Baloch National Movement (BNM) made a strong case for Balochistan’s independence highlighting Pakistan’s barbaric atrocities and systemic genocide at the international conference organised in The Hague, Netherlands. The conference “The Case of Balochistan: Self-Determination and International Silence” brought together Baloch and Pashtun activists along with western journalists and human rights activists who slammed Pakistan’s genocide across Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
“Thousands of Baloch citizens have been forcibly disappeared many of whose mutilated bodies were later found in deserted areas, while dozens of villages have been flattened through ground and aerial attacks. Despite such large-scale atrocities the United Nations, the European Union and other international bodies remain mere spectators, which is contrary to the universal values of human rights,” said Dr Naseem Baloch, chairman Baloch National Movement (BNM) at the conference.
Empathizing with the Baloch pain, Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) activist Zali Wali said that state (Pakistani) oppression and brutality against the Baloch and Pashtuns has reached its peak. “While genocide is taking place on one hand, the state (Pakistan) is plundering our natural resources under an organized plan on the other,” said PTM activist Zali Wali. She further explained that in Waziristan, “…entire villages are being deserted, youths are being forcibly disappeared, and these areas are being turned into military cantonments to silence the voice of the people forever.”
Charlotte Zehrer, human rights activist said that world has chosen to close its eyes to the atrocities being committed in Balochistan. She called on international bodies, human rights organizations and every individual with a conscience to stand in solidarity with Balochistan.
Journalist Andy Vermaut said that several Baloch journalists have been killed or subjected to severe harassment only for speaking the truth and bringing facts to light. “In Balochistan, the very idea of free journalism has become an act of resistance.” Andy called upon the global journalistic community, human rights bodies and conscientious individuals to speak out against the ongoing oppression in Balochistan and support those who are sacrificing their lives for truth and justice.
BNM’s vice president Waheed Baloch elaborated that Balochistan was once an independent state where people lived according to their own will, took pride in their language, culture, and identity, and every individual had full control over their way of life. However, after Pakistan’s forcible occupation Balochistan was stripped not only of its political freedom but also subjected to a systematic effort to erase its language, culture, and national identity. “Balochistan has always rejected oppression and slavery, and even today, we continue to struggle for freedom, identity, and sovereignty. We make it clear that our resistance will continue until the freedom of Balochistan is achieved,” said Waheed Baloch.