BERLIN: At a ceremony marking Baloch Martyrs’ Day in Berlin, Dr. Naseem Baloch, Chairman of the Baloch National Movement (BNM), said that Pakistan’s continued oppression has only intensified the Baloch people’s determination for freedom.
“Pakistan wants to silence us with guns,” Dr. Naseem Baloch declared, “but its oppression has only strengthened the passion for freedom in our hearts.”
He reminded attendees that on 27 March 1948, the Pakistan Army forcibly occupied Balochistan, and that the region remains under military control decades later. “Today, our land is covered with army camps and watchtowers, fear rules our towns and mountains,” he said.
Dr. Naseem Baloch condemned the ongoing enforced disappearances of Baloch youth and the recovery of mutilated bodies, saying that despite such atrocities, “the Baloch nation refuses to bow down.”
Reflecting on the political evolution of the Baloch movement, he said that the struggle once existed as raw passion but lacked structure. “BNM transformed that scattered emotion into organized resistance,” he said, “freeing Baloch politics from tribal divisions and personal ambitions and placing it firmly on the foundation of national interest.”
He added that the party had turned sacrifice into a philosophy and struggle into continuity, making today’s Baloch movement “intellectually, politically and organizationally strong.”
Paying tribute to prominent Baloch leaders and martyrs including Khan Mehrab Khan, Ghulam Muhammad Baloch, Dr. Manan Baloch, Banuk Karima Baloch, Ustad Ali Jan, Haji Razaq, and Zubair Baloch, Dr. Naseem Baloch said their courage continues to inspire new generations. “This is not a battle of guns, but a battle of belief and history always bows before belief.”
Drawing a parallel between colonial and modern-day oppression, he remarked, “The British flag no longer flies over Balochistan, but the chains of slavery have returned in a new form. Today, the occupation of Balochistan comes not from London, but from Islamabad.”
Recalling 13 November 1839, when Khan Mehrab Khan fell defending Kalat from British forces, he said, “Mehrab Khan had no cannons, but he had the power of conscience and a nation armed with conscience never dies.”
Concluding his speech, Dr. Naseem Baloch emphasized that the Baloch struggle transcends geography. “Our fight is not only for Balochistan, but for human dignity and justice everywhere. Our languages may differ, but our wounds are the same and so must be our voice, united against oppression and for freedom.”
He reaffirmed his commitment to the cause, declaring: “The freedom of Balochistan is our promise a promise written in the blood of our martyrs, from Mehrab Khan to Zubair Baloch.”
The Berlin event drew participation from Baloch, Pashtun, Sindhi, Kurdish, and Tamil representatives, along with human rights activists and political figures, marking a display of transnational solidarity with the Baloch cause.
