Geneva conference calls for UN fact-finding mission to investigate rights violations in Balochistan, Sindh

A conference organised by the Baloch Human Rights Council and the World Sindhi Congress brought together scholars, human rights activists, journalists, and political leaders to express profound concern over ongoing human rights violations in Balochistan and Sindh by Pakistan.

Participants condemned the widespread enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings targeting Baloch and Sindhi socio-political activists, calling for a UN fact-finding mission to investigate these violations.

The conference also criticised the collaboration between China and Pakistan in exploiting the natural resources of Balochistan and Sindh. Attendees raised alarms about the fencing of Gwadar and a proposed agreement that could enable China to effectively control Gwadar town and its international airport, potentially transforming it into a colonial enclave.

They condemned the systematic land encroachment and acquisition by the Pakistani military under the guise of national security. Moreover, grave concerns were voiced over the forced conversions of minor girls from Sindhi-Hindu families in Sindh.

The conference concluded that many actions taken by the Pakistani state in Balochistan and Sindh amount to cultural genocide against the Baloch and Sindhi peoples. The declaration urged the international community and the United Nations to fulfil their legal and moral responsibilities by intervening to protect the rights of the Baloch and Sindhi nations.

It demanded an immediate halt to enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings of socio-political workers and human rights defenders, insisting that all perpetrators of human rights violations be held accountable in the International Court of Justice.

Participants also called for an end to all resource exploitation by China and Pakistan in Balochistan and Sindh. Expressing dismay over the silence of the international community and the United Nations regarding the crimes against humanity and genocide occurring in these regions, the conference demanded the dispatch of a UN fact-finding mission to assess the human rights and humanitarian crises facing the people of Balochistan and Sindh.

It affirmed that the Baloch and Sindhi struggle for self-determination aligns with the principles outlined in UN declarations regarding colonised nations, calling for this struggle to be recognised and acknowledged without delay.