Concerning the miltary operation in Balochistan (Pakistan), Interfaith International would
like to draw the attention of the world community to the on- going military operation in
Pakistani-held Balochistan where the indiscriminate bombardments by the Pakistani army
has resulted in the killing of hundreds of innocent Baluchs including scores of women and
children in the last three months alone. The indiscriminate aerial bombardment by
Pakistani forces on Baloch settlements has also resulted in immense material losses. The
current genocide acts of Pakistan army are the continuation of other inhuman acts like
illegal detention, kidnappings and extra-judicial killing of Baloch and Sindhi students,
political workers and leaders that has been carried out for the last five years by Pakistani
police and army intelligence agencies. The recent photos of innocent victims, children,
women and elderly, and the latest report by The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan in
January 2006, on Baluchistan exposes the misrepresentations of the Pakistani government
denying the aerial bombardment of civilian population.

Constructions of army cantonments and deployment of thousands of military and paramilitary
forces throughout Balochistan is presenting a picture of siege and have created a
sense of insecurity among the Baloch people. These acts of terror and humiliation, and a
continuum of state terrorism against the Baloch people are the hallmark of the present
Pakistan state. The only crime of Baloch and Sindhi people is that they are resisting the
national, cultural and economic domination of the majority ethnicity ruling Pakistan since
its creation in 1947.

We therefore request the International community through this Commission to help the
democratic forces and nations in Pakistan to realise their human rights including the right
to development, right to their own resources and, last but not the least, the right to live. We
also request the community to use all necessary methods to stop Pakistan's current military
regime from:

1. Grievously violating the human rights of, and continuing military operation
against, and the killing of Baluch people,

2. Arresting, abducting, torturing and killing political activists in Baluchistan and
Sindh

3. Building army cantonments in Baluchistan and Sindh to suppress democratic
movements

4. Building mega projects to uproot indigenous people

Interfaith International further requests the Commission on Human Rights to arrange a
fact-finding mission to access the situation in Baluchistan.

Concerning the arbitrary arrests and disappearances of political workers in Sindh
(Pakistan), Interfaith International would like to bring to the attentio n to this body
the arbitrary arrests, disappearances and torture of Sindhi nationalist political activists
under the hands of Pakistan's military establishment. In recent months scores of Sindhi
activists have been arrested and abducted covertly by the intelligence agencies and
have been taken to secret prisons and dungeons where they are being tortured
inhumanely. Their only crime is that they are struggling for the democratic rights of theSindhis. In the past many victims of these atrocities have been either crippled or have
died. In May 2005 Senior Vice Chairman of a Sindhi nationalist organization (Jeay
Sindh Muthida Mahaz), Samiullah Kalhoro, was tortured to death. The operation is
going on relentlessly and on 01 Jan 2006 two leaders of Jeay Sindh Mut hida Mahaz:
Nawaz Zaour and Zulfiqar Kolachi, were arrested in a combined operation of military
and paramilitary forces. The whereabouts of these two are hitherto unknown as is that
of those hundreds previously abducted in similar operations.

The followin g Sindhi political activists are currently in the custody of Pakistan's
military establishment and the news are emerging that they are being tortured
inhumanely: Syed Asghar, Mazhar Bhatti, Mansoor Marri, Sikander Soomro, Rafiq
Laghari, Ghulam Nabi, Tahir Soomro, Faiz Chandio, Umar Tewno, Sanaullah Bhatti,
Shabir Mallah, Imran Laghari, Fayaz Janwri, and Aslam Soomro. The Pakistan
agencies have not yet declared the arrests of Sattar Hakro, Muzaffar Bhutto, Muhram
Mallah, Ahmad Teewno, and Zulfiqar Khaskhele y. Interfaith International is afraid of
the lives and safety of these political activists under military custody.

In Sindh there have been hundreds of protests from all political and civil quarters to
release or to produce these political workers in civil courts of law but Pakistani
agencies are still holding them and are not allowing anyone to meet them.Through this
body we would like to demand from the Pakistan regime the immediate release of these
political workers as their arrests and torture constitute gross violation of human rights.
Interfaith International is concerned over the state of religious minorities in Pakistan.
The religious minorities in general and Sindhi Hindus in particular, face immense
problems and persecution through written as well as unwritten laws. The constitution
of the 'IslamicRepublic of Pakistan' does not allow any non-Muslim to be the head of
state or that of a government or a city. Hindu temples are attacked every now and then
and the government offers no protection to the religious sites of the minorities.
In Year 2004 year, Krishen Sharma, a Sindhi Hindu human rights activist, who also
works with the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), was arrested without
warrant by the officials of Federal Investigation Unit, Pakistan. Due to public pressure,
his case was brought to Sindh High court, but judgement withheld. He was finally
released after great public and international protests, including some United States
senators writing to General Musharaff about Mr Sharma's release.

Sindhi Hindus are increasingly victims of forced conversions, harassment, extortion,
and kidnapping. The fundamental rights of Ahmedis ( a sect of Islam) are banned and
forbidden to worship and identify with their religion freely without facing prison.
Christians are also a great victims of forced conversions, fake blasphemy punishments,
and poverty.