Pakistan’s Hidden War : The Kill and Dump Policy in Balochistan

February 14, 2013

Will the international community end its silence on the Kill and Dump policy used by the Pakistani government against the people of Balochistan?

Pakistan’s Hidden War : The Kill and Dump Policy in Balochistan

By Mosa Zahed & Hamid Yazdan Panah

Baloch Children protest in front of the Karachi Press Club – February 10th 2013 (Via http://baluchsarmachar.wordpress.com)

There is an urgent humanitarian crisis in the Balochistan province of Pakistan. This crisis is underreported, uninvestigated and ongoing.

Throughout Balochistan, hundreds of ethnic Baloch have been abducted by Pakistani Security forces and killed while in custody, with their bodies dumped shortly thereafter- in what has been been widely referred to as the ‘Kill and Dump’ policy. Often times the bodies of the slain bear marks of brutal torture and mutilation.  These actions are undertaken in the name of counter insurgency, yet they represent a grave violation of human rightsand judicial due process.

In a 2012 briefing, Amnesty International noted, “According to our own research at least 249 Baloch activists, teachers, journalists and lawyers have disappeared or been murdered between 24 October 2010 and 10 September 2011 alone, many in so-called ‘kill and dump’ operations.”  The advocacy group, Voice for Missing Baloch, has estimated that 8,000 people have been kidnapped over the past nine years, with 1,500 individual bodies having been recovered.

The ‘Kill and Dump’ policy began under the rule of President Pervez Musharraf, but has continued under the current government.  The policy focuses on the detainment of Baloch activists, holding them incommunicado for days or even weeks during which they are subjected to torture, interrogation and execution. Upon killing the men in custody, authorities dump the bodies of their victims, sending a brutal message to the Baloch community. The extrajudicial detainment and execution allows for authorities to escape all forms of oversight, legal standards, or accountability.

Targeted Killings Against Dissidents

Killings have not been limited to Baloch militants, but have also targeted opposition leaders, human rights activists, and academics who have been critical of the Pakistani military.

The body of human rights defender Siddique Eido was recovered bearing marks of torture and a gunshot wound to the head. (Photo Courtesy of frontlinedefenders.org)

The killing of Siddique Eido, is a shocking example of the targeted killing of human rights activists. Eido was a human rights coordinator for the NGO, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP). On December 21st, 2010 Eido and Yousaf Nazar were travelling back from a court appearance in the city of Gwadar, accompanied by four policemen.  According to reports, both men were abducted by men in state security uniforms and were taken away in vehicles similar to those used by the state security forces.

As weeks passed with no word of Eido’s whereabouts or status, HRCP urged authorities to investigate the issue. In a letter to the Balochistan chief minister, HRCP urged the authorities to act; “At the very least, statements of the four policemen of Pasni Police Station accompanying Mr Eido at the time of his abduction must be recorded and they should be asked to provide as much information as they can about the identity of his abductors.”

The bodies of both men were discovered on April 28th, bearing marks of torture. In a statement released by HRCPafter the recovery of Eido’s body, HRCP pointed out that the condoning of criminality by the government amounted to complicity in Eido’s murder, “HRCP is disappointed beyond words by the degree of official inaction and callousness which amounts to collusion in Siddique`s murder.”

Another shocking case of targeted killings was the shooting of Saba Dashtyari, a prominent Baloch professor, poet, and scholar.  Dashtiyari taught Islamic studies at the University of Balochistan, in Quetta and was an open critic of the government in Islamabad. On June 1st, 2011 Dashtiyari was shot dead by unidentified gunmen, while walking on a public street in Quetta.  Dashtiyari had publicly backed the cause of an independent Balochistan.

Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, cited the killing as an example of Pakistan’s failure to investigate the murder of dissidents, saying; “The government’s failure to open a credible investigation into the killing of someone as prominent as Saba Dashtiyari only adds fuel to the fire of anger and suspicion in the province.”

The targeting of dissidents and activists undermines claims by the Government that their efforts are focused on fighting terrorism and insurgency. These killings, and the terror they induce, is part of a broader campaign to intimidate the population and silence their demands for justice and accountability from the government. The dumping of mutilated bodies is meant to send a direct message as to what is in store for those who defy the state.

The ‘Kill and Dump’ policy continues to this day in Balochistan. According to the International Voice for Baloch Missing Persons, 38 disappearances and at least 12 extra judicial killings have occurred so far in 2013.

Culture of Impunity
Behind each of these crimes is a culture of impunity which puts the perpetrators above the law. Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Director noted,”These atrocities are carried out with flagrant impunity. Credible investigations into these incidents – resulting in prosecutions – are absolutely necessary to establish some trust between the Baloch people and the Pakistan government.”

First he went to the courts but then his lawyer was shot dead. Then he went to the media but the local press club president was killed. Now, Rahim says, “nobody will help in case they are targeted too. We are hopeless.”

The impunity given to security forces and the lack of recourse for family members has left Baloch citizens with no one to turn to for justice. Those who do try to pursue the cases of their loved ones are often threatened with additional violence and the risk becoming targets themselves. The feeling of helplessness and despair is captured perfectly in Declan Walsh’s article for the Guardian, describing the case of Abdul Rahim from Khuzdar, “He produces court papers detailing the abduction of his son Saadullah in 2009. First he went to the courts but then his lawyer was shot dead. Then he went to the media but the local press club president was killed. Now, Rahim says, “nobody will help in case they are targeted too. We are hopeless.”

