Torture Victims of Occupied Balochistan
by Bizen Baluch
The Balochistan Post
The people of Occupied Balochistan who were forcibly disappeared, illegally detained in secret torture cells of Pakistani state for days, weeks, months or years, face infliction of third degree torture, resulting in life-changing unstable physical and psychological condition. Many of these people have died during infliction of torture, who were then dumped in beyond recognition condition. These are the torture victims of the Occupied Balochistan.
The list of Baloch torture victims is very long, and it includes people from all walks of Baloch society, including Baloch leaders, political activists, intellectuals, writers, journalists, advocates, teachers, students and others.
The Baloch Human Rights Organization (BHRO) and Vice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP)—the human rights organization of Occupied Balochistan— say that there are more than 40,000 Baloch missing persons who are illegally detained in the secret detention cells of Pakistan, and are facing torture. No one has access to them nor anyone dares to ask Pakistani state about the Baloch disappeared persons.
According to a senior leader of Baloch Students Organization Azad, Pakistan restarted its chain of enforced disappearance policy in 2003/2004 when Baloch struggle against Pakistani occupation of Balochistan was at its peak.
Initially, the state disappeared and illegally detained just the Baloch political activists who suffered severe torture in torture cells, but from 2009 this policy started targeting indiscriminately by the abduction of civilians irrespective of their age and without affiliation to any of the Baloch political parties, and from 2009 till 2018, this policy was extended to the disappearance of Baloch women, children and aged citizens leading to the rape of Baloch women too. All of the Baloch missing persons are illegally detained in the secret torture cells of Paksitan Army and are facing torture. This disappearance and torture policy of Pakistan is aimed to counter the Baloch Movement only.
The figure of the Baloch missing persons may vary, because 40,000 is just the reported figure, there are thousands of unreported cases of enforced disappearances leading to torture. Thousands of missing persons have thousands of accounts of torture, torture to mental retardation and torture to death ultimately— recovery of thousands of tortured bodies, release of tortured-half dead in unstable mental condition, rape of Baloch women are the evidences for the international community to understand the situation of torture victims of occupied Balochistan.
Below, few cases of enforced disappearance to torture, and torture to the recovery of tortured dead bodies are discussed to understand the worst condition of Baloch torture victims in war-torn Balochistan.
Haji Naseer, the then finance secretary of BNM, was forcibly disappeared in 2004 by Frontier Corps (FC), a paramilitary force of Pakisitan, and illegally detained in different secret torture cells of Pakistan Army in Occupied Balochistan. Haji Naseer faced third degree torture for no any justified reason or any crime other than being a Baloch political activist struggling for the rights of Baloch nation. He was released after the infliction of torture for days and nights. He was released in a mentally tortured condition.
Dr. Yousuf Murad Baloch, the then press secretary of BSO Azad and Dr. Naseem Baloch of BSO Azad were also disappeared by secret services of Paksitan in 2005. Similar to Haji Naseer, they both have faced torture in torture cells for months. The firsthand accounts of the enforced disappearances and torture of Haji Naseer, Dr. Yousuf and Dr. Murad have been published in the Baloch media. Naeem Baloch and Muslim Baloch are very fresh victims of torture who were released in tortured condition.
This list of Baloch missing persons, who were killed in illegal custody while suffering torture, is also very lengthy. In this long list, the top Baloch political leaders are also present. Chairman Ghulam Mohammed Baloch, then chairman of Baloch National Movement (BNM), along with his two colleagues, Lala Muneer of BNM and Sher Mohammad Baloch of Baloch Republican Party (BRP) were disappeared on April 4, 2009. They were illegally kept in torture cells, and then their tortured, mutilated and disfigured bodies were dumped in Murghap, Kech Balochistan on April 9, 2009.
The infliction of torture has no limits. Zaheer Anwar Baloch of BRP was abducted and severally tortured in custody. When his dead body was discovered he was missing his Kidneys, heart and eyes.
Sangat Sana Baloch and Jaleel Rekhi of BRP, former senior vice president of BSO Azad Shafi Baloch, former Central Committee Members of BSO Azad, Abdul Qayyom Baloch and Qambar Chakar Baloch, hundreds of members of BSO Azad like Tariq Kareem Baloch—acid was used to disfigure Tariq’s face during torture—and dozens of members of other pro-independence Baloch political parties were the subjects of torture in torture cells. This policy is still being practiced with even greater intensity.
Facing failure in use of many other tactics to counter the Baloch movement, the state has now begun the policy of enforced disappearance and rape of Baloch women. The Baloch local media has reported enforced disappearance of more than hundred Baloch women from Bolan, Dera Bugti, Dasht Kech, Mashkay Awaran and Rahgay Washuk areas of Occupied Balochistan, and many abducted Baloch women were raped with torture in illegal custody and a pregnant Baloch women suffered miscarriage of her baby due to torture—by bearing kicks of soldiers on her abdomen. Two months ago, a relative of Baloch missing person, Bibi Ganjal from Awaran, died of psychological torture caused by the enforced disappearance of her husband, Safar Khan, and cousin, Shabir Baloch—the central information secretary of BSO Azad.
Pakistan is a so-called Islamic and democratic country which has banned freedom of expression in and imposed media blackout in Occupied Balochistan in order to hide its all war crimes including enforced disappearance and torture, and doesn’t respect the Islamic teachings for respect of human rights, particularly of women. Even the entry of international media is also banned to war-ridden Balochistan—a current conflict zone situated on the junction of South Asia, Middle East and Central Asia. The national media of Paksitan works under the payroll of Pakistan Army which never reports any of the incidences of war-torn Balochistan.
On the other hand, United Nations (UN), Human Rights Watch (HRW), Amnesty International and all other global human rights institutions and the international community are silent over the gross human rights violation in Occupied Balochistan by Paksitan.
UN’s committee Against Torture has also failed to take notice of the reported incidences of torture happening on daily basis and being reported by the Baloch political parties and human rights organization. This silence has given impunity to Pakistan for the continuation of its policies of such war crimes, which has generated a crisis of human rights on Baloch land.
On the international day for the victims of torture, Baloch nation demands from UN, human rights institutions and the international community to clarify their position in this regard and take immediate actions against the use of torture and violations of other human rights committed by Pakistan. Otherwise Baloch nation will be justified to consider your silence as a deliberate act in favor of Paksitan. Human history is watching everyone and the Baloch nation will always remember any of the measures of these mentioned institutions in its history.