3 mass graves discovered in Pakistan

Disclaimer: This post was originally published in TechNews on Feb 2, 2014

I come from a very educated Baluch family, where I have always been thought to support the right thing and fight for your rights. I have always been taught by my parents, how to be human and to feel the pain of everyone, regardless of this fact that who they are and what they do, but you are a human and you should act like one.

But I wonder what’s wrong with my country fellows, what happened to them all of a sudden that they have even forgotten the value of one’s life? While scrolling down my news feed, all updates that I get from my country are about human been killed by human over ethnicity or religion. When everything becomes too much, you’ll either explode with anger or start crying because you have finally decided that it’s all too true.

On January 25, three mass graves were found after one of them was discovered by a shepherd who saw pieces of human bodies and bones. He informed the Levies, a private armed force organized by tribal leaders, and according to Assistant Commissioner, district Khuzdar, Mr. Afzal Supra, Baluchistan, the grave was excavated and 15 bodies were found. As the news of the mass grave spread throughout the district people gathered there and started digging in the nearby area where they found two more mass graves. I don’t know what the exact figure is but all I could read with my blurry vision was something around 103 bodies which were recovered from the graves.

After reading this line I couldn’t read further. I was just too scared to do that, because I know the pain of losing a sibling. All I could think of was the family of the missing persons, those who had some hope in their heart that one day their sibling might return. I know for them this world might have come to an end. My heart goes out to all those families who lost their loved ones in these inhumane acts; it changed everything in an instant forever

At that moment, all I could think of was a famous quote by Louis Pasteur, “One does not ask of one who suffers: What is your country and what is your religion? One merely says: You suffer, that is enough for me.” I buried my face in my shirt. I was all alone in my room but I felt as if everything in the room sat together and wept. There was no one who could speak to fill the silence. Even if there was anyone I believe that, that moment wasn’t about saying something, it was about understanding. It was about being human and sharing in the communion of pain that we so often try to isolate.

Since 2001, Pakistan state security forces have abducted and enforcedly disappeared more than 180 thousand Baloch political activists including teachers, Journalists, doctors and students. Out of these they have received more than 1500 mutilated dead bodies tortured inhumanly and beyond recognition found dumped in desolate areas across Baluchistan. The corpses, most of which were decomposed and beyond recognition, were discovered after a local shepherd reported to security personnel the discovery of bones, body parts and the possibility of a suspected grave in the area.

Chief Justice Tassaduq Hussain Gilani summoned the Inspector General of Police in Baluchistan and Deputy Commissioner Khuzdar on Saturday February 1, and has ordered them to submit a detailed report on the incident. Baluchistan High Court judge Justice Noor Mohammad Muzkanzai was appointed the head of the commission. According to a statement issued by the Baluchistan’s Interior Ministry, the commission would submit its report in a month’s time after conducting the investigation. But this is not the first time when a summon was order they did that before too but no result yet.

On behalf of my people, I would like to appeal United Nations human rights commission to appoint a U.N. special rapporteur on Baluch human rights crisis to investigate the human rights abuses Pakistan has committed in Baluchistan on daily basis.

I believe a society that accepts mass killing as norm, indeed is a dead society. It pinches me to accept this bitter truth about my society, everyday dozens are butchered amongst us but it has no effect on our social lives. But today I pledge you all to spare a thought for these unidentified bodies of God knows whose, as you start your life peacefully tomorrow. If that thought provoke you a bit then help people. Sometimes you have to be strong when you feel like giving up, have to fight when you just want to run away. Sometimes it’s all you can do just to keep going and in hope of a better future we will keep doing. Help me raise my voice against the violence and help us to bring peace in Pakistan.

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