Pakistani forces involved in Land Seizures and Intimidation in Dera Bugti: BRP
DERA BUGTI, BALOCHISTAN: The Baloch Republican Party (BRP) has said that Pakistani security forces were attempting to seize ancestral lands in several villages of Sui Tehsil, Dera Bugti district, alleging that local residents are being threatened to vacate their properties to facilitate oil and gas exploration projects.
In a statement issued to the media, BRP central spokesperson Sher Mohammad Bugti said that personnel from the Pakistani military and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) are involved in efforts to take control of land in the villages of Lagh Do, Lanja, Ganja, Neelagh, Shishi, Mondani Matt and surrounding areas.
According to the party, local communities are facing pressure and intimidation to leave their ancestral lands, creating widespread fear and uncertainty among residents.
The BRP further stated that Maari Energies Limited has provided financial incentives to officials to facilitate the displacement of local communities, thereby enabling the company to conduct land surveys and expand its oil and gas exploration activities. The party described these actions as part of a long-standing pattern of exploiting Balochistan’s natural resources without benefiting the indigenous population.
Sher Mohammad Bugti said that natural resources have been extracted from Dera Bugti for decades, beginning with Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) in 1952 and later by the Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL). Despite the region’s significant contribution to Pakistan’s energy sector, he claimed that local communities continue to lack access to clean drinking water, reliable electricity, quality healthcare, education, and other essential public services.
The BRP argued that the people of Balochistan would no longer accept development projects that prioritise resource extraction while leaving local communities deprived of basic rights and economic development. The party pledged to mount political opposition against any project it believes contributes to the exploitation of Baloch land and natural resources.
The Pakistani authorities, Maari Energies Limited, PPL and OGDCL had not publicly responded to the specific claims at the time of filing this news report.
