Dr. Naseem Baloch, Chairman of Baloch National Movement (BNM), stated on X that while Pakistan celebrates 14 August as Independence Day, for the Baloch nation it is a day of mourning. He said that as Pakistanis raise their flags and enjoy festivities, Baloch families continue to search for their disappeared loved ones and the graves of martyrs fill the soil of Balochistan.
According to Dr. Naseem Baloch, Balochistan was free on 11 August 1947, but Pakistan invaded the region in March 1948, ending its sovereignty. Since then the Baloch people have suffered massacres, abductions, torture and exploitation of their natural resources, forming what he described as the “bloody foundation” of Pakistan’s independence celebrations.
He further commented that anyone celebrating 14 August while Balochistan continues to bleed is complicit in the ongoing oppression. Drawing a parallel with Bangladesh in 1971, Dr. Baloch said that the enablers of these crimes will be held accountable when Balochistan achieves freedom.
Dr. Naseem Baloch concluded that for the Baloch nation, 14 August remains a painful reminder of lost sovereignty and unhealed wounds.
