Civil society seeks PA resolution on Jalib’s murder


Express July 16, 2010

LAHORE: The civil society and human rights activists on Friday staged a protest in front of the provincial assembly to condemn the brutal murder of Baloch nationalist Habib Jalib. Jalib was the secretary general of the Balochistan Nationalist Party-Mengal. The protesters demanded the assembly to pass a resolution condemning the murder.

They chanted slogans against the murderers and demanded that they be brought to justice. They also criticised the ongoing military operation in the province and stressed the need to highlight the plight of Baloch citizens in general and political activists in particular.

The participants included prominent civil society activists: Salman Abid, Jamil Umar, Abdullah Malik and Irfan Mufti.

They said that Jalib was a seasoned politician committed to the values of democracy, secularism and nationalism.

They said that Jalib’s, and before him Maula Bukhsh Dashti’s, murder did not augur well for the peaceful resolution of Baloch grievances.

“These incidents are bound to dent Baloch people’s trust in the Pakistani state’s commitment to resolve their problems,” they held.

The protesters said that Jalib’s killing was the most high profile political murder since the assassinations of Nawab Bugti and Balach Marri. They feared that such incidents would aggravate the feelings of alienation among the Baloch people.

The protesters issued a joint statement expressing their concern over the deteriorating situation in Balochistan fuelled by target killings and the ongoing military operation.

The text of the statement said: “We are advancing towards a point of no return. At this juncture, there is a need to redesign the roadmap to resolve Baloch people’s issues without further delay. We urge the government and other stakeholders to end the military intervention on an urgent basis.

Pulling the armed forces out of the province should be the first step in this regard.”

The statement added that it should be followed by concerted effort to increase investment in education, health and municipal services. “Industrialisation with participation of the local population and a larger share of the royalties and dividends obtained from mining and excavations would enable the Baloch people to overcome their hardsips,” it said.

The protesters demanded that the Punjab Assembly immediately pass a resolution to condemn the killings of Habib Jalib Baloch and Maula Bukhsh Dashti to express the solidarity of the people of the province with the Baloch people.

“We feel that if these steps are not taken immediately it would be difficult to reconcile the differences of the people of Balochistan, which could be a threat to the federation of Pakistan.”

The protest was organised jointly by Strengthening Participatory Organisation (SPO), South Asia Partnership (SAP), Awami Jamhoori Forum, Alliance for Human Development, Policy Dialogue Forum, Aurat Foundation and HomeNet Pakistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 17th, 2010.

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