Geneva, April 16 (ANI): The director of the Brussels-based South Asia Democratic Forum, Paula Casaca, has asked relevant authorities in Pakistan to be more accountable for developments taking place in the country’s Balochistan province, especially in the wake of reports suggesting China’s expansionist role in the region.
In an interview given to ANI in Geneva, Casaca said that it is wholly unacceptable for legitimate government authorities in Pakistan not to give appropriate answers to searching questions on the previaling situation in Balochistan.
“The essential is that those who have the power and those who internationally represents Pakistan have to be coherent and respond to what is happening and what has been done by elements within the state,” said Casaca.
“And, they have to understand that they cannot cultivate this situation where they seem to say well the military do what they want, then we have all these Islamists groups that we do not control. This is not an acceptable answer if they claim to be the legitimate government authorities of Pakistan. They have to answer for all that has been happening in the country,” Casaca added.
Casaca further said that her main main concern was the policy of kill and dump being practiced by the Baloch elite, which amounted to slow genocide.
“Apparently, we have perspective within those who have the real power in Pakistan, following which, the solution to any problem in the country is to eliminate those who might be the leaders of different cultures of different way of national feeling,” she said.
“We have seen journalists, doctors and intellectuals in general to be the targets of these killings and this is absolutely unacceptable,” she added.
Casaca said Balochistan is one of the least known areas in the world where these sorts of problem are taking place.
“Most of the people don’t know actually and, when they get information, the information is very distorted. The ignorance on Balochistan is tremendous. I would say that if you would do an opinion poll in Europe of who knows about Balochistan, who have heard about Balochistan, I would not be surprised if nobody would say yes we know about Balochistan. There is lack of basic information about the country,” Casaca said.
Casaca said that the international community is seeing an engagement in several parts of Pakistan, and wondered if China is not really behind this very tough policy of Pakistan in Balochistan, given that it has virtually been given control of Gwadar Port.
China, she said, appears now to have direct access to the main navigation routes where lot of international trade is being carried on.
Commenting on the Osama bin Laden episode, Casaca said that it could not be denied that the Pakistan state had protected him.
“Even after he was eliminated, nobody in Pakistan even tried to disguise the fact that he was protected,” she said.
“There is not a single prosecution of whoever sheltered Bin Laden, and those who cooperated in identifying his whereabouts, were prosecuted. The doctor who gave relevant information was sentenced to 38 years in jail. So, it could not be more obvious on which side is the Pakistani state,” she concluded. (ANI)
