GENEVA: In a powerful rebuke to Islamabad, United Nations Working Groups have demanded an explanation from Pakistan over the chilling extrajudicial killing of renowned Baloch journalist and human rights defender Abdul Latif Baloch and his young son Saif Baloch, and the arrest of rights activist Gulzar Dost.
In a joint letter issued on August 13, UN Special Rapporteurs voiced “deep alarm” over what they described as a disturbing pattern of state violence, intimidation, and silencing of Baloch voices. The letter calls for a full, independent, and transparent investigation into the killings and the continuing persecution of the victims’ families.
According to the UN communication, Abdul Latif Baloch was shot dead inside his home in Mashkay, Awaran District, on May 24, 2025, by unidentified armed men. His son Saif, who had earlier been taken away by security forces on February 28, was found dead a month later, on March 26, his body bearing signs of torture.
UN experts recalled that Abdul Latif himself had previously endured detention and torture at the hands of security agencies, while his brother Rasheed Ali Baloch was killed after being taken into custody in 2011.
The letter also spotlighted the arrest of Gulzar Dost, coordinator of the Turbat Civil Society Forum, who was dragged from his home without a warrant on July 6, 2025, and accused of terrorism-related offenses. He was later released on bail on August 1, but the UN experts warned that such tactics were meant to instill fear and crush civic activism in Balochistan.
The letter paints a grim picture of systematic repression in Pakistan’s largest yet most marginalized province. In this place, journalists, human rights defenders, and ordinary citizens often “disappear” only to return as lifeless bodies.
UN experts demanded a seven-point clarification from the Government of Pakistan, including answers on the killings of Abdul Latif, Saif, and Rasheed Baloch, the legal grounds for Gulzar Dost’s arrest, and the misuse of anti-terror laws against civilians.
In their closing remarks, the UN representatives reminded Pakistan of its international obligations to uphold the right to life, freedom of expression, and protection of human rights, urging Islamabad to “end the cycle of violence and impunity in Balochistan.”
Adding its voice to the growing global concern, Paank, the human rights organization of the Baloch National Movement (BNM), welcomed the UN statement, calling it an important acknowledgment of Pakistan’s systematic and state-sponsored violations against Baloch journalists, activists, and civilians. Paank urged the UN, UN Watch, and other international institutions to maintain pressure on Pakistan to end ongoing human rights abuses, deliver justice and accountability for victims, and hold the state responsible for its persistent violations in Balochistan.
