Unpo Denounces Human Rights Violations In Balochistan, Pakistan
Marino Busdachin, General Secretary of UNPO, has criticised the heavy handed tactics of oppression employed against the Baloch people at an international conference currently taking place in Bangkok, Thailand.
Marino Busdachin, General Secretary of UNPO, has criticised the heavy handed tactics of oppression employed against the Baloch people at an international conference currently taking place in Bangkok, Thailand.
The conference entitled “Balochistan Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow: Meeting the Challenges” is bringing together international thinkers and Baloch intellectuals from countries around the world and from Balochistan itself in order to discuss Baloch related issues.
In a statement, Busdachin criticized Thai authorities for their role in preventing 18 invited participants from attending the conference. He denounced the increasingly common phenomena of forced disappearances of individuals in Balochistan as illegal and immoral, especially when partnered with a systematic use of torture and the atmosphere of impunity enjoyed by the Pakistan military.
Busdachin further denounced the gross violations of human rights in Pakistan as “criminal” and demanded that they no longer by tolerated by the international community. He added that the UN Human Rights Council needed to take these issues seriously at the next plenary session of the Human Rights Council if it seeks to preserve its status as a mechanism worthy of its title.
The conference seeks to provide a platform for debate on self-determination in Balochistan where little dialogue currently exists. It is argued that the government must acknowledge that the implementation and maintenance of rule of law, democracy and accountability would help allay some of the fears of the Baloch people and assuage some of the frustration which perpetuates some of the more forceful calls for greater self-determination.
The conference ends on February 24 2010. Please refer to the UNPO website for further information in the coming days.
