During the 55th Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council, Hakeem Baloch, the Focal Person for the Baloch National Movement’s Foreign Department, delivered a plea for international intervention to address Pakistan’s genocidal policies in Balochistan. He emphasized the urgent need for the United Nations to support the Balochistan independence movement.
In his address to the council, Hakeem Baloch highlighted the decades-long oppression faced by the people of Balochistan under Pakistani rule. He condemned Pakistan’s systematic injustices, including political marginalization, economic exploitation, and cultural suppression, since the forced annexation of Balochistan in 1948.
Mr. Baloch urged the United Nations to recognize the legitimate aspirations of the Baloch people for self-determination, a right enshrined in the UN Charter. He stressed that the Baloch people have peacefully advocated for independence, only to face violence, intimidation, and repression from the Pakistani state.
The Baloch National Movement, along with other organizations like the Baloch Students Organisation-Azad, has been banned, denying Baloch people their right to assembly. Mr. Baloch denounced enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and arbitrary arrests as common tactics employed by Pakistan to suppress dissent and crush Baloch resistance.
Calling on the international community to support the Baloch people’s quest for self-determination, Mr. Baloch urged the UN to intervene to ensure that the people of Balochistan can freely decide their own future.
In conclusion, Hakeem Baloch emphasized the imperative for immediate action, thanking the council for their attention to this critical issue.
