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)

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