|
The Baloch National Movement (BNM) organised a protest on Saturday (local time) outside 10 Downing Street to highlight what it described as a worsening human rights crisis in Balochistan.
The demonstration focused particularly on alleged enforced disappearances of Baloch women, children, and young girls, which the group attributes to the Pakistan Army. Protesters assembled near the British Prime Minister's residence, raising slogans calling for justice, accountability, and international involvement. BNM representatives said such actions mark a serious moral decline in the ongoing Balochistan conflict, adding that enforced disappearances and collective punishment continue without restraint. During the protest, demonstrators demanded the immediate and safe return of Mahjabeen Baloch, Nasreena Baloch, Farzana Baloch, Hani Baloch, and Hairnasa, who were reportedly detained by Pakistani forces from different parts of Balochistan and later forcibly disappeared. Speakers described enforced disappearances as a key method used by the state to silence the Baloch movement. Participants also raised concerns over the arrests of leaders of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC). They alleged that peaceful activists have been falsely charged, unlawfully detained, and kept in prison despite being granted bail. According to speakers, state institutions are misusing their authority to suppress dissent. BYC leaders, including Dr Mahrang Baloch, Bebo Baloch, Gul Zadi Baloch, Bebgar Baloch, and Sibghatullah Baloch, were praised for leading a mass campaign against enforced disappearances. Protesters claimed that instead of addressing these concerns, authorities have arrested the leaders and subjected them to coordinated media campaigns and online harassment, including unethical attacks against Baloch women. BNM leaders stated that all those mentioned are being held illegally. Speakers at the protest included senior BNM figures, UK chapter officials, and human rights activists. They appealed to international organisations, including Amnesty International, to investigate the alleged violations and intensify pressure on Pakistan. The speakers rejected Pakistan's claim over Balochistan, arguing that the region is under oppressive control and that Pakistan's parliamentary system fails to represent the Baloch people. They described the provincial government as ineffective and lacking legitimacy, asserting that justice for Balochistan cannot be achieved within the existing system. BNM urged the British government to move beyond what it called diplomatic silence and take concrete action. The group called for the recovery of all forcibly disappeared individuals, international sanctions over alleged state violence, and global recognition of what it termed systematic crimes against the Baloch people. (ANI)
|
