QUETTA: Baloch National Movement (BNM) Chairman Dr. Naseem Baloch has issued an open letter to the international community condemning the illegal arrest of human rights defenders Imaan Mazari and Advocate Hadi Chatta, calling the action an attack on truth, the legal profession and freedom of expression in Balochistan.
In the open letter, Baloch National Movement Chairman Dr. Naseem Baloch describes the arrests as “illegal and unlawful,” stating that they are not isolated incidents but part of a broader pattern of systematic repression carried out by the Pakistani state, particularly in occupied Balochistan.
The letter highlights Pakistan’s long-standing record of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detentions, and torture, noting that thousands of Baloch men, women and children have been abducted by security forces, with many never returning and others found dead.
Referring to Imaan Mazari, the letter states that she emerged as one of the few consistent voices advocating for victims of enforced disappearances, especially among the Baloch, Pashtun and other oppressed communities. It notes that her public challenge to the military and intelligence agencies and her support for families of the disappeared, has made her a target of state retaliation.
Regarding Advocate Hadi Chatta, the letter states that his arrest reflects a growing crackdown on lawyers who defend fundamental rights, warning that even members of the legal profession are no longer safe if they refuse to submit to state pressure.
The open letter further states that Pakistan’s human rights violations are not accidental but systematic, arguing that the arrests are part of a wider policy aimed at silencing dissent and erasing the voices of victims in occupied regions.
Addressed to international media, human rights organisations, legal bodies, and democratic governments, the letter calls on the United Nations, global civil society, and legal associations to condemn the arrests and demand the immediate and unconditional release of Imaan Mazari and Advocate Hadi Chatta.
The letter concludes by stating that silence from the international community amounts to complicity, and that voices speaking for the disappeared cannot be silenced through arrests and imprisonment.
