Bugti IDP's Protest:

Tribe to return to Dera Bugti hills if deceased not handed over

Photo by Homer Baloch

HOMER BALOCH

ISLAMABAD: The anger simmering in the internally displaced persons (IDP)’s of Dera Bugti, already on a hunger strike in front of Al Shifa hospital, may lead them to hold guns again after the government seems not ‘interested’ in handing over the dead body of the Baloch youth who died days before while protesting their no-entry in Dera Bugti. Nawabzada Gwahram Bugti, a leader of Jamhuri Watan Party (JWP) and leading the protest told The Spokesman that there are around 150 IDPs of Bugti tribe who came to the federal capital demanding to enter their native town Dera Bugti, from where they were self exiled to many cities

nearby including Sukkur, Sibbi, Chaghi, Sadiqabad and Rahimyar Khan etc on different occasions due to the unsafe situation prevalent in the area. He said the IDP’s demonstrated peace- fully in different locations of Islamabad for more than two months until a displaced youth, Gulsher Bugti, died during the protest on 3rd June. He said now neither the government authorities are taking interest in shifting them to their native town, which is their basic right, nor the dead body of Gulsher Bugti is handed over to them. “The authorities told us that except Islamabad and Dera Bugti, deceased Gulsher Bugti can be buried at any other city of Pakistan but under the observation of the government authorities, only three relatives of the deceased will be allowed to attend the

burial of deceased Gulsher, which is not acceptable for us”, said Gwahram Bugti. He further said that this attitude of the government authorities may lead them to the mountains of Dera Bugti as they do not see any other possible solution. “When we were visiting Islamabad, our people brought positive expectations with them as well as the new democratic government but when we will return empty handed, it will mark a very negative impression of the IDPs of Bugti tribe, who have already lost so much due to the situation in Dera Bugti”, said Gwahram Bugti. He said currently there are only 600 peo- ple from Kalpar Bugti tribe who are resisting the 200,000 IDP’s, which is not possible without getting support from powerful forces. The deceased Gulsher was suffering from fever for the last 20 days at the camp set up by protesting IDPs of Dera Bugti at Constitution Avenue. When his condition deteriorated he was taken to Shifa Hospital for treatment where he breathed his last breath. But the hospital administration re- fused to hand over the body to the heirs. The protesters demanded of the hospital administration to hand over the dead body, so that they could bury him in his ancestral graveyard at Dera Bugti. The protesters staged a protest sit-in at Shifa International Hospital and threatened that they will continue protest until the body was handed over to them.