Activists, lawmakers condemn repression in Balochistan

Legislators and activists from across the world condemned Pakistan's "kill-and-dump policy" in Balochistan and called for democracy and the rule of law in the restive province during a meeting at the European Parliament here this week.
The event "Baluchistan: Destiny Denied" was hosted by the European Conservatives and Reformists Group in the European Parliament and Baluchistan House.
Paulo Casaca, executive director of South Asia Democratic Forum, highlighted the continuing oppression of the Baloch people and the systematic denial of their rights by the Pakistan government, said a statement from Baluchistan House.
Opening the session, Casaca said: "The most important issue is probably the one of the absence of a state of law. It is vital to defend minorities and stop the kill and dump policy. There is a genocide of the people of Baluchistan."

Ryzsard Czarnecki, an MEP (Member of European Parliament) from Poland, spoke about Balochistan's natural resources and lamented the fact that the Pakistan government's policy makes the province one of the least developed regions in the world with alarmingly high rates of infant mortality and illiteracy.
Canadian MP Russ Hiebert, British MP Andrew Percy, Baloch activist Mehran Baluch and Canadian commentator Tarek Fatah condemned Pakistan's "merciless crushing of Baloch identity and the army's murderous campaign to wipe out dissent".

Mehran Baluch alleged Pakistan was guilty of brutal colonialism, saying: "The situation in Balochistan can only be defined as genocide and the silence regarding this issue is deafening.

"Pakistan's creation was an unusual historical incident and the best option for regional peace is to support Baluchistan's nationalist movement."
The event, attended by MEPs, activists, officials and diplomats, came days after the European Parliament delivered a stinging rebuke to Pakistan in a resolution denouncing the killing of over 80 people, most of them Christians, in a Taliban suicide attack in Peshawar.