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Pakistani media does not report on the brutal realities of Balochistan
Ali Dayan Hasan — Pakistan representative, Human Rights Watch
The News on Sunday (TNS) How does HRW view the current state of human rights in Balochistan?
Ali Dayan Hasan (ADH) The toxic mix of armed nationalist, sectarian and Taliban actors on the one hand and the trigger-happy military authorities on the other, makes Balochistan one of the most dangerous places in the world today. Illegal detention. torture, disappearances and targeted killings by the military are commonplace. Abuses by nationalist militants are also on the rise. It is an appalling situation and the great losers in this are the long-suffering people of the province.
TNS: Your report on attacks on education in Balochistan was criticised by the nationalists as focusing too much on the issues of settlers. What was the reason for highlighting that?
ADH: Human rights protections should be enjoyed by all. Abuses by the state do not allow others license to abuse in turn. It is our view that Baloch nationalists, sectarian militants and Taliban groups have all been involved in attacks on education sector personnel. Whoever targets civilians on the basis of ethnicity is in effect engaging in a policy of ethnic cleansing and this is unacceptable and criminal. Period. The notion that you can legitimately engage in such acts as “retaliation” is nonsense. Even if Baloch nationalists do not recognise the sovereignty of Pakistani state, they are still committing war crimes by attacking non-combatants and they should fully expect and receive censure and condemnation. And by perpetrating such atrocities, Baloch nationalists are harming Balochistan’s development instead of advancing it and destroying the future of their land and its people.
TNS: During insurgencies, human rights are at risk. Do you think that Pakistan government can carry out its anti-insurgency operations without use of force?
ADH: No one is suggesting that the writ of the state should be compromised. Rather, it should be enforced in a rights-respecting manner in accordance with laws and bearing in mind the constitutional protections that must extend to every Pakistani citizen regardless of political affiliation or ethnicity.
TNS: What is HRW’s assessment of external involvement, especially in terms of providing arms/financing to separatist groups who target civilians?
ADH: We understand that the government of Pakistan argues that external actors, especially India and Afghanistan, are involved in fomenting unrest and abuse in Balochistan. Even if that is the case, it does not mean that the Pakistani state can abuse the Baloch or violate their rights by way of retaliation. Besides, HRW and others have repeatedly asked the government to bring any evidence to back up these claims into the public domain. So far, nothing meaningful has been offered.
TNS: What is the HRW’s stance on missing persons in Pakistan, especially Balochistan?
ADH: Enforced disappearances remain a serious, widespread, and ongoing problem in Balochistan and HRW has documented such abuses by the intelligence agencies and the FC in the province. Those we interviewed for a forthcoming report on disappearances perpetrated by military authorities in the province live in extreme fear of the military. The interviews had to be conducted in secret locations outside the province. We will be releasing a detailed reported in the coming weeks on these disappearances and we expect answers from the government and a serious attempt to hold those guilty of these abuses accountable.
TNS: Is there sufficient international and domestic focus on human rights situation in Balochistan?
ADH: Unfortunately there is not. The Pakistani media does not report on the brutal realities of Balochistan in any meaningful manner. Despite the fact that the province is of great strategic interest to the world, its people suffer from persistent, systemic and widespread human rights abuse both by state authorities and at the hands of non-state actors. It is time Pakistanis and the world paid attention.
– By Raza Rumi
Filed under: baluchistan, Media · Tags: Balochistan, Human Rights Watch, Pakistani, report
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Pakistani media should pay attention to the brutal realities in a meaningful manner …. !
the pakistani govt. is pure, unadulterated evil, and the pakistani media- its passive accomplice.
Raza Rumi:
If you need help with identifying the foreign elements from published sources, let me know.
I am Indian, let me say something very provocative. It is a given that Pak govt or ISI has been very active in stoking flames of Khalistan, Kashmir and local Islamist agencies. Let us not even try to deny that- there are enough videos on youtube about Hamid Gul and Mushy boasting.
We even know that once the ‘hated yanks’ leave, ISI and Dawood will be unleashing bombs again on India. Recently we have seen the emergence of reactionary hindu terror acts as well- Samjhauta etc
So, do you really think that RAW would not be involved in a bit of counter movement, surely every country from USA to UK does that. Yes, RAW is a bachha and all it may have done is give money to Bugti et al but not pay for raw terror- I dont know.
Isnt peace from Pak therefore imp, for if India got mad and decided to pour its billions into Pak seperatists groups, Pak could go into freefall. Not threatening, not posturing- simply stating.
Afridi really punctured the momentum started by Manmohan and Gilani.
Peace, feedbacks from Pakistanis welcome. Dr Mishra. India and Yorkshire
[...] Pakistani media does not report on the brutal realities of Balochistan [...]
