AHRC:Pakistans torture and detention centres in BLOCHISTAN

8 August 2012;

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has collected details of detention and torture centres in Pakistan, where missing persons are held for long periods of time in order to force them to confess their involvement in terrorist and sabotage activities. The information about the places of illegal detention was collected from the persons who were detained in these centres for several years after arrest. Their whereabouts were never made known to their family members.

Persons released from these centres are often abandoned on the roadside.Many of the missing persons have testified in courts and to the media that they were kept in the custody by the army and that they were tortured.

Military intelligence (MI), Inter Service Intelligence (ISI), Federal Intelligence Agency (FIA), Pakistan Rangers, and the Frontier Constabulary (FC) are the main agencies who are keeping persons incommunicado and who torture them to confess their involvement in anti-state activities.

   

PAKISTAN: 52 illegal torture and detention centres identified 

June 5, 2008

Torture and Detention centers in Balochistan:

In All over Balochistan there are dozens of military detention centers, where people after their arrest, are detained and tortured to force confession statements about their alleged activities against the army in the province. Following are places in Balochistan province where Pakistan army and FC are running their torture and detention centres:

Quli Camp Cantonment Queta:

Quli Camp Cantonment Queta, in the capital of Balochistan province. In front of this detention camp there is a mountain called as Koh-e-Murad (Dead Mountain) which has been taken over by the Pakistan Army and is used as a dumping area for some sensitive arms and ammunitions. According to local people, people are brought here and detained for several months.

 Khuzdar Cantonment area:

Safe house of the ISI at Khuzdar Cantonment area. The Khuzdar district is in southeast of the province and all detained or arrested persons by the state intelligence agencies from south and southeast districts are brought and kept over here. The place is notorious for torture.

Fort at Turbat town:

The fort at Turbat town, a sub-district of the province. This fort is used for keeping missing persons and still there are dozens of missing persons in the fort, but it is under the control of FC. In the port city of Gwadar there is one more camp used by the FC for keeping people in illegal detention for several months.

Sibi, Dera Bugti and Kohlu:

In the northern part of the Balochistan province, there are several places of detention and torture in three districts namely - Sibi, Dera Bugti and Kohlu. Here, the military have their own bases and camps. But in military terms these army centres are called "settlements" instead of cantonments. In these districts the persons arrested are mainly from the central and the northern parts. The main military detention centres are in Loti gas field, Pir Koh gas field and Dera Bugti gas field. 

Most of the detainees are local residents of the above named districts. They are charged with mutiny against the 'army control' of the districts, blowing up of the main gas supply line to the other parts of the country, sabotage, bomb attacks on military installations, affiliation with different nationalist parties and association with the Balochistan Liberation Army. 

In Kohlu district's military settlement there is one check post. This is purely run by the army which has torture cells. In Sui sub-district there is also a military check post which runs torture cell besides a main detention centre in the "settlement" at Sui gas field.

Report On Enforced Disapearencess, Mutilated Bodies And Genocide Of Baloch Nation. By; Voice for Baloch Missing Persons

We enlisted here,
Some of the souls in traumata,
Others yet awaiting recognition,
Who serve as a reminder to the international community that genocide is not yet a word only in history books
download pdf 
more reports .. 

Report On Enforced Disapearencess , Mutilated Bodies And Genocide Of  Baloch Nation.
By; Voice for Baloch Missing Persons


Balochistan, a sovereign state, was occupied by Pakistan on 27 of March 1948; since that day, in order to silence the voices for liberation and to instill fear among the general populace, Pakistan has employed a strategy of enforcedly disappearing people belonging to different age groups and occupations, of which only a small number has been documented in the list attached. The first people who were enforcedly disappeared were the friends and peers of Prince Abdul Karim, who were abducted in 1948, of which few were released and others are still missing, most probably murdered under custody.

Voice for Baloch Missing and Murdered Persons has documented the information of 2251 Balochs who have been enforcedly disappeared mainly within the last seven years and the information of 289 Balochs who have been murdered under the custody of Pakistan Army in the last 3 years. However the anticipated number of the enforcedly disappeared crosses 14,400 and victims of custodial killings cross the number of 400.

In the rebellion which arose in the years of 1973-1977, which was countered by Pakistan with the help of Iran, several common Balochs were enforcedly disappeared. This was the first instance when Pakistan Army made public its vicious approach towards silencing the Baloch voices by abducting common Balochs; they sold the women as sex slaves in Lahore and among the commodities being sold in Lahore also included children of Balochistan, who could barely even realize that their smiles were being sold cause of the voices their people were raising against injustice. Many of them women were later on “bought back” by their families from Lahore.

