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Accusing the Pakistani military of committing "war crimes" and targeting civilians, Baloch leader Mir Yar Baloch claimed on Saturday that video footage obtained from the Surab air strikes provides "irrefutable proof" of military aggression against the local population in Balochistan.
In a post on X, Mir Yar Baloch announced plans to drag Pakistan to the International Criminal Court (ICC) over the military operation in Surab's Gidar Goandhan area, which reportedly resulted in the deaths of 30 civilians, including women, children, and infants. Refuting claims from Islamabad, the Baloch leader accused Pakistan's military spokesperson, Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR), of deliberately misleading the global community by framing the aerial bombardment as an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast on the ground. "The Republic of Balochistan has obtained video footage of the Surab Air Strike conducted by the external terrorist forces of Pakistan on 12th August, which killed 30 innocent Balochistan civilians including women, children, and infants and injured dozens more. The missile debris clearly visible in the video constitute irrefutable proof of Pakistan's terrorism. They also thoroughly expose Pakistan's military spokesperson, DG ISPR, who deliberately misled the global community on national media by claiming the attack was merely an IED blast on the ground," Mir Yar Baloch wrote on X. Directly appealing to Washington, the Baloch leader urged the US President Donald Trump's administration to impose severe diplomatic and economic sanctions against Islamabad, while calling for an immediate freeze on military hardware support and defence upgrades provided to the Pakistan Air Force. "The Republic of Balochistan urges the Trump administration to impose strict economic sanctions on Pakistan, cancel the delivery of spare parts for F-16 engines, and halt all upgradation package to its fighter jets and missile program. The Pakistan military and air force are massively employing these very weapons and aircraft against the people of the independent Republic of Balochistan. Washington must hold Pakistan fully accountable for its war crimes in Balochistan," he added. The development follows widespread protests across Balochistan after reports emerged that a Pakistani military airstrike in the Gidar Goandhan area had killed more than 20 people and injured at least 16 others, according to The Balochistan Post (TBP). The aerial attack was reportedly carried out on Tuesday and resulted in civilian casualties, including women and children. Local residents and police transported the injured and bodies of those killed to the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital in Surab, where the wounded were undergoing treatment. Some residents claimed that the actual number of fatalities could be higher than the figures reported initially. On the other hand, Pakistan's Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Wednesday attributed the casualties to a premature explosion of a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) during its assembly by militants. According to the ISPR, the premature blast killed eight militants. "However, the blast and secondary detonation of other explosives stored there by the terrorists of Indian Proxy have also reportedly caused tragic casualties of three nearby civilians," the media wing claimed. It added that following the explosion, the Pakistan forces, along with Balochistan Police, neutralised ten additional individuals, bringing the total militant death toll to 18, while two Pakistani soldiers sustained injuries during the exchange of fire. (ANI)
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