Vice President of the European Parliament Participates in Candle Light Vigil Outside the UNHRC in Geneva, in Memory of Baloch Nationals Who Lost Their Lives Due to Pakistan's 'Kill and Dump Policy' in Balochistan

GENEVA, September 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Baloch leaders Brahumdagh Bugti and Mehran Marri, along with Ryszard Czarnecki, Vice President of the European Parliament, and Canada-based Executive Director of Baluch House, Tarek Fateh, participated in a candle-light vigil outside the UNHRC in Geneva on September 23, in memory of Baloch nationals who had lost their lives due to Pakistan's 'Kill and Dump Policy' in Balochistan.

Speaking to the media on the occasion, Ryszard Czarnecki, Vice President of the European Parliament, said that the Baloch problem was not just an internal issue of Pakistan since, as a partner of the European Union, Pakistan had the responsibility to ensure that there were no human rights violations in the country. He added that in case the European Union kept silent on the issue, "our silence would be our shame".

Tarek Fateh spoke of the abuse of the Baloch people and the secular character of the region by the Pakistani Army. He called on the international community to put pressure on Pakistan to allow journalists to Balochistan so that the world would be able to see the stark reality. Mehran Marri, the Baloch Permanent Representative to the UN, demanded the withdrawal of the Pakistani forces from Balochistan, who were responsible for the 'Kill and Dump' policy against Baloch citizens. Brahumdagh Bugti, President of the Baloch Republican Party, said that the Pakistani government had for long escaped scrutiny of the international  community, for the atrocities committed against the people of Balochistan. However with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi raising the issue, it had now caught the attention of the world. He hoped that the Baloch people would continue to receive this support from India.

The silent vigil was attended by many who wanted to express solidarity with the people of Balochistan, and show their support for their struggle against the human rights atrocities by the Pakistani establishment.