Germany: Baloch activists stage anti-Pakistan protest at Berlin Gate

Hundreds of Baloch protesters, holding placards, demonstrated against Pakistan's ruling government in front of Germany's Berlin Gate on Tuesday. The protestors alleged that the Imran Khan-led government and Pakistan security forces have been killing political activists in fake encounters in Balochistan.

Notably, the Balochistan province is administratively divided among three countries- Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran. The largest portion of Balochistan and a major chunk of the population lies within Pakistan. Since its formation, several NGOs have reported human rights violations being committed by Pakistani armed forces.

Meanwhile, during the protest, the demonstrators chanted slogans against inhumane atrocities in Pakistan's resource-rich Balochistan. While blaming the Pakistani armed forces for alleged illegal genocides, the protestors appealed to the international community to speak out against the killing of political activists in fake encounters. President of the Baloch National Movement (Germany Zone) Hammal Baloch, BRP Germany member Fawaz Baloch, general secretary Asghar Ali, and hundreds of social activists participated in the protest.

Terming the new series of targeted assassinations of missing persons in pretended encounters as a "human tragedy", speakers demanded the international community to take strict action against those responsible. While addressing the protest, general secretary, BNM Germany Zone, Asghar Ali Baloch, said, "In the last two months, 28 Baloch missing persons have been killed by the Pakistan Police, Counter-Terrorist Department in fake encounters. All of those killed in fake encounters were the victims of enforced disappearances by the intelligence agencies."

"In the last two decades, the Pakistani occupation forces have inflicted a number of atrocities on Balochistan, ranging from enforced disappearances of people to imprisonment and inhumane punishments, and later throwing their mutilated bodies on the roadside or in inhabited places," Asghar Ali Baloch added.

'Atrocities against political activists increased multiple folds in the past two decades'

The general secretary of BNM (Germany Zone) alleged that atrocities by Pakistani forces would not halt in the near future and instead, the genocide would witness its peak in the coming years. Citing the example of Saddam Baloch, who was a member of the Baloch National Moment, Asgar said alleged that Pakistani forces were behind his disappearance from Karachi in April 2018. Later, he was killed in a fake encounter, he added. Asgar alleged that the state of Pakistan has been responsible for the disappearance of thousands of Baloch activists, who are held in Pakistani torture cells without charge. He said that the atrocities against political activists have increased multiple folds in the past 20 years and added, "we are here to expose Pakistani atrocities in Balochistan."

(With inputs from ANI, Image: ANI/AP)