Joint protest held before UN office in Geneva to highlight Pak atrocities

Baloch people, Kashmiris from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Sindhi community held a joint protest in front of the UN office in Geneva on Tuesday to highlight the atrocities on its people by Pakistan and also to oppose the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) .

Protesters held up banners reading "No to CPEC, We want freedom, go back China".

Some protesters shouted, "Sindhi people say no to CPEC."

Nasir Aziz Khan, spokesperson of the United Kashmir People's National Party (UKPNP), said that Pakistan is systematically eliminating those who raise their voices against atrocities committed on them.

"We are protesting here right in front of the UN Human Rights office because we are the deprived people from Sindh, from Balochistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), Gilgit-Baltistan. People don't have basic rights and Pakistan is systematically eliminating the nationalists," he said.

They also made a reference to former politician Arif Shahid, Khan, saying a very progressive and secular person was assassinated for protesting for rights and no action was taken by the Pakistani authorities.

"They [Pakistan] don't want to see our voices abroad and they are threatening our people back home and they want to eliminate each and every voice," he added.

Taking a jibe at both China and Pakistan for the CPEC project, human right activist Charles Graves said the two nations have no respect from ethnic people.

"Now unfortunately Pakistan have a good alliance with China which dates a long time and the Chinese we know have very little interest in ethnic rights and ethnic minority as we have seen in China with Uighurs and Tibetans. So now the silk route which is stretching from Karakoram down to the Indian Ocean is a way of bringing fuel into China without any particular respect of the people of Gilgit or people of Balochistan," he said.

He was of the view that Pakistan is taking advantage of Chinese money for installation of electricity in the country.

"China and Pakistan is not showing respect for the rights of ethnic people and unless China changes its view on the ethnic people it is going to continue and Pakistan is taking advantage of China and Chinese money for installation of electricity. So, economics is not taking into consideration of people's rights," he added.

The Baloch people have been protesting alleging Pakistan of being only concerned about the resources in Balochistan and not its people and exploiting the region's resources and trading it to Beijing.

Considered to be a part of China's One Belt, One Road initiative, the USD 46 billion project covers Balochistan and Sindh provinces and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

India has formally opposed the CPEC because it runs through PoK.

Meanwhile, Lakhu Luhana, the chairman of the World Sindhi Congress, said, "If you look at the Human Rights Charter then every human right written in that charter is being violated. Sindhi people are being marginalized and designs are to eliminated them completely."

He said that the protest is to call to international community that the people need their help.

"There are huge huge issues including enforced disappearances , extra judicial killings ..violence against religious minorities have reached to the unprecedented levels and that is why we are getting out.. this is an SOS call to international community that we need your help now," he added.