BNM Protest in Geneva: Pakistan Has Taken Away the Right to Live in Balochistan and the Dignity to Die Sunday, 27 September 2026 | #BNMProtests thebnm.org/protests/28883/ The Baloch National Movement (BNM) held a protest rally in Geneva against enforced disappearances, human rights violations, extrajudicial killings, and the sentencing of political activists in fabricated cases in Balochistan. Participants in the protest rally gathered outside the United Nations Office at the Broken Chair, where speakers called for international attention to the human rights situation in Balochistan, Sindh, Pakhtunkhwa and Kashmir. The protest was part of BNM’s September 2026 Geneva campaign, aimed at highlighting the Balochistan issue on the international stage. With representatives of nations living under the Pakistani system of rule taking part, the BNM campaign extended beyond Balochistan, emerging as a collective campaign of the oppressed nations of the region, with representatives from Sindh, the Pashtun community, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir joining the protest. During BNM’s three-day special campaign in Geneva, BNM representatives also participated in demonstrations organised by Pashtuns and Sindhis, expressed solidarity with them, and described joint struggle for freedom as the path to liberation. Addressing the BNM protest in Geneva were BNM Chairman Dr Naseem Baloch, Foreign Secretary Faheem Baloch, Central Junior Joint Secretary Hassan Dost Baloch, Foreign Department Focal Person Hakeem Baloch, Sarang Haider, Europe Chapter Coordinator of Voice for Missing Persons of Sindh, human rights activist Noor Maryam Kanwar, and Kamran Jatoi of the World Sindhi Congress. The speakers said that people had come to Geneva from different parts of the world to express solidarity with mothers who had been waiting for years for the return of their forcibly disappeared children. According to the speakers, these mothers “do not close their doors and cannot sleep properly” because they continue to wait for their sons and daughters. The speakers said that fathers hold back their tears in front of others over the disappearance of their sons, but “when they sit alone, they cry deeply and remember their children.” They said that sisters also cannot eat and drink normally because their brothers are being held in “dark and torturous cells.” The speakers said that crimes against humanity continue in Balochistan and that no distinction is made on the basis of age or gender. According to them, “thousands of people are being abducted, thousands are being killed, and bodies are being thrown onto the streets.” They said the issue was not limited to the Baloch, but that Pashtuns, Sindhis and Kashmiris were also suffering from the same situation. “We have to unite. We have to bring our voices together. Pashtuns, Baloch and Sindhis are all together. Whether in Gilgit-Baltistan, Sindh, Pakhtunkhwa or Balochistan, we are all oppressed and we are all suffering.” The speakers said Balochistan had been “a land of suffering for decades” and that, according to them, human rights violations had continued since 1948, followed by further periods of repression in 1962, 1973 and 2006. They said that thousands of Baloch had been subjected to enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings. According to them, “Balochistan has been turned into a military cantonment, and all freedoms and legal rights of the local people have been taken away.” The speakers also referred to enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. They said that over the past decades, “more than 3,500 enforced disappearances and more than 100 extrajudicial killings have been reported in Sindh,” while “more than 100 nationalist activists remain forcibly disappeared, and the number of ordinary citizens is four times higher.” The protesters and speakers called on the United Nations to intervene in Balochistan, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir and Saraiki Waseb and to send an independent fact-finding mission. They said that the issue of enforced disappearances and human rights violations was no longer confined to Balochistan but had spread to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir and other major cities across the region. The speakers said that the people of united India had achieved independence from British colonial rule in the 1940s, but now, “we are being forced to live under a new form of the same colonialism.” Referring to Frantz Fanon, the speakers described opportunists and colonial intellectuals as forces that had taken control of people’s lives. “They have taken away the right to live, and the right to die in peace and dignity.” According to the speakers, following killings, the bodies of victims are not handed over to their families, while families are pressured into signing horrific agreements. They said that “not enough is said about the terrifying reality of everyday life.” The speakers said that it was not only Baloch, Pashtun and Sindhi activists who were being targeted, but also lawyers who represented their cases. Referring to Imaan Mazari and her husband, Hadi Chatha, they said they were being harassed because they had taken up cases on behalf of families of forcibly disappeared Baloch and Pashtun people. The speakers said, “There is no rule of law in Pakistan. There, power itself is the law, and that power is the Pakistan Army.” They also referred to social activist Sabeen Mahmud, saying that she was “killed simply because she held a session with the families of forcibly disappeared persons. Half an hour later, she was shot in Karachi.” The speakers said that the families of activists such as Mahrang, Bebo, Gul Zadi, Bebagar and Sibghatullah were also subjected to collective punishment, adding that they were harassed, suppressed and, at times, killed. At the conclusion of the protest, the speakers once again called on the United Nations to take immediate and meaningful action on Balochistan. They called for independent investigations and urged the United Nations not to ignore enforced disappearances, collective punishment and pressure on affected families. Speakers from Sindh, Pakhtunkhwa and other regions who participated in the protest described the situation in Balochistan as a shared human rights issue and said that the voices of affected nations and families must be heard at the international level. #BNMatUNSep2026 #BNMGlobalCampaign #TheBNM

BNM Protest During Shehbaz Sharif’s Address at the United Nations, Chants of ‘Free Balochistan’ Sunday, 27 September 2026 | #BNMProtests thebnm.org/protests/28876/ The Baloch National Movement (BNM) staged a protest outside the United Nations headquarters in New York, drawing the attention of the international community to the human rights situation in Balochistan, enforced disappearances, and incidents of extrajudicial killings, and called on the United Nations for “immediate action.” The protest was held from 12 noon to 3 p.m. on First Avenue, between 42nd and 43rd Streets, on the occasion of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. During the protest, demonstrators raised slogans against human rights violations in Balochistan and held various placards and banners. On the occasion, a tableau was also presented on the subject of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in Balochistan, symbolically highlighting these incidents and the situation of their victims. The protest was addressed by Samiullah Baloch, President of the American Chapter of the BNM, and others. During the protest, the BNM highlighted military actions in Balochistan, the enforced disappearance of thousands of people, the detention of Baloch Yakjehti Committee leaders, women and human rights activists, and collective punishment. The organisation also included the targeting of women and children, the destruction of homes, and the displacement of communities among the key issues raised during the protest. The BNM called on the United Nations and the international community to “end their silence” over the situation in Balochistan and take “immediate action.” The protest featured various slogans, including “Free Balochistan” and calls for an end to enforced disappearances. The protest took place while Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was addressing the United Nations General Assembly. According to the BNM, the protest in New York was part of its efforts to highlight the Balochistan issue at the international level on the occasion of the United Nations General Assembly session. #BNMinUSA #BNMatUN #BNMGlobalCampaign

BNM Digital Truck Campaign in New York: An Effort to Raise Global Awareness of the Situation in Balochistan Saturday, 26 September 2026 | #BNMinUSA thebnm.org/campaigns/28871/ On Friday, as part of its campaign to raise international awareness about Balochistan, the Baloch National Movement (BNM) ran a promotional campaign in New York City using a digital truck. The campaign was held during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly and sought to bring the human rights situation in Balochistan and the demands of the Baloch nation before the international community. During the digital truck campaign, messages and promotional material on Balochistan were displayed on digital screens as the truck moved along busy roads and public places across New York. The aim was to draw the attention of international representatives, journalists, residents, and participants in the UN session to the situation in Balochistan. The campaign highlighted human rights violations in Balochistan, enforced disappearances, the arrest of political activists and women, military actions, the destruction of homes, the exploitation of natural resources, and the environmental problems arising from that exploitation. The messages shown on the digital truck stressed global awareness of Balochistan, an end to enforced disappearances, and raising a voice for the rights of the Baloch nation. Through this publicity drive, BNM sought to place the Balochistan issue directly in New York’s urban environment and before an international audience. The digital truck campaign was part of BNM’s wider global awareness effort, through which the organisation highlights Balochistan’s political and human rights situation in international cities and before global institutions. Holding the campaign in New York during the UN General Assembly was significant because political representatives, diplomats, journalists, and other international figures from around the world were in the city at the time. BNM USA Chapter President Sami Baloch said the main purpose of the campaign was to take messages about Balochistan to as many people as possible through digital means and to inform the international community about the situation in Balochistan. #BNMinUSA #BNMatUN #BNMGlobalCampaign

