The enforced disappearances of Baloch women by Pakistani agencies are the worst form of Baloch genocide.
Spokesperson BSO Azad
The increasing enforced disappearances of Baloch women by Pakistani agencies constitute the most brutal form of Baloch genocide, and the silence of international human rights organizations is deeply alarming. Silence in the face of human rights violations at the global level shakes the conscience of the world to its core.
The violation of Baloch traditions by Pakistani military institutions and the sexual violence against Baloch women are intolerable. On a daily basis, Baloch women are forcibly disappeared as a form of collective punishment; they are subjected to torture, false charges are fabricated against them, and through media trials their honor and dignity are publicly disgraced. Elderly and ill women are thrown into torture cells and subjected to brutal treatment. Pakistani military institutions have been given such unchecked freedom in Balochistan that they carry out drone strikes and bombard civilian populations with modern weaponry, while justifying their policies of Baloch genocide behind colonial narratives such as “counterterrorism.”
This situation has reached a point where the Pakistani state itself is targeting Baloch women through enforced disappearances, despite the fact that these actions are clear violations of all international laws of war. The silence of global human rights bodies in the face of these atrocities reflects the indifference of those international institutions that are complicit in these crimes alongside Pakistani military institutions.
It should be remembered that Pakistani intelligence agencies and their affiliated death squads are subjecting Baloch women to oppression and brutality. This situation represents a grave crisis for the Baloch nation. The imprisonment of Baloch political leaders is also part of this repressive policy. In reality, the Pakistani state is fearful of the growing political and social awareness within Baloch society and is taking all these measures to crush Baloch resistance.
Pakistan’s objective now is to normalize these grave acts of oppression against Baloch women so that it can evade public reaction and international protest. The intensity of violence against Baloch women has reached its extreme, and addressing it has become an urgent necessity.
It must be recalled that the atrocities committed by Pakistan in Bangladesh in 1971 remain a dark chapter in history. During the Bangladeshi liberation movement, the Pakistani army subjected millions of innocent people to violence and repression. In particular, Bengali women faced mass rape, killings, and enforced disappearances. These crimes committed by the Pakistani army were recognized internationally as war crimes, and it was established that Pakistani authorities had adopted a systematic policy of genocide to crush the Bengali nation.
Today, the same oppressive behavior and genocidal intent that once existed in Bangladesh can be seen in Pakistan’s treatment of Baloch women. Baloch women are also becoming victims of Pakistani state policies, where they are abducted as collective punishment, their honor is violated, and a reign of state violence and oppression is unleashed against them. These conditions demonstrate that instead of abandoning the atrocities committed in Bangladesh, the Pakistani state has adopted those same brutal methods in Balochistan. The Pakistani state desires to crush the Baloch people in the same way it crushed the Bengali people in 1971. This is a dangerous trend that must be immediately addressed at the international level so that the oppressive actions against Baloch women can be brought to an end.
As a Baloch students’ organization, we once again appeal to international institutions to bring Pakistani authorities before the court of justice and hold them accountable for their policies of Baloch genocide. The ongoing abduction of Baloch women in broad daylight and the continuous cycle of oppression and violence by Pakistani military and security institutions are creating an atmosphere of unrest and anxiety throughout the region.
Finally, we appeal to the Baloch nation to adopt a path of strong resistance against these repressive policies and to end them before they are normalized. Baloch political and ordinary women must be provided with an environment in which they can live a safe and dignified life, free from oppression and violence by Pakistani military institutions.