Balochistan struggling to end Pakistan's oppression: Activist at UNHRC
Sep 25, 2020
Geneva [Switzerland], September 25 : Highlighting the rising incidents of enforced disappearances in Balochistan, President of Baloch Voice Association, Munir Mengal, told United Nations Human Right Council (UNHRC) that people in the region are struggling to end oppression, suppression and forced annexation by Pakistan.
"Balochistan is suffering and the People in Balochistan are struggling to end oppression, suppression and forced annexation," Mengal said during a session at UNHRC on Thursday (local time).
He further gave details of enforced disappearances by presenting the data of Voice of Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP), an NGO present in Balochistan data. He said that Balochistan needs practical and effective steps from this council to stop the systematic enforced disappearances in Balochistan
"The VBMP report shows, only in the past three months from June to August this year, more than 57 cases of enforced disappearance including 12 females, 4 children under 7 years were reported in Balochistan. FIR's are barred, the region is blackout for media and raising voice against abuses is a crime against the state. Impunity prevails in every part of life," he said.
"Pumping of four bullets in 4-year-old Bramsh body and the brutal murder of Hayat Baloch seethed Balochistan with anger. But more same style abuses were carried out in the following days," he added.
Pakistan has a long history of enforced disappearances, many of which have targetted human rights and minority defenders critical of the government and the military, as well as persons suspected or accused of involvement in the opposition.
While successive governments have promised to criminalise enforced disappearance, none has taken concrete steps and the practice continues with impunity.
Early this month, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) had hit out at Pakistan's Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (COIED), saying it has failed to hold perpetrators responsible for the crime in the last several years.
In 2011, the COIED was formed to trace the whereabouts of missing persons and fix the responsibility of individuals or organisations responsible for the enforced disappearances.
According to a briefing paper titled 'Entrenching Impunity, Denying Redress: The Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances in Pakistan', the ICJ noted that although the COIED had traced the whereabouts of the missing persons in a number of cases, there was no effort to fix the responsibility for the crime.
