BALOCHISTAN - HR COMMISSION DESCRIBES TARGETED KILLINGS,

C O N F I D E N T I A L KARACHI 000330

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: REASON 1.4(B) AND (D) DECL: 10/22/2019
TAGS: PGOV PTER KCRM KCRS PK
SUBJECT: BALOCHISTAN - HR COMMISSION DESCRIBES TARGETED KILLINGS,
KIDNAPPINGS, AND TALIBAN


1. (C) Summary: Pakistan's Human Rights Commission (HRCP) told Pol
Off the situation in Balochistan is deteriorating, with continued
reports of targeted killings, political kidnappings, and an
increasingly present and powerful Taliban. The HRCP has publically
called for a "demilitarization" of Balochistan, warning that if the
government does not take corrective actions immediately the province
"will erupt."


2. (U) Pol Off met October 15 with Dr. Iqbal Haider, Co-chair of the
Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP),a UN-recognized
organization with over 3,000 members across 97 of Pakistan's 106
districts. Dr. Haider led HRCP's October 5-11 fact finding mission
to Balochistan to interview residents, political and security
officials, community groups, and human rights advocates. Post also
spoke with NGOs, minority groups, and local HRCP representatives
during an October 14-20 visit to Quetta, Balochistan.


3. (C) Dr. Haider told Pol Off that the situation in Balochistan is
deteriorating, with continued reports of targeted killings, political
kidnappings, and general violence. HRCP found escalating frustration
and mistrust among Balochi residents toward the federal government.
Of chief concern to the people are the targeted killing and
disappearance of political and ethnic leaders. While there have been
reports of disappearances in Balochistan numbering as high as 8,000,
the HRCP has currently confirmed 198 cases, 30 of which occurred in

2009. Lawyers and residents said the judicial system has failed to
adequately address the violence, citing the lack of arrests in high
profile cases and the failure to bring those who are arrested to
trial. Human rights workers also lamented the recent reluctance of
Pakistan's Chief Justice to advocate on behalf of human rights in
Balochistan.


4. (C) The intelligence services are widely believed to be behind a
majority of the killings and kidnappings. Some residents noted that
certain state enterprises and Pashtun groups - favored by the
military - are taking advantage of the recent instability by
obtaining land and businesses vacated by those being targeted.
Residents told HRCP the lawlessness has become so pervasive that
local security personnel are discouraged from wearing uniforms in
public for fear of being attacked. This has led to increased ethnic,
religious, and political violence with Punjab settlers and minority
groups such as the Hazara being disproportionately targeted (cable on
the Hazara community to follow).


5. (C) Dr. Haider said that "without a doubt" the Quetta Shura is
operating in Balochistan - primarily out of IDP camps. (Comment:
Although residents of Quetta acknowledge the presence of the Taliban
and extremist groups in Balochistan, they were hesitant to confirm
the existence of the "Quetta Shura." End Comment.) Dr. Haider said
the Taliban are making no secret of their presence in the region as
they ride around in heavily armed convoys. Residents widely believe
the intelligence agencies and security forces are either directly or
tacitly supporting the Taliban in the region. He added that the
Taliban have begun conducting criminal activities such as extortion
with near impunity and are gaining influence within existing Pashtun
communities, particularly in the northern areas surrounding the
Chaman district, along the border of Afghanistan. Dr. Haider said
the Pakhtoonkhua Milli Awami Party (a prominent Pashtun-based
nationalist political party) has been particularly affected by
"Talibanization," though he was unable to reconcile this with the
Party's (publicly secular) leader, Mahmud Khan Achakzai.


6. (C) Likening Balochistan to "an active volcano that may erupt
anytime," Dr. Haider warned that without action the independence
movement will only get stronger as the authorities continue to clamp
down. Following HRCP's fact finding mission the organization issued
a press release calling for "the immediate demilitarization of
Balochistan," urging the government to commit itself to
Baloch-Pakistan reconciliation. Dr Haider believes that although the
majority of the Baloch are against violence as a political tool and
have no intention to break away from Pakistan, the region is on the
tipping point as violence increases and the nationalist elements are
emboldened by continued government neglect and discrimination.
FAKAN