Huh this is nothing yaar! Indian media can create a Taj Mahal out of rat poo.
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We have learned nothing from our tragedies of the past. The situation is deteriorating every day and we have nothing much to say or do other than shifting the blame upon external or internal agents without realizing how much the situation has aggravated potentially.
The leadership ( if there is one) is least moved. Floods have played havoc and only worsened the situation. The government’s response to the earthquake in Baluchistan was only lukewarm. Am not even sure if the much publicized Baluchistan package has even been delivered now ?
Just wonder what more are they waiting for when there is atatus quo and no real plan to tackle the grave situation.
Pakistani media has nothing to gain from reporting the problems in Balochistan. Pakistanis, outside of Balochistan, are not interested in what is happening in the province and the media’s role is to crete revenues and not to report news. Anyone who thinks that the job of a media is to report news needs to get their heads examined!
ciao
HRW… A wholly US owned and operated organization talks about human rights in Baluchistan when the US needs to put pressure on Pakistan and needs scapegoat for its failure in Afghanistan. Sure there are human rights violations in Baluchistan but is there anyone in Pakistan who is not aware of that? Do we really need a group owned by crooks to tell us the story?
Here is the last known list of donors to the group owned by some prominent names and sponsored by the US state dept. 50 million $$$ at work here…
HRW Donors
Taken from an older version of the HRW website, this 1995 list is apparently the only information available. In the United States, HRW is not legally obliged to disclose who donates money. About half its funds come from foundations, and half from individual donors, in total about $20 million.
In its Annual Reports, HRW always claims that it “accepts no government funds, directly or indirectly.” However, that was a lie according to the 1995 list, and it is still a lie. The Dutch Novib – now part of the Oxfam group – is a government-funded aid organisation, and in turn it funded the activities of Human Rights Watch Africa in the Great Lakes region and Angola. Oxfam itself is primarily funded by the British government and the European Union, see their annual report. It is also funded by the United States Agency for International Development, USAID. Oxfam in turn partly funds Novib, so some of that money finds it way to HRW. Both Oxfam and Novib funded the HRW report on the Rwanda genocide. So, if it is as accurate as HRW’s claim not to accept any indirect government funding, look elsewhere for the truth.
DONORS OF $100,000 OR MORE
Dorothy and Lewis Cullman
The Aaron Diamond Foundation
Irene Diamond
The Ford Foundation
The Lillian Hellman and Dashiell Hammett Fund
Estate of Anne Johnson
The J. M. Kaplan Fund
The Fanny and Leo Koerner Charitable Trust
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
The John Merck Fund
The Joyce Mertz-Gilmore Foundation
Novib, The Dutch Organization for Development Corporation,
The Overbrook Foundation
Oxfam
Donald Pels
The Ruben and Elisabeth Rausing Trust
The Rockefeller Foundation
Marion and Herbert Sandler, The Sandler Family Supporting Foundation
Susan and George Soros
Shelby White and Leon Levy
DONORS OF $25,000 – $99,999
The Arca Foundation
Helen and Robert Bernstein
Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Bronfman, Jr.
Nikki and David Brown
Carnegie Corporation of New York
Compton Foundation, Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. Marvin Davis
The Dr. Seuss Foundation
Fiona and Stanley Druckenmiller
Jack Edelman
Epstein Philanthropies
Federation Internationale des Ligues des Droits de L’Homme
Barbara Finberg
General Service Foundation
Abby Gilmore and Arthur Freierman
Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund
Katherine Graham, The Washington Post Company
Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation
Hudson News
Independence Foundation
The Isenberg Family Charitable Trust
The Henry M. Jackson Foundation
Robert and Ardis James
Jesuit Refugee Service
Nancy and Jerome Kohlberg
Lyn and Norman Lear
Joshua Mailman
Medico International
Moriah Fund, Inc.
Ruth Mott Fund
Kathleen Peratis and Richard Frank
Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation
Ploughshares Fund
Public Welfare Foundation, Inc.
Anita and Gordon Roddick
Edna and Richard Salomon
Lorraine and Sid Sheinberg
Margaret R. Spanel
Time Warner Inc.
U.S. Jesuit Conference
Warner Brothers, Inc.
Edie and Lew Wasserman
Maureen White and Steven Rattner
Malcolm Wiener and Carolyn Seely Wiener
The Winston Foundation for World Peace
to rehmat
before badmouthing all non-muslims just look at the state of human rights under islamic rule today.
pakistan media has played an important role for pakistan’s democracy. It has shown
all reallties, injustice and all wrong doings happening in pakistan.Pakistani madia has not only pointed out the problems of pakistan but also have given sollution as well. But I dont know why Pakistan’s govt. doesn’t appreciate them, instead they have banned some famous tv. chanals.
Thanks so much for your help, this site has been a great break from the books.
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