Quetta, Aug 11 (IANS) Balochistan on Monday observed the 78th Independence Day, continuing an annual tradition that defies what Baloch human rights groups call Pakistan’s “illegal occupation” of the region.
The Baloch struggle for independence has significant historical origins, starting in 1947 when the princely state of Kalat made a short-lived declaration of independence following the partition of British India.
Nevertheless, in 1948, Pakistan forcibly annexed the region, a move that has continually been opposed by Baloch nationalists.
In an attempt to suppress the Independence Day celebrations, the Pakistani forces have imposed Section 144 for fifteen days in Balochistan, which is rejected by the 60 million Baloch population.
Leading Baloch human rights defender Mir Yar Baloch has accused the Pakistani army of being stationed in Balochistan, during the celebrations, “without any legal mandate, driven not by law or justice but by greed, repression, and the hunger to erase Baloch identity.”
The human rights activist asserted that “Pakistan’s crimes” against the Baloch are not isolated and also accused the rogue state of being “guilty of war crimes” in Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Palestine.
Terming Pakistan as the global godfather of terrorism, Mir alleged that it is “breeding extremists, training militants, harbouring war criminals,” while using the nuclear threat as blackmail against the world.
He also slammed Pakistani army chief, Asim Munir, for boasting that Pakistan could “take down half the world” and called the statement “reckless.”
Mir urged the world to remember that it was Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) that sheltered Osama Bin Laden in Abbottabad, under full state protection, even as thousands of innocents were being massacred.
Instead of shaking hands with men like Munir, he stated the international community should be “placing them on trial for crimes against humanity.”
Recalling the struggle for freedom, Mir posted, “For thousands of years, our mountains, deserts, and seas have borne witness to the courage of the Baloch people, who stood as defenders of their land from the Mongol invasions to the grip of British colonial rule. Half a million Baloch martyrs have fallen in defence of our sovereignty, not for conquest, but for the right to live free on our own soil.”
Mir asserted that peace cannot bloom while the “boot of occupation” presses on Balochistan.
Highlighting the human rights abuses in the region, he mentioned that Baloch people continue to be abducted, tortured, executed, and silenced, while their villages are bombed, resources are looted, and culture is targeted for destruction.
He asserted that these are not just attacks on Balochistan, but crimes against the very principles on which the United Nations was founded.
On the 78th Independence Day, Mir called on the world to recognise Balochistan as a free and sovereign nation and hold Pakistan accountable for its war crimes, nuclear blackmail, and state sponsorship of terrorism.
Additionally, he urged the international community to stand with the Baloch people, not with an “occupying” army whose corruption and violence are a threat to global peace.
“The future will remember who stood with the oppressed and who stood with the oppressor. Choose justice. Choose peace. Choose Balochistan,” Mir stated.
–IANS
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