BNM’s 12th Balochistan International Conference in Geneva: Discussion on Human Rights, Justice and Baloch Political Future Saturday, 26 September 2026 | #BIC12 thebnm.org/programs/conferen… The Baloch National Movement (BNM) held its 12th Balochistan International Conference at the Geneva Press Club on the occasion of the 63rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council. The conference discussed the human rights situation in Balochistan, enforced disappearances, arrests of political activists, natural resources, the right to self-determination, and the political future of the region. The title of the conference was “Occupied Balochistan at the Crossroads: Human Rights, Justice and the Struggle for Freedom, Honouring the Legacy of Chairman Zubair Baloch.” The conference was attended by Baloch political activists and human rights representatives, as well as representatives from Sindh, Pashtun, Afghan, Kashmiri and Gilgit-Baltistan communities. Human rights experts from Europe, a British Member of Parliament and journalists also addressed the conference. The conference was part of BNM’s three-day Geneva campaign, during which the organisation highlighted the situation in Balochistan before international institutions and representatives. Speakers at the conference included Dr Naseem Baloch, Chairman of the Baloch National Movement; Manzoor Pashteen, leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM); John McDonnell, British Labour Party Member of Parliament and former Shadow Chancellor; Dr Lakhu Luhana, Sindhi nationalist leader and prominent figure associated with the World Sindhi Congress; Jamal Baloch, Media Coordinator of Pang, BNM’s human rights organisation; Sohail Ahmed Abro, Chairman of the Jeay Sindh Freedom Movement; Sherbaz Khan, representative of the Worker Party Gilgit-Baltistan; Dr Ghafoor Leval, Afghan writer, author and former Afghan ambassador to Iran; Antonio Stango, President of the Italian Federation for Human Rights (FIDU) and Professor of International Organisations and Human Rights at Rome Link Campus University; and Shahid Qazi, a journalist from Balochistan. The conference was hosted by BNM members Mehrah Baloch and Saleem Baloch. Dr Naseem Baloch: Behind Every Report and Statistic on Balochistan Is a Human Being In his keynote address, BNM Chairman Dr Naseem Baloch said that this gathering was not merely another political gathering, but the voice of human lives that reflects the situation in Balochistan. He said that behind every report, every photograph and every statistic about Balochistan, there is a human being. According to him, a mother is waiting for the return of her forcibly disappeared son, a child is growing up without a father, and families are standing at the doors of prisons asking where their loved one is. Dr Naseem Baloch also remembered Dr Abdul Rashid, alias Dr Nokap Baloch, a member of BNM’s Central Committee, who was killed by agents of the Pakistan Army on 10 September. He said that armed men came disguised as patients and killed the man whose work was to treat people. Referring to the political struggle and thought of martyred Chairman Zubair Baloch, he said that he was targeted for speaking about national freedom, rejecting occupation, and creating political awareness among the youth. According to him, the enemy took Zubair Baloch away from us, but could not take away his political vision. Dr Naseem Baloch also mentioned the life imprisonment of Dr Mahrang Baloch, Sibghatullah Shah Ji and Gul Zadi Baloch. He said that BNM’s political position is for an independent and self-governing Balochistan, and that the struggle for human rights cannot be separated from the struggle for national freedom. His address presented the humanitarian crisis in Balochistan not merely through statistics, but through the families and individuals directly affected by these circumstances. Manzoor Pashteen: Peaceful Voices Are Being Imprisoned and Given Life Sentences Manzoor Pashteen, leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), addressed the conference via video link. Referring to Mahrang Baloch, Bibo Baloch, Gul Zadi Baloch, Bebgar Baloch, Sibghatullah Baloch and other activists, he said that the only crime of these individuals is raising a peaceful voice. According to him, the state has imprisoned them and given them life sentences. Manzoor Pashteen said that Baloch youth are being forcibly disappeared every day, while women and children in homes are being targeted by airstrikes. According to him, those who raise questions about natural resources are declared terrorists and sent to prison or forcibly disappeared. He mentioned more than 200,000 victims, thousands of deaths and missing persons in Pashtun areas. According to him, 72 children aged one year or younger were killed in military drone attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during 2025 and 2026. Addressing Europe, he said that if it is not possible to take a major political step, then at least no further funds or weapons should be provided to such a state. Referring to the Pakistani prime minister as Trump’s sycophant, he said that the flattery of one man was being given more importance than the deaths of millions. John McDonnell: Britain Should Recognise the Baloch People’s Right to Self-Determination John McDonnell, British Labour Party Member of Parliament and former Shadow Chancellor, addressed the conference via video link. He has represented Hayes and Harlington since 1997. He said that Britain’s colonial history places a special responsibility on it to recognise the Baloch people’s demands for peace, justice and the right to self-determination. John McDonnell said that he would continue to provide political and diplomatic support in Britain to Baloch people affected by Pakistani repression. Referring to the new restrictions, he said that they had increased the difficulties faced by asylum seekers. According to him, some people seek asylum because their lives are at risk. He also acknowledged that changing British policy is not easy because of relations between London and Islamabad. However, he said that there is a need for extended discussions with the new leadership regarding immediate issues and civil liberties. Dr Lakhu Luhana: Balochistan Is Not at a Crossroads; It Is on the Road to Freedom Dr Lakhu Luhana, a Sindhi nationalist leader and a former prominent figure associated with the World Sindhi Congress, disagreed with part of the conference title, saying that Balochistan is not at a crossroads but is on the road to freedom. He said that on 27 March 1948, a night of slavery fell upon Balochistan. “That night has not ended; it is becoming deeper.” Dr Lakhu Luhana referred to Balochistan’s natural resources and said that despite the presence of gold, copper, coal, gas and oil, poverty and malnutrition persist in the region, while maternal and child mortality rates also remain high. Referring to Sui gas, he said that a large portion of the gas has been extracted, but women still travel for miles to obtain water. He asked how many more bodies would bleed from Balochistan before the world would acknowledge that atrocities are taking place and need to be stopped. He invited Sindh and Balochistan to move together on a shared political journey, saying that Balochistan is not at a crossroads but is on the road to freedom. Paank: 485 Enforced Disappearances and 181 Deaths Reported in Six Months At the conference, Jamal Baloch, Media Coordinator of Paank, a human rights organisation in Balochistan, presented figures from the organisation’s documented report. According to Jamal Baloch, during the past six months, Paank received reports of 485 enforced disappearances and 181 extrajudicial killings. According to him, 32 disappearances of women and children were also recorded. He clarified that these were only the incidents that reached Paank, while many families do not report incidents because of threats. According to him, based on the six-month figures, an average of 81 enforced disappearances were reported each month, while an average of 30 forcibly missing persons were killed. The monthly average and reported figures presented by Paank were also highlighted by external reporting on 25 September. Jamal Baloch also mentioned drone attacks and aerial bombardments in Balochistan. According to him, six people were killed in such attacks last month, including three children. He said that a 285-kilogram bomb was used in one attack. Regarding political activists, he said that they are first forcibly disappeared, later shown as arrested, and then made to read prepared statements in the media. He said, “We have the right to live. We want to be free. We have the right to be in our schools.” Sohail Ahmed Abro: Referendums Should Be Held in Balochistan, Sindh and Other Regions Sohail Ahmed Abro, Chairman of the Jeay Sindh Freedom Movement, said that Balochistan remained an independent state for centuries and came under military occupation on 27 March 1948. He said, “The state sees mines and land, not the people.” Sohail Ahmed Abro said that more than 30,000 Baloch are forcibly missing, while more than 8,000 people have been killed over the years. He also mentioned aerial bombardment in Sorab. He described Sindhi, Baloch, Pashtun, Kashmiri, Gilgiti-Baltistani and Saraiki people as oppressed nations under the same occupation and proposed adopting a joint strategy. He called on the United Nations to hold referendums in Balochistan, Sindh, Pakhtunkhwa, Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and Saraiki Waseb. At the conclusion of his address, he repeated the words of G.M. Syed: “Freedom is our right, freedom is possible, and one day we will achieve freedom.” Sherbaz Khan: Expression of Solidarity from Gilgit-Baltistan Sherbaz Khan, representative of the Worker Party Gilgit-Baltistan, addressed the conference and expressed solidarity with the other oppressed nations of the region. He expressed solidarity with the people of Gilgit-Baltistan and nations struggling for rights and political demands in the region. Dr Ghafoor Liwal: The World Is Still Not Properly Hearing These Issues Dr Ghafoor Liwal, Afghan writer, author and former Afghan ambassador to Iran, addressed the conference via video link. He said that human rights violations in Balochistan and Pashtun areas have still not been properly understood at the international level. According to him, families have lost loved ones. Women and children are taken from their homes. Tortured bodies are later found. Thousands have been forcibly disappeared. He said that the issue is not only the violation of human rights, but also that the world is not fully aware of the demands of these people and the reasons behind their sacrifices. Dr Ghafoor Liwal identified two fronts in this regard. According to him, one front is to inform people inside the country about their rights, while the other is to provide reliable information to the international community. He said that people living under pressure cannot do this work themselves; therefore, exiled intellectuals, journalists and communities should become their voice. He said, “This is not only a struggle for facts. It is a struggle of the audience, a struggle for truth, a struggle for education, and a struggle to have someone’s voice heard.” Antonio Stango: Access of Many Nations to International Institutions Is Restricted Antonio Stango, President of the Italian Federation for Human Rights (FIDU) and Professor of International Organisations and Human Rights at Rome Link Campus University, spoke about the global human rights system and its practical situation. He said that the theory of human rights and the reality of human rights violations are moving further apart. According to him, when representatives of nations deprived of collective rights participate in United Nations meetings, some government representatives call them terrorists and say that they should not be at the forum but in prison. He said that this conference is being held at the Geneva Press Club rather than at the Palais des Nations because some governments oppose such meetings inside the United Nations. Antonio Stango agreed with the conference’s position that sustainable peace is not possible without justice and reconciliation is not possible without trust. Referring to the International Criminal Court in The Hague as a court for serious international crimes rather than a political court, he said, “International justice must work.” Shahid Qazi: The Balochistan Issue Cannot Be Viewed Only from a Security Perspective Shahid Qazi, a journalist from Balochistan who has hosted the programme The Unmuted Voice and previously worked with NBC News and ITV, spoke about the political and humanitarian dimensions of the Balochistan issue. He said that the Balochistan issue has long been presented only from a security perspective, while its humanitarian and political dimensions cannot be ignored. He said that student protests, the search for a missing son and the demand for justice are not a national security threat but a human rights issue. According to him, “Death brings grief. Enforced disappearance brings uncertainty.” He said that Balochistan’s natural resources are extracted, but people’s lives do not change. If people’s dignity is ignored, no port can become a symbol of prosperity. He told the international community not to accept any claim blindly, but to listen, investigate and verify. According to him, “Truth does not fear transparency.” He said that if the disappearance of a person in Europe is an important issue, then disappearance in Balochistan should also be considered important, and if the right to freedom of expression exists in Geneva, then it should also exist in Shaal. He concluded his address with the words: “Fear will make you a prisoner; hope will set you free.” Conclusion of the Conference: Emphasis on Viewing Human Rights, Justice and Political Future Together In the various addresses at the conference, the situation in Balochistan was presented as a set of interconnected questions involving human rights, enforced disappearances, arrests of political activists, natural resources, justice, the right to self-determination and the political future. In their respective addresses, the speakers also referred to the issues of Sindh, Pashtun areas, Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and the Saraiki region, and identified common political and human rights aspects among them. At the conclusion of the conference, the common point among the speakers was that the questions of imprisonment, enforced disappearance, natural resources and the political future in Balochistan cannot be viewed separately from one another. The conference was dedicated to the political struggle and thought of martyred BNM Chairman Zubair Baloch, while through the conference, the human rights and political issue of Balochistan was presented before international human rights circles, political representatives, journalists and other participants present in Geneva. #BNMatUNSep2026 #BNMGlobalCampaign

