Pakistan: U.S. questions Islamabad's Balochistan crackdown
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 31 October 2012 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Pakistan: U.S. questions Islamabad's Balochistan crackdown, 31 October 2012, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/509b8b05c.html [accessed 25 May 2013] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
October 31, 2012
The U.S. Representative to the UN Human Rights Council has expressed "serious concern" over Pakistan's violent response to separatists in southwestern Balochistan Province.
Ambassador Eileen Donahoe told the council in Geneva on October 30 that Washington has serious reservations about human rights situation in Balochistan.
She said Pakistan Army operations there are "aimed at silencing dissent."
She said Pakistan should ensure that those guilty of torture, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings must be prosecuted.
Donahoe made the remarks during Pakistan's Universal Periodic Review.
All UN members are expect to undergo such a review of their human rights record every four years.
Thousands of civilians, soldiers, and guerillas have been killed in eight years of unrest in the vast desert region where numerous ethnic Balochi factions are fighting for independence from Pakistan.
Based on reporting by Reuters and BBC Urdu
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
