Frank talk: Expert sees ethnic meltdown in Balochistan

KARACHI: 

Amidst a gathering at Karachi’s The Second Floor (T2F) on Friday, Ali Dayan Hassan, the Pakistan Director for Human Rights Watch, described Balochistan as a province which was on the verge of an ethnic meltdown. Hassan dwelled upon issues which plagued Balochistan, reasons that have fueled human rights abuse in the province and its potential solutions. There was never a phase of stable relationship between the state and Balochistan, said Hassan, but the killing of Nawab Akber Bugti in 2006 sparked a new wave of violence. It was around that time that Hassan, under the wing of the Human Rights Watch, undertook the mission of documenting human rights violations in the region. Narrating his personal experience in Sui, Dera Bugti, where he was working with locals, Hassan spoke about the humiliating attitude of government officials towards a Baloch man he was working with. “It was clear to me why the Baloch man hated the Pakistani state and military – as there was only so much ritual humiliation that a human being could put up with,” he said. http://tribune.com.pk/story/451297/frank-talk-expert-sees-ethnic-meltdown-in-balochistan/