August 22, 2009

WASHINGTON DC: The largest pro-liberation Baluch group in the United States has written to the Royal Norwegian government to seek its assistance for ending human rights violations in Baluchistan and stopping all military aid to Pakistan from the European Union because of its human rights violations in Baluchistan.


By Ahmar Mustikhan

Four presiding council members of the DC-based American Friends of Baluchistan in a joint letter to Wegger Chr. Strommen, Ambassador of Norway to the United States, asked his help to save the life of Norwegian-Baluch national Ehsan Arjemandi, 38, who was allegedly abducted by the Pakistani Military Intelligence on August 7 while traveling in his native Baluchistan, scene of a liberation war.

The four presiding council members of the AFB are Mohammed Ali Baluch of Philadelphia, Penn., Rasheed Baluch of Dallas, Texas, Ghafoor Baluch of Miami, Fla., and Malik Rehmani Baluch of Houston, Texas.

In their statement the four AFB leaders said, "We fully appreciate the help and support Mr. Raustol Mattis in Washington D.C. and other senior Norwegian officials who are working to save the life of Mr. Arjemandi.

Mr. Arjemandi is now facing worst forms of torture, which could include burning of his body with cigarette butts and cutting of sensitive parts as were detailed by other torture victims in Pakistani Occupied Baluchistan. His death at the hands of the Pakistani Military Intelligence can also not be ruled out."

Copies of the letter were sent out to the U.S. Department of State, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Campaign International.

The four AFB leaders said they wanted to bring to the notice the of the Norwegian government the rogue nature of the Pakistani state that violates all norms of international law. Supra-state, extra-judicial abductions and extreme torture of the Baluch people on their motherland at the hands of Pakistani occupation forces is a common practice. The two Pakistani agencies that embrace anti-human pan-Islamist ideologies, the infamous Inter Services Intelligence and the Military Intelligence, are guilty of carrying out crimes against humanity with impunity against the Baluch people.

The four AFB leaders said while the Baluch people are hapless, the state and people of Norway because of their standing among the international comity of nations must bring pressure on Pakistan army and its affiliated intelligence services by cutting off all military aid and supplies to Pakistan. "Cognizant of the basic principles of democracy, we do feel any civilian administration is far better than military rule anywhere in the world, but in Pakistan the military calls the shots even when civilians are in government. As such, the Military Intelligence and infamous Inter Services Intelligence must be told directly that they have to respect and recognize Baluchistan, as the name states, is the land of the Baluch and that they have no business targeting the Baluch in their homeland," the Baluch leaders said.

Two weeks have elapsed since Mr. Arjemandi was abducted by the Pakistani Military Intelligence on the Mekran Coastal highway while traveling from Mand to Karachi in Pakistani Occupied Baluchistan and as you know Pakistan is not owning responsibility for the actions of its intelligence services.

In April this year, Baluch activists Ghulam Mohammed Baluch, Lala Munir Baluch and Sher Mohammed Baluch were abducted from their lawyer's office and killed by the Pakistani intelligence, but the interiror minister of Pakistan, Rehman Malik, came out with a statement that the government of Pakistan will reward anyone who provides information about the killing of the three. Such is the nature of the Pakistani state that more than 15 million Baluch all over the world hate.

Mr. Arjemandi's family and well-wishers are extremely anguished as he has not been freed yet. We are spending sleepless nights over his extra judicial abduction by the Pakistani state.

Mr. Arjemandi was arrested from his native Baluchistan where Pakistan is considered an occupation force. If you may please go back in time, his arrest by the Pakistani occupation forces is no different from arrests and torture of European patriots under occupation of Nazi Germany.

The Baluch have launched a multi-faceted struggle for the liberation of Baluchistan so that such atrocities end for good and we seek your kind help towards that cherished goal.

"Needless to say, Norway and other Scandinavian countries are classic examples of the most advanced democracies where human rights reign supreme. The military generals in Islamabad need to be told the Nazi-style actions of their intelligence agencies are condemnable and inexcusable and that Pakistan would be blacklisted by the EU if it does not stop violating the basic human rights of the Baluch people," the four said. "We urge Norway to prevail upon the EU to cut off Pakistan's military aid for committing crimes against humanity in Baluchistan. "

They said had Mr. Arjemandi not been in Occupied Baluchistan, but in any other jurisdiction of Pakistan, the case might have been different though even then Pakistani intelligence services would still have to respect the rule of law as enshrined in the UN charter. We urge you to please ask the Pakistani government, especially the intelligence agencies, they have no business to torture and kill the Baluch especially when they are on their own homeland, Baluchistan, and not in any Pakistani jurisdictions.

You might be knowing Baluchistan was granted independence separately from Pakistan on August 11, 1947 and this year more than 60 Baluch were arrested as they tried to hoist their national flag atop government buildings. A supreme council was announced in London on August 11 by the De Jure Ruler of Baluchistan for working towards liberation of the Baluch homeland and Baluch national hero Hyrbyair Marri has said consultations are underway to make the council effective, both locally and globally.

"In spite of the killings of tens of thousands of Baluch and loot and plunder of their national resources for more than six decades now, including the testing of horrific nuclear weapons on in Baluchistan on May 1998 against their wishes, Marri in a recent interview in London said an independent Baluchistan will still like to have good neighborly relations with Pakistan. What more can Pakistan ask for?" the four AFB presiding council members said.

The Baluch demand Pakistan must give a firm timetable for the withdrawal of its troops from Baluchistan so that Baluch people feel secure in their homeland and abductions like that of Mr. Ehsan Arjemandi are not repeated.

"We ask of the Royal Norwegian Government to please initiate direct talks with the Baluch secular leadership as we have no trust in the thuggery of Pakistani intelligence services," they said, adding, "Norway may please also volunteer its troops for an international peacekeeping force that will replace Pakistan army and Frontier Corp in Occupied Baluchistan."