Two Baluch groups urge stopping of military aid to Pakistan and any social funds should be given on the basis of area, not population. Punjabis and Mohajirs should be kept at bay.
United States of America (Press Release) July 24, 2008 --
WASHINGTON DC, July 25, 2008: Two U.S.-based Baluch organizations have jointly called for revival of the USAID program for Baluchistan, coupled with stopping of all military aid to Pakistan until it hands over terrorists being shielded by its army.
According to the prestigious Virginia-based GlobalSecurity.org, the Pakistan Army has a total strength of 5,20,000, larger than that of the United States, with a reserve element of 500,000.
Ahmar Mustikhan, founder of the American Friends of Baluchistan, and Dr. Wahid Baloch, president of the Baloch Society of North America, Thursday wrote to U.S. Senators Joseph Biden (D-DE), Richard Lugar (R-Ind), Robert Casey (D-PA) and Chris Dodd (D-CT) about their concerns over military aid to Pakistan as Pakistan continues to shield terrorists, including the one-eyed former Taliban ruler, Mullah Mohammed Omar.
Biden and Lugar recently introduced a bipartisan bill tht seeks to end blank checks for the Pakistan army. Since 9/11, as much as $5.6 billion of U.S. taxpayers monies was given in cash to Pakistan army generals in a slush fund called Coalition Support Fund without proper congressional oversight.
Mustikhan and Baloch said disbursement of U.S. Agency for International Development funds must be done on the basis of area rather than population as "Pakistan has practiced state slavery of the Baluch people because
of which Baluchistan today has the highest infant mortality rate anywhere in the world."
They demanded distribution of the funds in Baluchistan directly through USAID and honest and competent Baluch managers as they said they had no faith in Punjabi and Urdu speaking Pakistanis.
In the mid-1980s, a USAID program enabled hundreds of Baluch youth to come for studies to the U.S. but the program was shelved immediately after the demise of communism in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.
A copy of the letter was also sent to Ms. Henrietta Holsman Fore,
chief of USAID.
Following is the full text of their letter:
We are highly appreciative of the recent bill by the
honorable Senators Biden and Lugar to push for
bipartisan legislation this year that would triple
humanitarian spending in Pakistan, but most hopefully
cut military aid to Pakistan.
The state of Pakistan is the world's most dangerous
entity today and U.S. taxpayers monies should under no
circumstances be misspent on strengthening the
Pakistan army.
As we write these lines to you Pakistan army is using
U.S. weapons, including Cobra helicopters, against
secular Baluch forces in the Dera Bugti area of the
area-wise largest state of Baluchistan. In the last
four days alone as many as 70 citizens, mostly women,
children and the elderly have been killed by the
Pakistan army out of frustration.
Pakistan's policy of killing secular Baluch forces can
create a void that will be filled by none other but
Taliban-like forces.
We urge you to have the genocide of the Baluch people
stopped immediately.
It is a shame that in the estimation of Pakistan army
generals, former governor and chief minister of
Baluchistan Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti and twice-premier
Benazir Bhutto are "security threats," that have to be
eliminated, but the likes of Mullah Omar, Osama bin
Laden, Ayman Zwahiri, A.Q. Khan and Daud Ebrahim are
"national assets," that have to be protected.
The State Department certification that Pakistan makes
"concerted efforts" to go after al-Qaida and Taliban
forces will only make sense when Pakistan hands over
terrorists like one-eyed Mullah Omar, who is being
sheltered at a Punjabi-Mohajir dominated army complex
in Quetta. Clearly Pakistan army is shielding
terrorists and we urge the U.S. lawmakers not to close
their eyes to the dangers emanating from that country
to U.S. citizens.
As such, there should be absolutely no military aid to
Pakistan until these dangerous terrorists are arrested
by Pakistan.
We highly appreciate the efforts made by the
Department of State and USAID towards drafting the
bill, but more conditions need to be put into the bill
in the interests of world security.
Any new aid to Pakistan must be made conditional to
Islamabad respecting the right of self determination
for the Baluch people and conducting a referendum in
Baluchistan about their future. We can assure you in
advance 99 percent of the Baluch populace will opt for
freedom.
You might be knowing the Baluch people have demanded
international help from the world community at a
historic and representative jirga held at the Shahi
Palace in Kalat, under the leadership of the Khan of
Kalat, Suleman Daud Ahmedzai, that was held in the
fall of 2006.
For security reasons, the Khan of Kalat has now sought
asylum in the U.K. He is spearheading the legal battle
against Pakistan's forced occupation of Baluchistan by
Pakistan in March 1948.
The Baluch are also revolted over the proposed
Iran-Pakistan-India Pipeline and your bill must demand
from Pakistan scrapping of the pipeline project.
At the same time in the interests of fairness, the
proposed $7.5 billion in aid must be distributed on
the basis of area, not population. Pakistan has
practiced state slavery of the Baluch people because
of which Baluchistan today has the highest infant
mortality rate anywhere in the world.
