Geneva: Dr. Naseem Baloch, Chairman of the Baloch National Movement (BNM), in a special interview with “Zrumbesh TV,” has expressed serious concern over grave human rights violations and the policy of collective punishment by Pakistani military and state institutions in Balochistan.
He stated that the pattern of state repression in Balochistan has spanned several decades and has evolved over time through different phases, now taking the form of an extremely dangerous policy of collective punishment. According to him, not only political activists but also ordinary civilians, women and families of forcibly disappeared persons are being targeted.
The interview was recorded in the context of the 61st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council and ongoing activities of BNM in Geneva.
According to Dr. Naseem Baloch, the Pakistani military has implemented repression policies in Balochistan in multiple stages, with each phase becoming more severe than the previous one. He said that thousands of Baloch youth, students and political activists have been missing for years. State institutions pick up individuals without due legal process and make them disappear. In some cases, individuals are released after severe torture, which he said is intended to instill fear and silence.
Dr. Naseem Baloch stated that the recovery of mutilated bodies of forcibly disappeared persons has become a routine occurrence in Balochistan, which, according to him, clearly indicates extrajudicial killings.
He further said that under a new policy, forcibly disappeared individuals are being killed in staged encounters and labeled as terrorists, in an attempt to provide legal justification for state actions. Dr. Naseem Baloch added that women in Balochistan are now also being subjected to enforced disappearances, which he described as a highly alarming and inhumane trend. He said that raids on homes, arrests of women and harassment of families are part of a systematic effort to spread fear within Baloch society.
According to him, the state is now not only targeting activists but also their families, including harassment of relatives of missing persons, subjecting them to enforced disappearances, dismissing government employees from their jobs, and expelling students from schools and universities.
He stated that all these measures constitute a policy of collective punishment and represent a clear violation of international laws.
Dr. Naseem Baloch said that the human rights situation in Balochistan is no less serious than any global crisis, yet international institutions and governments remain silent.
He called on the United Nations to conduct independent investigations into human rights violations in Balochistan, urged international media to report the situation without fear or pressure and appealed to global powers to prioritize human rights above political interests.
He further stated that BNM teams in Geneva are holding meetings with various human rights organizations, diplomatic representatives and members of the media to highlight the situation of Balochistan at the international level.
