Members of the Baloch National Movement (UK chapter) gathered in London on Wednesday and appealed India to be instrumental in the freedom struggle of Balochistan and highlight the atrocities against Baloch community being committed by the Pakistani military forces at the international platforms.
To mark the Baloch Martyrs' Day (National Remembrance Day), Baloch activists paid tributes to those killed in their fight for Baloch freedom over the years.
The Human rights activists speaking on the occasion accused the Pakistan government and Army of the abduction, oppression, and killings of thousands of political activists, intellectuals and journalists in Balochistan, and called on the international community to help the province attain independence.
"Since 2010, thousands of our political activists, journalists, intellectuals, teachers have been killed by Pakistani security forces. The founder and leader of the Baloch National Movement was abducted in 2009 in broad daylight and three days later, his decomposed body was found on a roadside in Balochistan," said Hammal Haider, a BNM member.
"In 1948, the Balochistan was occupied by Pakistan with brute force. Since the occupation, the people of Baloch have continued their fight against Pakistan. Our movement has inspired many minority groups in the country to raise their voice against the oppression," he added.
Haider called on India to help raise the matter on international platforms and be instrumental in the province's struggle for independence "just as how it helped Bangladesh attain its freedom."
November 13 is celebrated as Baloch Martyrs' Day every year to pay tribute to the fallen heroes of Baloch liberation struggle. Baloch activists across the world had launched #13NovBalochMartyrsDay hashtag on Twitter yesterday to attract world's attention over the genocide of Baloch people.
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"If India wants lasting peace and security in the (South Asian) region, they have to support the national movements of Sindhis, Baloch and Pashtuns," said Lakhu Luhana, the Secretary-General of World Sindhi Congress.
A recent report issued by Baloch National Movement Central Information Secretary Dil Murad Baloch had highlighted that as many as 28 operations were conducted by the Pakistani army in Balochistan in the month of October alone as a result of which 30 people forcibly disappeared, while 25 dead bodies were found in the province.