The participants of a conference in Toronto have denounced ongoing atrocities against Pashtuns and Baloch, asking the government of Pakistan to stop killing, harassing and arresting innocent members of the two communities.
The conference — Democracy and the Future of Oppressed Nations in Pakistan– was organised by the Pashtun Council Canada (PCC) in Mississauga city of Canada on Friday night.
Speakers alleged measures had been taken against democratic norms and human rights by the government of Pakistan. The steps amounted to the brazen oppression of Pashtuns and Balochs, they claimed.
They highlighted gross violations of the rights of Pashtuns in the garb of military operations and fighting terrorism in Pakhtunkhwa and the former tribal region, whose residents were being subjected to injustice.
According to them, the Bloch people are facing military operations, enforced disappearances, hunted by economic hardship due to conflict over natural resources and hasty operations by the central government, as well as persecution.
The speakers also claimed Balochs and Pashtuns were being harassed and killed by the government of Pakistan on various pretexts. They urged the Pakistani leadership to stop suppressing the groups.
Ms. Jamila Gilani, former parliamentarian and founding member of National Democratic Movement (NDM) said that following the increasing violence against these two groups, a number of large and small movements were launched recently, raising voices against the state atrocities.
The series of these movements has spread to the US and Canada, as well as European countries, denouncing the illegal actions of the Pakistani government against Pashtun and Balochs.
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