The distribution of the funds in Baluchistan must be
done directly by USAID through competent Baluch
managers as we have no faith in Punjabi and Urdu
speaking Pakistanis. We also urge you to revive the
USAID project, specifically for the ethnic Baluch
people.
The time to send sharp messages to Pakistan has long
lapsed and now is the time for concrete action.
According to the prestigious Virginia-based GlobalSecurity.org, the Pakistan Army has a total strength of 5,20,000, larger than that of the United States, with a reserve element of 500,000.
Ahmar Mustikhan, founder of the American Friends of Baluchistan, and Dr. Wahid Baloch, president of the Baloch Society of North America, Thursday wrote to U.S. Senators Joseph Biden (D-DE), Richard Lugar (R-Ind), Robert Casey (D-PA) and Chris Dodd (D-CT) about their concerns over military aid to Pakistan as Pakistan continues to shield terrorists, including the one-eyed former Taliban ruler, Mullah Mohammed Omar.
Biden and Lugar recently introduced a bipartisan bill tht seeks to end blank checks for the Pakistan army. Since 9/11, as much as $5.6 billion of U.S. taxpayers monies was given in cash to Pakistan army generals in a slush fund called Coalition Support Fund without proper congressional oversight.
Mustikhan and Baloch said disbursement of U.S. Agency for International Development funds must be done on the basis of area rather than population as "Pakistan has practiced state slavery of the Baluch people because
of which Baluchistan today has the highest infant mortality rate anywhere in the world."
They demanded distribution of the funds in Baluchistan directly through USAID and honest and competent Baluch managers as they said they had no faith in Punjabi and Urdu speaking Pakistanis.
In the mid-1980s, a USAID program enabled hundreds of Baluch youth to come for studies to the U.S. but the program was shelved immediately after the demise of communism in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.
A copy of the letter was also sent to Ms. Henrietta Holsman Fore,
chief of USAID.
Following is the full text of their letter:
We are highly appreciative of the recent bill by the
honorable Senators Biden and Lugar to push for
bipartisan legislation this year that would triple
humanitarian spending in Pakistan, but most hopefully
cut military aid to Pakistan.
The state of Pakistan is the world's most dangerous
entity today and U.S. taxpayers monies should under no
circumstances be misspent on strengthening the
Pakistan army.
As we write these lines to you Pakistan army is using
U.S. weapons, including Cobra helicopters, against
secular Baluch forces in the Dera Bugti area of the
area-wise largest state of Baluchistan. In the last
four days alone as many as 70 citizens, mostly women,
children and the elderly have been killed by the
Pakistan army out of frustration.
Pakistan's policy of killing secular Baluch forces can
create a void that will be filled by none other but
Taliban-like forces.
We urge you to have the genocide of the Baluch people
stopped immediately.
It is a shame that in the estimation of Pakistan army
generals, former governor and chief minister of
Baluchistan Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti and twice-premier
Benazir Bhutto are "security threats," that have to be
eliminated, but the likes of Mullah Omar, Osama bin
Laden, Ayman Zwahiri, A.Q. Khan and Daud Ebrahim are
"national assets," that have to be protected.
The State Department certification that Pakistan makes
"concerted efforts" to go after al-Qaida and Taliban
forces will only make sense when Pakistan hands over
terrorists like one-eyed Mullah Omar, who is being
sheltered at a Punjabi-Mohajir dominated army complex
in Quetta. Clearly Pakistan army is shielding
terrorists and we urge the U.S. lawmakers not to close
their eyes to the dangers emanating from that country
to U.S. citizens.
As such, there should be absolutely no military aid to
Pakistan until these dangerous terrorists are arrested
by Pakistan.
We highly appreciate the efforts made by the
Department of State and USAID towards drafting the
bill, but more conditions need to be put into the bill
in the interests of world security.
Any new aid to Pakistan must be made conditional to
Islamabad respecting the right of self determination
for the Baluch people and conducting a referendum in
Baluchistan about their future. We can assure you in
advance 99 percent of the Baluch populace will opt for
freedom.
You might be knowing the Baluch people have demanded
international help from the world community at a
historic and representative jirga held at the Shahi
Palace in Kalat, under the leadership of the Khan of
Kalat, Suleman Daud Ahmedzai, that was held in the
fall of 2006.
For security reasons, the Khan of Kalat has now sought
asylum in the U.K. He is spearheading the legal battle
against Pakistan's forced occupation of Baluchistan by
Pakistan in March 1948.
The Baluch are also revolted over the proposed
Iran-Pakistan-India Pipeline and your bill must demand
from Pakistan scrapping of the pipeline project.
At the same time in the interests of fairness, the
proposed $7.5 billion in aid must be distributed on
the basis of area, not population. Pakistan has
practiced state slavery of the Baluch people because
of which Baluchistan today has the highest infant
mortality rate anywhere in the world.
The distribution of the funds in Baluchistan must be
done directly by USAID through competent Baluch
managers as we have no faith in Punjabi and Urdu
speaking Pakistanis. We also urge you to revive the
USAID project, specifically for the ethnic Baluch
people.
The time to send sharp messages to Pakistan has long
lapsed and now is the time for concrete action.
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