Pakistan army generals have been accused of ethnic cleansing in the country's largest state. Hapless Baluch say they can prove their homeland, the size of Texas, was illegally annexed in March 1948.
Two Baluch organizations have approached the International Criminal Court at the Hague and appealed to it to bring the Pakistan army generals to justice for the on-going ethnic cleansing in Baluchistan.
In a letter to Luis Moreno-Ocampo and Fatou Bensouda, prosecutor and deputy prosecutor of the International Criminal Court at The Hague, Ahmar Mustikhan, founder of the American Friends of Baluchistan, and Dr. Wahid Baloch, president of the Baloch Society of North America the Pakistan army of killing civilians and conducting ethnic cleansing in Baluchistan.
Copies of their missive were also sent to Senators Joseph Biden (D-DE) and Richard Lugar (R-IN), and General David McKiernan, commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.
They said the situation Baluchistan is worse than Darfur as Pakistan army generals tested their deadly nuclear weapons in Baluchistan against the explicit wishes of the Baluch people.
July 29, 2008
Mr. Luis Moreno-Ocampo and Mrs. Fatou Bensouda
Information and Evidence Unit
Office of the Prosecutor
Post Office Box 19519
2500 CM The Hague
The Netherlands
or sent by email to otp.informationdesk@icc-cpi.int
or sent by facsimile to +31 70 515 8555
Subject: Pakistan army ethnic cleansing in Baluchistan
The Honorable Luis Moreno-Ocampo and Mrs. Fatou Bensouda:
We are writing this to you to draw your attention to the ongoing army operation, killing of civilians and ethnic cleansing in Baluchistan, the areawise largest state of Pakistan.
In the last 10 days alone, more than a hundred Baluch civilians, mostly women, children and the elderly have been killed by Pakistan army in the Dera Bugti area. On August 26, 2008 Pakistan army extra-judicially killed Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, 81, former governor and chief minister of Baluchistan, who was also a leader of a political party and chief of the Bugti tribe. Nawab Bugti had won all elections throughout his life.
The area were Nawab Bugti lived produces natural gas and Pakistan owes Baluchistan as much as billion in unpaid monies on that account. The killings are continuing nonstop as we write these lines.
In addition, as many as 4,000 Baluch are still missing, presumed killed, even though a so-called elected government took office in Pakistan this year.
The tactics used by the Pakistan army on the Baluch resistance include rape and sodomy, cutting off of genitals, throwing from helicopters and burning them alive. These can be conclusively proved if your court may kindly seek evidence.
As far as Baluchistan goes, the policy is made by the occupying Pakistan Army, the dreaded Military Intelligence and Inter Services Intelligence, the continued army operation even after a civilain government has taken office in Pakistan shows.
The Baluch resistance is a totally secular movement. Unfortunately jihad is the cornerstone of Pakistan's military philosophy and used as a justification for the genocide of the Baluch people.
Baluchistan you might be knowing became an independent state when the British left India in August 14, 1947. We have all the verifiable historical documents to show the independent existence of Baluchistan. But the state was annexed by Pakistan in March 27, 1948 against the wishes of its people and has been in trouble eversince.
Thousands of Baluch people have been killed in the last 60 years in five military operations, fifth of which is still going on as we write these lines to you.
The De Jure Ruler of Baluchistan, the Khan of Kalat Mir Suleman Daud Ahmedzai, called a historic assembly following the assassination of Nawab Bugti. More than 1500 Baluch representing all walks of social life, political parties and religious persuasion, attended the assembly and sought international help to end the plight of the Baluch people. Ahmedzai has now sought sylum in the United Kingdom.
We urge the International Criminal Court to dispatch a fact finding mission to Baluchistan immediately to bring Pakistani army generals, including General Ashfaq Kiyani and his predecessor Pervez Musharraf, to justice.
The Baluch desperately need international help to have their ethnic cleansing stopped.
One of the worst atrocities against Baluchistan is that Pakistan army generals tested their deadly nuclear weapons in Baluchistan on May 27, 1998 against the explicit wishes of the people of Baluchistan. This is worse than Darfur.
We are buoyed over the recent conviction of Omar al-Bashir of Sudan; now is the time the Pakistani army generals should also be brough to justice.
If you need further information, we are available 24/7 to assist the I.C.C., their letter concluded.