United Kingdom, May 5, 2009: CAMPACC (Campaign against Criminializing Communities) organized and sponsored a public meeting on issues related to Balochistan in the House of Lords. The meeting was hosted and chaired by Baroness Helena Kennedy QC, one of the UK's top defence barristers. Labour Peer Lord Rea attended the meeting and said he will do his best to raise these issues with other members of the Houses of Lords. Khan of Kalat Suleiman Daud Ahmadzai was also in attendance. A large number of Baloch other human rights activists including Mr Estella of CAMPACC, and the lawyers of Hyrbair Marri and Faiz Baluch attended the meeting. The speaker included Baroness Helena Kennedy one of the top defence barristers in the UK, Ms Gareth pierce an extinguished human rights lawyer, peter Tatchell a human rights campaigner and candidate of Green party, exiled Baloch leader Sardarzada Hyrbair Marri and Faiz Baluch a human rights activist.
Hyrbair Marri in speech gave graphic explanations of Balochistan’s history of struggle and the Pakistani military offensives in Balochistan. He said that since the occupation of Baluch land the Baluch have been suffering from slow motion genocide at the hands of Pakistani army. He said that Pakistani army was committing war crimes in Balochistan. Former dictator Genrel Musharraf and his Regime are guilty of crimes against humanity, killing and abducting of thousands of Baloch in Balochistan.
He said that “0n 20th November 2007, my brother Balach Marri was murdered by Pakistan’s army in Balochistan. That gave Musharraf the opportunity to put more pressure on the British government to arrest me. As he had got rid of my brother and now he was after me. Mr Brown’s government succumbed to Musharraf’s pressure and they arrested me to appease him”.
Praising the British jury system while expressing his disappointment at Mr Brown’s government he said that “The jury which comprised people from different walks of life have understood the gravity of our problem and recognised our struggle for Independence. I sincerely thank the jury who have acquitted me of the terrorism charges. However I was appalled to find out that I was being prosecuted only because of my political stand. I was being prosecuted only because I am opposed to the exploitation of Baloch wealth and I am against the atrocities that the Pakistani army is committing against my Nation. I was being prosecuted because I asked my Nation to stand up for what is theirs. I was being prosecuted because I am a supporter of Independent Balochistan. “Freedom is the right of every Nation and asking for freedom should not be a crime”.
After giving a graphic detail of military offensives and human rights violations in Balochistan by Pakistani army and intelligence services Mr Marri said that “The slow motion genocide and massacre of Baloch people is taking place right under the nose of International community but the so called champions of human rights and International law makers remained silent on the death and destruction of my nation. Musharraf and his army generals had committed war crimes in Balochistan. They should be arrested and tried in the international criminal court, as its common knowledge these Pakistani army generals come to stay in the UK and United states after their retirement. Although they have committed crime against humanity, they are protected in western democracies. It is very unfortunate that UK being one the most democratic countries have arrested and put us behind bars to silent our voice forever. Our arrest was no co-incident but it was the result of Musharraf’s pressure on Mr Brown’s government, it was the result of the collusion between the UK and Pakistani agencies. They arrested us only to please Musharraf and the Pakistani army”.
Directly appealing to the international community Mr Marri said that “Today my main plea is that the international community must recognise our legitimate struggle against the illegitimate occupation of our land. Our struggle is for Independence and restoration of our sovereignty only. We are not trying to break or make Pakistan. Our struggle is not a movement of separation but it is against the occupation of our Independent state which was occupied at gunpoint by Pakistan in 1948.
Our language, culture, identity and existence are at the brink of extinction and we are struggling for our survival. We need the International community’s moral support. We need international intervention in Balochistan. International community must act now and help us to end the occupation of our land”.
Faiz Baloch also spoke of the trial and pointed out that “One of the most ridiculous things about our case and trial was that the CPS has tried to deceive the jury into thinking that we were Al-Qaeeda. We are everything that Al-Qaeeda hates. We are secular people. We are not extremists; we are proud to be Muslims but that has nothing to do with our struggle for the freedom of our country. Maybe the prosecution was trying make the jury prejudiced toward the Baloch struggle, but I am glad that the jury have taken the side of the truth and justice by acquitting me of the terrorism charges unanimously. The credit however goes to our legal teams who have worked tirelessly to make the jury understand that this case was totally different then what the prosecution was trying to portray. During my trial I felt like it was not only me and Mr Marri on trial but it was the Baluch nation versus Pakistan – we have put the state on trial and won with pride and dignity. That is why the victory in this trial I believe is the victory of Baloch nation as Nation and Baloch National struggle of Freedom”.
Talking about his expectations form the international community he said that “I really believed that if the international community knew what was happening in Balochistan they would help us. But after my arrest I have begun to think that I was naive. I was being prosecuted in a democratic country like the UK for running a website, which was basically aimed to bring the plight of the Baloch nation to the world’s attention, and for exercising my freedom of speech. The CPS has acknowledged, as has the British government, that the Baloch have been subjected to acts that are tantamount to war crimes and yet I was the one who had been arrested and banged up in UK’s high security prison for months, only for trying to inform the world about the abuses that were taking place in my country. I feel that the Baloch are just victims of a complicated geo-political situation. There are many countries that have their own designs and interests in our region because of the geographic and strategic importance of Balochistan and our natural resources.
The website I ran is called Balochwarna. Balochwarna’s aims are simple – we want to bring news of what is happening in Balochistan to the international community’s attention. We want to engage and inform human rights groups around the world about what is happening in our country”.
He also spoke about the media blackout in Balochistan and abduction and torture of Baloch journalists and writers. Talking about the development in Balochistan is said that the mega projects are not aimed to benefit the Baluch but these to change the Baluch into a minority on their own homeland. Talking about the nuclear explosions in Balochistan he said that Pakistan is using the Baloch land as a waste dump.
Baluch in his concluding remarks said that “The message I am here trying to convey is that the Baloch, recognised as a separate and distinct people have suffered a brutal and lengthy occupation. Our lands have been confiscated, our resources are being stolen, and our young people are discriminated against and denied education. We have only ever asked for the same rights as all other peoples. We have only ever asked to be heard. We have a right to have a say in our future and the future of our country. The Pakistani government has only ever had one real answer to the legitimate demands of the Baloch and that is violence. They persecute and murder our activists. People of all ages are dragged from their homes and disappeared and tortured. Our towns and villages are destroyed using laser guided weaponry supplied by the west. When possible we have tried to protect ourselves through the political process but this is not possible. The natural wealth of Baluchistan is so great and the strategic position of Baluchistan is so significant that the Pakistani army who run the government will never recognise our rights. We need your help. We need your support. The British government’s response to our suffering was to prosecute me and Mr Marri for just talking about it and highlighting our cause. Fortunately an ordinary British jury saw through this and found us not guilty. We now want you to help us tell the world about Baluchistan our struggle for independence and to stop the Pakistani army killing another generation of Baluch”.
Peter Tatchall a human rights campaigner and candidate for Green party said that it the high level collusion between the british govt and the agents of Pakistani dictator. He said that british actively and knowingly collaborated with the agents of Musharraf and thats shamefull. He said looking back at the sequence of arrests one can clearly see that Musharraf wanted Marri and Baluch to be arrested. Musharraf agenda was clear and that was to crush and silence the voices of Baloch people. Mr Tatchall said there are questions to be asked authorise the arrest of these two men and who sent our security services man to Islamabad at the taxpayers’ expense. He said he was shocked and surprised that his democratic government would open collude with a dictator’s regime. He said it however seems that the British government was black mailed by the Pakistani government in particular in the case of Rahid Rauf.
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