Baluch to observe Bangladesh Victory Day

American Friends of Baluchistan
-- Liberty is a fundamental right of every nation



Press release
Dece. 15, 2009

WASHINGTON DC: Baluch leaders and activists in many countries will join their Bengali brethren in celebrating Victory Day on December 16.

People of Bangladesh waged a heroic struggle that saw three million Bengalis sacrifice their lives to gain their freedom from Pakistan's colonial rule over their homeland, in what was then called East Pakistan.

Pakistan army also raped at least 200,000 Bengali women who gave birth to as many as 30,000 Babies of War.

Baluch activists and leaders in a number of Western destinations will visit the Bangladesh missions and express solidarity with their Bengali brothers.

"We call upon the international community to force the Pakistan military to apologize to the people of Bangladesh for their war crimes in 1971. Pakistan army is today repeating the same crimes in Baluchistan," Rashid Baloch and Malik Baloch, two leaders of the DC-based American Friends of Baluchistan, said in a press statement.

Pakistani army generals, including General Tikka Khan and General A.A.K. Niazi, had declared that Pakistan only wants the land and not the land.

Bangladesh was the population-wise largest unit of Pakistan and never in world history has a nation with a majority ceded from the federation. Baluchistan is the largest "province," but the Baluch say their homeland was illegally annexed by Pakistan through a fraudulent Instruments of Accession.

The bicameral Baluch parliament, Diwan-i-Aam and Diwan-i-Khas, had unanimously voted against merger with Pakistan.

When Bangladesh was East Pakistan, rice grown there was sold at a higher price in the local Bengali markets than in West Pakistan. For half century now, natural gas has been produced in Baluchistan but overwhelming majority of the Baluch populace do not have access to their natural resource.

Killings are a routine in Baluchistan even when Pakistan is under so-called civilian rule