Baloch activist demands UN intervention to stop Pak atrocities in Balochistan

Baloch Republican Party activist Abdul Nawaz Bugti on Wednesday called on the United Nations Economic and Social Commission to raise concerns about the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects that have been causing 'political instability' in Pakistan's Balochistan area.

Addressing the 35th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Bugti said, "The CPEC projects between China and Pakistan violate basic human rights including Article 2, 3, 5, 7 and 10 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Balochistan."

He added that "this is evident with the fact that military operations, enforced disappearances, torture and custodial killings of Baloch people by Pakistani forces have become a part of daily life. Hundreds of thousands have been forced to migrate from the areas along the CPEC route".

Bugti requested the council to stop the 'massive' human rights violation being committed by Pakistan Army in Balochistan, which has been crushing people's opposition to the CPEC.

"No trade agreement is more important than basic human rights and the CPEC should certainly not be an exception," he said.