Security forces ‘rule’ Balochistan: HRCP

ISLAMABAD - Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) in its fact-finding mission report portraying a bleak and precarious picture of Balochistan has stated that 71 persons in the province were still missing while 140 dead bodies of such persons have been found during the last 11 months.

The report says that 18 people were murdered in targeted killings while 5 innocent citizens became victim of sectarian killings during 2011 in Balochistan.

HRCP launched the report titled ‘Balochistan; Blinkered Slide into Chaos’ in a press conference held at a local hotel. The Commission’s Chairperson Zohra Yusuf, its Secretary General I A Rehman, former chairperson Asma Jehangir, Council member Hina Jilani were present on the occasion. The mission observed that there were credible allegations of the involvement of state security forces, particularly the Frontier Constabulary (FC), in the cases of enforced disappearances. “There was material on record to substantiate claims of the families that the victims were disappeared by the FC or had been killed while in custody,” says the fact-finding mission.

The mission has said in its report that some of the individuals picked up along with the still missing persons had returned and confirmed that they were held in FC custody.

However, HRCP’s Secretary General I A Rehman said they should make it clear that the matter of Balochistan was not related to law and order but a political one. To a question, about the exact number of missing cases he said, “Get out of the number game and only see what was the bad condition of the province”.

The mission learnt that agents of the state as well as the insurgents and extremists operating in the province shared a common disregard for rights of the citizens. “The insurgents have murdered ‘settlers’ in targeted killings with impunity while the extremists have treated the members of religious minorities as fair game,” the omission further observed. The report says that the FIRs registered against personnel of security forces in forced disappearances remained un-investigated without exception and courts had failed to ensure compliance with their orders. The ‘Inquiry Commission on Enforced Disappearances’ set up to investigate the cases of the missing persons had been largely ineffective, leading to people’s frustration.

The mission witnessed that all the authority in the province seemed to rest with the security forces which enjoyed complete impunity adding that the civil administration, elected by the people and meant to represent them, appeared to have ceded its powers.

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