BNM’s 12th Balochistan International Conference in Geneva: Discussion on Human Rights, Justice and Baloch Political Future Saturday, 26 September 2026 | #BIC12 thebnm.org/programs/conferen… The Baloch National Movement (BNM) held its 12th Balochistan International Conference at the Geneva Press Club on the occasion of the 63rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council. The conference discussed the human rights situation in Balochistan, enforced disappearances, arrests of political activists, natural resources, the right to self-determination, and the political future of the region. The title of the conference was “Occupied Balochistan at the Crossroads: Human Rights, Justice and the Struggle for Freedom, Honouring the Legacy of Chairman Zubair Baloch.” The conference was attended by Baloch political activists and human rights representatives, as well as representatives from Sindh, Pashtun, Afghan, Kashmiri and Gilgit-Baltistan communities. Human rights experts from Europe, a British Member of Parliament and journalists also addressed the conference. The conference was part of BNM’s three-day Geneva campaign, during which the organisation highlighted the situation in Balochistan before international institutions and representatives. Speakers at the conference included Dr Naseem Baloch, Chairman of the Baloch National Movement; Manzoor Pashteen, leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM); John McDonnell, British Labour Party Member of Parliament and former Shadow Chancellor; Dr Lakhu Luhana, Sindhi nationalist leader and prominent figure associated with the World Sindhi Congress; Jamal Baloch, Media Coordinator of Pang, BNM’s human rights organisation; Sohail Ahmed Abro, Chairman of the Jeay Sindh Freedom Movement; Sherbaz Khan, representative of the Worker Party Gilgit-Baltistan; Dr Ghafoor Leval, Afghan writer, author and former Afghan ambassador to Iran; Antonio Stango, President of the Italian Federation for Human Rights (FIDU) and Professor of International Organisations and Human Rights at Rome Link Campus University; and Shahid Qazi, a journalist from Balochistan. The conference was hosted by BNM members Mehrah Baloch and Saleem Baloch. Dr Naseem Baloch: Behind Every Report and Statistic on Balochistan Is a Human Being In his keynote address, BNM Chairman Dr Naseem Baloch said that this gathering was not merely another political gathering, but the voice of human lives that reflects the situation in Balochistan. He said that behind every report, every photograph and every statistic about Balochistan, there is a human being. According to him, a mother is waiting for the return of her forcibly disappeared son, a child is growing up without a father, and families are standing at the doors of prisons asking where their loved one is. Dr Naseem Baloch also remembered Dr Abdul Rashid, alias Dr Nokap Baloch, a member of BNM’s Central Committee, who was killed by agents of the Pakistan Army on 10 September. He said that armed men came disguised as patients and killed the man whose work was to treat people. Referring to the political struggle and thought of martyred Chairman Zubair Baloch, he said that he was targeted for speaking about national freedom, rejecting occupation, and creating political awareness among the youth. According to him, the enemy took Zubair Baloch away from us, but could not take away his political vision. Dr Naseem Baloch also mentioned the life imprisonment of Dr Mahrang Baloch, Sibghatullah Shah Ji and Gul Zadi Baloch. He said that BNM’s political position is for an independent and self-governing Balochistan, and that the struggle for human rights cannot be separated from the struggle for national freedom. His address presented the humanitarian crisis in Balochistan not merely through statistics, but through the families and individuals directly affected by these circumstances. Manzoor Pashteen: Peaceful Voices Are Being Imprisoned and Given Life Sentences Manzoor Pashteen, leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), addressed the conference via video link. Referring to Mahrang Baloch, Bibo Baloch, Gul Zadi Baloch, Bebgar Baloch, Sibghatullah Baloch and other activists, he said that the only crime of these individuals is raising a peaceful voice. According to him, the state has imprisoned them and given them life sentences. Manzoor Pashteen said that Baloch youth are being forcibly disappeared every day, while women and children in homes are being targeted by airstrikes. According to him, those who raise questions about natural resources are declared terrorists and sent to prison or forcibly disappeared. He mentioned more than 200,000 victims, thousands of deaths and missing persons in Pashtun areas. According to him, 72 children aged one year or younger were killed in military drone attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during 2025 and 2026. Addressing Europe, he said that if it is not possible to take a major political step, then at least no further funds or weapons should be provided to such a state. Referring to the Pakistani prime minister as Trump’s sycophant, he said that the flattery of one man was being given more importance than the deaths of millions. John McDonnell: Britain Should Recognise the Baloch People’s Right to Self-Determination John McDonnell, British Labour Party Member of Parliament and former Shadow Chancellor, addressed the conference via video link. He has represented Hayes and Harlington since 1997. He said that Britain’s colonial history places a special responsibility on it to recognise the Baloch people’s demands for peace, justice and the right to self-determination. John McDonnell said that he would continue to provide political and diplomatic support in Britain to Baloch people affected by Pakistani repression. Referring to the new restrictions, he said that they had increased the difficulties faced by asylum seekers. According to him, some people seek asylum because their lives are at risk. He also acknowledged that changing British policy is not easy because of relations between London and Islamabad. However, he said that there is a need for extended discussions with the new leadership regarding immediate issues and civil liberties. Dr Lakhu Luhana: Balochistan Is Not at a Crossroads; It Is on the Road to Freedom Dr Lakhu Luhana, a Sindhi nationalist leader and a former prominent figure associated with the World Sindhi Congress, disagreed with part of the conference title, saying that Balochistan is not at a crossroads but is on the road to freedom. He said that on 27 March 1948, a night of slavery fell upon Balochistan. “That night has not ended; it is becoming deeper.” Dr Lakhu Luhana referred to Balochistan’s natural resources and said that despite the presence of gold, copper, coal, gas and oil, poverty and malnutrition persist in the region, while maternal and child mortality rates also remain high. Referring to Sui gas, he said that a large portion of the gas has been extracted, but women still travel for miles to obtain water. He asked how many more bodies would bleed from Balochistan before the world would acknowledge that atrocities are taking place and need to be stopped. He invited Sindh and Balochistan to move together on a shared political journey, saying that Balochistan is not at a crossroads but is on the road to freedom. Paank: 485 Enforced Disappearances and 181 Deaths Reported in Six Months At the conference, Jamal Baloch, Media Coordinator of Paank, a human rights organisation in Balochistan, presented figures from the organisation’s documented report. According to Jamal Baloch, during the past six months, Paank received reports of 485 enforced disappearances and 181 extrajudicial killings. According to him, 32 disappearances of women and children were also recorded. He clarified that these were only the incidents that reached Paank, while many families do not report incidents because of threats. According to him, based on the six-month figures, an average of 81 enforced disappearances were reported each month, while an average of 30 forcibly missing persons were killed. The monthly average and reported figures presented by Paank were also highlighted by external reporting on 25 September. Jamal Baloch also mentioned drone attacks and aerial bombardments in Balochistan. According to him, six people were killed in such attacks last month, including three children. He said that a 285-kilogram bomb was used in one attack. Regarding political activists, he said that they are first forcibly disappeared, later shown as arrested, and then made to read prepared statements in the media. He said, “We have the right to live. We want to be free. We have the right to be in our schools.” Sohail Ahmed Abro: Referendums Should Be Held in Balochistan, Sindh and Other Regions Sohail Ahmed Abro, Chairman of the Jeay Sindh Freedom Movement, said that Balochistan remained an independent state for centuries and came under military occupation on 27 March 1948. He said, “The state sees mines and land, not the people.” Sohail Ahmed Abro said that more than 30,000 Baloch are forcibly missing, while more than 8,000 people have been killed over the years. He also mentioned aerial bombardment in Sorab. He described Sindhi, Baloch, Pashtun, Kashmiri, Gilgiti-Baltistani and Saraiki people as oppressed nations under the same occupation and proposed adopting a joint strategy. He called on the United Nations to hold referendums in Balochistan, Sindh, Pakhtunkhwa, Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and Saraiki Waseb. At the conclusion of his address, he repeated the words of G.M. Syed: “Freedom is our right, freedom is possible, and one day we will achieve freedom.” Sherbaz Khan: Expression of Solidarity from Gilgit-Baltistan Sherbaz Khan, representative of the Worker Party Gilgit-Baltistan, addressed the conference and expressed solidarity with the other oppressed nations of the region. He expressed solidarity with the people of Gilgit-Baltistan and nations struggling for rights and political demands in the region. Dr Ghafoor Liwal: The World Is Still Not Properly Hearing These Issues Dr Ghafoor Liwal, Afghan writer, author and former Afghan ambassador to Iran, addressed the conference via video link. He said that human rights violations in Balochistan and Pashtun areas have still not been properly understood at the international level. According to him, families have lost loved ones. Women and children are taken from their homes. Tortured bodies are later found. Thousands have been forcibly disappeared. He said that the issue is not only the violation of human rights, but also that the world is not fully aware of the demands of these people and the reasons behind their sacrifices. Dr Ghafoor Liwal identified two fronts in this regard. According to him, one front is to inform people inside the country about their rights, while the other is to provide reliable information to the international community. He said that people living under pressure cannot do this work themselves; therefore, exiled intellectuals, journalists and communities should become their voice. He said, “This is not only a struggle for facts. It is a struggle of the audience, a struggle for truth, a struggle for education, and a struggle to have someone’s voice heard.” Antonio Stango: Access of Many Nations to International Institutions Is Restricted Antonio Stango, President of the Italian Federation for Human Rights (FIDU) and Professor of International Organisations and Human Rights at Rome Link Campus University, spoke about the global human rights system and its practical situation. He said that the theory of human rights and the reality of human rights violations are moving further apart. According to him, when representatives of nations deprived of collective rights participate in United Nations meetings, some government representatives call them terrorists and say that they should not be at the forum but in prison. He said that this conference is being held at the Geneva Press Club rather than at the Palais des Nations because some governments oppose such meetings inside the United Nations. Antonio Stango agreed with the conference’s position that sustainable peace is not possible without justice and reconciliation is not possible without trust. Referring to the International Criminal Court in The Hague as a court for serious international crimes rather than a political court, he said, “International justice must work.” Shahid Qazi: The Balochistan Issue Cannot Be Viewed Only from a Security Perspective Shahid Qazi, a journalist from Balochistan who has hosted the programme The Unmuted Voice and previously worked with NBC News and ITV, spoke about the political and humanitarian dimensions of the Balochistan issue. He said that the Balochistan issue has long been presented only from a security perspective, while its humanitarian and political dimensions cannot be ignored. He said that student protests, the search for a missing son and the demand for justice are not a national security threat but a human rights issue. According to him, “Death brings grief. Enforced disappearance brings uncertainty.” He said that Balochistan’s natural resources are extracted, but people’s lives do not change. If people’s dignity is ignored, no port can become a symbol of prosperity. He told the international community not to accept any claim blindly, but to listen, investigate and verify. According to him, “Truth does not fear transparency.” He said that if the disappearance of a person in Europe is an important issue, then disappearance in Balochistan should also be considered important, and if the right to freedom of expression exists in Geneva, then it should also exist in Shaal. He concluded his address with the words: “Fear will make you a prisoner; hope will set you free.” Conclusion of the Conference: Emphasis on Viewing Human Rights, Justice and Political Future Together In the various addresses at the conference, the situation in Balochistan was presented as a set of interconnected questions involving human rights, enforced disappearances, arrests of political activists, natural resources, justice, the right to self-determination and the political future. In their respective addresses, the speakers also referred to the issues of Sindh, Pashtun areas, Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and the Saraiki region, and identified common political and human rights aspects among them. At the conclusion of the conference, the common point among the speakers was that the questions of imprisonment, enforced disappearance, natural resources and the political future in Balochistan cannot be viewed separately from one another. The conference was dedicated to the political struggle and thought of martyred BNM Chairman Zubair Baloch, while through the conference, the human rights and political issue of Balochistan was presented before international human rights circles, political representatives, journalists and other participants present in Geneva. #BNMatUNSep2026 #BNMGlobalCampaign

