SUBJECT:
EXPOSING DISCRIMINATING POLICIES
OF SAP-PK
Dated: November 14, 2008
We wish to draw your attention
towards a gruesome cycle
of constant victimization
and harassment of Baloch
development activists working
in the Balochistan office
of an organization called
South Asia Partners Pakistan
(SAP-PK).
We have been working in
SAP-PK since the project
office was formed in Quetta
in November 2005. We have
been affiliated with the
development sector of Balochistan
for the past several years
as committed professionals
in different non governmental
organizations such as Oxfam-GB,
SAHER and SPO. However, we
never experienced such kind
of severe harassment, discrimination
and insecurity throughout
our career simply on the
basis of our ethnic background.
The management of the SAP-PK
has made all out efforts
to undermine us to work for
the welfare of the people
of Balochistan by applying
various tactics of degradation
at personal and professional
level.
On the official front, the
Management never fulfilled
its promises made to the
communities and stake holders
in the province such as forming
Kisan Bethaks in districts
and providing funds to Peasants
and Worker Groups to run
the small projects. Most
of the Provincial reports
and data were used to be
displaced in the Head Office.
Head office doesn't have
any Human Resource Section
and there is no Performance
Evaluation system yet, there
is no check and balance system
inside the organization.
To complete our tenure and
run the project smoothly,
we ignored their all ridiculous
gestures, boastful attitudes
and biased comments regarding
our culture, traditional
dresses and our people. We
remained undeterred despite
all pressure tactics. We
were further subjected to
unethical attitude and asked
to leave the organization.
The episodes of discrimination
and harassment have ended
after the following three
incidents, when all Baloch
employees of the organization
were forced to quit the organization
by one way or other:
- On 30 th June, 2008 a
fake letter was sent to
DG Inter-Services Intelligence
(ISI) filled with allegations
against Nausheen Qambarani
(x- Provincial Coordinator),
accusing her to be working
for Baloch militant organizations.
She was interrogated and
harassed by the ISI officials
for more than a month.
During this while she was
threatened to face unimaginable
consequences and her mobile
phone and landline calls
were taped. She was threatened
not to mention this harassment
to anyone. After the interrogation
and harassment was completed
by the ISI, the same was
started by Mr. Muhammad
Tahseen, Executive Director
of SAP-PK. Instead of supporting
a woman employee, the Executive
Director threatened Nausheen
to quit her job and leave
the city saying her that “If
you resign from SAP-PK,
you will remain safe.”
- Mr. Sherbaz Baloch was
terminated from his job
in written, telling him
that he was not capable
of doing such a job as
he is not competent. Although,
Mr. Sherbaz Baloch has
been rewarded many times
verbally as well as in
written by his nearest
superiors for his brilliant
job at the office. Mr.
Sherbaz Baloch had raised
the issue of unavailability
of the budget for development
activities in Balochistan
on behalf of the organization.
He was told that the budget
was consumed in the Head
Office.
- Against the discriminating
policies of the SAP-PK
administration, the third
and the last Baloch in
the SAP-PK Quetta office,
Mr. Asif Baloch resigned
from his job in this organization.
Here it is obvious that
the people working in SAP-PK
head office are lacking basic
human values and official
decorum and ethics. They
threatened us not to raise
this issue otherwise the
management of SAP-PK will
use its influence and will
make sure that our development
sector career will come to
an end.
We do not see any other
reason for this discrimination
and harassment other than
the fact that this organization
aims at looting the resources
of our people by misusing
the name of Balochistan's
backwardness.
We regret to say that the
donor agencies don't have
any strong mechanism to monitor
their projects, as those
who claim to be the pioneer
of human rights issues, and
call themselves unbiased
and progressive and secular
segments of society, still
continue to practice policies
of exploitation and discrimination
against our people.
We urge all the national
and international non-profit
organizations, United Nation's
agencies, and Human Rights
organizations to take notice
of this harassment being
meted out to us on the basis
of our ethnic background.
- Nausheen Qambarani
- Sherbaz Baloch
- Asif Baloch
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