Friday 15 October 2010

Reports of Military operation in Balochistan, fears of civilian casualties due to aerial bombardment


Several innocent Baloch have been arrested, 40 tanks and 4 Helicopters are reportedly being used in the operation

Occupied Balochistan: Pakistan military, FC and Police are carrying out a join military operation in the town of Mashky in Balochistan. The forces are reportedly using Gunship Helicopters for the aerial bombardment in mountainous regions on civilian populations. Local sources also claim that there houses and shops have been deliberately set on fire by the Pakistan military. According to reports over 40 military tanks, hundreds of FC personnel and at least 4 Helicopter are involved in the current operation. In addition hundreds of Pakistan military troops and ambulances have also reached the town late Wednesday night.

Local sources claim there have been civilian causalities but nobody can say with certainty how many people have been killed or injured because of the complete media blackout in the region. The Town of Mashky and adjourning areas are in a complete siege by the military. Presently the police, the FC and the military are conducting a house-to-house search, with the help of some masked men, [presumably their local hired agents] in the town and several people have been arrested so far. Locals complain that their valuables including cash, cycles, cars and motorcycles are forcefully being taken away by the Pakistani security personnel.

The town might face food and medical scarcity due to the siege and continued military operation. Due to the curfew like situation the residents of Mashky town are not being allowed to leave their houses and no medical aid has been permitted to enter the town from anywhere else in Balochistan.

Sources also reported that the military have cut off all the electricity and phone lines before they started the operation. People might face medical, food and water shortage if the operation continued. However,The current operation in Mashky is not something unexpected or new to the people of Balochistan. It is a continuing process of the slow but steady motion Genocide of Baloch nation.

Meanwhile BNF, a combination of pro-independent Baloch Nationalist Parties, and BSO-azaad have strongly condemned the military operation in Mashky. They called for a complete shutter-down protest in several towns of Balochistan on Thursday (Today) and vowed to continue protests until the operation is halted.

The leader of BRC (Baloch Rights Council) Mr. Abdul Wahab Baloch has said that Mir Noor-ul-Deen Mengal was murdered to divert the attention from the military operation in Mashky. Looking a Pakistani electronic & print media reports his suspicions seem to be true. None of the Pakistan newspapers and televisions has reported about the military operation but all have printed the report of Mr Mengal’s murder. 

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