Zubair Baloch’s Martyrdom Will Not Be Allowed to Become Merely a Monument to Grief , Dr Naseem Baloch Addresses Geneva Friday, 25 September 2026 | #BIC12 thebnm.org/programs/conferen… Baloch National Movement (BNM) Chairman Dr Naseem Baloch, addressing the 12th Balochistan International Conference in Geneva, said that generation after generation, Baloch political activists, students, doctors, teachers, lawyers and ordinary citizens in Balochistan have faced imprisonment, enforced disappearance, exile and death, while for decades attempts have been made to suppress the Baloch national question through military force, political engineering, enforced disappearances, imprisonment and control over Balochistan’s resources. He said that despite this, the Baloch national question has not disappeared, and new generations continue to enter political life. Addressing human rights defenders, representatives of different nations and organisations, members of the media and Baloch political activists in Geneva, the BNM Chairman said that the conference is not simply another political gathering, but an effort to bring to the world the voices of those facing the human consequences of the ongoing crisis in Balochistan. He said, “We have gathered here not simply to hold another conference. We are here because behind every report, every photograph and every statistic from Balochistan, there is a human being.” According to him, there is a mother waiting for her disappeared son, there is a child growing up without a father, and there is a family searching from one prison to another, from one court to another, asking a very simple question: “Where is our loved one?” He said that there are also people who have paid with their lives for refusing to remain silent. In his speech, the BNM Chairman also remembered Dr Abdul Rasheed, known to us as Dr Nokaap Baloch, a member of the Central Committee of the Baloch National Movement, who was recently killed. He said that on 10 September, “we lost Dr Abdul Rasheed, known to us as Dr Nokaap Baloch,” and that his loss is still very fresh for the BNM. “His killing is still very fresh for us. This is not something I can speak about merely as a political incident. He was our colleague. He was our comrade. He was someone who had spent his life among his people.” The BNM Chairman held Pakistani state agents responsible for the killing of Dr Nokaap Baloch, saying that armed men posing as patients came to him and killed a man whose profession was to heal people. He said that Dr Nokaap Baloch was a political activist, physician and educator who devoted his entire life to the cause of Baloch national freedom, serving humanity and spreading the light of knowledge. “His martyrdom is an irreparable loss for the BNM, supporters of the Baloch national movement, and Baloch refugees, for whom he was a source of hope, medical care and education.” He said, “Today, his chair is empty. But the values he lived for remain with us.” He said that Dr Nokaap Baloch is not the only person they are mourning. The BNM Chairman devoted most of his speech to remembering the political life, struggle and martyrdom of Chairman Zubair Baloch. He said that the conference was not held simply to remember Chairman Zubair Baloch or to mourn his absence, but to pay national tribute to a political leader who sacrificed his life and ultimately his blood for the struggle for Baloch national freedom. He said, “Whenever I think of Chairman Zubair, one question comes to my mind: How deeply did he love the land of Balochistan and the cause of Baloch national freedom that even holding the chairmanship of a student wing affiliated with the National Party could not change his direction?” The BNM Chairman criticised the National Party, saying that, in alliance with the Pakistani state, it secured a puppet provincial government to undermine the Baloch national movement. According to him, the National Party continues even today to pursue a politics that seeks to keep the Baloch nation in permanent subjugation to Pakistan. He said that after completing his student political career, an easy path lay before Zubair Baloch. He could have joined the National Party, gained privileges and positions, and secured a comfortable political future. He could have pursued high office and personal benefits. But Zubair Baloch rejected that path. Instead, he reached out to the Baloch National Movement and chose the difficult path — the path of struggle for national freedom. The BNM Chairman said that whenever he spoke with Zubair Baloch, he saw in him a mature political leader, a national activist with a clear vision, and a true lover of his homeland who was prepared to sacrifice everything for its freedom. He said that Zubair Baloch’s life, his politics, his unwavering voice in the face of his adversaries, and ultimately his martyrdom stand as undeniable testimony to this. According to him, his life teaches us that the freedom of nations is not achieved through desire alone. It requires a clear vision. It requires organised struggle. It requires steadfast character. And it requires a constant readiness to make the greatest sacrifices. The BNM Chairman said that Zubair Baloch’s politics was not driven by temporary emotions, personal interests or an ambition for office. His political position was clear, his character was steadfast, and his struggle was consistent. He said that the Pakistani state killed Zubair Baloch because he was a politically conscious, principled and influential national leader. According to him, Zubair Baloch was not killed because of a personal dispute, an accidental incident or an ordinary security operation. He said that he was targeted because of his commitment to Baloch national freedom, his rejection of Pakistan’s occupation over Balochistan, and his efforts to awaken national consciousness among Baloch youth. The BNM Chairman said, “The enemy took Zubair Baloch from us, but it could not take away his political vision.” He told the conference participants that Zubair Baloch’s martyrdom should not be allowed to become merely a monument to grief. “We will make his political consciousness our guide. We will make his steadfastness our strength. And we will make his sacrifice our national responsibility.” On this occasion, he said, “The flag that he raised high with his blood is now our shared responsibility to carry forward until it reaches its destination.” The BNM Chairman said that the purpose of the 12th Balochistan International Conference is not simply to remember individuals, but also to draw attention to the wider political and human rights crisis in Balochistan. He asked why, generation after generation, Baloch political activists, students, doctors, teachers, lawyers and ordinary citizens have found themselves facing imprisonment, disappearance, exile or death. “This is the question that the international community must confront.” He said that the political and human rights crisis in Balochistan continues today. The BNM Chairman referred to the life imprisonment sentences of Dr Mahrang Baloch and Sibghatullah Shahji, saying that they were sentenced to life imprisonment by an Anti-Terrorism Court in June. He said that UN human rights experts later described Dr Mahrang Baloch’s punishment as a “grave injustice” and raised serious concerns about the fairness of the proceedings and the use of counter-terrorism laws against peaceful political activism. The BNM Chairman said that other leaders and members of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee remain imprisoned. He further said that only days ago, Gulzadi Baloch was also sentenced to life imprisonment by a court in Shaal in fake charges. “We strongly condemn her life sentence.” The BNM Chairman said that the central question of the crisis in Balochistan is the Baloch national question. According to him, for decades, attempts have been made to deal with this question through military force, imprisonment, enforced disappearances, political engineering and control over Balochistan’s resources, but the conflict has not ended. He said that women who once waited outside prisons and government offices searching for their disappeared relatives are today leading some of the peaceful political movements taking place in Balochistan. According to him, young people are also asking the same questions that their parents and grandparents asked before them: Who controls our land? Who controls our coast? Who decides how our natural resources are used? Why do decisions concerning Balochistan continue to be taken without the meaningful consent of the Baloch people? The BNM Chairman said that Balochistan is also becoming increasingly important in international politics. He mentioned China’s heavy investment through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and said that international companies are interested in Balochistan’s copper, gold and other natural resources. He said that governments around the world are looking for new supplies of critical minerals, but there is a voice that is too often missing from these discussions: the voice of the Baloch nation themselves. Addressing governments and international investors, he said: “The political question of Balochistan cannot simply be bypassed.” According to him, discussions about Balochistan’s resources, minerals and international investment cannot be separated from the question of the political future of the Baloch nation. “Our political position is a free and independent Balochistan.” The BNM Chairman made the political position of his organisation clear, saying, “For the Baloch National Movement, the answer to this long-running crisis is clear. Our political position is a free and independent Balochistan.” He said that this is why, for the BNM, its struggle for human rights and its struggle for national freedom cannot be separated from one another. “Our struggle for human rights and our struggle for national freedom cannot be separated from one another.” According to him, the lasting solution to the conflict, repression and recurring crises in Balochistan is the freedom of the Baloch nation and its right to determine its own future. In the final part of his speech, the BNM Chairman again mentioned Dr Nokaap Baloch. He said, “There is something deeply painful about losing a person whose whole life was dedicated to saving lives. He could have chosen an easier life. He could have remained silent. He did not.” He said, “He treated the sick. He taught those who needed education. This is how I want us to remember him. Not only by how he martyred, but by how he lived.” He said that the same is true of Chairman Zubair Baloch. “We should not remember our colleagues simply as victims.” According to him, future generations should hear these voices for themselves. “A nation preserves its struggle not only through political organisations, but through memory.” “Through the stories of people who refused to abandon what they believed in.” Addressing the families of the disappeared in Balochistan, political prisoners, colleagues living in exile and Baloch families who have lost their loved ones, the BNM Chairman said, “Your pain is part of our collective memory.” He remembered Dr Nokaap Baloch, Chairman Zubair Baloch and all those who are no longer physically among them. “Your absence is deeply felt. But the questions you raised remain. The cause to which you gave your lives remains.” At the conclusion of his speech, the BNM Chairman once again made the organisation’s political position clear, saying: “The political position of the Baloch National Movement remains clear: we believe that the lasting solution to the conflict, repression and recurring crises in Balochistan is the freedom of Balochistan and the right of the Baloch nation to determine its own future.” #BNMatUNSep2026 #BNMGlobalCampaign

