Congress committee discusses killings, human rights in Balochistan

The subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, chaired by Republican from Califorinia, Dana Rohrabacher, held a session to discuss the target killings and human rights situation in Balochistan and termed it a matter requiring urgent attention. He has also co-authored an article a few days ago favouring independent Balochistan.Rohrabacher, spelling out Balochistans history, said it is a turbulent area and the people of Balochistan have not benefitted from the natural reserves and minerals found in their area. He said that the US attached huge importance to the question of human rights and the Balochistan-Afghan border area was a cause of concern too because of its volatile nature.On the question of independence for Balochistan, he said if people in Balochistan have a right to self-determination, people of Kashmir have a right to self-determination as well. He also cautioned that those demanding human rights should also be careful about human rights of others, in an obvious reference to the killing of non-Balochs by Baloch nationalists.He went on to add that Pakistan was not acting in US interests and we cant support everything that Pakistan does because of the fear of instability and disturbing the lines that we are drawing. Dispelling the impression that the committee had some anti-Pakistan agenda, he said this hearing is not a conspiracy, but we want to understand the situation in Balochistan.Congressman Russ Carnahan urged the US administration to take-up the situation in Balochistan with the Pakistani government and push them for addressing the grievances of the Baloch people. Congressman Ted Poe advocated for US assistance to Pakistan. We dont need to give American money to Pakistan, because they dont deserve it, he stated and said that America should look towards India as a preferred ally in the region.Testifying during the hearing, defense analyst Ralph Peters said that Balochs never wanted to be with Pakistan and are looking for independence now. Assistant Professor of Georgetown University, Christine Fair, however said that targeted killing of Balochis is indeed taking place but they are also targeting people of other ethnicities and sectarian killing are also a problem.Dr. Hosseinbor, a Pakistani-American of Balochi origin regretted that more than 4000 people have disappeared in Balochistan since 2001. Balochs, he said, had never accepted borders drawn with Afghanistan and Iran and this was the historical root-cause of the conflict that had blossomed because of the injustices over the years.Ali Dayan Hasan, Pakistan Director of Human Rights Watch clarified that human rights organizations dont take any position on demand of independence, and want human rights in Balochistan to be upheld as per the Pakistani constitution.Both Balochs and non-Balochs in the province have been indulged in violence and the ordinary people in the province, consequently, fear for their life, he said while faying the Pakistani government and security forces for failing to implement a rights-respecting rule of law in Balochistan, which, in his opinion, was mandatory if it wanted to improve the situation.The spokesperson of the US state department, Victoria Nuland, however, chose to disassociate from the Congress hearing. We are aware of this hearing. As you know, the Congress holds hearings on many foreign affairs topics. These hearings don’t necessarily imply that the US government endorses one view or another view. I would underscore that the State Department is not participating or involved in this hearing today, she asserted.When pressed for the US administrations stance on Balochistan and the demand for independence from Baloch nationalists, she clearly said that the US was not favouring the demand for Balochistans independence. Our view on this has not changed, and you know where we’ve been on Balochistan. We encourage all the parties in Balochistan to work out their differences peacefully and through a valid political process, within Pakistan, she observed.The US, she said, engages with Pakistan on a whole range of issues, including ways to foster economic development and expand opportunity in Balochistan. She was, though, unaware when asked whether anybody from the state department was invited to the Congress hearing or not.- Contributed by Awais Saleem, Dunya News correspondent in Washington, DC