NEW YORK: The Baloch National Movement (BNM) held a protest outside United Nations headquarters on Monday, drawing international attention to human rights violations in Balochistan, including enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings and urging the UN to take “immediate action”.
The demonstration ran from noon to 3 p.m. on First Avenue, between 42nd and 43rd Streets, coinciding with the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.
Protesters carried placards and banners while chanting slogans against human rights abuses in Balochistan. A symbolic tableau depicting enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings was also presented, representing the victims of such incidents.
Samiullah Baloch, president of BNM’s American chapter, addressed the demonstration along with other speakers.
Speakers at the protest cited a range of grievances, including military operations in Balochistan, the enforced disappearance of thousands of people, the detention of Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leaders, women and human rights activists, and what they described as collective punishment of local communities. The group also raised concerns over the targeting of women and children, the demolition of homes, and the displacement of residents.
The BNM called on the UN and the broader international community to “end their silence” on the situation in Balochistan.
Demonstrators chanted “Free Balochistan” and demanded an end to enforced disappearances throughout the protest.
The demonstration coincided with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s address to the UN General Assembly.
According to the BNM, the New York protest was part of a broader campaign to internationalize the Balochistan issue during the General Assembly session.