Mahrang, Beebo, Gulzadi, Bebagr and Sibghatullah are in jail though innocent, Manzoor Pashteen tells BNM conference Thursday, 24 September 2026 | #𝗕𝗜𝗖𝟭𝟮 thebnm.org/programs/conferen… Pashtun Tahafuz Movement leader Manzoor Pashteen has said that Mahrang Baloch, Beebo Baloch, Gulzadi Baloch, Bebagr Baloch, Sibghatullah Baloch and several other people are in prison for the peaceful advocacy of Baloch human rights. He was addressing online the 12th Balochistan International Conference at the Geneva Press Club, organised by the Baloch National Movement. The conference was dedicated to the memory of BNM’s martyred chairman, Zubair Baloch. According to Manzoor Pashteen these activists have “no other crime” except that they raised their voice peacefully. He said the state of Pakistan had imprisoned them and given them life sentences. He said Baloch young people were being disappeared on a daily basis and that in Balochistan, children and women inside their homes were also being killed in aerial aggression. Manzoor Pashteen described Pakistan as “Punjabi colonialism” and said Punjab’s industries were being run by seizing Balochistan’s gas, minerals and gold. Young people who speak against this plunder of resources are labelled terrorists and then jailed or disappeared. He said the state is not prepared to accept Balochistan as the land of the Baloch and is trying to give its domination a constitutional form. He said Pashtuns too are facing the same kind of conditions. We have data on more than two hundred thousand affected people; thousands have been killed and thousands are missing. Over the past two years women and children have also been targeted in drone and helicopter attacks. He further said that in 2025 and 2026, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 72 children aged one year or under were killed in Pakistan Army drone attacks. Manzoor Pashteen said that despite human-rights violations Pakistan is overlooked because it flatters US President Donald Trump. In his words: “The flattery of one man is being given more importance than the killing of hundreds of thousands of people.” Referring to the European Union’s GSP+, he said helicopters and warplanes used in aggression against villages were being run with resources obtained from that economic concession. He said that even after evidence was presented, Europe kept this status in place and Germany supported it. He demanded of Europe that if a major step is not possible, then at least more funds and weapons should not be given to such a state, on which there are accusations of abuses. He told the Baloch, PTM’s Pashtun workers, Sindhis and Kashmiris that pamphlets should be distributed among the public in Europe and the question asked why tax should be given to a country on which there are grave accusations. Explaining protest in front of United Nations offices, he said there are restrictions on protest in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which is why people come to Geneva. At the end he praised BNM’s programme and spoke of continuing the alliance of PTM, BNM and other organisations. He said that in Afghanistan too, children and women are mostly being killed in aerial bombardment. #𝗕𝗡𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗨𝗡𝗦𝗲𝗽𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 #𝗕𝗡𝗠𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻

