Press Release | May 6, 2012 | Canada and London

Release: Baloch Human Rights Council, Canada

Toronto, May 6, 2012 - Baloch Human Rights Council (Canada) and the International Voice for Baloch Missing Persons jointly staged a peaceful protest condemning the brutal police/paramilitary operation in Lyari, Karachi resulting in the death of scores of innocent civilians including an eight-year old child crushed to death by an armoured personnel carrier of the security forces. The siege of Lyari by the police force that lasted eight days was an ordeal of worst form of human rights abuses witnessed by the 1.7 million inhabitants in its entire history including the periods of military dictatorships of the past.

Members of the Baloch, Sindhi, and Kashmiri communities took part in the peaceful protest in large numbers to express their anguish and solidarity with the people of Lyari. Mr. Khushk, President of Sindhi Association of North America (SANA) and Mr. Kolachi former President SANA; Ejaz Sheikh, leader of World Sindhi Congress; Mumtaz Khan, Director, International Centre for Peace & Democracy; and Abu Sufyan, spokesperson of Alahwaz Democratic Popular Front attended the protest gathering among others.

Participants held placards and chanted slogans, condemning the police brutality against the Baloch and Sindhis in Lyari and other parts ofKarachias an ongoing state policy of repression and forced displacement of the indigenous populations in collaboration with MQM for dominance over the economic and industrial nerve centre ofPakistan. Participants also condemned in the strongest terms the opportunistic policies of the ruling Pakistan People's Party, Sindh Government, and President Asif Ali Zardari for selling out Baloch and Sindhi inhabitants of Karachi to the land mafia and MQM thugs who run the criminal gangs in the city directly from the Governor House.

The peaceful protest at 250 Front Street, Toronto was called by BHRC (Canada) and IVBMP to express solidarity with the people of Lyari, Karachi and condemn the brutal police operation in which 700 security personnel, 4 armoured personnel carriers, automatic weapons, and unlimited rounds of live ammunition were indiscriminately used against civilians, families, and children. During the siege of Lyari, the authorities blocked all aid to civilians including medicine, paramedics, food, and water - considered a crime against humanity by the ICJ and ICRC.

Zaffar Baloch, President, Baloch Human Rights Council (Canada)

Imtiaz Baloch, Secretary Information, Baloch Human Rights Council (Canada)

International Voice for Baloch Missing Persons

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Release: Baloch Human Rights Council, London

A protest rally against Pakistani state operation in Lyari was held in front of 10 Downing Street on Sunday May 6 2012. Protest was organised by Baloch Human Rights Council (UK) and World Sindhi Congress. A large number of the Baloch and Sindhis from all over UK attended the rally.

Speakers expressed their solidarity with the people of Lyari and condemned in strongest terms, the brutal and inhuman operation against the Baloch and Sindhi people in Karachi and other parts of Sindh and Balochistan. They termed the operation in Lyari as an extension of genocide acts by Pakistan which is continuing in Balochistan for the last many years. The speakers from Sindhi and Baloch Diaspora expressed their anger over shameless and murderous activities of the police headed by a known target killer Choudary Aslam.

Speakers called upon the international community to take cognizance of the fact that 2 million people in Lyari were kept hostage for almost 8 days. Children were denied milk, residents were denied food, and medicines. Electricity and water supply of the area was cut off. Dozens of innocent people including women and children were killed mercilessly by the death squads of security agencies. Speakers stressed upon the UK government to take notice of the dirty role of MQM during the operation.

Waja Akber Barakzai, Mir Noordin Mengal, Dr. Lakhu Luhana, Abdulla Baloch, Suhaib Mengal, Hidayat Bhutto, Umer Raeesi, Mansoor Baluch, Rubina Greenwood, Alla Bakhsh Gabol, Samad Baloch and honourable Mir of UK, Mir Ghulam Hussain were among those who spoke on the occasion.

After the demonstration, on behalf of Baloch Human Rights Council (UK) and World Sindhi Congress, a petition was presented to the UK Prime Minister Mr. David Cameron. The petition was handed over by Waja Akber Barakzai, Mir Noordin Mengal and Dr Lakhu Luhana. In the petition, it was stressed that the British government should pressurize the Pakistani authorities to immediately stop the genocide acts against the Baloch and Sindhis.

Issued by:

Samad Baloch, General Secretary