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QUETTA 20081121
- wwwn.gwank.org
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AN APPEAL
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SUBJECT:
EXPOSING DISCRIMINATING POLICIES OF SAP-PK
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Dated:
November 14, 2008
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We wish
to draw your attention towards a gruesome cycle of constant
victimization and harassment of Baloch development activists working
in the Balochistan office of an organization called South Asia
Partners Pakistan (SAP-PK).
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We have
been working in SAP-PK since the project office was formed in Quetta
in November 2005. We have been affiliated with the development
sector of Balochistan for the past several years as committed
professionals in different non governmental organizations such as
Oxfam-GB, SAHER and SPO. However, we never experienced such kind of
severe harassment, discrimination and insecurity throughout our
career simply on the basis of our ethnic background.
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The
management of the SAP-PK has made all out efforts to undermine us to
work for the welfare of the people of Balochistan by applying
various tactics of degradation at personal and professional level.
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On the
official front, the Management never fulfilled its promises made to
the communities and stake holders in the province such as forming
Kisan Bethaks in districts and providing funds to Peasants and
Worker Groups to run the small projects. Most of the Provincial
reports and data were used to be displaced in the Head Office. Head
office doesn't have any Human Resource Section and there is no
Performance Evaluation system yet, there is no check and balance
system inside the organization.
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To
complete our tenure and run the project smoothly, we ignored their
all ridiculous gestures, boastful attitudes and biased comments
regarding our culture, traditional dresses and our people. We
remained undeterred despite all pressure tactics. We were further
subjected to unethical attitude and asked to leave the organization.
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The
episodes of discrimination and harassment have ended after the
following three incidents, when all Baloch employees of the
organization were forced to quit the organization by one way or
other:
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1.
On 30th June, 2008 a fake
letter was sent to DG Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) filled with
allegations against Nausheen Qambarani (x- Provincial Coordinator),
accusing her to be working for Baloch militant organizations. She
was interrogated and harassed by the ISI officials for more than a
month. During this while she was threatened to face unimaginable
consequences and her mobile phone and landline calls were taped. She
was threatened not to mention this harassment to anyone. After the
interrogation and harassment was completed by the ISI, the same was
started by Mr. Muhammad Tahseen, Executive Director of SAP-PK.
Instead of supporting a woman employee, the Executive Director
threatened Nausheen to quit her job and leave the city saying her
that “If you resign from SAP-PK, you will remain safe.”
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2.
Mr. Sherbaz Baloch was terminated from his
job in written, telling him that he was not capable of doing such a
job as he is not competent. Although, Mr. Sherbaz Baloch has been
rewarded many times verbally as well as in written by his nearest
superiors for his brilliant job at the office. Mr. Sherbaz Baloch
had raised the issue of unavailability of the budget for development
activities in Balochistan on behalf of the organization. He was told
that the budget was consumed in the Head Office.
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3.
Against the discriminating policies of the
SAP-PK administration, the third and the last Baloch in the SAP-PK
Quetta office, Mr. Asif Baloch resigned from his job in this
organization.
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Here it
is obvious that the people working in SAP-PK head office are lacking
basic human values and official decorum and ethics. They threatened
us not to raise this issue otherwise the management of SAP-PK will
use its influence and will make sure that our development sector
career will come to an end.
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We do not
see any other reason for this discrimination and harassment other
than the fact that this organization aims at looting the resources
of our people by misusing the name of Balochistan's backwardness.
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We regret
to say that the donor agencies don’t have any strong mechanism to
monitor their projects, as those who claim to be the pioneer of
human rights issues, and call themselves unbiased and progressive
and secular segments of society, still continue to practice policies
of exploitation and discrimination against our people.
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We urge
all the national and international non-profit organizations, United
Nation’s agencies, and Human Rights organizations to take notice of
this harassment being meted out to us on the basis of our ethnic
background.
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1.
Nausheen Qambarani
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2.
Sherbaz Baloch
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3.
Asif Baloch
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