The German authorities have halted the deportation of Jan Mohd Baloch, a member of the German zone of the Baloch National Movement, after a demonstration in Bielefeld by Baloch and German activists.
According to the details, Jan Mohd Baloch, a native of Quetta, had fled to Germany to seek asylum following threats to his life. He had applied for political asylum in 2019, but this application had been rejected. He was arrested by the German immigration authorities in Warburg on January 22nd and was set to be deported to Pakistan on January 27th.
Following the news of Jan Mohd’s deportation, the Baloch community in Germany and the local German activists organized a demonstration in Bielefeld, requesting the German authorities to halt the deportation as it could put the BNM leader’s life in jeopardy. The demonstrators said that if he is sent back to Pakistan, he will be targeted by the Pakistani security forces like several other Baloch activists and political workers.
The German authorities paid heed to their pleas and halted the deportation of Jan Mohd Baloch. It is not yet known whether the decision is temporary or permanent.
According to the local and international human rights groups, the Pakistanis security forces hunt down Baloch political workers and activists, torture them in confinement centres and frequently throws their dead bodies on roads and in hinterlands.
The demonstrators in Bielefeld said that activist Karima Baloch had been “assassinated” in Canada. Similarly, Baloch journalist Sajid Hussain was also found dead in Sweden under mysterious circumstances. Both Sajid and Karima were political dissidents living in exile after their work had them being reportedly chased by the Pakistani authorities.
The demonstrators said that the Amnesty International had conceded in a report that student leaders, rights activist and journalists are being continuously targeted in Balochistan.
They said that Jan Mohd Baloch is a spirited political activist affiliated with the Baloch National Movement. They said that his house was raided in Quetta in February 2020 by armed persons, his brother and father were manhandled and the women were harassed.
They demanded the immediate halting of the deportation of Jan Mohd Baloch and demanded protection for his life.