[A-List] Fwd: Asian Human Rights Commission - PAKISTAN: Minister tasked with saving US airbase at the cost of the displacement of thousands

[Suzanne de Kuyper]

To be expected!  The "Donor Fatigue" the media complained of as the number
of millions affected rose inexorably is an example of strategic foot
dragging when life saving help is needed.  This slow reponse slaughters
millions, without guns or the cost of sophisticated armaments or soldiers or
mercenaries.  Let nature takes it's course.   Suzanne

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Sid Shniad <shniad at gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Aug 22, 2010 at 3:12 AM
Subject: Asian Human Rights Commission - PAKISTAN: Minister tasked with
saving US airbase at the cost of the displacement of thousands
To:


http://www.ahrchk.net/statements/mainfile.php/2010statements/2755/

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*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
*AHRC-STM-177-2010
August 20, 2010

*A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission *

*PAKISTAN: Minister tasked with saving US airbase at the cost of the
displacement of thousands *

The presence of Pakistan army personnel speaks to the fact that the breach
of Jamali bypass was intentional and ordered from above.

It has been reported earlier that the US Air Force has denied the relief
agencies use of the Shahbaz airbase for the distribution of aid and
assistance. Soldiers of the Pakistan army, a federal minister and the
administration of Sindh province are blamed for the incident involving
Shahbaz Airbase at Jacobabad district in Sindh province in which it has been
reported that flood waters were diverted in order to save the airbase. The
diversion of the floodwaters is blamed for inundating hundreds of houses and
the displacement of 800,000 people. According to the media reports, the
Federal Minister of Sports along with soldiers from the army and a
contingent of officials from the Sindh provincial government breached the
Jamali Bypass in Jafferabad district of Balochistan province during the
night between August 13 and 14 to divert the water entering the airbase
which has remained in US Air Force hands since the war on terror started in
2001.

Mr. Ejaz Jakhrani, the Minister of Sports, while explaining the situation to
the media said that if the water was not diverted the Shahbaz Airbase would
have been inundated. Mr. Jakhrani himself was present along with the
district coordination officer of the Jacobabad district, district police
officer and other officials when the breach was made. It is reported in the
media that Mr. Jakhrani was assigned to protect the air base by officials at
the Pakistan army’s headquarter as he was elected from Jacobabad district.

A former prime minister, Mr. Mir Zafar Ullah Khan Jamali said that in order
to save Shahbaz Air Base, Jamali bypass was demolished and the town of Dera
Allahyar was drowned. Mr. Jamali said that if the airbase was so important,
then what priority might be given to the citizens. He blamed minister
Jakhrani, DPO and DCO Jacobabad for deliberately diverting the course of the
floodwaters towards Balochistan.

In the meantime, during the discussion in the standing committee of the
Senate the federal secretary of health has revealed that health relief
operations are not possible in the flood-affected areas of Jacobabad because
the airbase is under the control of the US Air Force. The coordinator of the
Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Centre, Dr Jahanzeb Aurakzai,
told the committee that foreign health teams could not start relief
operations in remote areas because there are no airstrips close to several
areas, including Jacobabad.

The electronic media has also reported that since 2001 the government of
Pakistan, during the regime of general Musharraf, turned over Shahbaz
Airport to US forces fighting against terrorism on a lease so it the
responsibility of the government and the Pakistan armed forces to protect
the agreement done in favour of US forces. The discussions in the media have
also pointed out that the presence of army soldiers during the breach of
Jamali bypass is a clear indication that the Pakistan army has been ordered
to save the airbase from the floodwaters.

In the end, after the seven days of controversy surrounding the air base,
the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) said that the Shahbaz Airbase was under the
complete operational control of the PAF and brushed aside reports that
floodwaters had been diverted to save the base. Air Vice Marshal, Mr. Abdul
Quddus, hurriedly arranged a visit of journalists to Shahbaz Airbase and
asked them as to whether they could see any Americans? He told journalists
that there are no drones and no Americans; seeing, he said, is believing!

However, there was no reasonable answer to the question raised that when
almost the whole of Jacobabad district of Sindh and its adjoining district
of Jafferabad of Balochistan province were under floodwaters why the airbase
was not affected. This could only be due to the intentional breach of the
Jamali bypass. The media was also very critical of the arrangement of the
visit to Shahbaz airbase at a time when much more attention is needed to
focus all efforts for the relief of the affected people. The visit by the
journalists has been seen as a scripted stage play as when journalists were
present a C130 cargo plane landed with 200 tons of relief goods which the
people of that particular affected area badly needed. Such a plane has not
been seen landing there in recent times so this was too much of a
coincidence.

The federal minister and former prime minister have not retracted their
statements that the floodwater was intentionally diverted to Dera Allahyar,
Balochistan to save the air base.

There is rough estimation by the media about the displacement of 800,000
people by the divergence of the waters to the poorer areas. Over 150,000
people have been evacuated from Dera Allahyar and other areas. 350,000
people of Jafferabad district have been shifted to Dera Murad Jamali, Sibi
and Quetta, parts of Balochistan, and over 300,000 people had earlier moved
to Dera Murad Jamali and Sibi from the Sindh province particularly from
Jacobabad.

There can be no doubt that the presence of the Pakistan army personnel at
the breach of Jamali bypass indicates the fact that this was an intentional
breach. This must be investigated along in order to ascertain who gave the
orders. Those giving the orders must be prosecuted. The government of
Pakistan must also probe the allegations of deliberate breaches; not only in
the incident involving Shahbaz airbase but also those reported earlier where
the agricultural lands belonging to senior ministers was protected from the
floodwaters also by intentional breaches.

It is a gross contradiction that the United States of America is now one of
the biggest donors of relief to Pakistan and it is therefore unacceptable
that they are allegedly refusing permission to use Shahbaz airbase for the
distribution of that relief.

# # #

*About AHRC: The Asian Human Rights Commission is a regional
non-governmental organisation monitoring and lobbying human rights issues in
Asia. The Hong Kong-based group was founded in 1984. *
Posted on 2010-08-20
Back to [AHRC Statements
2010]<http://www.ahrchk.net/statements/mainfile.php/2010statements/>


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