Pakistan army massacres Pashtuns in Waziristan

[Bengal_Tiger]

Residents Say Scores Of Civilians Killed In Pakistan's North Waziristan.

By RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal
December 20, 2013

PESHAWAR, Pakistan -- Residents of Mir Ali, the key town in Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal area, say at least 40 people died in army shelling there on December 19.

Locals told RFE/RL by phone on December 20 that the shelling, now stopped, destroyed most shops in the bazaar and prevented people from taking wounded to the hospital.

The residents' reports of civilian deaths come as the Pakistani military said its military operation in the region killed 33 people, all militants.

The army said fighting began late on December 18, when a convoy was attacked en route to a checkpoint, then expanded to target a militant hideout in Mir Ali.

Some 300 people, mostly students from North Waziristan, protested in the northwestern city of Peshawar on December 20 against the military operation and what they said was the targeting of civilians.

With reporting by AP

Residents Say Scores Of Civilians Killed In Pakistan's North Waziristan




*The Pakistan army massacred civilians with an attack on a market place and civilian targets.

This is a war crime.

All Pakistani human rights organizations and civil society should condemn this and call for the officers behind this to be punished. The families of those murdered should be awarded compensation by the Pakistani military/state.

This could lead to an all out war in Pashtun areas of Pakistan against the Pakistani military.

[Bengal_Tiger]

[Bengal_Tiger]

Pakistanis denounce army operation in northwest

By RIAZ KHAN Associated Press
POSTED: 12/20/2013 01:47:09 AM MST | UPDATED: 2 DAYS AGO

PESHAWAR, Pakistan—Hundreds of Pakistanis rallied Friday against an army operation in the North Waziristan tribal area that residents claim killed many civilians even though the military said the offensive targeted militants.
About 300 people, mostly students from North Waziristan, took to the streets in the frontier city of Peshawar, near the border with Afghanistan, to denounce the operation and demand an investigation.

Zahidullah Khan, a student at Peshawar University from the village of Mosaki near the town of Mir Ali said his aunt was killed by military shelling.

"The army is claiming they have killed militants and terrorists. They think my aunt was a terrorist?" he said.

The military said the escalation in the tribal area began late Wednesday when a military convoy dispatched to assist with troop casualties came under attack. The convoy had rushed to the aid of soldiers wounded and killed in a suicide bombing on a check-post outside an army base earlier in the day.

The convoy returned fire, and the military said its troops killed at least 23 alleged militants. The next day, troops responding to a tip that militants preparing bombs were hiding in Mir Ali killed 10 more militants, the military said. Most of those killed were believed to Uzbeks, the military said. North Waziristan is home to many militant groups including foreign fighters who use the area as a base for attacking NATO troops in Afghanistan.

But some residents accused the military of killing innocent civilians. Two from Mir Ali where the clashes happened, Akhtar Khan and Arif Dawar, said many of the dead were civilians. The military contends that those killed were militants, and the spokesman for Pakistan's military, Gen. Asim Bajwa said on Twitter that the military acted in self-defense.

A curfew put in place Thursday in the area was lifted Friday morning, said local residents.

Some described the damage that had taken place. In the bazaar area of Mir Ali, one local resident, Aershad Khan, said most of the shops were burned and damaged by government shelling. He said local residents were searching damaged buildings and gutted shops for bodies and wounded.

"The fruit market is totally gutted with fire and nothing is left there but ashes," Khan said.

North Waziristan is one of Pakistan's most dangerous and remote areas, making it difficult for journalists to independently verify and report from there.

Pakistani troops have been battling militants in the tribal areas that border Afghanistan for years, although North Waziristan is one area where they have not staged a large-scale operation to root out militants. The militants have carried out scores of attacks around the country that have killed thousands of civilians and security forces.

Residents in the tribal areas often accuse the military of indiscriminately opening fire after they are attacked. The military disputes that and says militants often dress in civilian clothes to hide among the local population. The vast majority of the U.S. drone strikes have targeted North Waziristan.



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*It is said that the Pakistani army bombed the market place basically as a form of collective punishment/retaliation against one suicide bomber coming from the town.

On defence.pk (a Pakistani nationalist forum with military-connected personnel), Pakistani nationalists (AlQaid and Irfan_Baloch) were discussing whether to murder family members of militants.

