Human Rights Commission condemns Musharraf's Balochistan operations
Dated 18/1/2006
Printer Friendly
Subscribe
Islamabad: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has urged President Pervez Musharraf to stop military operations forthwith in the strife-torn Balochistan province and start negotiations with the tribal leaders for restoration of peace there.
Expressing concern over the rapidly deteriorating security situation in and around Dera Bugti, HRCP Chairperson Asma Jehangir observed that a large presence of security forces in the area has made the situation grim, according to media reports.
Ms Jehangir, who was heading a fact-finding mission to Sui and Dera Bugti, claimed that as many as 85 per cent locals in Sui had fled to safer places due to the ongoing military operations.
The convoy in which the HRCP delegation was travelling was also attacked near Dera Bugti, the reports added.
Condemning the attack, Awami National Party Chief Afsandyar Wali said it showed that the administration wanted to hide the real situation in the restive areas of Balochistan.
Meanwhile, Jamhoori Watan Chief Nawab Akhbar Bugti urged the United Nations to play an active role in ending ''genocide'' in Balochistan, daily Jang reported.
''If you become an aggressor, the UN is the sole body to stop it,'' he told newspersons while claiming that 85 per cent of those killed in military operations were women and chidlren.
He said the forces had laid a siege of Dera Bugti, the paper added.