Geneva: Baloch National Movement (BNM), an organisation seeking liberation of Balochistan from Pakistan, has highlighted the dire human rights situation in the occupied region at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and urged it to hold Islamabad accountable for the atrocities being committed against the Baloch people on daily basis.
Niaz Baloch, Deputy Coordinator of BNM’s Foreign Department and Central Committee member, particularly mentioned the alarming rate of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings being carried out by the Pakistani forces and their agents in Balochistan.
Addressing the 57th general debate of the UNHRC, Niaz Baloch presented the distressing statistics from Paank, a human rights organization, highlighting that in May 2024 alone, 90 individuals were reported forcibly missing, marking the highest monthly count that year.
This trend, he noted, averages about 44 disappearances monthly.
Furthermore, August 2024 witnessed 14 extrajudicial killings, averaging five such incidents per month, often disguised under the pretext of counter-terrorism operations.
The issue extends beyond Balochistan’s borders, with abductions of Baloch activists occurring in neighboring countries, he said.
In this regard, he drew attention to the recent abduction of Ustad Wahid Kamber, a revered Baloch leader, by Pakistani forces in Kerman, Iran.
He implored the council for immediate action toward the safe recovery of Baloch missing persons, including Ustad Wahid Kamber.
On July 19, 2024, Wahid Buksh, known as Ustad Wahid Kamber Baloch, a 74-year-old senior leader, was abducted.
This incident, likely politically motivated, has raised international alarms, especially considering his age and deteriorating health.
Niaz Baloch urged the Human Rights Council to hold Pakistan accountable for these atrocities and to push for the immediate release of those detained under these circumstances, according to a press release issued by the BNM.
“Mr. President, today I urge this council to address the increasing human rights abuses in Balochistan and demand the release of the missing, including Wahid Kamber,” he concluded his speech, calling for global attention and intervention to stop the cycle of violence and human rights violations in the region.
