deaths and to bring those responsible to justice," the embassy said.

http://www.geo.tv/4-10-2009/39529.htm

2009-04-10At least 2 killed, 13 hurt in unrest across Balochistan

QUETTA: At least two people were killed and 13 others injured, including nine security personnel, in bomb blasts and firing incidents across the province on Friday during a shutter down strike against the killing of three Baloch nationalist leaders.

Violent incidents were reported in different areas of Balochistan including Turbat, Panjgur, Khuzdar, Gwadar, Sui, Hub and border town Mand. Angry protestors attacked government buildings and burnt banks, utility stores and offices.

According to reports, unknown armed men opened fire on Bugti tribesmen in Tal Barmat area of Sui tehsil, killing two, and then escaped the scene. The Baloch Republican Army (BRA) has claimed the responsibility of the killing.

Sources said that a bomb explosion was also reported in Wadh area of Khuzdar district while unknown armed men blew up a gas pipeline in Zainkoh area of Pir Koh.

Khuzdar

In Khuzdar firing and bomb blast incidents were reported during the strike and protest demonstrations that continued through the day. Workers of BNM and other Baloch nationalist parties blocked the Quetta-Karachi highway suspending all traffic between Sindh and Balochistan. They burnt tires and put barricades on the highway at different places.

The most powerful of the bomb explosions in Khuzdar resulted in injuries to four people including a police official and a local journalist. ‘It was remote control bomb planted in a motorcycle,’ Mr. Ghulam Ali Lashari District Police Khuzdar confirmed to Dawn.

The injured were immediately shifted to civil hospital. Later, police personnel who seriously injured in the blast shifted to Karachi.

The national Highway linking Khuzdar with Karachi remained closed through the day as angry mob blocked the highway burning tries and putting barricades. Police used tear gas for dispersing the demonstrators. Security was tightened in the town deploying more security personnel at important places after grenade attack on FC vehicle

Hub

Unknown armed men attacked a vehicle of Frontier Corps with a hand grenade at Pirkas road while it was on patrol in Hub. As a result of grenade attack five FC men were injured, two of them seriously.

Soon after the blast security forces cordon off the area and shifted the injured to the hospital.

Government and private vehicles were also pelted with stones during demonstrations in Hub town.

Turbat

Reports reaching here from Turbat unruly mob that took the streets of the town become violent when law enforcement agencies tried to disperse them. They pelted stones on the personnel of law enforcement agencies and burnt down branches of MCB and Habib Bank in Turbat Bazzar.

Mand

According to sources three FC men were injured when unknown people opened fire at their vehicle in Mand area a town close to Pak-Iran border. FC sources confirming the incident said that the FC men were on patrolling in the area when they came under fire. The attackers fled in the nearby mountains.

Gwadar and Panjgur

Demonstrations were also reported in port city of Gwadar and Panjgur. Unruly mob in Panjgur destroyed the office of the Nazim Union Council and attacked government offices. However, police and personnel of other law enforcement agencies used tear gas to disperse the mob. A power pylon was also blown up in Panjgur.

Reports reaching here from Noshki suggested that protest demonstration were held in the township by workers of different Baloch nationalist parties. A group of protestors attacked a utility store and after looting set on fire it. They also tried to damage some other government buildings but security forces blocked their way using tear gas.

Protests in other areas

Protest rallies and demonstrations were also reported in Sibi, Dera Murad Jamali, Dera Allahyar, Usta Mohammad, Kharan, Awaran, Mashkey, Kalat, Mastung, Pasni and Jiwani. In Jiwani some clashes were reported between police and demonstrators.

Quetta

Though Quetta remained clam during shutter down strike but in the evening unknown people set ablaze the official of a provincial government department in Railway Housing Society. A house in A-one city area was also attacked with grenade that exploded in the courtyard of the house smashing the windowpanes and doors of the house. However, the owner of the house Saeed Lodhi and his family remained safe in the attack.

The provincial government has taken strict security measures in Quetta and other parts of the province to avert any untoward incident during three days mourning announced by nationalist parties against the killing of three Baloch nationalist leaders Ghulam Mohammad Baloch, Lala Munir and Sher Mohammad Baloch. Heavy contingent of law enforcement of police, Balochistan Constabulary and Frontier corps contained in and around Quetta. No untoward incident was reported in the provincial capital.

2009-04-10Hair Biar Marri pays rich tributes to slain Baloch leaders

QUETTA: Baloch Nationalist leader Nawabzada Hair Biar Mari paid on Friday rich tributes to the Baloch nationalist leaders whose bodies were found on Thursday, saying that the sacrifices of Baloch people for national independence could never be forgotten.

