Baloch women, children protest against killing of leaders

Demonstrators demand UN inquiry into killing of Ghulam Mohammad Baloch, Lala Munir Ahmed Baloch and Sher Mohammad Baloch * Say they have lost faith in President ZardariBy Malik Siraj Akbar QUETTA: Hundreds of Baloch women and children protested on Tuesday against the death of three Baloch nationalist leaders allegedly in the custody of intelligence agencies in Turbat district last week. The protest – organised by the Baloch Women’s Panel (BWP) and supported by the Baloch Students’ Organisation (BSO) – started from the Quetta Press Club and ended inside the district government compound. The protesters chanted slogans against the government and intelligence agencies and demanded independence for Balochistan. They also called for the release of Baloch leaders currently believed to be in official custody. The protest – organised by the Baloch Women’s Panel (BWP) and supported by the Baloch Students’ Organisation (BSO) – started from the Quetta Press Club and ended inside the district government compound. The protesters chanted slogans against the government and intelligence agencies and demanded independence for Balochistan. They also called for the release of Baloch leaders currently believed to be in official custody. The Baloch nationalist leaders – the Balochistan National Movement’s (BNM) Ghulam Mohammad Baloch and Lala Munir Ahmed Baloch and the Baloch Republican Party’s (BRP) Sher Mohammad Baloch – were allegedly arrested by the intelligence agencies on April 3 from the chamber of their lawyer, Kachol Ali Baloch. After four days, their bodies were found in a deserted area in Turbat. The killing of the Baloch leaders has sparked a massive wave of violent protests all over the province. Dr Hani Baloch, a senior leader of the BWP, demanded a UN-sponsored investigation into the killing of the three leaders. She praised the UN and the US for their unprecedented move to officially condemn the killing of the Baloch leaders. Lost faith: “We reject all forms of committees formed by the government of Pakistan, because President Asif Ali Zardari has already spoken in support of the intelligence agencies and declared them innocent in the case, while we believe that the state agencies murdered the Baloch leaders,” she charged. “We have lost faith in President Asif Zardari’s commitment because he is siding with the intelligence agencies,” she said. When former National Party president Dr Abdul Hayee Baloch and Balochistan National Party Secretary General Habib Jalib arrived to participate in the rally, the protesters demanded that they leave in light of their overt support for parliamentary politics.http://dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009\04\15\story_15-4-2009_pg7_32