LONDON, Dec 16: A large number of Baloch people living here and their sympathyisers staged a two-hour long rally in front of 10 Downing street on Sunday demanding release of Hyrbyair Marri and Faiz Baloch who they said were not terrorists but human right activists engaged in defending the rights of the oppressed people of Balochistan.

The rally was jointly organised by the Balochistan Action Committee (UK), the World Sindhi Congress, the Sindhi Baloch Forum and the Balochistan Rights Movement.

Later the group presented a memorandum to the British Prime Minister which was received by one of the officials at 10 Downing.

The memorandum called upon the British PM not to cave in to the demands of Pakistan government to extradite the two arrested Baloch leader. It also asked the PM to press Pakistan to immediately cease its military operation against Baloch nation and release Sindhi and Baloch human rights activists, immediately stop military and economic aid to Musharraf government and initiate and organise international observers to visit the affected areas in Balochitan to establish the facts about atrocities committed by Pakistan Army in the province.

Ambreen Hisbani, coordinator of Sindhi Baloch Forum, Mehran Baloch, the Baloch representative to the UN Human Rights Council, Haleem Bhatti, Chairman of World Sindhi Congress, Dr Safdar Sarki of the same organisation, Samad Baloch of Baloch Action Committee, and human rights activist Peter Tatchell spoke at the rally.Most of the speakers roundly condemned the Musharraf government for launching military campaign against the people of Balochistan. Some even talked of secession.A number of speakers noting the geo-strategic location of their province said a fight was going on there among various global and regional actors to get their foothold as a result of which they added the people of the province are suffering greatly. They specifically criticised Islamabad and Tehran in this regard saying both are treating their respective Balochistans as their colonies.