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Sholan Baloch, spokesperson for the Baloch Students Organization Azad, has alleged that the Pakistani state is targeting Baloch political activists and their families in an effort to suppress political voices in Balochistan.
In a message, Sholan Baloch alleged that several Baloch political activists have been forcibly disappeared and held in unknown detention centres, while the bodies of political leaders and workers have been found dumped in remote areas. She further claimed that several political workers have been killed, creating what she described as a political vacuum in Balochistan. According to her message, continued violence and repression have forced many Baloch political workers to live as refugees. She said some have sought refuge abroad, while others and their families are living as refugees within Baloch areas in Iran. She added that many have taken shelter with relatives, describing this as an established tradition among the Baloch people. Sholan Baloch alleged that the Pakistani state has also targeted Baloch political workers in neighbouring Baloch areas. She cited the recent killing of Dr Abdul Rashid Arif Nokap, a central political worker of the Baloch National Movement, as an example of what she described as an aggressive and state-sponsored campaign against Baloch political activists. According to her statement, Dr Abdul Rashid had been living as a refugee with relatives because of what she described as atrocities by the Pakistani state. She alleged that his family was subjected to collective punishment in an attempt to intimidate them and force them to abandon their political struggle. Despite living as a refugee, Dr Abdul Rashid continued his involvement in the Baloch national movement while also practising medicine, Sholan Baloch said. She stated that he established a clinic in a remote area where limited healthcare facilities had left people suffering from various illnesses. According to her message, he continued to serve local communities while remaining active as a political worker. Sholan Baloch also referred to the alleged targeting of Baloch families in neighbouring Baloch areas, citing the Sham Sar incident. She claimed that Pakistani fighter jets targeted and killed an entire Baloch family in the incident. She further alleged that several families have faced collective punishment through the killing of relatives and the burning of their homes. In her message, Sholan Baloch accused the Pakistani state of attempting to eliminate the political environment in Balochistan by targeting political workers and their families. She described the alleged killing of Baloch political activists living as refugees on their own land as war crimes. She paid tribute to Dr Abdul Rashid Baloch and other Baloch political workers who, according to her, continued to remain connected with the Baloch national movement despite being forced to live as refugees. Sholan Baloch further called on international institutions to recognise and protect Baloch refugees, hold the Pakistani state accountable for alleged abuses and take measures to address what she described as an ongoing Baloch genocide. (ANI)
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