The relatives of recently killed Baloch freedom fighters held a press conference against Pakistan army in Kech District of Balochistan, on Thursday.
According to reports, the family members and relatives of Irfan Baloch and Noor Khan held a crowded press conference at the Kech Press Club along with Mr. Ghani Parwaz, the Coordinator of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) Makuran chapter.
Irfan and Noor Ahmed were member of a Baloch pro-independence armed group the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), who were reportedly killed during a clash with Pakistani army in Tump area of Kech District, on 29th September.
Speaking at the press conference, a woman said, “through this press conference, we want to bring the cruel and brutal story of the Pakistani army to the attention of national, international and human rights organizations, but before that, let me introduce myself briefly”.
She said; “I am Shehla Mustafa, daughter of Martyr Ghulam Mustafa. On May 25, 2013, my father was killed by the Pakistan Army along with ten others during the boycott of Pakistani elections in Balochistan by Baloch people. After their murder, all our family houses including mine were set on fire several times, which brought us to live under the open sky for several days and there was not even a single piece of glass was left for us to drink water.
Shehla Mustafa said that on September 28, my brothers Irfan Baloch and Noor Khan Baloch were martyred by the Pakistan Army. We went to the Tump army camp on the morning of September 29 to receive the bodies, but the army treated us with contempt. After waiting till evening, we were told to come at 10 o’clock in the night to receive the bodies.
“We waited in front of the camp all night but we were not given the bodies and the army personnel repeatedly insulted us, they tried to harass us in every possible way but we kept waiting to receive dead bodies of our loved ones. At the end the army refused to hand us over the corpses,” She said in the press conference.
“Then we asked the regional authorities to talk to the army. When the regional officials spoke to the army, the officials were told that you would find the bodies tomorrow, September 30,” she added.
Ms. Mustafa said that when we arrived at the camp to collect the bodies on the morning of the 30th September, we found out that the army personnel had dug a pit with a tractor and dragged the bodies of Irfan and Noor Khan and threw them in the pit without performing the last rites and funeral.
She further said that we are not as saddened by the martyrdom of our loved ones as we were by the desecration of their bodies. The state calls it Islamic and democratic but which democracy and Islamic values allow the dragging and disrespecting of human bodies and buried in a dug pit by a tractor instead of humans?, she asked.
Shehla Mustafa said that neither Islam nor human values allow these acts. We believe that this is the extreme hatred of Pakistan against the Baloch nation which is coming to the fore in the form of such inhumane acts.
“Through this press and through you, we want to make it clear that there is no other reason why our loved ones should not be handed over except they have been killed by chemical weapons, their bodies have been burnt or they have been torn to shreds. Similarly the so-called Islamic army burried two dead bodies recently in Panjgur, instead of handing them over to the heirs,” she told journalists.
It is to mention that during the military operation in Gichk area of Panjgur, on 15th August, two members of Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) were reportedly killed and instead of handing over the dead bodies to the relatives the forces allegedly burnt and subsequently buried them.
“We appeal to the national and international human rights bodies to conduct an autopsy on the bodies under their supervision. If they cannot do so, then at least we should be given the right to remove the bodies from that pit and bury them in Balochi manner and perform funeral rites,” Ms. Shehla said.
She concluded the press conference saying, “we declare in this press conference that until the bodies of our martyrs are handed over to us, our peaceful protest at Shaheed Fida Baloch Chowk (junction) will continue and we appeal to the humane people from all over the world to come forward in our support because our protest is solely for human values.