Though the list includes abductees from as early as the year 2000, however only very known earlier cases have been included. Mainly the documentation was started in the year 2005, when the cases of the disappearances began to rapidly increase. The chart below, highlight yearly flow of the disappearances. Moreover this should be taken under consideration that the cases of torture murders have been gradually increasing with the passage of time.

The list enclosed includes only a limited number of the victims, as due to insufficient resources and lack of communication means most of the cases could not be included. Furthermore, several of the families of the victims do not bring the cases in public after being threatened by Pakistan army, for they think their loved ones would be murdered under custody if they disclose the cases in public.

If timely measures are not taken, massacres committed by Nazis in Germany and by Pakistan in Bangladesh could yet again take place, and become a black spot on humanity itself.

The cases of enforced disappearances are not only limited to a p articular gender or an age group. Among the victims include an infant as young as of just 1 month and an elderly man of 92 years of old.
By the time this list was prepared, about 14400 were enforcedly disappeared, of which only 22 people of the documented victims were released and 289 of them were murdered. Most of the victims are still missing and several of them possibly murdered.

Among the people disappeared, victims’ occupations have been diverse as well. The victims do not only include journalists, political workers, doctors and teachers but also people working as civil servants, students and house wives were not spared. Balochistan, which is already banned for the international journalists and aid workers, is as unsafe for the locals who dare to speak against injustices and is threatening even for those, who are friends or family of the people who dare to speak.

Among the victims include an infant as young as of just 1 month and an elderly man of 92 years of old.By the time this list was prepared, about 14400 were enforcedly disappeared, of which only 22 people of the documented victims were released and 289 of them were murdered. The victims do not only include journalists, political workers, doctors and teachers but also people working as civil servants, students and house wives were not spared.

More recently, Pakistan has given pace to a torture murder strategy, also called as the kill and dump strategy among the human rights workers focused on Balochistan. In less than a year, more than 400 mutilated bodies of the enforcedly disappeared were dumped on busy streets and known places, with often chits in the pockets of the victims identifying them, when the bodies are tortured beyond recognition. The evident purpose of doing so is to instill fear among the general populace, to threaten of such deaths if they continued speaking against the atrocities being committed in Balochistan.

Voice for Baloch Missing and Murdered;
with the documented details of the victims, hereby appeals to the international organizations to take immediate measures to stop the human rights abuses in Balochistan. If timely measures are not taken, massacres committed by Nazis in Germany and by Pakistan in Bangladesh could yet again take place, and become a black spot on humanity itself. Immediate intervention, by sending fact finding missions to Balochistan, can not only safe hundreds and thousands of innocent lives, but would save humanity itself.

Appeal

Balochistan has been facing grave human rights violations since the day it was occupied, on 27th of March, 1948. Among the frequent measures employed by Pakistan Army to suppress the voices in Balochistan include enforced disappearances, target killings, custodial killings, public beatings, harassment, burning alive cattle and crops and poisoning water streams and wells. Since Pakistan’s occupation of Balochistan, several thousand innocent men, women and children have lost their lives and several others have been physically disabled.

These violations are getting grave by each day, and a systematic slow genocide is taking place. The silence of the International community on the issue is serving as a silent supporter of these human rights abuses, and if such sile nt support persists, this world would witness a catastrophe in terms of human values and virtues.

Voice for Baloch Missing and Murdered Persons has documented the information of 2251 Balochs who have been enforcedly disappeared mainly within the last seven years and the information of 289 Balochs who have been murdered under the custody of Pakistan Army in the last 3 years. However the anticipated number of the enforcedly disappeared crosses 14,400 and victims of custodial killings cross the number of 400.

These figures should alarm the International community of the capability of Pakistan Army to commit such heinous crimes. And on the behalf of Baloch people, the victims of such brutalities, we appeal to the International Community to send a fact finding mission to Balochistan and investigate by itself the gross human violations taking place in the region.

It is only then, that the International Community would become aware of the seriousness of this issue, and would be able to take immediate steps to restate humanity in this part of the world. We urge that if immediate measures are not taken, civilization would lose hopes in this region and inhumanity would eventually envelope the whole world.

Baloch Community held a protest demonstration in köln, Germany

Demonstration in köln dom by baloch community

Germany :

The Baloch Community in Germany have held a protest demonstration in köln dom city on Saturday. The protest was aimed to bring the plight of Balochistan to the attention of international community.

