Human Rights Body Urged UN To Tackle Disappearances, Killings In Balochistan

The Baloch Human Rights Council (BHRC) has submitted a detailed written statement to the UN Human Rights Council for its upcoming 56th Session, shedding light on the enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings of Baloch individuals by Pakistani state authorities in Balochistan.

This statement, falling under Agenda Item 3, was submitted via the Centre for Gender Justice and Women Empowerment, a non-governmental organization with special consultative status at the UN. Drawing on data from various human rights organizations and verified by the BHRC, the report indicates that in the first quarter of 2024 alone, 65 individuals were forcibly disappeared, and 11 were extrajudicially killed by Pakistani security forces.

The BHRC’s statement underscores that these actions violate fundamental human rights and create an environment of fear and oppression among the Baloch population. The families of the disappeared endure ongoing anguish, uncertain about the fate of their loved ones and frequently denied justice and accountability.

Extrajudicial killings, where individuals are executed without legal proceedings, further exacerbate the situation, undermining the rule of law and diminishing trust in state institutions.

In its appeal, the BHRC requested that the UN press Pakistan to ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (CED) and adopt legislation to integrate these treaties into domestic law. Additionally, the BHRC urged Pakistan to disclose the fate and whereabouts of enforced disappearance victims, engage with their families, and ensure proper compensation.

The BHRC also called on the UN to hold accountable those responsible for or complicit in enforced disappearances in Balochistan and other parts of Pakistan.