Kharotabad commission a whitewash, says Hyrbyair Marri

LONDON: Baloch leader Nawabzada Hyrbyair Marri has held Interior Minister Rehman Malik for being behind the recent wave of “kill and dump policy” in Balochistan.
Marri said Rehman Malik has been openly threatening to “crush” Baloch political parties and student organizations.Marri told The News that Malik had become hostile after his repeated requests made to Mr Marri to endorse the government package failed.
Speaking at a public meeting here, Marri said the special committee to probe the gruesome killings of five Chechens in Kharotabad is a whitewash and there is no chance the culprits will be brought to justice.
Speaking at a public meeting here, Nawabzada Marri, who lives in exile in London, said the killing of unarmed foreigners by FC in Kharotabad, Quetta on May 17 was an act of barbarism on the part of law-enforcement agencies. He said the killings exposed once again how the rule of law had vanished from the Balochistan province, leading to human rights violations on daily basis.
“Those responsible for the killings of women and children, professionals and intellectuals and the local people act with impunity. They have no regard for the rule of law,” Marri said, adding that no commission was formed to probe the killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti and hundreds of Balochs killed so far.
The meeting at the University of London Union (ULU) building was chaired by Saleh Mamon of Campaign against Criminalizing Communities (CAMPACC). The speakers included Hyrbyair Marri, famous human rights campaigners Peter Tatchell, James Nichols, Dr Hidayat Bhutto and Rubina Greenwood of the World Sindhi Congress; Wilson Chowdhry, Chairman Pakistani Christian Association; and United Kashmir People’s National Party UK leader Usman Kayani.
Marri said the dumped bodies of political and human rights activists are being discovered everyday in the province and the provincial government was helpless in doing anything to stop these killings. He said the international community had adopted complete silence over brutal human rights violations.
Peter Tatchell said the human rights situation overall in the world has worsened and “this is a matter of concern as people of all nationalities should have the protection of their rights.”
He appealed to the Pakistani government to take much stronger action to bring to justice the perpetrators of rights violators. He said the killing of innocent civilians was hugely damaging Pakistan’s international image. He said the reports of torture, extrajudicial killings and disappearance of citizens’ result into diminishing of public support.
Dr Hidayat Bhutto said that nationalists in Sindh have been under sustained attack in recent months. He condemned the extrajudicial killings of prominent political workers in recent days.
Wilson Chaudhry described in detail the cases where members of Christian communities have been targeted. He said it was unfortunate that the voiceless classes were the worst victims of human rights abuses as they were forced to do petty jobs and there was no one to speak on their behalf. He appealed to the Pakistani government to reform the Blasphemy law to stop the troublemakers from abusing it for their personal motives.