PARIS: Dr Naseem Baloch, chairman of the Baloch National Movement (BNM), has said that Pakistan must end its occupation of Balochistan instead of continuing what he described as decades of bloodshed, grave human rights violations and crimes against humanity against the Baloch people.
In a statement shared on social media platform X, Dr Naseem Baloch invoked the 1971 genocide committed against the Bengali people, calling it a painful chapter in history that occurred barely half a century ago. He said the world must not allow another nation to face a similar tragedy, arguing that the genocide of two nations within such a short span of history must never be acceptable to the international community.
He said Western powers, particularly the United Kingdom, bear an important historical responsibility for the political arrangements created during and after the British withdrawal from the Indian subcontinent. He argued that British policies and strategic interests at the time contributed to circumstances that enabled Pakistan’s occupation of Balochistan, including what he described as its strategically important coastline.
Dr Naseem Baloch said the consequences of this arrangement have been devastating for the Baloch people and that this “historical mistake” must be acknowledged and corrected. He said the international community cannot remain silent in the face of continued enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, repression and other grave human rights violations.
He reiterated his call for Pakistan to end its occupation of Balochistan, warning that history would hold accountable those who remain silent or enable what he described as these injustices.
The statement tagged the UK Prime Minister’s Office, the UK Parliament, BBC News, and the Reform Party UK.