For the families of the slain, the pain of losing a loved one to such a brutal death is only made worse by the inaction of authorities. The inability for Baloch to receive any form of due process while in custody, or any effective judicial remedies, serves to delegitimize the authority of the Pakistani government. As a result of this impunity, Baloch citizens will continue to reject the policies of Islamabad as corrupt and unjust.

QUETTA, Pakistan: Student pass at a street during protest rally for the recovery of their leader, Shahzaib Baloch, arranged by Balochistan Students Organization (Azad) in Quetta on Saturday, April 18, 2009. (Via baluchsarmachar.wordpress.com)

Lack of International Attention

To date, the humanitarian crisis in Balochistan has received little attention, and almost no concrete action from the international community. Western governments have continued to subsidize Pakistan’s military, while largely ignoring the actions of the army in Balochistan. Recently, the issue has been noted at the highest levels of government in the United States and the EU, but has yet to result in any real pressure on the Pakistani government.

“The fate of thousands taken by state officials or those acting on their behalf, held out of sight and without charge, denied access to lawyers and loved ones, remains unknown to this day.”

NGO’s have highlighted the issue as a humanitarian crisis. In an open letter to the Pakistani government, Amnesty International urged the government to end the “Crisis of Enforced Disappearances.” The statement focused on the ‘Kill and Dump’ policy, stating, “The fate of thousands taken by state officials or those acting on their behalf, held out of sight and without charge, denied access to lawyers and loved ones, remains unknown to this day.”

The United States Mission in Geneva expressed its concern over the ongoing ‘Kill and Dump’ policy in a statement release on October 30th, 2012: “We note with deep concern the ongoing violence in Balochistan. Security forces continue to be involved in “kill-and-dump” operations that target numerous civil society actors, including Baloch activists and their family members, as well as journalists, activists, and student leaders.”

The statement also called on the government of Pakistan to “investigate operations aimed at silencing dissent in Balochistan.” Yet the United States, which provides over a billion dollars in military funding to Pakistan, has done little to ensure that these policies are changed.

The issue was also raised by Alexander Alvaro, Member of European Parliament and member of South Asia Peace Forum (SAPF) in November of 2012. Alvaro criticized the Pakistani government for its human rights record, and called on the international community to take a firm stand against the atrocities carried out against the Baloch people. Avaro asked the Vice-President of the European Commission, “Does the European Union envisage the appointment of a special rapporteur for Baluchistan to conduct, with the assistance of the international human rights organisation.”

Such an appointment could send a message to Islamabad that these matters have not gone unnoticed by the international community, and an independent investigation could finally bring some clarity to disputed facts and numbers.

The institutional discrimination against ethnic minorities is a humanitarian issue which is recognized globally. Yet the plight of the Baloch people has received little attention compared to other humanitarian issues in the Middle East and South Asia.

To date, the international community has failed in its humanitarian obligation to address the issue of the Baloch people. The West must unequivocally condemn the policies of the Pakistani government and insist that a minimum standard of human rights be upheld in Balochistan.

Photo’s of missing Baloch are displayed at a public protest in front of the Karachi Press Club (via http://baluchsarmachar.wordpress.com)

Conclusion

Balochistan not only faces state violence and discrimination, but it also faces deep-seated economic inequality.  Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest province, and given its natural resources and strategic position, arguably its most important. Yet it is also Pakistan’s poorest province, with 52 percent of households living below the poverty line, according to a poverty survey carried out by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI).  Despite Balochistan’s extensive wealth in natural resources, the lack of infrastructure or educational opportunities in the State has lead many Baloch to feel cheated.

The Pakistani government has attempted to address the deep-seated inequalities in Balochistan with the Aghaz-e-Huqooq-e-Balochistan package in November 2009, which promised no new military cantonments, a commission to investigate disappearances, and compensation for gas royalties.  But Baloch activists maintain that the package has done little to address the issues faced by the Baloch, and has not ended the ‘Kill and Dump’ policy of the armies.

The future of Balochistan remains to be seen. A just and lasting resolution to this issue requires the building of trust and a commitment to judicial standards and accountability. The culture of impunity, and the use of extreme violence by the State not only serves to terrorize the population of Balochistan, but it destroys their faith in the governments ability to protect them or bring justice. These realities will not only destroy the legitimacy of the Pakistani government in the region, but will remove any incentive the Baloch have to put aside violence as a means to have their voices heard.

A lasting peace in Balochistan can never be based on repression and the denial of basic human rights. The Pakistani government must begin a new policy towards the region which should include recognizing the legitimate grievances of the Baloch and once and for all ending the ‘Dump and Kill’ policy.

Mosa Zahed is Chairman and Executive Director of Near East Observatory.
His focus includes legislative advocacy and public policy. 

Hamid Yazdan Panah is Vice Chairman of Near East Observatory.
He is also an attorney and Human Rights activist, and has Baloch ancestry from his paternal side.