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Justice for Balochistan is not just a slogan, it must become a global demand for peace dignity and human rights
On August 30, the International Day of the Disappeared, people world-wide remembered those who vanished without a trace. In the Dutch city of Utrecht, the Baloch National Movement held a protest. Families carried photographs of their missing sons, brothers, and fathers, demanding justice. Their voices were not just for Balochistan, they were for humanity itself.
As an Indian, I cannot ignore the hypocrisy of Pakistan, which never misses an opportunity to lecture the world about Kashmir. Yet, within its own borders, it carries out some of the worst human rights violations in South Asia. The people of Balochistan have suffered for decades, and the world has looked away for far too long.
The story of their suffering started in 1948, when Pakistan forcibly occupied Balochistan. Since then, its people have faced military crackdowns, exploitation of their resources, and the most brutal tool of all, enforced disappearances. Thousands of young men, women, students, teachers, and activists have been abducted, and many never return. Those who do are sometimes tortured into submission, while families remain in an ascetic hell, wondering if they will ever see their loved ones alive again. It is not simply a revolt, it is slow crushing psychological warfare. Mothers look at the unrecognizable images of long-lost sons. Children grow up without fathers. The entire community lives in fear.
The numbers are shocking. The Human Rights Council of Balochistan have documented 814 enforced disappearances and 131 killings in the first six months of 2025 alone. These are not by accident, these statistics contain evidence of a state policy aimed at silencing an entire ethnic group in the country. Committees are announced, promises are made, but justice never arrives. The perpetrators, mostly Pakistan’s security forces, are never punished. And yet, Pakistan dares to point fingers at India. It talks about human rights in Kashmir while crushing the rights of Baloch people every single day. This double standard must be exposed.
Now, the situation in Balochistan is changing, and Pakistan’s military is losing control. In Khuzdar district’s Zahri town, over 300 Pakistani soldiers and paramilitary personnel abandoned their posts, unable to face the resistance of Baloch fighters. Humiliated, they fled in panic, only to be rounded up by their own generals. Reports say they are being secretly moved to Karachi and Islamabad, disguised as ordinary passengers.
Thousands of Punjabi officers and soldiers have already applied for early retirement or transfers out of Balochistan.Almost 6,000 troops don’t want to stay in the province, unwilling to confront the overwhelming Baloch resistance. The occupying army is breaking down from the inside out. Meanwhile, the people of Balochistan celebrate with pride, bravery, and unwavering determination.
Even those who are trying to argue peacefully are attacked for it. In March 2025, Dr. Mahrang Baloch, a courageous activist and daughter of a disappeared father, was taken into custody. While in detention, she wrote a letter to the world, outlining Pakistan’s crimes against her people, which was taken up by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the UN. But Pakistan does not want to allow her to speak, and, just like every other Baloch in the world, they want to silence every request for justice.
Behind the numbers and headlines are actual lives. Students are dragged out of classrooms. Journalists vanish for reporting the truth. Breadwinners are taken, leaving families in poverty. Communities live in constant fear. This is not just Pakistan’s “internal matter.” It is a humanitarian crisis that the whole world must address.
And here lies the biggest question, why is the world silent? Every disappearance is a crime against humanity. Every unmarked grave in Balochistan is proof of global failure. Pakistan’s repression also threatens the wider region. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) may look like an economic dream on paper, but for Baloch families, it has only meant more soldiers, more checkpoints, and more disappearances.
India shows the world Pakistan’s true face, a country that lectures others on human rights while it brutalizes its own people. It is far more than simply exposing Pakistan’s hypocrisy by standing with the Baloch people, it is standing for the truth, justice, and for all of humankind.
The international community must wake up. The United Nations should send investigators to Balochistan. Democratic nations must raise the issue with Pakistan. Human rights groups must document every disappearance, every killing, and every grave. Sanctions must be imposed on those responsible. And above all, the families of the missing must be given justice.
The demonstration in Utrecht was more than symbolic, it was a call to action from people all over the world: do not look away. Each missing person in Balochistan is a mark on humanity. Each silenced activist is evidence of global neglect.
The choice before the world is simple. Stay silent and become complicit in Pakistan’s crimes, or speak out and act to uphold the principles of human rights we claim to value. Balochistan’s pain is not just Pakistan’s shame, it is a test of global conscience.
vadaiekashmir@gmail.com