The UN system too often shuts out peoples whose rights are violated: Antonio Stango addresses the 12th Balochistan conference Friday, 25 September 2026 | #BIC12 thebnm.org/programs/conferen… Human-rights expert Antonio Stango, addressing the Baloch National Movement’s (BNM) 12th Balochistan International Conference, said the gap between the theory of international human rights and the reality of their violation is widening, and that peoples whose collective rights are taken from them still too often do not get access to United Nations rooms. Antonio Stango, president of the Italian Federation for Human Rights (FIDU) and professor of international organisations and human rights at Rome Link Campus University, speaking at BNM’s conference in the Geneva Press Club, further said he had spent most of his life working on this subject as a civil-society expert and had not remained confined only to academic circles. He said that on the one hand we should study the theory of international human rights thoroughly, and on the other we should look at what the reality is. More and more often the reality of respect for human rights or rather, the reality of human-rights violations is very far from the theory. He said this is true for individuals and for peoples as well. Most of you have been victims of specific violations of the rights of the Baloch nation. He pointed to those provisions that on paper protect the rights of groups who share a language, history, religion or other ethnic features, including Article 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. He said states have begun to forget these articles. He said that in Europe history has mostly been understood as the history of Western empires. Some speakers mentioned Pakistani imperialism. This is something we in Europe do not know. People read only a few headlines. They open television and social media and see titles and slogans, which do not go deep into the major problems of our planet. He said when it is a matter of millions of people whose collective rights have been systematically violated for decades, I believe this should be a concern not only for those directly affected, but for all of us. He said human rights are universal and belong to every person from birth. Authoritarian governments of different political types reply that rights are universal, but that they should be applied in a “regional or relative” way. In his view, relativism is a major danger to respect for human rights. In that connection, citing figures given by other speakers at the conference, he said that in recent years there have been hundreds of enforced disappearances in Balochistan, while over a longer period tens of thousands of people in Balochistan have been forcibly disappeared and thousands have been killed. He said millions of people live in misery, even though their historical land is rich in natural resources. He said engagement with the UN system is both necessary and difficult. It is no coincidence that the meeting is being held at the Geneva Press Club, not in the nearby United Nations conference hall. I suspect some governments would oppose holding such a meeting there. Recalling the organisation of UN side events for non-governmental organisations, he said that when representatives of peoples whose collective rights have been violated are invited, official representatives ask why they are in the room. They are terrorists. They should be imprisoned; they should not be allowed to speak at a UN forum. He said there is a diplomatic confrontation with the UN system, even though that system in theory at least allows every voice to be heard and should give every people the chance to speak about their conditions. He said he fully agreed with the point put to the conference: there is no lasting peace without justice; there is no reconciliation without trust. He said we all share this need and this strong hope that there will be peace in your country as well, as in other parts of the world. But we know there can be no peace without justice. He said that about thirty years ago he was part of the movement that helped create the International Criminal Court in The Hague. One organisation in that movement was called No Peace Without Justice. It still exists, and work still remains. He said more states are leaving that court because governments fear being judged. In his view the court does not decide on a political basis. It hears only the gravest international crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and, in some cases, aggression. States should not be afraid of standing before international justice. He also mentioned the theoretical possibility that a person can be tried for crimes against humanity even in a state of which he or she is not a citizen. He said: “International justice must work. A great deal remains to be done to reach effective international justice.” Restating his commitment, he said FIDU and the Italian Helsinki Committee want close cooperation between civil society, international organisations and national liberation movements, however difficult that may be. #BNMatUNSep2026 #BNMGlobalCampaign

BNM’s Balochistan conference: the world is not correctly understanding the issues of the people of Balochistan and the region, Dr Ghafoor Liwal Friday, 25 September, 2026 |#BIC12 thebnm.org/programs/conferen… Afghan writer and former ambassador to Iran Dr Ghafoor Liwal, addressing BNM’s 12th Balochistan International Conference in Geneva, said that human-rights violations in Balochistan and among Pashtun communities have still not been correctly at the international level, and that information and awareness are a very important part of the struggle. He said one of the biggest concerns for the people of our region is the violation of human rights. This repression is faced by the people of Balochistan and the people of Afghanistan, which we are enduring together. I want to free this nation from this bad situation and to share the suffering of all oppressed people. He said we stand with humanity, whose children, women, the elderly and other innocent and defenceless people lose their lives because of state policies, military actions and crises. The Baloch have been afflicted by hardship for years. For many years Pashtuns too have suffered because of interference from Pakistan. “Families have lost their loved ones. Innocent people live in fear and have little peace. I hear reports of what is happening in Balochistan: women and children are taken from their homes. The tortured bodies of many are found later. Thousands remain forcibly disappeared , mothers and sisters, political and community leaders, activists, women and ordinary citizens.” He said there are also reports of torture and other serious human-rights violations. But in my view another serious problem is that the world is not hearing these things correctly. “The free world still does not know enough about what is happening in Balochistan and the Pashtun homeland, and also in Afghanistan. And perhaps even more importantly, many people around the world do not know what these people are asking for. So they do not always know what they are suffering, or why so many people are making such great sacrifices.” He said when we talk about defending human rights we need to work on two important fronts. At the local level we must help our own people understand what is happening. The international community needs reliable information about human-rights violations, enforced disappearances, killings, torture and other forms of injustice. “We must help suppressed people understand their own rights: who is responsible when rights are violated; what they can do; where free expression is, where justice is. And most importantly, people must know that they have the right to speak, to protest, and to stand against injustice.” He said it is difficult for people living under pressure and repression to do all this work themselves. They do not have security. They cannot have access to international organisations. They cannot speak openly. That is why I believe intellectuals, journalists, writers, activists and patriotic Afghan communities living outside the country have an important responsibility. We must become the voice of those who cannot speak freely. He said this is especially important today. We live in an age of fast communication. In one sense every person can become a small media outlet. We all have the ability to share information. We can use social media, radio, YouTube, interviews and other forms of communication. But we must remember one important thing: we need to take the right message at the right time to the right people. Our information must be effective, based on facts and understandable. In other words we need a strategy. Content is truly important in raising the voice of nations under the pressure of occupation and political violence. Turning to literature, he said some argue that poets and writers are the living archives of an entire people. Their feeling and national ideas can give hope. They can bring people together. They can help a nation grow its identity, dignity and future. He cited Khushal Khan Khattak and other poets, writers and national figures. “If we use these ideas of dignity, unity, knowledge and feeling to bring our people together, we can build a stronger front. I believe our literature should be an important part of our struggle. Words, dreams, literature, journalism, history and art have all played an important role. They can change minds. They can give hope to the people and tell the world of their history and the suffering of our people. The struggle for human rights is not only a struggle of facts. It is also a struggle for an audience. It is a struggle for truth. It is a struggle for education. And it is a struggle to have someone’s voice heard.” #BIC12 #BNMatUNSep2026 #BNMGlobalCampaign

BNM’s Balochistan conference: the world is not correctly understanding the issues of the people of Balochistan and the region, Dr Ghafoor Liwal Friday, 25 September, 2026 |#BIC12 thebnm.org/programs/conferen… Afghan writer and former ambassador to Iran Dr Ghafoor Liwal, addressing BNM’s 12th Balochistan International Conference in Geneva, said that human-rights violations in Balochistan and among Pashtun communities have still not been correctly at the international level, and that information and awareness are a very important part of the struggle. He said one of the biggest concerns for the people of our region is the violation of human rights. This repression is faced by the people of Balochistan and the people of Afghanistan, which we are enduring together. I want to free this nation from this bad situation and to share the suffering of all oppressed people. He said we stand with humanity, whose children, women, the elderly and other innocent and defenceless people lose their lives because of state policies, military actions and crises. The Baloch have been afflicted by hardship for years. For many years Pashtuns too have suffered because of interference from Pakistan. “Families have lost their loved ones. Innocent people live in fear and have little peace. I hear reports of what is happening in Balochistan: women and children are taken from their homes. The tortured bodies of many are found later. Thousands remain forcibly disappeared , mothers and sisters, political and community leaders, activists, women and ordinary citizens.” He said there are also reports of torture and other serious human-rights violations. But in my view another serious problem is that the world is not hearing these things correctly. “The free world still does not know enough about what is happening in Balochistan and the Pashtun homeland, and also in Afghanistan. And perhaps even more importantly, many people around the world do not know what these people are asking for. So they do not always know what they are suffering, or why so many people are making such great sacrifices.” He said when we talk about defending human rights we need to work on two important fronts. At the local level we must help our own people understand what is happening. The international community needs reliable information about human-rights violations, enforced disappearances, killings, torture and other forms of injustice. “We must help suppressed people understand their own rights: who is responsible when rights are violated; what they can do; where free expression is, where justice is. And most importantly, people must know that they have the right to speak, to protest, and to stand against injustice.” He said it is difficult for people living under pressure and repression to do all this work themselves. They do not have security. They cannot have access to international organisations. They cannot speak openly. That is why I believe intellectuals, journalists, writers, activists and patriotic Afghan communities living outside the country have an important responsibility. We must become the voice of those who cannot speak freely. He said this is especially important today. We live in an age of fast communication. In one sense every person can become a small media outlet. We all have the ability to share information. We can use social media, radio, YouTube, interviews and other forms of communication. But we must remember one important thing: we need to take the right message at the right time to the right people. Our information must be effective, based on facts and understandable. In other words we need a strategy. Content is truly important in raising the voice of nations under the pressure of occupation and political violence. Turning to literature, he said some argue that poets and writers are the living archives of an entire people. Their feeling and national ideas can give hope. They can bring people together. They can help a nation grow its identity, dignity and future. He cited Khushal Khan Khattak and other poets, writers and national figures. “If we use these ideas of dignity, unity, knowledge and feeling to bring our people together, we can build a stronger front. I believe our literature should be an important part of our struggle. Words, dreams, literature, journalism, history and art have all played an important role. They can change minds. They can give hope to the people and tell the world of their history and the suffering of our people. The struggle for human rights is not only a struggle of facts. It is also a struggle for an audience. It is a struggle for truth. It is a struggle for education. And it is a struggle to have someone’s voice heard.” #BNMatUNSep2026 #BNMGlobalCampaign

