QUETTA: The Baloch National Movement (BNM) has said that the enforced disappearance of its chairman’s father and close relatives is part of a long-standing policy of collective punishment against the Baloch nation, rather than an isolated incident.
In a detailed statement, a BNM spokesperson said that families of political activists across Balochistan have been deliberately targeted for decades, with enforced disappearances used as a routine tool to intimidate and suppress political resistance. The spokesperson stressed that leaders and activists of the BNM and other political organizations have continuously faced pressure, coercion, and retaliation aimed at silencing their peaceful political activities.
According to the statement, these tactics have failed to deter the BNM. The spokesperson said the Pakistani state is increasingly alarmed by the BNM’s growing international diplomatic engagement, particularly in Europe, where the party has raised the Baloch national question under the leadership of Chairman Dr. Naseem Baloch. In response, the Pakistan Army has intensified pressure on the families of BNM leaders.
The BNM said that the targeting of Dr. Naseem Baloch’s family demonstrates that even leaders of peaceful political parties are not safe from repression in Balochistan. The spokesperson added that continued international inaction has emboldened security forces to commit serious human rights violations with impunity, including enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and actions the BNM describes as amounting to genocide.
Reiterating its position, the BNM said Balochistan should be recognized as an occupied and disputed territory where the Baloch people are struggling for their right to self-determination. The spokesperson claimed that after every major incident involving Baloch armed resistance, security forces retaliate against civilians, while Pakistani politicians fail to restrain the military and instead enable its actions.
The statement announced that the BNM will organize a protest demonstration in Germany on 7 February, along with a coordinated international media campaign involving video statements, documentaries, posters, and digital programs to highlight human rights violations in Balochistan.
The spokesperson also expressed concern over recent remarks by Pakistani officials, including statements about deploying additional troops in Balochistan, warning that the situation could further deteriorate. He said extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, drone attacks on civilian areas, aerial bombardment, internet shutdowns, and restrictions on political and academic activities have become routine in Occupied Balochistan.
Citing recent incidents, the BNM said that in the early hours of 2 February, Pakistani forces detained and later forcibly disappeared Muhammad Bakhsh Sajdi, the father of BNM Chairman Dr. Naseem Baloch, along with his uncle Naeem Sajdi and maternal uncle Engineer Rafiq Baloch, from Hub, Balochistan.
The statement also referred to other incidents, including an attack on a residential house in Gwadar that reportedly killed 12 people, including women and children, mortar shelling in Pulabad, Turbat, that killed a 15-year-old boy and multiple drone strikes in Nushki. According to the BNM, a drone strike in Jamaldini on 2 February killed a three-year-old girl.
The spokesperson noted that internet services have been suspended across much of Balochistan for several days, severely restricting access to information about civilian casualties.
Appealing to the international community, the BNM urged urgent intervention, accusing Pakistan of misleading the world to conceal widespread human rights abuses while pursuing control over Balochistan’s land, coastline, and natural resources. The group called for international accountability and a review of trade and investment partnerships linked to projects in Balochistan.
The statement concluded by saying the BNM will further expand its political, protest, and media activities, warning that increased state force will only strengthen the resolve of its activists.
