Baluch shadow, protest Musharraf in USA

Baluch protesters in Houston carried playcards that showed the burning Twin Towers with the caption: Paki army did this.

Baluch children in Houston show solidarity with their compatriots in Occupied Baluchistan.

Malik Baloch with other protesters in Houston. -- Pictures Rashid Baloch

The first-ever Baluch protest in Houston on Saturday morning caught the attention of the local media as the protesters carried placards of the burning Twin Towers after the 911 attacks that read, "Paki Army did this."

The successful protest against former coup plotter and dictator General Pervez Musharraf was organized by Malik Baloch and Rashid Baloch of the DC-based American Friends of Baluchistan, an organization dedicated to the independence of Baluchistan from Pakistan and Iran's neo-colonial yoke.

Musharraf was invited to speak at a luncheon at the Omni Hotel by the pro-dictatorship World Affairs Council of Houston.

The local public television Channel 13 in Houston interviewed the A.F.B. leaders who said the reason they say Pakistan was involved in the 911 terror attacks was that 80 percent of Taliban an al Qaeda leaders are still in Pakistan. They added at the time of the 911 attacks, the I.S.I. was running the Afghan government and Pakistan army was calling Afghanistan a fifth province of Pakistan.

"Pakistan is till providing sanctuary to Taliban and al Qaeda," the two American-Baluch activists said.

Malik Baloch and Rashid Baloch blasted Musharraf and Pakistan army for committing brutalities and crimes against humanity in Occupied Baluchistan and Sind province.

"We also like to record our protest against the present U.S. administration and US think-tanks for according dictator Musharraf VIP status, and inviting him to speak in the U.S. in intellectual forums," the two A.F.B presiding council members said.

"We have the right to question the legitimacy of these think-tanks for inviting a fugitive dictator, whose hands are soaked with the blood of veteran politician, Akbar Khan Bugti, Balaach Marri and numerous other innocent political activists, who dared to raise their voice against the Pakistan military injustices in Baluchistan."

They accused Pakistan army and spy agencies of following Musharraf's legacy of kidnapping and extra-judicial killing of secular Baluch political activists.

"The Baluch would never forget this dirty dictator for his cold blooded murder of twice governor and chief Minister of Baluchistan, Akbar Khan Bugti and Balaach Mari with the help of U.S. supplied sophisticated Cobra gunship helicopters," the two A.F.B. activists deplored. "The American Friends of Baluchistan is determined to expose the crimes of Musharraf and the infamous Pakistani spy agency called I.S.I. before the American public and the civilized world. We expect fellow Americans to raise their voice and protest against the State Department and sthink-tanks for according this brutal dictator and coup leader V.I.P. status in the U.S."

The two A.F.B. activists recalled during Musharraf's dictatorial regime, hundreds of political activists, including women and children were disappeared, some of who are still languishing in torture cells in different military cantonments in Pakistan.

During Musharraf's regime the I.S.I. also targeted the twice prime minister Benazir Bhutto and put the blame on Taliban, they said, adding Musharraf is still being protected by the Pakistan's rogue and jihadi army.

They cautioned the U.S. administration Pakistan army would never be an effective partner in the war on terror. "Supplying sophisticated military equipment to Pakistan army would be a futile venture on the part of U.S. administration to fight the war against al Qaeda and Taliban.

"American supplied arms to Pakistan army are being used to crush the secular Baluch people who are struggling to regain their occupied land, Baluchistan, which was forcefully annexed by Pakistan in March 1948," the two activists said.

They called upon the U.S. administration to understand the fact that the Taliban are the brain-child of the I.S.I., who groomed these terrorists and used them as proxy in Afghanistan. "The Pakistani army is playing double games with the U.S. and still protecting the most powerful factions of Mullah Omar and Haqqani Taliban in Pakistan. Mullah Omar and Haqqani groups are provided safe haven under the protection of military intelligence agencies in Quetta, Baluchistan, and Peshawar to use them as proxy to counter the influence of India in Afghanistan and to destabilize the Afghan government.

"Secondly, Taliban are considered the strategic assets of Pakistan army to use them as a bargaining chip to secure financial and military assistance from the U.S."

The A.F.B. said it was not opposed to US socio-economic aid to Pakistan with adequate vigilance to ensure economic assistance is utilized properly for the welfare of downtrodden masses and improve the infrastructure and quality of education.

"However, providing military aid in the form of sophisticated weaponries and modern technologies to Pakistan army, would be extremely dangerous for the U.S. and the minority Baluch and Sindhi people. There is ample evidence of misuse of American military weapons by Pakistan army in the past, where Pakistan soldiers used the U.S .-supplied weapons against the secular Baluch people, but spared the Taliban and al Qaeda"

They said Musharraf has been summoned by the Baluchistan High Court for the cold-blooded murder of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti. Pakistan used U.S. fighter jets to annihilate, extra judicially, one of the most popular leaders from Baluchistan on August 26, 2006.

Musharraf was inaugurating natural gas supply from the Bugti territories to Murree in the Punjab, hundreds of miles away, and congratulated the Pakistani soldiers by saying, "Well done boys." More than ninety percent of people in Baluchistan do not get natural gas, though it is their national resource.

During Musharraf's authoritarian regime, heavy bombardment by Pakistan military on the villages of poverty ridden inhabitants of Dera Bugti tribal area forced tens of thousands of people to leave their homes and livestock, and become destitute in different provinces in Pakistan. They regretted the Pakistan soldiers were continuing to pursue Musharraf's scorched earth policy in Baluchistan.

"These displaced people live in abject poverty in tents and huts in different areas in Pakistan. The Pakistan army and its spy agencies stopped these displaced people from coming back and resettling in their area, even after the induction of a new democratic government," they said. "By gross violation of international law, the coup leader Musharraf and his military junta thwarted the efforts of the U.N. agencies ito provide some relief to these poor displaced people "

The two activists said Pakistan's spy agencies are engaged in abductions, extra-judicial killings and desecrating the bodies of the secular Baluch political activists, who are vocal about regaining the ownership of their occupied homeland from Pakistan.

"International human rights organizations and civil society are quiet and their lips are sealed against Pakistani army and its spy serices brutalities against the secular Baluch people in Baluchistan. We urge the U.S. civil society and human rights organizations to come forward and forcefully raise their voice against the Pakistan army and spy agencies for committing atrocities and war cimes in Baluchistan."

Meanwhile, the A.F.B. has invited all Baluch activists who believe in independence of their homeland to the Baluchistan International Conference in Washington D.C. November 21-23.

The conference theme is "Challenges Before & Strategies For Achieving National Liberation" and it is set to coincide with the second anniversary of martyrdom of Baluch Che Guevara Bala'ach Marri.

Back To Top

	Don't endanger American lives, Adm. Mullen, Sen. Kerry urged	Ahmar Mustikhan	Thu Oct 8	2
	U.S. supplied jets, choppers kill 11 tribals, says secular Baluch party	Ahmar Mustikhan	Tue Oct 6	5
	Baluch, Sindhis to protest Musharraf in Houston	Ahmar Mustikhan	Thu Oct 8	4
	Asma Jahangir accused of anti-Baluch bias	Ahmar Mustikhan	Fri Oct 9	1
	Baluch journalists threatened, sacked for telling truth: Marri	Ahmar Mustikhan	Wed Oct 7	1