The Baloch nationalist leaders including Balochistan National Movement chief Ghulam Mohammad Baloch, Lala Munir Baloch and Sher Mohammad Baloch were kidnapped on April 3 and their decomposed bodies were found on Thursday from Turbat.

In a statement, issued here on Friday, the nationalist leader said the deceased offered their lives for great purpose and appealed to the Baloch people to come up and complete their mission.

"Enemies are giving in and defeat is their fate because of its fearness the Pakistani forces have started genocide of Baloch people as they did with Bangladeshi people in 1971", he pointed out.

Marri said Pakistani leadership was now sure that Baloch people were near to get freedom and Pakistan’s boat was to sink and that is the reason incidents of killing Baloch people on the rise.

He termed the killings of three Baloch nationalist leaders by Pakistani institutions proved their nefarious designs, adding that now it has become clear on international community and world that ’Pakistan was the biggest terrorist country’.

The nationalist leader said the Baloch people were brave and civilized nation and struggling for its national freedom and added that the brave youths of Baloch nation was fighting the enemies on ideological basis while maintaining their separate dignity.

The atrocities and terror acts could not block the way of Baloch people, he said, urging the MNA from Balochistan to mince their ways and joined the Baloch fighting by giving up the politics of Punjabi vote and elections.

Biar Mari said the Baloch nation has raised now and could not be kept in darkness any more and termed the atrocities on women and children as cowardly act and added that the liberation movement has become now international movement.

He said the cruel steps of Pakistan could not weaken the freedom convoy because every child of Balochistan has come out on streets with flags, raising slogans against 61 years of slavery, which he termed sign of happiness for the Baloch people.

He appealed to the Baloch people to stand up for the freedom of its land, solidarity and integrity.

2009-04-11blasts jolted Kalat, security man injured,Gas pipeline blown up in Dera Bugti

DERA BUGTI: A gas pipeline, supplying gas to the Sui plant, was blown up in Sui Tehsil of the Dera Bugti district on Friday, police said. Some unidentified men had planted explosives, which went off and damaged a portion of the 16-inch-diameter pipeline.

As a result, gas supply to the Sui plant was affected. Engineers and workers of the Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) rushed to the spot for repair works, the PPL officials said. Meanwhile, a patrolling vehicle of security forces hit a landmine, which exploded in the Loti area of the Dera Bugti district and damaged the vehicle. However, all the security personnel in the vehicle escaped unhurt, security officials said.

As many as 10 loud blasts jolted Balochistan tehsil Kalat late on Friday while a security personnel received bullet injuries amid exchange of fire between security forces and militants, police sources reported.

According to police sources, ten explosions were heard in Kalat on Friday overnight while during the chaos a security man was injured but no loss of life was ascertained.

Police cordoned off the entire area after the incident sparked violence and left people in panic but no arrest was made, police sources added

2009-04-11Shutter down strike across Balochistan, 10 killed

QUETTA: The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for the killing of six people whose bodies were recovered from Quetta's Margat area on Saturday, DawnNews quoted a BLA spokesman as saying.

Also on Saturday, unknown armed men shot dead a Balochistan Constabulary personnel on Quetta's Jail Road, police told DawnNews.

Latest reports said three more people were killed in firing incidents, one on Quetta's Kirani road and another on the city's Sikri road. While two others were injured during an exchange of fire in the city's Jinnah town.

A shutter down strike was being observed in Quetta, Khuzdar, Kalat, Panjgur, Awaran, Kharan, Noshki, Turbat and other parts of Balochistan against the recent killings of three Baloch nationalist leaders.

Strict security measures were in place across Balochistan to avert any untoward incident as political activists blocked the Quetta-Karachi national highway at Kalat, police sources said.

Separately, police detonated an explosive device planted at a roadside on the Quetta-Karachi RCD highway in Khuzdar district's Wadh tehsil.

In Turbat, a mob set the Pakistam Muslim League - Quaid's office, the district nazim's office, an old museum and a bank on fire. While in Noshki, the new district jail building was set alight, police told DawnNews.

Violence continued in other parts of Balochistan as well. In Dera Bugti's Loti area, three rockets were fired at a security forces checkpoint, officials told DawnNews. However, no casualties were reported from this incident.

Meanwhile, an angry mob set on fire a zakat office and other official buildings in Panjgur.

Separately, the Balochistan Bar Association will boycott courts across the province on April 13 on the call of President Supreme Court Bar Association Ali Ahmed Kurd to condemn the nationalists' killings, Baz Mohammad Kakar of the BBA said.

The BBA has also demanded the unconditional release of all detained political workers and the recovery of Balochistan's missing persons, Kakar said.