The protestor, including women and children, held placard inscribed in English and German languages to appeal the International Community to help stop Baloch genocide, recognise the sovereign status of Balochistan, free the abducted Baloch activists and stop disappearances. The protester also briefed the media persons about Pakistani state atrocities in Balochistan and distributed pamphlets to people passing by in three different languages.

The present army operation has created a human tragedy. The religious fundamentalist army of Pakistan have been carrying out genocide acts against the Baloch. 8000 people have been abducted by Pakistani army. Their whereabouts are not known. More than 500 hundred mutilated bodies of the Baloch students, doctors, and engineers, intellectual, political and social activists have been dumped on roadsides

Baloch child holding a play card

The English pamphlet reads as follows: “From the occupation of their land (Balochistan) by Pakistan in 1948, the Baloch nation is facing inhuman atrocities by the religious fundamentalist state. In order to strengthen their hold on mineral rich and strategically important region, the Pakistani authorities have been using brutal force to suppress the Baloch national struggle for regaining of their sovereignty. The persistent assimilation policies of Pakistani state -founded on classical colonial pattern-are responsible for a situation where the Baloch identity as a nation is in grave danger. Pakistan has been exploiting and plundering the resources of Balochistan since the very beginning. With the exploitative policies of the state, the Baloch are living below the poverty line while their land is among one of the richest in the world.

Irony is that the state which is committing worst human right abuses and crimes against humanity in 21th century is enjoying the support of civilized world in the disguise of being an ally in the war against terrorism

“The Baloch have been raising voices against the exploitation of their resources and assimilation of their thousand years old cultural identity into a so-called Pakistani Islamic national identity. They have never accepted the occupation of Balochistan. The Baloch national resistance aimed at freedom of Balochistan and dignity of their people. To suppress the Baloch national aspiration, Pakistan has used brutal force. The fifth and the bloodiest of the military operations in Balochistan are going on since 2002 with countless accounts of crimes against humanity committed by the Pakistani army. It is using cluster bombs and chemicals weapons on innocent Baloch civilian population. Thousands of Baloch men, women, children and elderly have been killed. Hundreds of thousands have been forced to flee from their homes.

“The present army operation has created a human tragedy. The religious fundamentalist army of Pakistan have been carrying out genocide acts against the Baloch. 8000 people have been abducted by Pakistani army. Their whereabouts are not known. More than 500 hundred mutilated bodies of the Baloch students, doctors, and engineers, intellectual, political and social activists have been dumped on roadsides.

“Irony is that the state which is committing worst human right abuses and crimes against humanity in 21th century is enjoying the support of civilized world in the disguise of being an ally in the war against terrorism. The international community should not forget the fact that Pakistan is not only a mortal threat to the existence of the Baloch as a national entity; it is also a threat to whole civilized world. It is the bastion of international terror and cause of instability in south and central Asia. With its Islamic nuclear bomb and religious fundamentalist ideology, Pakistan remains a permanent threat to civilized nations.

“The members of the Baloch Community in Germany are demonstrating today to highlight the plight of the Baloch and to draw attention of the international community and civilised world towards the crimes against humanity committed by Pakistan in Balochistan.

“We appeal to European Union, United States and United Nation to exert pressure on the Pakistani army to stop its inhuman atrocities on the Baloch. The Baloch will welcome stationing international peace force in Balochistan under UN or European Union supervision.

“We appeal to international community to send fact finding missions in Balochistan to assess the impacts of Pakistani military operations on Baloch civilian population.

“We appeal to the civilized world to recognise the right of independent and sovereignty of Balochistan by supporting national struggle for freedom of Balochistan

“We appeal to the international community to act now before it is too late for the Baloch.”

دو ہزار گیارہ کے دوران ایک سو نو شہری بلوچستان سے لاپتہ ہوئے

حکومت پاکستان کی انسانی حقوق کی تازہ رپورٹ کے مطابق ملک میں شہریوں کے لاپتہ ہونے کا سلسلہ جاری ہے اور صرف سال دو ہزار گیارہ کے دوران ایک سو پچاس شہری لاپتہ ہوئے جن میں اکثریت کا تعلق بلوچستان سے ہے۔

پاکستان کی وزارت انسانی حقوق کی سالانہ جائزہ رپورٹ کے مطابق سنہ دو ہزار گیارہ کے دوران ایک سو نو عام شہری بلوچستان سے لاپتہ ہوئے۔

 بی بی سی کے  نامہ نگار  کے مطابق بلوچستان میں انسانی حقوق کی تنظیموں کا کہنا ہے کہ حالیہ برسوں میں لاپتہ افراد کی تشدد زدہ لاشیں پھینکنے کے واقعات میں بھی تیزی آئی ہے لیکن اس رپورٹ میں اس کا کوئی ذکر نہیں ہے۔

 بی بی سی

Quetta : Baloch Human Rights Organization (BHRO) Protest

  Occupied Balochistan, Quetta : Baloch Human Rights Organization (BHRO) Protest Against Killing Baloch Teacher Nazeer Marri and Dr Rahim Bux outside Quetta Press club 23 June 2012.

US Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2011

Security forces reportedly committed extrajudicial killings in connection with conflicts in Balochistan, FATA, and KP (see section 1.g.). A May 24 report by the Asian Legal Resource Center (ALRC) stated that from October 2010 to May government agencies abducted and killed more than 120 persons. Human Rights Watch (HRW) stated that between January and July security forces abducted and killed at least 150 persons and abandoned their bodies across Balochistan, in acts widely referred to as “kill and dump” operations. “The surge in unlawful killings of suspected militants and opposition figures in Balochistan has taken the brutality in the province to an unprecedented level,” HRW concluded, and it urged the government to investigate all those responsible, especially in the military and Frontier Corps (FC), and hold them accountable.

http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/186685.pdf

امریکی وزرات خارجہ انسانی حقوق پر سالانہ رپورٹ

’حقوق انسانی کی خلاف وزریوں پر شدید تشویش‘

 

امریکی وزرات خارجہ نے دنیا بھر میں انسانی حقوق کی صورتحال پر اپنی سالانہ رپورٹ جاری کی ہے جس میں اس نے پاکستان میں انسانی حقوق کی سنگین صورتحال پر شدید تشویش کا اظہار کیا ہے جبکہ رپورٹ میں لاپتہ افراد کے بارے میں تفصیلی ذکر کیا گیا ہے۔

امریکی محکمۂ خارجہ کی رپورٹ میں پاکستان میں سکیورٹی اداروں اور عسکریت پسندوں کے ہاتھوں عام شہریوں کا اغوا، گمشدگیاں اور قتل کو انسانی حقوق کی سنگین ترین خلاف ورزیاں قرار دیا ہے۔
امریکی وزارتِ خارجہ کی جانب سے اختتام ہفتہ پر جاری ہونے والی رپورٹ میں پاکستان سمیت دنیا بھر میں گزشتہ سال دو ہزار گیارہ میں حقوق انسانی کی صورتحال کا جائزہ لیا گیا ہے۔

رپورٹ میں بلوچستان میں لاپتہ افراد کے لیے کام کرنے والے تنظیم وائس فار بلوچ مسنگ پرسن کے حوالے سے بتایا گیا ہے کہ جون دو ہزار دس سے لیکر دسمبر دو ہزار گیارہ تک بلوچستان سے تین سو پچپن گمشدہ افراد کی تشدد شدہ لاشیں ملیں اور اب تک سات سو پچپن افراد گرفتار کیے جانے بعد سے لاپتہ ہیں جن میں سے پینتیس کی مسخ شدہ لاشین ملی ہیں۔
امریکی محمکمہ خارجہ کی پاکستان میں انسانی حقوق کی صورتحال کے متعلق اسی رپورٹ میں وائس فار بلوچ مسنگ پرسن کے حوالے سے بتایا گیا ہے کہ دو ہزار ایک سے اب تک چودہ ہزار افراد لاپتہ ہو چکے ہیں۔

رپورٹ میں پاکستان میں انسانی حقوق جن خلاف ورزیوں کا ذکر کیا گیا ہے ان میں شہریوں کے حقوق اور آزادی، سیاسی مخالفین کی گمشدگیاں، غیر قانونی نظربندیاں، تشدد اور دیگر غیر انسانی سلوک، مقدمہ چلانے کے طریقۂ کار، سیاسی نظر بندیاں، اندرونی عدم تحفظ کے مسئلے کو طاقت سے حل کرنے، انتہاپسندی اور دہشت گردی، جیلوں اور قید خانوں کی حالت زار، قتل، اغوا، بچوں کی مسلح گروہوں میں بھرتی ،خواتین کے حقوق کی خلاف ورزیاں شامل ہیں۔
امریکی وزرات خارجہ کی سلانہ رپورٹ میں پاکستانی سکیورٹی فورسز کے ہاتھوں صوبہ خیبر پختون خواہ اور بلوچستان
میں شہریوں کے قتل کے واقعات کا تفصلی ذکر کیا گیا ہے۔