Major Rally in Washington, D.C., to Call Attention to Atrocities In Balochistan Province of Pakistan

Fri Feb 3, 4:32 PM ET

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To: National and International desks

Contact: Munawar Laghari, 202-378-0333

WASHINGTON, Feb. 3 /U.S. Newswire/ -- A major rally is planned for Monday, February 6th in front of the Pakistan Embassy in Washington, DC. The World Sindhi Institute, with support from many other organizations (see below), has organized the demonstration to call the world's attention to an ongoing military operation in Balochistan province and to protest undemocratic moves by Pakistan's government.

Since December 18, the Pakistan security forces have been carrying out attacks in the Kohlu and Dera Bugti districts of Balochistan using helicopter gun ships and fighter jets. These attacks have caused many civilian deaths, innocent women and children among them. The Pakistan government first denied the attacks, then called it "a law and order operation." But the army's brutal tactics will not resolve conflict between the Baloch people and the central government.

At the same time, the government of Gen. Parvez Musharraf is aggressively pushing to construct mega dams on the Indus River, despite massive opposition from the Pakistani people, including those in Sindh, NWFP, Balochistan, and even Punjab. In the face of demonstrations, rallies and public statements of opposition during the last weeks and months, Musharraf and his cabinet use the rhetoric of consensus but continue on this destructive path where the economic and democratic rights of the smaller provinces are violated.

The Washington, D.C., event is the first of six rallies to take place in successive weeks throughout the U.S. and Canada. A seventh rally will take place in London. See www.worldsindhi.org for dates and locations of other rallies.

SPEAKERS INCLUDE:

Rasul Bux Palijo - president, Sindhi Awami Tahreek; Dr. Malek Towghi - president, Baloch International Human Rights; Dr. Wahid Baloch - president BSO-NA; Saleem Samad - journalist ; Iqbal Tareen - Sindhi human rights activist; Humaira Rahman - director, WSI Canada

Supporting organizations: Baloch Society of North America (BSO-NA), Baloch International Human Rights, Pashtun Institute for Peace and Democracy, World Sindhi Congress, Sindhi Association of North America, Friends of South Asia.

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