Quetta, May 1 (IANS) Baloch human rights defender Mir Yar Baloch on Friday strongly condemned Pakistan’s remarks over a recent protest at Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi, describing them as “smear propaganda”.
During a weekly media briefing in Islamabad on Thursday, Pakistani Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi had made some comments on a protest that took place at the Indian university earlier this week during an event associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
Slamming the Pakistani authorities, the leading Baloch human rights activist said that Pakistan, which shuts down educational opportunities for Baloch students, cannot lecture India – a country where students have access to educational institutions and can exercise their democratic rights, engaging in criticism and open dialogue.
“India gives books to students; Pakistan detains books along with students of Balochistan. India allows students to study; you (Pakistan) have shut down our institutions in Balochistan,” Mir Yar Baloch wrote on X.
Sharing a video along with his post, he exposed Pakistan’s “double-faced reality” to the world, alleging that Pakistani forces banned books and prohibited Baloch literature in book stalls and campuses.
He posted another video which showed Pakistan’s intelligence agencies, military, and authorities seizing books. Mir claimed that Baloch students are not allowed to read books in educational institutions in Balochistan and Pakistani police had been arresting students on various campuses across the province.
“Pakistan today stands exposed as one of the most deceitful actors of our time. Its actions have crossed every moral and human boundary, to the point where even the concept of shame appears absent. In 2019 at Balochistan University, hidden cameras were secretly installed in the washrooms of Baloch female students, leading to thousands of videos being recorded under the supervision of the Pakistani military and ISI and being used for blackmail, an act that represents a grave violation of dignity and human rights,” the Baloch activist stated.
Mir Yar Baloch accused the Pakistani authorities of arbitrarily detaining Baloch students and youth, with thousands imprisoned and subjected to severe torture in detention centres, while many lost their lives, leaving behind grieving families and a climate of fear.
“While criminal networks and drug mafias seem to operate with relative freedom, any Baloch individual seen holding a pen or raising their voice is swiftly targetted. They are detained, forcibly silenced, or even killed, reflecting a deeply unequal and repressive system,” he noted.
Raising alarm over the targetting of civilians and educational institutions beyond its borders Mir highlighted that Pakistani missile strikes in Afghanistan’s Kunar province, targetted Sayed Jamaluddin University, killing and injuring several students and further intensifying humanitarian concerns.
–IANS
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