PAKISTAN: Anti nuclear demonstrators arrested, one activist remains missing

[NOTICE: The AHRC have developed this automatic letter-sending system using the “button” below. However, in this appeal, we could not include e-mail addresses of some of the Pakistan authorities. We encourage you to send your appeal letters via fax or post to those people. Fax numbers and postal addresses of the Pakistan authorities are attached below with this appeal. Thank you.]

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission has received information that two peace activists who were a holding demonstration on May 28, 2008, against the tenth anniversary of Pakistan’s nuclear experimental detonations were arrested and one of them remains missing.

CASE DETAILS:

According to the details received, the Baloch Nationalist Front (BNF) held a demonstration in front of the Karachi Press Club, on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the nuclear detonations by Pakistan during May 1998. The nuclear tests were conducted in Chaghi, Balochistan, and a southern province of the country. Mr. Ghulam Mohammad, chief organizer of BNF and Mr. Abdul Wahab Baloch, chief organizer of Baloch Rights Council, were arrested after the peaceful demonstration when they were going to the office of Human Rights Commission, situated at Abdullah Haroon Road near the Karachi Press club, to discuss the issue of missing people in Balochistan. The demonstration was held to show anger against the tremendous usage of national resources on nuclear warheads instead of investing them on education, provision of drinking water and the elimination of poverty.

The area where the nuclear explosions conducted was Chaghai in Balochistan where government denies every basic facility for the people of area including, drinking water, health care, schools, roads, employment and protection from nature. After the six nuclear explosions in the area of Chaghai the people are complaining of new diseases affecting the local residents, particularly skin damage and digestive problems.

The demonstrators were chanting slogans against the nuclear bomb and demanding bread instead of nuclear weapons. The speakers, including both arrested persons, demanded the winding up of the nuclear programme. They accused the military and politicians of destroying their province by conducting nuclear experiments in Balochistan because of poor status of the province, instead of conducting nuclear explosions in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan.

The victim, Mr. Abdul Wahab Baloch, a known Baloch nationalist and peace activist, after his arrest was shifted to a lock up of the Central Crime Investigation (CIA) and after keeping him overnight he was shifted in the early hours of May 29, 2008, to some unknown place by a notorious red coloured double cabin jeep which was previously used in several cases of missing persons which bears no registration numbers.

The other victim, Ghulam Mohammad Baloch, the president of the Balochistan National Movement (BNM), was also arrested and first taken to the CIA lock up and then shifted to another police station, the Frere police station. He was later released on the same day on bail.?He was booked for allegedly delivering a provocative speech against the nuclear explosions. Mr. Ghulam Mohammad was earlier, on August 2006, picked by state intelligence agency, the military intelligence, and kept incommunicado at different army camps where he was severely tortured. Please see the link of Urgent Appeal, http://www.ahrchk.net/ua/mainfile.php/2006/2119/

Additional Information about nuclear explorations:

On 28 May 1998, Pakistan detonated six nuclear devices in the Chagai Hills in the Chaghai district, Balochistan in reaction to the five nuclear explosions from Indai in the same month. This operation was named Chagai-I by Pakistan. Pakistan’s fissile material production takes place at Kahuta and Khushab/Jauharabad, where weapons-grade Plutonium is made. The Chaghai is very remote area in the Balochistan province and even the water is not available. The local inhabitants have to rely on a rain which occasionally occurs.

Enforced disappearances:

Enforced disappearance of persons following illegal arrest is a common phenomenon in Pakistan since the military government took power in 1999. For example, in Balochistan province alone where Pakistan army conducts on-going military operations, the Federal Minister of the Interior reported on 5 December 2005 that 4,000 people have been arrested since 2001. Out of 4,000 persons, only less than 200 people have been produced to the courts. The actual number of the arrested will be much higher when the disappearance cases are included. Human rights groups claim that about 6,000 persons have been disappeared since their arrest from 2001 to the present day. 
It is also estimated that during this year more than 100 persons have been disappeared after their arrests in Karachi city, Sindh province alone. In Sindh province, several journalists and political & human rights activists have been disappeared after their arrests. To see relevant cases of forced disappearance, pleases visit our previous appeals: UG-003-2006, UA- 227-2006, UG-013-2006, UA-145-2006, UP-127-2006, UA-171-2006, UA-169-2006 UA -132-2006 and UP-191-2006)

SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write the appeals (the sample is attached) by clicking the Blue button mentioned at the Urgent Appeal and also send faxes to the following authorities mentioned at the end of sample letter. Please demand from the authorities to ensure the release of Mr. Abdul Wahab Baloch who was disappeared after his arrest. Also demand to withdraw the cases against Mr. Ghulam Mohammad Baloch and Abdul Wahab Baloch.

Please also be informed that the AHRC is writing separate letters to numerous UN and international agencies encouraging their interventions.

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