PARIS: In the wake of Pakistan’s 12 August airstrike on Surab, which killed multiple civilians including women and children, the Baloch National Movement (BNM) has initiated one of its largest international advocacy campaigns to date, aiming to ensure the attack receives global scrutiny and does not fade into silence.
According to the BNM Foreign Department, the organisation has already reached more than 300 elected representatives, political offices, international institutions, human rights organisations and media contacts across Europe and North America. The outreach spans France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Sweden, Germany, the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States, marking an unprecedented diplomatic push by a Baloch political organisation.
In a statement, the BNM confirmed that it has approached several major international bodies, including: UN Special Procedures, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), European Commission DG Trade, European External Action Service (EEAS), EU Delegation to Pakistan, European Parliament’s AFET and DROI committees, German Federal Foreign Office and its Human Rights Commissioner and leading human rights organisations — including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Freedom House, the International Service for Human Rights, and the International Society for Human Rights.
The non-parliamentary party also said that letters and evidence documenting the Surab attack were sent to 230 Members of the European Parliament from France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy and Sweden.
In Germany, the BNM chapter expanded the campaign further, reaching 95 political, parliamentary, media and human rights contacts, signalling a coordinated effort to place Balochistan firmly on the agenda of European policymakers.
In the United Kingdom, BNM raised the Surab airstrike with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and 15 parliamentarians.
In the United States, the organisation contacted 5 Senators and 9 Members of the House of Representatives, urging them to scrutinise Pakistan’s human rights record and the circumstances surrounding the Surab strike.
The organisation has outlined a set of clear demands:
- An independent international investigation into the Surab airstrike
- Unrestricted access to Balochistan for international media and human rights organisations
- Preservation of all evidence related to the attack
- Accountability for the killing of civilians
- Serious scrutiny of Pakistan’s human rights obligations, including its EU GSP+ status
It argued that without external oversight, Pakistan’s actions in Balochistan were continuing without consequence.
The BNM Foreign Department stated that it would continue presenting the case of Balochistan before international forums and governments, emphasising that the victims of Surab deserve justice and that Pakistan’s actions must not escape international scrutiny.
