Baloch human rights activists urge UNHRC to intervene in deteriorating rights violations in Balochistan
Geneva [Switzerland], March 13 (ANI): A Baloch Human Rights Council (BHRC) delegation, during the 55th session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), submitted a memorandum highlighting the deteriorating human rights situation in Balochistan and urging the international organisation to intervene. The delegation, headed by its general secretary, Qambar Malik, submitted the memorandum to the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. The memorandum emphasised the immediate need for UN intervention to investigate the atrocities committed by Pakistan in Balochistan. According to the BHRC, "Data collected by various human rights organizations indicates that from January to December 2023, 506 individuals, including students, teachers, and writers, have gone missing in Balochistan. They have fallen victim to enforced disappearances orchestrated by personnel allied with the notorious intelligence agency, the ISI."It further stated that the Pakistani military has escalated its activities across Balochistan. "Pakistani military-patronized ‘Death Squads’ and proxy religious organizations have escalated their activities, conducting daily murders and kidnappings of human rights defenders and socio-political leaders across Balochistan," it added. The memorandum emphasized that the abduction, torture, and dumping of mutilated bodies of political activists by these armed groups in Balochistan have become a daily occurrence. The memorandum urged the UN’s intervention in Balochistan to ensure Baloch lives with dignity and without fear. Earlier, the BHRC organized a protest demonstration at the iconic Broken Chair in front of the UN building. The speakers demanded that the UN send a fact-finding mission to investigate the crimes against humanity perpetrated by Pakistan in Balochistan. The protesters held banners highlighting the human rights violations in Balochistan, asking for immediate intervention by the civilized world to save the lives of thousands of Baloch people languishing in the dungeons of Pakistani security agencies. Scholars and representatives from various oppressed nations participated and spoke in the protest demonstration to express solidarity with the Baloch people. The speakers included Fehmida Baloch from the World Sindhi Congress, Sardar Shaukat Kashmiri from the United Kashmir Peoples National Party, Fazal Afridi from the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement, Naseem Baloch from the Baloch National Movement, Lakhu Luhana from the World Sindhi Congress, Scholar Ayesha Siddiqa, Sardar Nasir Aziz Khan from UKPNP, and Razzak Baloch from BHRC. (ANI)