Sindhis, Baloch, Pashtuns, Kashmiris, Gilgiti-Baltis and Saraikis are occupied and oppressed nations under Pakistan, Sohail Ahmed Abro tells BNM conference Friday, 25 September 2026 | #𝗕𝗜𝗖𝟭𝟮 thebnm.org/programs/conferen… Jeay Sindh Freedom Movement chairman Sohail Ahmed Abro has told the Balochistan conference in Geneva that Balochistan was a free and sovereign state for centuries and was occupied by the Pakistan Army on 27 March 1948, as happened with Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and other parts of the subcontinent. He was speaking at the 12th Balochistan International Conference, organised by the Baloch National Movement. He has represented Sindh at United Nations Human Rights Council programmes in Geneva. Sohail Abro said Balochistan is a land of sorrow, although it possesses uranium, minerals, the Saindak Project, the Reko Diq Project, the Dadhar Project, the Dalbandin Project, coal mines, gas and a vast coastline. Pakistani imperialism is concerned not with the people of Balochistan but with its minerals and land. He said more than 30,000 Baloch are forcibly disappeared, and their genocide continues. Over the years more than 8,000 Baloch have been killed. Recently the Pakistan Air Force carried out bombardment in Surab. He said Sindhis, Baloch, Pashtuns, Kashmiris, Gilgiti-Baltis and Saraikis are all oppressed nations under the occupation of Punjab and Pakistan. Because all have the same enemy, he proposed international coordination, a joint strategy, a joint struggle and joint collaboration among all oppressed nations, “so that we can achieve our destinations of Sindhudesh, Azad Balochistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Azad Pashtoonistan, Azad Gilgit-Baltistan and Saraikistan in a timely manner.” On this occasion he requested the United Nations to hold and arrange referendums on the right to self-determination and freedom in Balochistan as well as in Sindh, Pakhtunkhwa, Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and Saraiki Waseb, “so that we may emerge as sovereign countries and become members of the United Nations.” He ended his speech with a saying of Sain G. M. Syed: “Freedom is our right, freedom is possible, and one day we will achieve freedom.” #𝗕𝗡𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗨𝗡𝗦𝗲𝗽𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 #𝗕𝗡𝗠𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻

Balochistan is ‘not at a crossroads but on the road to freedom’, Sindhi leader Lakhu Lohana tells BNM’s Balochistan conference Thursday, 24 September 2026 | #𝗕𝗜𝗖𝟭𝟮 thebnm.org/programs/conferen… Dr Lakhu Lohana of the World Sindhi Congress has said Balochistan’s hardships have continued for almost “80 years” and rejected the idea that Balochistan stands merely at a political “crossroads.” Addressing the 12th session of the Balochistan International Conference, organised by the Baloch National Movement, he said Balochistan is instead “on the path of freedom and liberation.” The Sindhi national leader and former senior official of the World Sindhi Congress said that on 27 March 1948 a dark night of slavery, colonialism, cruelty and repression descended on Balochistan, and that it has not ended to this day. Only one thing has happened: it is growing darker, darker and still darker. Dr Lakhu Lohana said that besides killings and enforced disappearances, over the past eight decades many people have died because of poverty and malnutrition. He described Balochistan as a region rich in gold, copper, coal, gas, oil and other minerals. He said the first major gas reserve in Pakistan’s occupied territories was discovered at Sui, which is why it was called Sui gas according to the Pakistani state, “Pakistan’s largest gas reserve.” By his account more than 90 percent of it has already been exhausted, while women in Balochistan still walk many miles barefoot to fetch water. “At present the poverty rate in Balochistan is among the highest rates in administered Pakistan. At present malnutrition too is among the highest rates in administered Pakistan. The rates of maternal deaths and infant deaths are also the highest. The occupying state of Pakistan has, in the true sense, kept the people of Balochistan in medieval, inhuman conditions.” He asked whether anyone with even a little conscience could allow this situation to continue, and referred to the United Nations Charter of Human Rights and the international community. “How many more bodies from Balochistan will have to bleed before they can no longer deny that atrocities are taking place and that they must stop all this?” According to him, Sindh also stands at a similar turning point. Activists have taken on a great responsibility: to see their nation free and their motherland free. He further said the world “has become a very difficult place” and that subject nations will have to remain bound to one another. He ended by challenging the theme of the conference. He said: this title, “Balochistan at a crossroads” I would ask leave to differ. Balochistan is not at any crossroads. Balochistan is on the path of freedom and liberation. Sindh and Balochistan should make this journey together. #𝗕𝗡𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗨𝗡𝗦𝗲𝗽𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 #𝗕𝗡𝗠𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻

The political dimension of the Balochistan question cannot be ignored, journalist Shahid Qazi tells BNM’s Balochistan conference Thursday, 24 September 2026 | #𝗕𝗜𝗖𝟭𝟮 thebnm.org/programs/conferen… Journalist Shahid Qazi has said Balochistan now stands at a crossroads: on one side lies the continuation of repression and political conflict; on the other, a path of justice, dialogue and the Baloch nation’s right to decide its own political future. He was speaking at the 12th Balochistan International Conference in Geneva, organised by the Baloch National Movement (BNM). The conference was dedicated to the struggle and thought of BNM’s martyred leader, Chairman Zubair Baloch. Shahid Qazi, host of The Unmuted Voice and a former journalist with NBC News and ITV, said the Balochistan question had for a long time been presented only through a security lens, while its human and political dimensions could not be set aside. He said that when students protest they are declared a threat; when Baloch families demand information about their forcibly missing loved ones they are viewed with suspicion; when Baloch students raise their voices they face abduction and torture; and when activists demand justice they are branded agents of the enemy. He asked whether “an entire nation” could be treated as merely a security problem, and whether a mother’s grief, or a father’s search for a missing son, could be called a threat to national security. These, he said, are not security questions. They are human-rights questions. Shahid Qazi said enforced disappearance does not affect only one life; it plunges an entire family into lasting uncertainty and anguish. Death, he said, brings unbearable grief, but enforced disappearance brings uncertainty. A mother waits, a father searches, a sister keeps looking towards the door, and a child grows up wondering when their father will come home. He called it “the disappearance of an entire family’s happiness and peace.” Every family, he said, has a right to answers about their loved one; every detainee is entitled to fair process under the law; every allegation should be independently investigated; and every victim should receive justice. Turning to Balochistan’s natural resources, Shahid Qazi said the region is rich in minerals, gas and a highly important coastline, yet its people still face poverty and a lack of basic services. Resources are extracted in the name of development, he said, but no improvement is visible in people’s lives. Gas produced in Balochistan does not reach many of its cities in an adequate way, he added, pointing to basic-service problems in his ancestral city, Zhob. He also spoke of poor internet access and said that in Balochistan’s main city, Shaal , connections are at times shut down for long periods without prior notice, in the name of security. The exploitation of mineral wealth cannot be called development, he said. If the dignity of the people of Balochistan is ignored, no port can become a symbol of prosperity. In his view, lasting peace is impossible without justice, reconciliation is impossible without truth, and trust cannot be built where there is no accountability. Placing human rights above political, religious or ethnic division, he said human rights have no political party, no religion, no race and no uniform. Human rights are either for everyone, or they have no meaning. He urged the international community to hear the “credible allegations” emerging about Balochistan, to investigate them independently, and to allow observers, journalists, affected families and political voices to play their role without fear. “We are not asking anyone to accept what we say with their eyes closed,” he said. “Our demand is only this: listen, investigate and verify. Because truth is not afraid of transparency.” Appealing to the world not to apply a double standard, he said that if an enforced disappearance in Europe matters, it should matter equally in Balochistan; if freedom of expression matters in Geneva, that right should also matter in Shaal; and if justice for political prisoners is necessary in any other region of the world, political prisoners in Balochistan are entitled to justice as well. Do not wait for another tragedy, he said. Do not wait for the moment when another generation grows up with only memories of conflict. Honouring Shaheed Chairman Zubair Baloch at the conference, Shahid Qazi said, was not limited to remembering his name. It was an act of keeping alive the principles for which he stood — human dignity, justice and political rights. History, he said, does not remember political leaders only for the offices they held. They are remembered because they stood for a struggle larger than themselves. Those working for Balochistan, he said, want “dignity, not domination,” and a future in which the people of Balochistan can, without fear, determine their own political future and their own political dignity. Expressing solidarity with the families of the forcibly disappeared, he said they have “not been forgotten.” He closed his address with the words: “Fear will make you a prisoner, while hope will set you free.” #𝗕𝗜𝗖𝟭𝟮 #𝗕𝗡𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗨𝗡𝗦𝗲𝗽𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 #𝗕𝗡𝗠𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻

