Baloch pro-independence leader Mehran Marri has stated that Pakistan has maintained an illegal occupation of Balochistan since 1948, turning the region into a heavily militarized zone where the fundamental rights of the local population are systematically violated.
In a special interview with ANI, Mehran Marri compared the situation in Balochistan to other global conflicts, emphasizing that the region deserves the same level of international attention on human rights grounds as Ukraine and Palestine. Unfortunately, he noted, Balochistan continuesly to be ignored by the West.
He stated that just nine months after Pakistan’s independence, on March 28, 1948, Balochistan was forcibly annexed. According to him, the international community has consistently overlooked the Baloch issue due to geopolitical interests.
“Pakistan is not a democratic country but a military institution,” Marri said, “where military generals control every sector, from real estate to the food industry.”
He added that what is known as the “establishment” in Pakistan is a coalition of the military, parliament, and judiciary, working collectively to suppress dissent. “Pakistan is not a normal country it resembles an open-air prison where civil liberties practically do not exist,” he said.
Condemning enforced disappearances and strict media censorship in Balochistan, Mehran Marri said these practices are deliberately employed to spread fear and suppress opposition. According to him, this policy has been in place since the regime of former President Pervez Musharraf and remains central to the military’s current strategy.
Discussing the economic situation, Marri described poverty in Balochistan as “adding salt to the wound.” He highlighted that despite Balochistan’s vast natural resources being exploited, the local population continues to suffer in poverty. “In Gwadar, people go to bed hungry while luxury hotels are being opened around them,” he remarked.
Criticizing the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), he called it another means of plundering Balochistan’s resources and expressed hope that China would reconsider its involvement in the project.
Supporting India’s recent “Operation Sindhoor” targeting terror networks in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Jammu & Kashmir, Mehran Marri hailed it as a significant and long-term move. He urged India to pursue it as a sustained campaign, akin to the United States’ actions following 9/11. He expressed hope that the success of this operation would ultimately contribute to Balochistan’s freedom.