[jankhan]

American senate has conditioned the aid to Pakistan with the security of Balochis, sindhis, hindus and Ahmadya... that this money will not be used against these people.

And not Pashtuns...

[hamid954]

great posts Bengal tiger. I actually made a facebook page called All Afghans Indians & Bangladeshis United Against Porkistan ISI and hope you can invite Bengali brothers to the page.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/All-A...61208297247362

[Shehbaz Khan]

Though, I am not in the favor of shellings and stuff on the civilian occupied land. Yet let's not mix up the facts. The militants attacked the Army first in that place and it was Army which did that as a reaction. How many people were killed who were they? You can find that in the press release as well.

[khushal]

Though, I am not in the favor of shellings and stuff on the civilian occupied land. Yet let's not mix up the facts. The militants attacked the Army first in that place and it was Army which did that as a reaction. How many people were killed who were they? You can find that in the press release as well.

Shahbaza,
The army shouldn't even be there. Plus why is the army keeping journalists out of the area. What are they hiding.

[EvilPakistani]

Bengal_cat you need to stop playing the ethnic card and provoking Pashtuns with your propaganda.

There are many Pashtuns in Pakistani army too, a few months back some Pakistani soldiers were decapitated by the Taliban and most of those soldiers were Pashtuns.

Pakistan is fighting against the TTP & it just so happens that most Talibs happen to be Pashtoon, but this isn't some war against Pashtoons.

Many of the Talibs are also Tajiks,Uzbeks and Chechen/Dagestanis.

For some reason you want it to look like that the Pakistani army is deliberately trying to kill Pashtuns.

You don't have to racialize every thing.

[EvilPakistani]

Shahbaza,
The army shouldn't even be there. Plus why is the army keeping journalists out of the area. What are they hiding.

Technically FATA is in Pakistan, so the Pakistani army can be there if they want, whether they want to be in Mirpurkhas or Miranshah, it's there choice.

Journalists aren't allowed in FATA because of security reasons, the Taliban would probably kidnap journalists, it's happened many times before.

[jankhan]

Bengal_cat you need to stop playing the ethnic card and provoking Pashtuns with your propaganda.

There are many Pashtuns in Pakistani army too, a few months back some Pakistani soldiers were decapitated by the Taliban and most of those soldiers were Pashtuns.

Pakistan is fighting against the TTP & it just so happens that most Talibs happen to be Pashtoon, but this isn't some war against Pashtoons.

Many of the Talibs are also Tajiks,Uzbeks and Chechen/Dagestanis.

For some reason you want it to look like that the Pakistani army is deliberately trying to kill Pashtuns.

You don't have to racialize every thing.

You are very right but guys want to show it as its only against pashtuns... I am with you on this point BUT it is also a fact that pak army dominated by punjabis, punjabi beaurocracy and the govt does not consider the tribal areas and pakhtunkhwa as a part of Pakistan. They consider them as some rubbish and animals.
I don't want to go into other details of this issue that punjabis are using electricity and other resources of other provinces, what they are doing for other provinces and what they are doing for their own province.
But I would just talk about one thing, When the drone kills people in waziristan or hango or bajaur... why your army and govt does not react as it reacted in the case of Salala incident where Americans killed some 30 pak army men...
It was just one incident against army and they reacted quickly and stopped the NATO supply route for six months and since that they could not attack pak army, why they don't react in such a way when americans kill pashtuns ?
Just tell me what would be the reaction of army and govt if a drone kills some 20 people in punjab though there are some banned outfits exist in punjab.
This behaviour makes our mind that Punjabi dominated govt, beaurocracy, army, media not only mock on Pashtuns but also consider them as some animals and not even human beings.

[khushal]

Technically FATA is in Pakistan, so the Pakistani army can be there if they want, whether they want to be in Mirpurkhas or Miranshah, it's there choice.

Journalists aren't allowed in FATA because of security reasons, the Taliban would probably kidnap journalists, it's happened many times before.

FATA is autonomous, the pakistani constitution recognizes it as such. IF the tribes don't want the army there, then they should not be there.

Then that's the journalists decision whether to take risks or not. There are reports that the Pakistani security forces have had a hand in journalists deaths and disappearances. When ever an army prevents journalists from an area, it is because they are hiding something that they are doing wrong. No one hides anything that is right.