485 enforced disappearances reported in Balochistan over six months; Jamal Baloch addresses BNM conference Thursday, 24 September 2026 | #𝗕𝗜𝗖𝟭𝟮 thebnm.org/programs/conferen… Addressing the 12th Balochistan International Conference, organised by the Baloch National Movement (BNM) at the Geneva Press Club, Jamal Baloch, media coordinator of the human-rights organisation Paank, presented figures from Paank’s documented reporting on enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and other human-rights violations in Balochistan. The conference was dedicated to the memory of BNM chairman Shaheed Zubair Baloch. Jamal Baloch said that over the past years Paank, the human-rights body under BNM, has documented thousands of incidents of human-rights violations and enforced disappearances. According to him, over the past six months 485 incidents of enforced disappearance were reported to Paank and became part of the documented record. He made clear that this figure comprises only those incidents that were reported to Paank from various sources, and therefore it cannot be treated as the final number of enforced disappearances in Balochistan. According to him, many incidents cannot be reported, especially in circumstances in which affected families face pressure and threats. Jamal Baloch said that an incident of enforced disappearance is not confined to the affected individual alone; its effects fall on the entire family. Some families also refrained from reporting the disappearance of their loved ones because they were threatened with further people being made to disappear or with other consequences. Paank’s media coordinator said the organisation also received information of 181 extrajudicial killings over the past six months, of which Paank has confirmed numerous incidents. He said the chain of enforced disappearances in Balochistan has continued for several decades, and that in the recent period incidents of enforced disappearance of women and children have also come to light. Over the past six months, 32 incidents of enforced disappearance of women and their children were recorded. Jamal Baloch also mentioned incidents of torture of children and pressure in connection with persons in detention. He said that, according to information received by Paank, some detainees have stated complaints of children being tortured in front of them and of being forced to give statements against their will. Referring to the production of some detainees on Pakistani media, he said that on such occasions some individuals are forced to read pre-prepared statements. Citing Paank’s documented figures, Jamal Baloch said that according to the organisation’s record, on average 81 people are forcibly disappeared every month in Balochistan, and that of those forcibly disappeared an average of 30 people fall victim to extrajudicial killings. He also mentioned drone strikes and aerial bombing in Balochistan and said that last month six people were killed in such attacks, including three children. In one attack a bomb weighing 285 kilograms was used, in which infant children were killed. Jamal Baloch also mentioned actions against political activists in Balochistan and the leadership of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC). He said that state power and legal proceedings are being used to suppress peaceful political activists. He said incidents have come to light in which some political activists were first forcibly disappeared and later shown as arrested. According to Paank’s research, charges brought against these individuals are baseless. He further said that before action against political activists, attempts are at times made through media campaigns to create a negative impression against them, which is part of a wider process of suppressing political voices in Balochistan. Speaking on the judicial process, Jamal Baloch also referred to a recent judicial statement in which a judge, before the media, mentioned judicial pressure. He said that in the context of cases against political activists in Balochistan, questions also arise about judicial independence and the process of justice. In his address, Jamal Baloch said that discussion of the human-rights situation in Balochistan often remains limited to enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, whereas according to him the problem is far wider than that. He said: for us the priority is only to say that we have the right to live. Our people have the right to live. We want freedom. We have the right to be free. We have the right to be in our schools. He said the number and nature of human-rights violations are so extensive that it is not possible to describe every matter in a single address; however, it is necessary to put forward the people of Balochistan’s living, receiving education, freedom and attainment of fundamental rights as central human-rights demands. #𝗕𝗡𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗨𝗡𝗦𝗲𝗽𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 #𝗕𝗡𝗠𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻

British ministers should recognise the Baloch people’s demands for peace, justice and the right to self-determination — John McDonnell’s address to the BNM conference in Geneva Thursday, 24 September 2026 | #𝗕𝗜𝗖𝟭𝟮 thebnm.org/programs/conferen… Labour MP and former Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell has urged the British government to play a more active role on human rights in Balochistan. He said Britain’s own colonial history places a “special responsibility” on it. Addressing the 12th Balochistan International Conference, organised by the Baloch National Movement (BNM) at the Geneva Press Club on Thursday by video link, McDonnell said British ministers should help address human rights violations and should recognise the Baloch people’s demands for “peace, justice and the right to self-determination.” He told participants that he has continued to provide political and diplomatic support in Britain to Baloch people affected by Pakistani repression, and that he will maintain that position. He said the British government should also recognise its responsibilities on asylum. New restrictions, he said, have increased the difficulties facing those seeking asylum. He said he would continue to argue that some people seek asylum and protection because their lives are at risk, while also acknowledging the limits of what he can achieve. Influencing policy, he said, is challenging because of the British government’s relations with Pakistan. He said Britain’s past rule in the region has left it with responsibilities in the present. Because of its history of colonial rule in the region, Britain should acknowledge its role, and that is why it has a special responsibility to ensure that the Baloch have the same basic rights that exist in Britain: the right to self-determination, human rights, and the fundamental protection of peace and justice in their own land. He said there has been a change in Britain’s political leadership, and that in that context activists would seek meetings with ministers to discuss a strategy covering both urgent issues and a longer-term position on civil liberties and the right to self-determination.

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The Balochistan International Conference (#𝗕𝗜𝗖𝟭𝟮), organized by the Baloch National Movement (BNM), is currently underway at the #Geneva Press Club. #𝗕𝗡𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗨𝗡𝗦𝗲𝗽𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 #𝗕𝗡𝗠𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻

🎙️ Speaker Profile: Shahid Qazi Shahid Qazi, a UK-based journalist, political analyst and host of The Unmuted Voice, will be a speaker at BNM’s 12th Balochistan International Conference, #𝗕𝗜𝗖𝟭𝟮 . With more than two decades of journalism experience, he has covered politics, security, human rights and regional affairs across Pakistan and Afghanistan. He has previously worked with NBC News and ITV News and continues to provide analysis on South Asian affairs. 📌 Conference Theme: Occupied Balochistan at the Crossroads: Human Rights, Justice and the Struggle for Freedom Honouring the Legacy of Chairman Zubair Baloch 📅 24 September 2026 📍 Geneva Press Club Chem. de l’Impératrice 18, 1292 Pregny-Chambésy, Switzerland 🕒 3:00 PM 📌 Ground Floor Hall #𝗕𝗡𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗨𝗡𝗦𝗲𝗽𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 #𝗕𝗡𝗠𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻

🎙️ Speaker Profile: Antonio Stango Antonio Stango, a political scientist and international human-rights expert, will be a speaker at BNM’s 12th Balochistan International Conference, #𝗕𝗜𝗖𝟭𝟮 . He has worked in the human-rights field since the 1980s and has led international projects and monitoring missions across Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Antonio Stango is President of the Italian Federation for Human Rights and a professor of International Organisations and Human Rights at Rome Link Campus University. 📌 Conference Theme: Occupied Balochistan at the Crossroads: Human Rights, Justice and the Struggle for Freedom Honouring the Legacy of Chairman Zubair Baloch 📅 24 September 2026 📍 Geneva Press Club Chem. de l’Impératrice 18, 1292 Pregny-Chambésy, Switzerland 🕒 3:00 PM 📌 Ground Floor Hall #𝗕𝗡𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗨𝗡𝗦𝗲𝗽𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 #𝗕𝗡𝗠𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