FBM Condemns Pakistani Military’s Staged Killings as War Crimes
LONDON: The spokesperson for the Free Balochistan Movement (FBM) has strongly condemned the Pakistani military’s ongoing practice of staging encounters to kill innocent Baloch prisoners, calling it a clear violation of international law and war crimes.
The FBM emphasised that the Pakistani military, in a desperate attempt to hide its weakness and psychological defeat in the face of the Baloch freedom struggle, is demonstrating its hostility toward the Baloch people by martyring abducted Baloch youths under the guise of fake encounters.
According to the FBM spokesperson, after failing to confront Baloch freedom fighters in battle and suffering a humiliating defeat, the Pakistani military resorted to murdering previously abducted Baloch political prisoners during detention. These prisoners, often held for years in torture cells, are killed and their bodies discarded in remote locations. To cover up these crimes, the Pakistani military falsely presents these deaths as encounters, violating both international law and the established rules of war.
The FBM spokesperson further said that the Pakistani military, unable to cope with the rising intensity of the Baloch freedom movement, is venting its frustration by killing innocent Baloch political prisoners. These prisoners are falsely labelled as casualties of staged encounters, an attempt to maintain the morale of Pakistan’s military personnel amidst growing losses on the battlefield.
Recent reports from Baloch sources reveal that attacks by Baloch fighters have significantly demoralised the Pakistani military. In a state of confusion and unable to find an alternative, the military is now focusing its attacks on Baloch prisoners and civilians in an attempt to salvage its reputation.
The FBM also rejected the Pakistani military’s recent claims regarding the martyrdom of four Baloch youths in Shaaban, near Quetta. The military asserted that the youths were killed in a gun battle. However, the FBM, citing reports from family members and local Baloch media, confirmed that these youths had been abducted months prior by the Pakistani military and intelligence agencies. The youths were taken from torture cells and later martyred in a staged encounter.
Two of the martyrs, Shahzaib son of Rehmatullah and Naeem son of Nooruddin were abducted on January 7 and 2, 2025 respectively, from Quetta, both of them were residents of Dasht Kambila area in Mastung. The other two martyrs, Hafiz Mohammad Tahir son of Hafiz Mohammad Akbar and Zubair Ahmed son of Abdul Samad, were from the Gidar area of Surab. They were abducted by the Pakistani military and ISI in December of the previous year.
The FBM spokesperson reiterated that the occupying Pakistani state shows no regard for moral values or international laws of warfare. The actions of the Pakistani military, according to the spokesperson, expose a cruel and mentally disturbed enemy that is ignorant of the fundamental principles of international law and humanitarian values.
In Baloch folklore, there is a saying: “O God, if you give me an enemy, may he/she be a dignified one,” reflecting the belief that a dignified enemy resists war and emotions with honour and restraint. However, the FBM spokesperson highlighted that the actions of the Pakistani military are in stark contrast to this idea. After subjecting innocent political prisoners to years of torture, the military resorts to fake encounters to settle scores, treating unarmed and defenceless individuals as if they were mere targets for vengeance.
The spokesperson concluded by stating that Pakistan’s increasing use of staged encounters to kill missing Baloch individuals, including collective punishments, signals a stepped-up policy of genocide against the Baloch nation. The families of political prisoners and those involved in the Baloch freedom movement are now being targeted more aggressively to pressure them into abandoning their struggle for independence.
In response to these actions, the FBM has called on the Baloch nation to expedite the process of unity and solidarity, prioritising collective Baloch national interests over individual and factional gains.
