KHUZDAR: The Frontier Corps (FC) killed two activists of the Baloch Students Organization (BSO-Azad), arrested more than two dozen of noncombatants and burned several homes in a massive search operation in Tohak locality of Khuzdar district on Friday.Balochistan’s Home Secretary Akbar Hussain Durrani, while confirming the incident, insisted that the FC had acted in self-defense after coming under attack by unidentified persons. His claim could not be verified through independent local sources.
According to the details, the FC unleashed the operation in the early hours of Friday, killing two people Yahya Baloch and Mohammad Naeem Baloch. They were both reported to be close relatives of Sardar Ali Mohammad Qalandarani, a tribal influential figure while a spokesman for the Baloch Students Organization (BSO-Azad) said the slain citizens were their members.
Local sources said that the FC had cardoned off the entire area early on Friday morning and disconnected all forms of telecommunication contacts in the area. As a result of the firing allegedly initiated by the FC, several people were injured as well. The operation continued until 4:00 p.m.
“The forces also whisked away around thirty people with them,”confirmed a local residence, ” those who were detained and taken away included three sons of Ali Mohammad Qalandarani.”
The dead bodies of the victims were taken to the hospital after the completion of the operation.
Eyewitnesses said hundreds of security personnel riding on around sixty vehicles participated in the operation which mainly targeted the Balochs hailing from Qalandarani tribe.
“Naib Tasildhar Baghbana Mohammad Azam Bajowi took the dead bodies to the hospital along with Levies personnel,” said a local journalist, ” but reporters were barred from seeing or photographing the dead bodies. The doctor, Somar Khan, misbehaved with the reporters and threatened to call the security forces if we did not refrain from performing our professional duty.”
Journalists in Khuzdar have strongly condemned the behavior of the doctor and asked the health department officials to take action against him for misbehaving with the journalists on duty. The reporters’ community in Khuzdar has warned to launch a province-wide protest against the doctor with the help of journalists from other parts of Balochistan. They demanded the immediate transfer of the doctor.
Sources said the security forces had also burnt scores of homes belonging to the local Baloch population in order to scare the people living in the area. The area remained cordoned off for many hours while all forms of communication with the township were suspended as forces continued their activities.
The operation in Thotak has been widely condemned by the Baloch Students Organization, Baloch National Voice, Baloch Republican Party (BRP) and Baloch National Front (BNF).
The BSO protested in front of the press clubs in Quetta and Pasni while shutter down strikes were observed in Thump and Turbat on the the call of BSO Azad against the operation in Khuzdar by the Frontier Corps.
Activists of BSO Azad also protested in Karachi, the largest city of Pakistan with a sizable Baloch population, to vent their anger against the use of brute force against the civilians by the security forces.
On its part, the government of Balochistan has ruled out an operation in Khuzdar by saying that the FC had been attacked by the local residents and it had only defended itself in the exchange of fire which killed two people.
Balochistan’s Interior Secretary Akbar Hussain Drrani confirmed the incident but refused to believe that the F.C. had initiated the offensive.
http://www.thebalochhal.com/2011/02/khuzdar-operation-fc-kills-2-arrests-30-burns-homes/
No comments:
Post a Comment