Baloch Activists Meets UN Officials to Address Human Rights Crisis

Baloch activists Mahrang Baloch and Sammi Deen Baloch engaged with United Nations officials in Islamabad to discuss the ongoing human rights crisis in Balochistan, which has witnessed protests for over 50 days against enforced disappearances.

The UN delegation, including high-profile officials such as Mio Sato, former Chief of the UN Mission and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in Pakistan; Shah Nasir Khan, the UN’s Resident Coordinator Officer; and Mariam Shaikh, a communications advisor at the UN, met with the Baloch activists. The discussion focused on human rights violations, including enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and the suppression of peaceful demonstrators advocating for Baloch’s rights.

The Baloch activists presented detailed accounts of the challenges faced by Baloch protesters during demonstrations and sit-ins. UN officials acknowledged the concerns raised and assured the activists that the issues would be discussed with relevant UN departments for further action.

The meeting was initiated by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), which seeks to involve international bodies in addressing the human rights situation in Balochistan. The BYC is actively advocating for the UN to dispatch a fact-finding mission to the region for an independent investigation into reported violations.

The BYC has been holding sit-ins against the Baloch genocide” and forced disappearances in Balochistan and Islamabad for the past two months. Their ongoing social media campaign, #IStandWithBalochMarch, aims to garner global support for their movement, raising awareness of the situation in Balochistan and uniting voices in support of justice.

In a recent incident, a boy from Kohar village in the Tump region of Kech was allegedly detained by Pakistani forces at midnight, and his whereabouts remain unknown. Forced disappearances continue to occur daily in Balochistan, prompting the BYC to seek international attention and action against what they describe as the “Baloch genocide” and human rights abuses in the region.