Baloch activist urges UN Secy-Gen to take notice of humanitarian crisis in Balochistan

Khalil Baloch, chairman of the Baloch National Movement (BNM) on Sunday urged the visiting United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to take immediate notice of the humanitarian crisis in Balochistan.

"Pakistan not only snatched our freedom but also exploited our marine and land resources. It also started a systematic genocide of the Baloch people that has further increased in the last two decades. However, the UN's response over the situation has always been of a silent spectator," Kahlil Baloch said.

Guterres arrived in Islamabad earlier today on a four-day visit to the country.

Khalil further added that Pakistan is not only responsible for the occupation of Balochistan but also perpetrating terrorism in the region.

"On the occasion of his visit, we would like to remind the Secretary-General that as an occupied nation, we have a strong hope that you will take notice of ongoing genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Balochistan and would take initiatives to resolve the Baloch national issue," he said.

He also noted that the Secretary-General is visiting Pakistan at a time when the forces and agencies of the establishment are committing genocide in Balochistan.

"The ground for Baloch political voices has been narrowed down. The UN Human Rights Council's Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances has confirmed requests for thousands of forced disappearances of the Baloch people. These are the cases where families have filed their case with consent and identification through meeting the rules and requirements of this group," the activist added.

He said that such a situation is not only limited to the Baloch people, but Pashtuns and Sindhis too are facing genocide at the hands of the Pakistani establishment.

The Pakistani atrocities have mounted manifold when China partnered with Pakistan to layout the multi-billion project of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), he stressed.

Khalil said that the CPEC has become a plan for the economic exploitation of his people.

"The national resources of Balochistan are being looted under this guise. These projects in the name of so-called development are destroying the environment along with the resources in the region. For example, environmental pollution, which is one of the burning issues has been dangerously ignored," Baloch said.

"No initiative has taken place to protect the indigenous peoples' environmental rights in these projects. Under the CPEC, millions of people from China and Pakistan are planned to have planned settled in Gwadar. This move will further escalate demographic changes in the land," he added.