Balochistan campaigners in the frame

Balochistan campaigners in the frame

Peter Tatchell accuses Gordon Brown's government of collusion with Pakistani attempts to frame human rights activists on terrorism charges

Tribune – Labour's left-wing weekly - 19 September 2008

The Labour government, security services and police have been involved in high-level collusion with the recently ousted dictator of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, according to human rights campaigners in Pakistani-occupied Balochistan.
They claim British authorities bowed to Musharraf's demands to arrest, on false terrorism charges, leading Baloch nationalists exiled in the UK. It is alleged that last year Musharraf threatened to cut all cooperation with Britain in the "war of terror" unless our government arrested the Baloch activists. The UK authorities appear to have complied with the Pakistani dictator's demands.
Acting on allegations by Musharraf's regime concerning an alleged terror plot in Pakistan, two leading Balochistan human rights campaigners, Hyrbyair Marri and Faiz Baluch, were arrested by police in London last December, on charges of preparing acts of terrorism abroad. They are due to stand trial at Woolwich Crown Court in November.
The police and security agencies in the UK have pursued these terror charges based on evidence provided to them by Musharraf's dictatorship – a dictatorship that the arrested men campaigned against. Our government has ignored the fact that Musharraf's henchmen in the Pakistani intelligence agency, the ISI, are notorious for framing political opponents, especially Baloch activists.
Human rights campaigners believe Marri and Baluch have been set up by Musharraf's agents because of their highly effective exposure of Pakistan's war crimes and crimes against humanity in annexed Balochistan.
This belief has been reinforced by the acting Interior Minister of the new democratic government of Pakistan, Rehman Malik. He recently announced that all terror charges against Marri in Pakistan have been dropped; stating that the case against him had been politically motivated. This discredits the whole basis on which Marri and Baluch have been charged in London.
Marri's and Baluch's arrest came just a few months after Musharraf demanded that the British government arrest Baloch activists in London. In exchange, Musharraf offered to hand over Rashid Rauf, implying that action against the Baloch activists was a condition for surrendering Rauf to the UK. Rauf is wanted in this country in connection with the 2006 Islamist terror plot involving liquid explosives, which resulted in the conviction of three men in London in September.
The arrest in London of Marri and Baluch took place two weeks after Pakistani government agents assassinated Marri's brother, Balach Marri, a prominent Baloch nationalist leader.
Prior to Marri's arrest, Musharraf's regime made repeated representations to the UK government that he was wanted on terrorism charges in Pakistan (charges that have now been dropped). When Musharraf met Gordon Brown in London in January this year, he held a press conference for Pakistani journalists where he allegedly denounced Marri as a terrorist and praised the British government and police for cooperating with his regime.
Claims of connivance are credible. For nine years, our Labour government supported Musharraf's dictatorship politically, economically and militarily, despite him having overthrown Pakistan's democratically-elected government in 1999. Labour even sold him the military equipment that his army used kill innocent Baloch people.
Marri is an unlikely terrorist. He is a former Balochistan MP (1997-2002), and was the Minster for Construction and Works in the provincial assembly in 1997-1998. He fled to Britain in 2000, fearing arrest, torture and possible assassination by Musharraf's men.
Marri comes from a distinguished Baloch family. His father, Nawab Khair Baksh Marri, a renowned Baloch national leader, attended Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953.
His uncle is Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, the UN Special Representative to Sudan and the former Pakistan Ambassador to the United States, and his wife is the great grand daughter of the first Prime Minister of Iraq (1920-1922), Abdul Rahman al Gillani.
One of his brothers is Mehran Baluch. Also exiled London, he is the Baloch Representative to the UN Human Rights Council. He was the subject of an attempted extradition plot last year by Musharraf's regime, on trumped up charges.
The arrest of Marri - together with the murder of one brother and the attempt to frame another brother - looks like a systematic attempt to target his family and crush three leading voices of Baloch dissent.
A former British Protectorate, Balochistan was granted independence in 1947 but was invaded and forcibly annexed by Pakistan in 1948. The Baloch people did not vote for incorporation. They were never given a choice. Ever since, Balochistan has been under military occupation by Islamabad. Baloch demands for a referendum on self-rule have been rejected.
Pakistan, a former victim of colonialism, has turned into a colonising power, subjecting the people of Balochistan to political, economic, cultural and military subjugation.
The Asian Human Rights Commission reports that Pakistani army raids have resulted in 3,000 Baloch people dead, 200,000 displaced and 4,000 arrested. Thousands more have simply disappeared.
ENDS
-- If you want to respond to this email, or at any time to contact Peter, please email him at his NEW email address - peter@petertatchell.netPeter Tatchell is the Green Party parliamentary candidate for Oxford Eastwww.greenoxford.com/peter and www.petertatchell.netPETER TATCHELL HUMAN RIGHTS FUNDDonations are requested to help Peter Tatchell's campaigns promotinghuman rights, democracy and global justice. Peter is unpaid and receives no grants. He depends on donations from friends and supporters.Please make cheques payable to: "Peter Tatchell Human Rights Fund".Send to: PTHRF, PO Box 35253, London E1 4YFTo download a donation form or a standing order mandate, go to Donations at: www.tatchellrightsfund.orgFor information about Peter Tatchell's campaigns: www.petertatchell.net

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