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Naseem Baloch, Chairman of the Baloch National Movement (BNM), has issued a grave warning to the international community, accusing Pakistan of escalating its campaign of violence in Balochistan through state-sponsored militias and collaboration with ISIS, according to The Balochistan Post (TBP).
Baloch claimed that the current wave of armed resistance in Balochistan is not a new event, but rather the continuation of a long-running battle for national independence. "From the days of resistance against British colonialism to the present-day defiance of Pakistani occupation, the Baloch nation has always defended its land, identity, and dignity," he stated, according to TBP. According to the BNM chairman, the intensity and sophistication of Baloch guerrilla operations have increased, providing a huge challenge to Pakistan's military. Sarmachars, or Baloch fighters, are now routinely disrupting military convoys and establishing checkpoints in remote locations, often with minimal interference from Pakistani forces, according to a TBP report. However, Baloch cautioned that Pakistan's response has been characterised by ruthless vengeance against civilians. "The army's inability to confront guerrilla resistance has led to a strategy of collective punishment, enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, mutilations, and attacks on women and children," he said, according to the TBP report. Baloch decried Pakistan's military's persistent reliance on clandestine "death squads," criminal gangs allegedly supported by the country's intelligence institutions. According to TBP, these gangs have long been utilised to suppress the Baloch national movement through abductions, targeted assassinations, and societal destabilisation. What's more alarming, he noted, is a recent shift to more openly sanctioned paramilitary violence. "Now these same death squad tactics are being rebranded under the banner of 'peace militias' operated by the provincial government," Baloch said, TBP report quoted. He mentioned a recent raid in the Rakhni area, purportedly carried out by Aftab Bugti, the brother of Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti, that killed four Baloch fighters. "This is clear evidence that the state is relying more heavily on mafias, tribal gangs, and mercenaries to carry out its repression," Baloch stated, according to the TBP report. Baloch accused Pakistan's Army of supporting ISIS operations in Balochistan. "Training camps for ISIS are being established in various areas, not just to target the Baloch struggle, but to create regional instability," he told reporters. "Pakistan is no longer just a state sponsor of terrorism; it is now a direct enabler," TBP reported. He urged international institutions to realise the global significance of these events. "The creation of ISIS facilities on Pakistani soil poses a threat to regional and international peace. This can't be disregarded." Baloch asked the international community to take action, noting several abuses of international law and human rights. He called for immediate action against Pakistan's use of state-backed militias and terrorist proxies, a UN-led investigation into the establishment of ISIS camps in Balochistan, and prosecution of war crimes, such as abductions, torture, and extrajudicial killings, before the International Criminal Court (ICC). (ANI)
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