[jankhan]

Technically FATA is in Pakistan, so the Pakistani army can be there if they want, whether they want to be in Mirpurkhas or Miranshah, it's there choice.

Journalists aren't allowed in FATA because of security reasons, the Taliban would probably kidnap journalists, it's happened many times before.

Dear brother Journalists are not allowed because army does not want the world to come to know about the brutalities of pak army.
pak army have killed so many journalists in the past.

[jankhan]

FATA is autonomous, the pakistani constitution recognizes it as such. IF the tribes don't want the army there, then they should not be there.

Then that's the journalists decision whether to take risks or not. There are reports that the Pakistani security forces have had a hand in journalists deaths and disappearances. When ever an army prevents journalists from an area, it is because they are hiding something that they are doing wrong. No one hides anything that is right.

True, army is not there to protect people but it is there to create problems.

[EvilPakistani]

FATA is autonomous, the pakistani constitution recognizes it as such. IF the tribes don't want the army there, then they should not be there.

Then that's the journalists decision whether to take risks or not. There are reports that the Pakistani security forces have had a hand in journalists deaths and disappearances. When ever an army prevents journalists from an area, it is because they are hiding something that they are doing wrong. No one hides anything that is right.

The Tribal warlords want the Pak army to be there, in fact most of them took up arms against the Taliban, a lot of the Talibs are from Chechnya and Central Asia.

Even if the Tribes withdraw their support for the Pak army, the army still has the right to exterminate any threat since FATA is part of the federation,ie.g the Falklands are a semi-autonomous territory of Britain but the Brits have troops there for reasons related to national interests

Then that's the journalists decision whether to take risks or not. There are reports that the Pakistani security forces have had a hand in journalists deaths and disappearances.

Could you cite any legit sources?According to the Int'l News Safety Inst. nine reporters died this year in Pakistan and none of them were killed in FATA.

[EvilPakistani]

You are very right but guys want to show it as its only against pashtuns... I am with you on this point BUT it is also a fact that pak army dominated by punjabis, punjabi beaurocracy and the govt does not consider the tribal areas and pakhtunkhwa as a part of Pakistan. They consider them as some rubbish and animals.
I don't want to go into other details of this issue that punjabis are using electricity and other resources of other provinces, what they are doing for other provinces and what they are doing for their own province.
But I would just talk about one thing, When the drone kills people in waziristan or hango or bajaur... why your army and govt does not react as it reacted in the case of Salala incident where Americans killed some 30 pak army men...
It was just one incident against army and they reacted quickly and stopped the NATO supply route for six months and since that they could not attack pak army, why they don't react in such a way when americans kill pashtuns ?
Just tell me what would be the reaction of army and govt if a drone kills some 20 people in punjab though there are some banned outfits exist in punjab.
This behaviour makes our mind that Punjabi dominated govt, beaurocracy, army, media not only mock on Pashtuns but also consider them as some animals and not even human beings.

Well the gov does consider KPK as part of Pakistan.

I do agree that Punjab has more privileges than other provinces, and that's why Punjab should be reduced into smaller provinces for Seraikis and Potwaris, that way they won't have monopoly any more.

The reasons why Punjabis dominate the army is because Punjabis are the majority, it's called majoritarianism, the majority usually is numerically better represented, however Pashtuns are actually proportionally over represented in the army than Punjabis.

Pashtuns make up 25% of Pakistan's pop. but 35% of the army, where as Punjabis make up 42% of Pakistan's pop. and only 45% of the army, so Punjabis are represented roughly proportional to their population whereas Pashtuns outnumber Punjabis proportionally.

Out of the 15 army chiefs of Pakistan only 5 were Punjabi and 3-4 were Pashtun, so Pashtun have dominated the army in the past.

I do agree that Punjab does steal a lot of resources from other provinces but idk how it would be related to what's happening in FATA.

It is true that the army isn't as outraged by drone strikes but Pakistanis outside KPK hate drone strikes and they've protested against it and because of that PTI(the popular party in Pakistan) has blocked nato supply lines and the UN general assembly has passed a resolution against drone strikes.

The people of Pakistan feel the pain of the people FATA but the gov/media doesn't represent us.