HRCP supports Sep 01 strike
31 August, 2006
KARACHI: Supporting the September 1 strike call given by the joint opposition against the killing of veteran Baloch nationalist leader, Nawab Akbar Bugti, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, and other human rights organisations have demanded the conduct of investigations into the incident by an independent commission comprising impartial respected citizens, and the civil society.
They also demanded an immediate cessation of ongoing military operation in Balochistan, and release of detained and "disappeared" citizens in all over the country.
Addressing a joint press conference at Karachi Press Club on Wednesday, the HRCP Secretary General, Iqbal Haider, Chairman World Social Forum Pakistan, Karamat Ghouri, Uzma Bukhari, Raheel Iqbal, Khuwaja Tariq Nazir and others asked the regime to stop police operations, harassment, victimization, and arrests of Baloch communities and their supporters in Sindh and Balochistan.
Mr Haider demanded the hand-over of the remains of Nawab Akbar Bugti and his companions to their rightful heirs, and immediate access to the areas of the military operations in particular the spot of the murder of Nawab Bugti to human rights organisations, lawyers, and journalists.
He observed that the resolution of all the outstanding issues, causes, and disputes concerning Balochistan and its resources, could only be possible through peaceful negotiations and transparent dialogue.
" All the recommendations of the parliamentary committee headed by Chaudry Shujjat Hussain must be made public and implemented forthwith in letter and spirit", he maintained adding that maximum autonomy in letter and spirit must be guaranteed for all the federating units.
If the government, he opined, had implemented the recommendations of the parliamentary committee, the gruesome incident of August 26 would not have occurred.
He said the murder of Nawab Bugti had pushed the country?s political situation towards 1971 warlike conditions, which later led to the dismemberment of Pakistan. " We apprehend that the consequences of the ongoing military operation in Balochistan may be equally disastrous", he added.
Expressing his concern over grave violation of human rights in Balochistan, Sindh and NWFP, particularly the abduction and disappearance of the citizens, Mr Haider said that " We consider all the detained people innocent until they are charged by the government".
Mr Haider announced that the Joint Action Committee (JAC), a conglomerate of various human rights organisations and NGOs would fully support and participate in the strike to be observed on September 1 against the killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti and other violations of human rights in the country.
He said that the JAC also supported the "black day" to be observed on Friday in Sindh by Jeay Sindh Quami Mahaz against the respective incident.
The JAC would participate a protest demonstration organised by Sindh Quami Ittehad against military operation in Balochistan and murder of Nawab Akbar Bugti at Regal Chow today (Thursday).
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