Brussels: Activists discuss challenges to confront ‘fascist’ Pakistani regime

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Political activists from Pashtun, Balochistan, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Sindh nations gathered in Brussels Press Club Europe in Belgium to participate in an International conference “Oppressed Nations in Pakistan & Human Rights Violations”.

The conference was held on Friday , to hold discussions on the human rights violations in different regions of Pakistan.

Pakistan has been dealing with imminent economic, social, political and security collapse and in desperation, is using draconian laws and other harsh instruments to silence dissenting voices of the historical nations.

Pakistan violates with impunity the basic fundamental rights of oppressed nations and is involved in gross human rights violations like enforced disappearances, extra-judicial killings, arbitrary detentions and torture.

Moreover, the arbitrary detention of Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) leader Manzoor Ahmed Pashteen is one of the recent examples of these violations.

Manzoor Pashteen was arrested on December 4, six days before the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The main reason behind his arrest was that he intended to travel to Turbat, a sit-in where our Baloch brothers were organising protests against the enforced disappearances, target killings and genocide of the Baloch people. So that was the reason to stop Pashtun and Baloch, to show solidarity with each other, to strengthen their relationship with each other. The Pakistani military establishment was afraid of this relationship, and that is why he was arrested while on his way to Turbat city, according to a PTM member.

These leaders and international experts, during the conference, discussed the challenges and presented a joint strategy to unitedly confront the fascist Pakistani regime.

Following the conference, a joint declaration will be sent to International organisations like the UN and important powers of the world.

Earlier this month, PTM member Fazal-ur-Rehman Afridi lambasted the Pakistani military establishment for trying to stifle their freedom of expression and their right to peaceful assembly and asserted that they cannot stifle their freedom around the world.

He said that PTM will continue its struggle until the release of PTM chief Manzoor Ahmed Pashteen, who he stressed was arrested arbitrarily and presented before the “kangaroo courts” of Pakistan.

In an interview with ANI, Fazal-ur-Rehman Afridi said PTI activists around the world have organised protests after the arrest of Manzoor Ahmed Pashteen. He said that PTM does not believe in Pakistan’s courts, which he stressed, “are compromised under the boot of the Pakistani military establishment.”

Fazal-ur-Rehman Afridi said, “After the arrest of Manzoor Ahmed Pashteen, the PTM activists around the world organized global protests not only in Pakistan, but we organized the protests all around the world, including United States of America, Belgium, Netherlands, Austria. And there are more in the pipelines until and unless Manzoor Pashteen is released. Manzoor Pashteen was arrested arbitrarily and presented before the Kangaroo courts of Pakistan which are compromised under the boot of Pakistani military establishment.”

“We don’t believe in these courts and we don’t believe in the Pakistani system. And we will continue our struggle till the end, until Manzoor Pashteen is released. We are also intending to establish a tent here in Geneva on the daily basis where we will expose the black face of the Pakistani regime to the world on the daily basis,” he added.

Meanwhile, Baloch protestors have been staging demonstrations and holding protests in the federal capital to raise concerns about the ongoing human rights violations in Balochistan.

Following their protests in Islamabad, the capital police detained hundreds of protestors, again violating their freedom to peacefully hold protests. (ANI)