QUETTA: The Balochistan chapter of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has expressed serious resentment over the deteriorating human rights situation in the province and observed that the province is gradually heading towards a civil war, with a sense of insecurity prevailing.
Addressing a news conference at the Quetta Press Club on Friday, HRCP Balochistan council member advocate Tahir Hussain said that Balochistan is facing a law and order crisis but the law enforcement agencies have not yet prepared a strategy to take control of the situation.
"The enforced disappearances of political workers are increasing each passing day while bullet-riddled, decomposed bodies are being recovered from deserted places. More than 45 decomposed bodies have been found since July 24, with all the victims being killed in a similar manner - they had been tortured and then shot in the head," he said. Lawyers, political opponents and journalists were among the victims, he added.
He said that the cases of kidnapping for ransom, bomb blasts, non-recovery of missing persons, extra-judicial arrests, suicide attacks and recovery of decomposed bullet-riddled bodies have increased considerably during the current year.
Hussain said that HRCP has complete details of 298 persons that were known to have gone missing till date. According to political parties, majority of people were whisked away from Kohlu and Dera Bugti districts during the military operations in 2004, he added. "We are not allowed by security forces to visit either district to collect the data of missing persons, thus it is possible that the number of missing persons is higher," he told reporters.
According to HRCP, as many as 118 people have been killed with 40 suffering injuries in 117 incidents of targeted killings from January till date in Balochistan. Nineteen people have been reported killed in sectarian target killings and 119 have lost their lives in explosions. As many as 46 people had been kidnapped this year.
Law enforcement agencies detained 457 people after different major incidents, of which many have been released while others are facing charges. Extra-judicial arrests are still continuing in the province.
The HRCP Balochistan Chapter demanded the government to ensure the implementation of the United Nations international agreements, of which Pakistan is also a signatory. However, Pakistan has not signed agreements that prevent enforced disappearances and torture during illegal detention.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 11th, 2010.
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http://tribune.com.pk/story/88727/human-rights-violations-balochistan-fated-for-civil-war/
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