India urges Pakistan to stop human rights violations in Balochistan

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India on Friday urged Pakistan to stop human rights violations in Balochistan province as human rights groups and activists have raised concerns over their targetted killing in the region.

“We request Pakistani authorities that the human rights violations which are currently going on in Balochistan should be stopped,” said Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs when asked what India has to say on the current situation of Balochistan?

It came as activists in the region have raised concerns over their targeted killings in Balochistan, which is the most neglected among Pakistan’s all provinces in terms of education, health, and employment, with only 24 per cent of women are literate here in the region.

Recently, the International Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (IVBMP), a collective representing family members of Balochistan’s forcibly disappeared, has strongly condemned the killing of Razzaq Mandai, a Baloch political refugee, in Afghanistan. In a statement to the media, IVBMP said, “We are aware of his case. He fled Balochistan to save his life. He was facing life threats because of his political struggle against Pakistani oppression in Balochistan.”

The Baloch group rejected the lies propagated by Pakistan Army-sponsored journalists and social media figures, who have falsely claimed that Razzaq was a senior commander of an armed group.

“In fact, he was a refugee who went to Afghanistan because he could not flee to a third and safer country from Balochistan.”

Due to the negligence of the province by the Pakistan government, 76 per cent of Balochistan’s girls remain out of school with a primary enrollment of 3,22,000 girls; of whom only 20,046 persist after they finish their matriculation, according to Pakistan Today.

Balochistan is the richest-in-resources province of Pakistan with a small population of 12.34 million, but still the most neglected among all the four provinces – especially when it comes to education, health and employment, reported Pakistan Today. (ANI)