Britain and US shocked Pakistan and its allies at the 23rd regular session of the United Nations Human Rights Council’s (UNHRC) general debate in Geneva when the two countries showed open support for nationalist leader Mehran Marri, Balochistan’s representative to the UN, who spoke against the recent elections and alleged that Pakistan was committing rights abuses in Balochistan.
Pakistan is likely to lodge protest with both the countries for taking a hostile position towards Pakistan by intervening on behalf of Mehran Marri who alleged that the recent elections exposed the “farce that the Pakistani establishment wanted to present as democracy”.
The support by the two powerful countries to a Baloch separatist leader will give strength to the view of those who have suspected that elements within the US and the UK use Baloch nationalist factions for their own regional and strategic objectives.
Marri, the youngest son of Karachi-based veteran leader Nawab Khair Baksh Marri, said that the Baloch did not take part in the election “charade” as participating the elections would have legitimised the “injustices against the Baloch people since March 7, 1948 when Pakistan forcibly annexed Balochistan”.
Mehran Marri told the session that one of the provincial assembly members was elected with 544 votes, on a 1.18 percent voter turnout. The Pakistani delegate objected to the remarks made by Marri and said that Pakistan was fully conscious of its obligations to protects the human rights of its citizens.
“We cannot allow the use of this forum for statements which highly impinge on the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity of the sovereign states as enshrined in the United Nations Charter. We request you to expunge such remarks from the proceedings,” said the Pakistani delegate.
Both Cuba and China came to Pakistan’s defence and supported Pakistani delegate’s position. The Cuban representative told the session that it was unacceptable for an NGO to try to attack the territorial integrity and independence of a sovereign state. He said that his country was not prepared to listen to such remarks. The Chinese delegate stated that his country supported Pakistan and believed that the forum should not be used to “impinge upon the territorial integrity and freedom of a sovereign state”.
Both the US and the UK representatives, however, took strong exception to the objections made during Marri’s speech by Pakistan, Cuba and China and called on the session chair to allow Mehran Marri to complete his full statement.
The UK delegate said that his country supported the position adopted by America on this matter and it was important that Mehran Marri made his full statement and that his remarks were not expunged.
Mehran Marri alleged in his speech that the establishment had intensified its “dirty war” and every day a few new “mutilated bodies or previously abducted bodies are dumped.” He stressed that the systematic and organised war against Balochistan should be of concern to the free world. Pakistan should not be allowed to carry on with brutalities and massacre in Balochistan, he said. He alleged that Pakistan and China had formed a nexus to exploit the resources of Balochistan and both countries were using the province as an economic corridor.
