Today Shiromani Akali Dal leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa took to his official social media accounts to share a video that showed a man being mercilessly thrashed by a few men who look like Pakistani soldiers. The bruised man lies lifeless on a Charpai, while the soldiers continue to hit him with their legs and canes. Other men, dressed in the Pakistani Army outfit, are seen standing around the injured man like mute spectators, while one is seen recording the entire episode.
Manjinder Singh Sirsa took to his official Facebook page to share the video claiming that the victim is an Indian soldier, who was beaten up mercilessly by Pakistani soldiers.
The SAD leader shared the same video with similar claim on his official Twitter handle.
पाक फ़ौजियों द्वारा निहत्थे @adgpi फ़ौजी पर अत्याचार को दर्शाता यह वीडियो सोशल मीडिया पर वायरल है!
— Manjinder Singh Sirsa (@mssirsa) April 8, 2021
अगर ये वीडियो सही है तो मेरी @HMOIndia से विनती- पाक फ़ौज के अमानवीय व्यवहार को विश्व स्तर पर मुद्दा बनाया जाये और हमारे जवान को सही-सलामत वापिस लाने के लिये जल्द कदम उठाएँ जायें pic.twitter.com/q43AF1TyzY
While sharing the particular video, Sirsa suggested that the video shows a few Pakistani soldiers inflicting intolerable atrocities on an Indian soldier. He appealed to the Union Home Ministry to raise the issues of such gross human right abuse at the hands of the Pakistan Army on the global platform and urged the ministry to make urgent arrangements to bring the Indian soldiers in Pakistan custody, back to India safely.
Truth behind the video shared by Manjinder Singh Sirsa
However, what appears is that the claim made by the SAD leader is only partially true. Though the video shared by the SAD leader is that of a true incident and the assaulters here are also Pakistani Army officials, but his claim that an Indian soldier is being beaten up by Pakistani soldiers in the video appears to be untrue.
The truth is that the victim in the video is not an Indian soldier as claimed by Sirsa, but a Baloch, on whom the state-sponsored puppets, under the umbrella of the Pakistan Army, are seen inflicting unendurable atrocities.
News Nation claims video is a 6-month old video where the victim is a Baloch
This aforementioned video was shared by News Nation on April 2, 2021. News Nation claimed that this particular video is a six-month-old video where Pakistani soldiers are seen brutally torturing a Baloch youth in full public view.
In the video, the Pakistani soldiers are heard talking to each other. “Isse sab pata hain yahan kaun khada hain” (He knows who all are standing here), one officer is heard saying to another who responds by saying that even we know who he is. The Pakistani soldiers keep hitting the almost lifeless victim, who is tied to the Charpai, with canes. They are also seen mercilessly kicking the victim’s face, repeatedly. The victim’s legs and face looks completely bruised and distorted as he lies on the charpai, bleeding profusely.
Therefore, though the video shared by SAD leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa is that of a true incident, the claim attached to it is untrue. In reality, this is a 6-month-old video that has resurfaced on social media. This video is of Pakistani soldiers torturing a Baloch youth and not an Indian soldier as claimed by Sirsa.
Atrocities on ethnic minorities in Balochistan by the Pakistan army
Atrocities on ethnic minorities in Balochistan by the Pakistan army is not new. For ages now, the Pakistan army has allegedly been involved in the abduction, forced disappearances, torture and forced organ harvesting of people living in ethnic areas of Balochistan.
The Human Rights activists in Balochistan have been time and again emphasised the need for international organisations such as Red Cross, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, European Council, Human Rights without Frontiers, etc. to take cognisance of the humanitarian crisis in Pakistan. Besides requesting them to set up their offices in Balochistan, they have demanded reports on the deaths of civilians at the hands of the Pakistani army.
They have demanded trial against guilty army personnel and high-ranking officers for crimes against humanity. Owing to the atrocities perpetrated on the people of Balochistan, they have demanded freedom from the Punjabi-dominated army. Several people are forced to pick up arms and resist the tyrannical army.
