April 30, 2025 – Balochistan:
The Baloch Raji Aajoi Sangar (BRAS), an umbrella organization of Baloch armed groups, has reiterated that its struggle is not based on race or religion but is aimed solely at securing national liberation from what it calls the occupying Pakistani state.
In a statement issued by BRAS spokesperson Baloch Khan, the group announced the safe and respectful release of two Punjabi civilians — Nazeer Ahmed and Zafar Iqbal, both residents of Attock, Punjab — who were detained during a BRAS operation in the Daringarh area of Mastung, Balochistan. Initial investigations confirmed that the two individuals had no ties to state institutions, the military, or intelligence agencies.
BRAS said their release is a reaffirmation of the organization’s commitment to human and revolutionary values. “We did not target them on the basis of ethnicity, language, or identity. Instead, we upheld the moral standards of our movement,” the statement read.
Rejecting state narratives that paint the Baloch struggle as racist or sectarian, BRAS asserted that their resistance is directed solely at “the occupier and its exploitative system.” The group emphasized that its military operations target only the Pakistani military, intelligence networks, and exploitative state-backed projects — not civilians from any ethnic group.
Highlighting recent examples, the statement pointed to previous operations in Noshki, Ormara, and Rarsham, where Punjabi civilians were released unharmed after identification. It also referenced the BLA’s hostage-taking of the Jaffar Express, during which Punjabi civilians were spared, as evidence of their principled conduct.
BRAS contrasted its policies with what it described as systematic human rights violations by the Pakistani army against Baloch civilians, including abductions, killings, and violations of family sanctity. The group accused Pakistani intelligence of orchestrating attacks on Punjabis using “surrendered agents” to discredit the Baloch liberation movement — citing a recent example in the Meheristan Magas area involving a man named Sarfaraz Bangulzai.
The statement also extended an olive branch to those Baloch who had previously cooperated with the state under duress or personal interest. BRAS said the doors of the movement remain open to those who sincerely repent and recommit themselves to the national cause.
Concluding the message, BRAS called on the international community, human rights organizations, and supporters of freedom to recognize the Baloch struggle for what it is — a moral, political, and legitimate fight for national survival and independence, not an expression of racial or religious animosity.
