While a crucial factor when trying to understand the geopolitical complexities of South Asia, Balochistan, which covers part of Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan, receives very little international attention and is often overlooked in political analyses of the region. Rich in resources, Balochistan occupies an increasingly vital geo-strategic position, and has become the target for massive infrastructural projects, with Iran and Pakistan developing competing port, rail, and highway networks, in an attempt to further Central Asian trade through their own national territories. The heavy costs and technical challenges this entails has been encountered by investment from other states, including China, which in turn has led to mounting rivalry in the region.

At the same time, the human rights situation in Balochistan is drastically deteriorating, with the region’s respective governments failing at their most basic duty — to protect the safety of their citizens and enforce rule of law. In Iran, a state driven systematic assimilation policy threatens the continuation of the Baloch identity, and the increased number of executions since President Rouhani’s tenure has disproportionally affected Baloch prisoners. In Pakistan, where Balochistan makes up the largest of four administrative provinces, the relentless campaign by the state’s covert agencies to target and suppress innocent Baloch civilians and political activists intensified throughout the year 2014: in July, the Protection of Pakistan Act (PPA) was passed, indirectly representing a legal waver for law enforcement agencies and the military to conduct enforced disappearances, extrajudicial executions, arbitrary arrests and torture, as well as to further restrict the freedom of the press. Moreover, due to a recent constitutional amendment military courts, instead of civilian ones, are now allowed to handle terrorism cases, raising fears that this will serve as a pretext to try Baloch civilians without respecting their fundamental freedoms. Also, the discovery of mass graves and several reported cases of acid attacks against young women and girls in Balochistan further point towards an escalating spiral of violence in the region. Worse still, these gross human rights violations are taking place at a time when Britain and USA are still supporting Pakistan financially and militarily.

Moderator:

Paulo Casaca, Founder and Executive Director of the South Asia Democratic Forum, former MEP

Confirmed speakers:

Athar Hussain, Director of the Asia Research Centre, London School of Economics

T. Kumar, International Advocacy Director, Amnesty International USA

Abubakar Siddique, Senior Correspondent for Afghanistan-Pakistan, Radio Free Europe/
Radio Liberty 

Burzine Waghmar, Senior Teaching Fellow and Academic Member, South Asia Institute and Centre for the Study of Pakistan, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS)

Russ Hiebert, Member of the Canadian Parliament

Peter Chalk, Senior Politcal Scientist, RAND Cooperation, USA

Karlos Zurutuza, Freelance Journalist for Al Jazeera, Deutsche Welle, Vice, The Middle
East Eye

Registrations are now closed.  (registration deadline: 12th March 2015)

Join also our movie screening and expert discussion "The Line of Freedom" in room XXVII, Palais des Nations, Geneva, on Thursday 19 March 2015 from 17h00 to 18h00.