PARIS: Dr. Naseem Baloch, Chairman of the Baloch National Movement (BNM), has said that the killing of Mahgul Baloch was not an isolated or accidental crime, but represents a dangerous extension of state-sponsored war crimes abduction, torture and killing previously used against Baloch men, now being extended to Baloch women.
According to a statement issued by the BNM chairman, Mahgul Baloch was abducted at night, subjected to severe torture and killed, with her mutilated body later found behind the University of Turbat. He termed the incident a “test case,” alleging that the state wants to gauge the reaction if Baloch women are also targeted in this manner following Baloch men.
Dr. Baloch said that evidence in the case points toward armed groups commonly referred to in Balochistan as “death squads,” which he claimed are not ordinary criminal gangs but organized elements linked to Pakistan’s military and intelligence agencies, used to suppress the Baloch nationalist movement and intimidate political workers and civilians. He further said that these groups are granted protection and impunity in exchange for their actions.
He said the location where the body was found an area with a significant military and security presence made the crime more disturbing, asserting that heavy surveillance in the region contradicts explanations attributing the incident to a security lapse.
The BNM chairman called for independent forensic, medical and judicial investigations into the killing, along with preservation of evidence and accountability for those responsible, including state patrons.
Dr. Baloch also criticized the National Party and other nationalist parliamentary parties, accusing them of offering only symbolic condemnation while, in his view, having previously facilitated military operations and state actions during their tenure in government. He argued that framing the killing merely as a “law and order issue” absolves the state of responsibility.
He called on Baloch political activists, students, women’s groups, human rights organizations and the international community to demand justice for Mahgul Baloch and stronger protections for Baloch women, urging sustained political resistance rather than silence.
