State Repression and the Persecution of Oppressed Nations

An Analysis of Iran and Pakistan’s Policies in a Global Context

By Advocate Sadiq Raisani

Around the world, states claim to treat their citizens based on law, justice and fairness. But unfortunately, in countries like Pakistan and Iran, state power is often used as a means of oppression, coercion and barbarity against vulnerable minorities and oppressed nations.

Whenever there is any internal or external action in these states—such as Israel or the United States sending troops against Iran, or India’s surgical strikes against Pakistan—the states take revenge on subjugated nations, including the Baloch, Pashtun, Kurd, Ahwazi Arab, Turkmen, and other non-Persian and non-Punjabi communities.

Whenever there is a military clash or resistance operation in Pakistani-occupied Balochistan, the military institutions immediately surround entire areas and start “disappearing” unarmed civilians. A long list of missing persons exists in every Baloch household. Similarly, widespread enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings have been witnessed in Pashtun areas under the guise of “Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad” and other campaigns.

The Iranian state, especially when faced with external attacks or pressure, vents its anger on its own people and occupied nations. Following recent Israeli actions, Baloch, Kurd, Ahwazi Arab, and Turkmen individuals have been selectively arrested, forcibly disappeared, or falsely charged and executed in Iran. The justice system in Tehran has become nothing more than a tool of repression for minorities and non-Persian nations.

It is a bitter truth that international human rights organisations such as the United Nations, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International issue formal statements on these atrocities but take no practical action. Western countries, which take a strong stance on human rights violations in Israel or Ukraine, remain silent on these crimes by Iran and Pakistan.

Edward Said says, “If you only get angry at the crimes of your enemies and ignore the crimes of your friends or your state, you are talking about power, not justice.”

Arif Darwish (Iranian-Kurdish writer): “Ignoring the oppressed simply because they are unimportant to the powerful is a modern form of colonialist mentality.”

The Iranian state selectively targets its internal enemies simply because they are not Persian. This is a clear form of ethnic cleansing.

This series of state repression in Iran and Pakistan is not just a political reaction but part of a systematic policy designed to suppress minorities and non-Persian nations, erase their identities, and strengthen the state’s grip on their territories.

The world’s nations, human rights institutions, and enlightened individuals must become the voices of these oppressed nations so that this series of state terrorism ends and the sun of justice rises on every oppressed nation.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Baloch Warna News. The publication provides a platform for diverse perspectives.