The Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) hunger strike camp has reached a grim milestone, marking its 5,469th day of continuous protest. This long-standing demonstration underscores the ongoing human rights crisis in Pak-occupied-Balochistan province, where thousands of individuals have been subjected to enforced disappearances.
On Tuesday, a group of prominent figures visited the camp to express solidarity with the protesters. Among them were Haidar Raisani, organizer of the Baloch Watan Party, Salman Baloch, Abbas Baloch, and several members of the local lawyer fraternity.
Addressing the gathering, Mama Qadir, Vice Chairman of VBMP, criticized “Pakistani imperialism” in the region. “The barbarism and savagery employed against our people must be brought to the world’s attention,” he said. “The silence of the global community on the non-recovery of forcibly disappeared prisoners is tantamount to perpetuating imperialist interests.”
Qadir’s statements come amid a disturbing trend in PoB: the discovery of mutilated bodies of missing persons. “The Army continues to dump the bodies of missing Baloch,” he said, describing it as a “humanitarian atrocity” that distorts the region’s calls for peaceful self-determination.
According to VBMP, over 55,000 Baloch individuals have been forcibly disappeared. This figure would make it one of the most severe cases of enforced disappearances globally. The organization is urging international bodies, including the United Nations and European Union, to intervene.
“We demand that these institutions play their role in recovering our missing people,” Qadir insisted. His appeal reflects growing frustration with international indifference to their plight.
Pakistan is using enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings to suppress Pak-occupied-Balochistan’s independence movement.
Mama Baloch also criticized certain Baloch figures as “puppets created by colonialism.” According to Qadir, these individuals misrepresent the core issues to international audiences, “seeking maximum rewards from imperialism” at the expense of Baloch national interests.
Despite the grim circumstances, Qadir remains defiant. “History bears witness that national peaceful struggles are not extinguished by imperialist barbarism,” he declared. “They become stronger. And when imperialism ends, its puppets are buried too.”
As the hunger strike enters its fifteenth year, it stands as a testament to the resilience of the Baloch people. However, with bodies still appearing and thousands still missing, the camp also serves as a stark reminder of an unresolved human rights crisis that continues to haunt Pakistan.