UN Session Hears Allegations of Human Rights Abuses in Balochistan
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND: At a recent session of the United Nations on March 31, a representative of the Baloch Women Forum (BWF) under the auspices of KIYAM Rehabilitation Centre for Victims of Torture delivered a stark warning over human rights violations in Balochistan, accusing Pakistan of widespread abuses against civilians.
Speaking via video link, Dr. Shalee Baloch, the central organiser of the Baloch Women Forum (BWF), spoke about “severe escalation” in state-led actions, describing them as a shift from enforced disappearances to extrajudicial killings.
Addressing the UN session’s presiding officer, Dr. Baloch said that [Pakistani] law enforcement agencies, including military and paramilitary forces, were directly involved in targeting civilians. She said that in 2025 alone, approximately 1,355 cases of enforced disappearances were recorded, including 18 women, alongside 225 reported killings that she said remain unexplained.
Dr. Baloch further accused the Pakistani government of labelling victims as terrorists, asserting that local accounts contradict official narratives. “The local testimonies are very different from what the government claims,” she said.
Calling for international action, she urged the United Nations to hold Pakistan accountable and to initiate an impartial investigation into the abuses. Her appeal emphasised the need for transparency regarding disappearances and civilian deaths in the region.
The government of Pakistan has not responded directly to these specific claims during the session. Historically, Pakistani authorities have denied allegations of systematic human rights violations in Balochistan, maintaining that security operations in the region target militant groups.
The situation in Balochistan has long been a subject of concern among human rights organisations, with recurring reports of unrest and of enforced disappearances.
