Baloch leaders raise their voices at the UNHRC, accusing Pakistan of repression and enforced disappearances.:Mahara Baloch alleged that Pakistan's anti-terrorism law was being misused to mark Baloch students, social activists and human rights defenders as banned or suspected persons.

News Topical, Digital Desk : The Baloch National Movement (BNM) has urged the international community to take immediate action against widespread human rights violations in Balochistan. The organization alleges that the Pakistani government and its security apparatus are using the law to suppress dissent, target civilians, and silence voices across the region.

Addressing the 61st session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, BNM representatives said that cases of enforced disappearances, fake encounters or killings without judicial process and restrictions on freedom of expression are increasing in Balochistan.

According to them, all this is part of a systematic effort to suppress the voices of the Baloch people. BNM member Mahra Baloch said that ordinary people in Balochistan are being subjected to collective punishment simply because they live there and exist with their identities. An entire population in Balochistan is being punished simply for their existence. Pakistan has weaponized the law against them in the name of counter-terrorism operations.

Dissent is being criminalized, lives are being wiped out, and the voices of entire communities are being silenced. Mahara Baloch alleged that Pakistan's anti-terrorism laws are being misused to label Baloch students, social activists, and human rights defenders as banned or suspected individuals. According to her, this robs them of their freedom, affects their right to travel, and forces them to live in constant danger.

He claimed that in 2025 alone, the BNM's human rights department, Pank, recorded 1,355 cases of enforced disappearances and 225 extrajudicial killings in Balochistan. Mahara said these aren't just statistics, but rather the people abducted from their homes, students kidnapped from campuses, and bodies returned to intimidate others.

She also raised the issue of the crackdown on the leadership of the Baloch Vikta Committee (BVC). Mahara said that Mehrang Baloch, nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, was arbitrarily arrested, denied medical treatment, and targeted simply for speaking out peacefully. She also said that internet shutdowns, mass surveillance, and collective punishment have become commonplace, preventing the world from knowing the true situation in Balochistan.

Mahara Baloch called on the international community to pressure Pakistan to immediately stop these human rights violations, release arbitrarily detained Baloch activists, and conduct independent and transparent investigations into enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.

Earlier on Wednesday (March 18, 2026), at the same session, PAK media coordinator Jamal Baloch also said that atrocities have intensified amid projects related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). He said, “I have come to this Council to raise the issue of systematic human rights violations being committed by Pakistan in Balochistan, which are being strengthened by China's strategic and economic involvement.

Enforced disappearances operate as a state policy in Balochistan. The Pakistani military acts as if it is above the law, abducting students, teachers, journalists, and political activists.

Jamal Baloch alleged that peaceful protests are being portrayed as terrorism. He said that women-led civil rights movements are being suppressed, and the internet is shut down in several districts of Balochistan to prevent the voices of victims and victims of military operations from reaching the world. He also claimed that repression has increased alongside CPEC-related projects, as civilian lives are being militarized to secure these projects and control resources.