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New Delhi, Sept 21, 2016: 'No one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark.' Mazdak Dilshad Baloch, a Baloch activist left his home soil many years ago to go seek asylum in Canada. Today after touring different nations for support, he turned his face towards India to talk about his fight.
In an exclusive Interview with Reporter Aakash Mandyal of NewsGram, Dilshad Baloch who has become the voice of Baloch people- speaks about his childhood journey and the need of Balochistan Freedom Movement.
Aakash: You had a place in Balochistan you could call a home. Soon, things turned ugly and the word Home lost its meaning while you looked for an asylum like a refugee. Today, you wear the refuge tag as a badge of strength courage and victory. Would you like to share your story with us ?
Mazdak: My struggle for a free Balochistan started during my childhood. My grandfather and maternal grandfather were also a part of this struggle. However, one final day we had to leave Balochistan secretly as a result of the intolerable five years that I and my family had to overcome suffering. In 2006, my father was kidnapped, he was tortured for 2 years before we found him. Soon after that, my mother was arrested. We eventually had to live a life in hiding.
Having said that, I would still call us lucky because we could escape from the noose. After our escape from Pakistan, we headed to Kabul, Afghanistan where we stayed for about four and half years. We befriended few Balochis living there and then left for Canada where the Canadian government gave us residency.
Aakash: There have been reports of Balochi's being tortured in Pakistan. How true do they stand ?
Mazdak: Torture, it's a tool adopted by Pakistan to suppress the people of Balochistan. It's nothing short of a concentration camp today. More than 25,000 Baloch people including women and children are missing. 3000 mutilated bodies of people who were kidnapped, arrested and killed have been recovered. Unsurprisingly, faces of these bodies were destroyed with acid so they are left unidentified.
Adding to that, there exist mass graves where 140 to 150 bodies are buried alive. These bodies found were missing organs like eyes, kidney, heart and liver. Signalling towards organ trading activities being carried out in the region. Pakistan campaigns genocide and it has made Balochistan its colony.
Aakash: Are you affiliated with any political party working towards Balochistan freedom?
Mazdak: No, I don't belong to any party but they have my complete support. I consider myself a common Balochi who simply wants an end to the killings, who simply wants to see their country independent. All organisations and groups are united because they all are working towards the same cause.
Aakash: The U.S. government in their latest statement said: "We do not support independence for Balochistan and respect the unity and territorial integrity of Pakistan". Do you have anything to add here?
Mazdak: America undoubtedly is the biggest power in this world but Pakistan is like that clever fox which can betray even a giant elephant. Terrorism has always had it's origin in Pakistan. New York, Paris and many more cities are at the point of a knife due to terrorist activities conducted by men setting their bases in Pakistan. Pakistan, on one hand, asserts that it's fighting against terrorism and on another hand, it perpetuates terrorists. They are spreading a virus and attempting to be an antidote to the virus too.
Aakash: Balochistan covers 40% of Pakistan's land. It is also a land rich in resources such as copper, iron ore and many others. Additionally, there is Gwadar Port which is expected to generate billions for Pakistan as revenue by supplying barrels of oil to China. How likely do you think it's freedom is today ?
Mazdak: Actually Balochistan covers 55% of Pakistan. It's a common misunderstanding, you see they look at just the Baloch province. Balochistan and Baloch province are different. Balochistan fulfils 46% of Pakistan's demand for energy resources and hence for Pakistan Balochistan is like a golden bird. That's why they conquered us. That's why we are being murdered. And that's why we will never be freed voluntarily.
However, if international forces like the UN intervenes then the tables will turn. Many powerful countries have bowed down under pressure, so why won't Pakistan.
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Aakash: What is your appeal to the United Nations?
Mazdak: Firstly, UN should break its silence. Their silence is boosting the genocide of Balochis. Their silence is adding fuel to a fire that is burning all of us. People of Syria, Iraq, Balochistan and Afghanistan are all part of humanity and we can't be left behind.
Secondly, UN should put sanctions on Pakistan because of it's brazen genocide acts. People forced into slavery must be freed and Pakistan's forces should be taken out of Balochistan. The manufacturing, storage and use of chemical weapons should be completely banned in Balochistan.
Lastly, there should be war trials on Pakistan's army and it's generals. No aid or military support should be given to them on grounds of their activities. Cancer like Pakistan cannot grow without aid or any external support.
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Aakash: What do Balochis of India have to say about the issue ?
Mazdak: The response is pleasantly overwhelming. Baloch people from all over the world are supporting our cause. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken a great initiative towards the Baloch issue. His independence day speech is one of the turning points in the Baloch movement and will be remembered in the books of history. Modi and the Indian diaspora has made a special place in the hearts of all Balochis.
Not only Balochis of India but everyone from human right activists to young students are all supporting our plea for independence. With their promise to help us at every step, we are moving with complete self-determination and confidence.
– Reported by Aakash Mandyal and edited by Karishma Vanjani of NewsGram