February 1: We support Baloch students’ protest against biased media
Editor’s note: The Baloch Students Organisation (BSO) has threatened that it will suspend transmission of private television channels across the province to protest ‘failure to properly highlight the plight of the people’. LUBP supports this protest and regretfully notes that Pakistan’s mainstream media as well as 98% of Pakistani bloggers (barring some Baloch websites, LUBP, Pakistan Blogzine, Al Ufaq, a few others) have kept shameful silence on the ongoing target killing of hundreds of Balochs by Pakistan army and its various agencies and proxies. In fact some “liberal” Pakistani journalists in “progressive” English media have actively misrepresented the situation in Balochistan and at least indirectly justified the target killing of the Baloch youths and intellectuals.
We condemn silence and blackout of Pakistani media over recovery of mutilated and bullet-riddled bodies of Baloch missing persons and the ongoing and systematic target killing of the Balochs. Baloch are subject to enforced disappearances and bullet-riddled bodies found daily but Pakistani media is not highlighting this crime aganst humanity. Recently a petition to recover a Baloch journalist, Javid Naseer Rind, was grossly ignored by the media and human rights organizations, which resulted in his tragic murder. Joint secretary of Baloch Students Organization-Azad, Shafi Baloch, and dozens of other members of BSO have been killed by Pakistani agencies. Pakistan army is doing to the Baloch everything they did to they Bengalis, they will never learn lessons! Equally shameless are those bloggers and journalists who whine about one Afia Siddiqui in the US captivity but silent on killing of Baloch women by their own army. Why are media and bloggers not going beyond tokenism (a couple of tweets, once in a year column) on the continual killings and oppression of the Balochs, anti-Taliban Pashtoons, Shias and Ahmadis? It’s not only Pakistan’s mainstream media, Pakistani bloggers too are shamelessly silent on the ongoing Baloch genocide by army. Several ‘leading’, ‘award winner’, ‘activist’ or ‘media critic’ blogs have completely wiped out the Baloch genocide from their list of topics. (Adapted from various comments on Twitter. End note)
QUETTA: A student organisation in Balochistan has threatened that it will suspend transmission of private television channels across the province to protest ‘failure to properly highlight the plight of the people’.
“Baloch people are being subjected to enforced disappearances and their bullet-riddled bodies are turning up daily. But media is not highlighting this crime against humanity,” Javed Baloch, general secretary of the Baloch Students Organisation (BSO-Mohyuddin), said at a news conference at the Quetta Press Club on Sunday.
He said that at a central committee meeting of the organisation, members had decided that transmission of all TV channels will be shut from February 1. “Transmission will be closed in Balochistan and Baloch-dominated areas of Karachi as well,” he said.
Baloch said that media airs worthless reports as breaking news for hours but completely ignores the province which is suffering very serious crises. “BSO condemns the silence and blackout of the media over recovery of mutilated and bullet-riddled bodies of Baloch missing persons and the target killing of political opponents.”
The student activist said that BSO will meet cable operators to persuade them to suspend transmission. “Policymakers are insensitive to the problems of Balochistan and we believe that this attitude will lead to dismemberment of Pakistan. The media should play its role and review its policy on Balochistan.” (Source)
Salma wrote:
good decision, they have been arguing for coverage of Balochistan’s human rights violations but the media has failed to pay any heed. Pakistani Media has not played a positive role in helping to address the situation of Balochistan by giving due coverage to the issues and creating a debate for solutions. It just does a bit for the sake of it and the issue then is buried. Whereas it has been following up religiously on memo gate and gave undue coverage to someone like mazoor ejaz. This is very sad as a part of Pakistan is at the verge of separation, people are killed and dumped and so are journalists, and the media doesn’t bother to highlight those issues, if it did it would make a lot of difference as the perpetrators won’t have a licence to kill which they do now knowing the rest of the country doesn’t know about it.
Pakistani media’s role has become increasingly questionable. The young Baloch have taken the right step and their statement also shows they are more sincere to Pakistan than the Pakistani media.
Lensonbaloch Lens on Balochistan
#Cable Operators of #Balochistan switch off all #Pakistani #news Channel in solidarity of #Baloch cause
Chiltan salma jafar
please change your DP to this. Show solidarity with Baloch students against Pakistani media pic.twitter.com/X8dTgZRa
zalmayzia Zia Ur Rehman
We fully support Baloch students’s TV channels blackout campaign from today tribune.com.pk/story/328916/d… and you should do it in solidarity
Balochvoice Balochvoice
Pakistan is agitated on world’s awareness of Baloch cause: Hyrbiyar Marri: London: The Baloch patriotic leader, … bit.ly/z2y3l5
MaulaBuksh Maula Bux Thadani
After killing Shias, establishment backed killers are now murdering Baloch women; where is the Imran Khan PTi ghairat brigade??
AbdulNishapuri Abdul Nishapuri
We condemn target killing of Baloch MPA Mir Bakhtiar Khan Domki’s wife and sister. #StopBalochKillings
naeemshamim Naeem Shamim
You speak of the #Baloch and pin drop silence occurs on twitter! Keep going patriotic hypocrites #Pakistan
FreedomOfHeresy Mehmet Ahsan
ISI abducts innocent #Baloch but it suddenly becomes helpless in front of LeJ/SSPkillers.Kiya MANHOOS intelligence agency hai! #ShiaKillings
MureedBizenjo Mureed Bizenjo
I request all my friends 2 be a part of non violent protest change your profile picture to support baloch students boycotting pakistan media
AbdulNishapuri Abdul Nishapuri
@Zaramazhar The petition on a Baloch journo was grossly ignored by the media and human rights organizations. pakistanblogzine.wordpress.com/2011/11/05/jav…
MureedBizenjo Mureed Bizenjo
Plz refer 2 Tareekh ey Balochistan by Mir Gul khan Naseer and The redefined dimensions of Baloch nationalist movement by MSA
voxindica VOXINDICA
Why does no one speak of self-determination of Balochi people? “The Baloch question” bit.ly/zqLN9h
Dozens of fake liberal journos and bloggers of Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad are feeling threatened due to increasing awareness in the Balochs, Pashtoons, Shias, Ahmadis, Christians etc.
BSO-M threatens to block TV channels in Balochistan
our correspondent
Monday, January 30, 2012
QUETTA: Baloch Students Organisation (BSO-M) has threatened to block private TV channels transmission in Balochistan as well as Baloch-majority parts of Karachi from February 1, against an alleged indifferent attitude of the electronic media towards the killings of the Balochis.
Addressing a press conference here Sunday, BSO-M Central Secretary General Javed Baloch said the people of Balochistan were fighting a war of their survival, but the media was paying no attention to their plight and ignoring all atrocities, being committed against them. He alleged that the media was turning a blind eye to the killings of the Baloch youth as it did not want to annoy the establishment. Meanwhile, Balochistan National Party Central Secretary Information Agha Hassan Baloch has also backed the BSO decision to block electronic media in the province.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=12114&Cat=13