The Nation (02 April 2006)
From Nazir Siyal

Larkana – Renowned human rights activist and Chairman of Ansar Burney Trust International, Ansar Burney, reached Quetta while on his way to Dera Bugti along with Vice Chairman Syed Fahad Burney and other human rights activists of the Trust.

Ansar Burney Trust, an international human rights organization and the first to introduce true human rights in Pakistan, is currently involved in the investigations of human rights violations in Balochistan and is probing human trafficking reports.

The Ansar Burney Trust International had announced to investigate and probe the growing problems and prevailing situation of human rights violations in Dera Bugti and later in Waziristan.

While talking to The Nation, Ansar Burney announced to come to Larkana after visiting Dera Bugti.

“Volunteers of the Ansar Burney Trust are already working in many parts of Balochistan and Waziristan to collect first hand evidence and they are risking their own lives so that they can get the necessary details, pictures and videos to report to the world the killings in this region. I am now going there and as soon as we have all the evidence we need, we will report the true happenings in these areas to the nation and the world,” he maintained.

Declared an ‘International Hero’ by the US State Department in the field of anti-trafficking of persons, Ansar said that “We have received several complaints that most of the agents involved in human trafficking and smuggling in Western Pakistan are influential sardars.”

Over the past few days, a delegation of Ansar Burney Trust, consisting of Ansar Burney, Fahad Burney and other members of the Trust met with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, Secretary Law Justice Mansoor Ahmed and Director General FIA Tariz Parvez to discuss with them ways to fight human rights violations in the regions, combat human trafficking and ways to close down private illegal jails on influential persons in Balochistan and NWFP.

The delegation also expressed its deep concern over the flow of Taliban and foreign insurgents into Waziristan, particularly from Afghanistan and the Central Asian Countries.

Ansar Burney and his delegation also met with US Ambassador to Pakistan Ryan C. Crocker and expressed concerns over Talibanisation of Waziristan and the ‘state within a state’ situation in Balochistan; where many influentials were abusing their position and making the lives of thousands of locals miserable.

During their meetinfs, the delegation also deeply regretted that not enough is being done by the government to tackle the situation in Balochistan, where influentials are torturing, imprisoning and abusing their own people. In this regard, he requested the President of Pakistan to take immediate action and help the people of Balochistan.

Ansar Burney also stated that his people in the region had also reported that the same elements responsible for human suffering in that region were also involved in the abductions in western Pakistan.

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