Opinion | Human Rights Violations in Baluchistan: A Lesson for Kashmir

Let Pakistan first provide adequate food, healthcare, education, drinking water, and electricity to Balochistan, which is facing one of Asia’s worst humanitarian crises, with more than 71% of its people living below the poverty line, before indulging in rhetoric about Kashmir–India, which is among the more developed regions in South Asia.

There is a grim situation in Baluchistan, Pakistan, where the world must intervene. Human rights violations, political aggression, military rule, social instability, insecurity, and safety concerns have become the talk of the town. It appears that both Pakistan and China are involved in this. Various videos circulating on social media reflect two things: first, the continuous violations against the Baloch people, social activists, and the suppression of the press; and second, the growing demand for association with India. This is not propaganda—just search HR violations in PoK and Baluchistan and you will find the cunning nature of the Pakistani army.

The region, in perpetual crisis for decades, is facing huge problems in accessing basic services, alongside torture, disappearances, and the loss of life and property. The stark reality is that Balochistan is one of the largest provinces in Pakistan by area and remains the most underdeveloped one. According to international development sources (UNDP), more than 71% of people in Balochistan live below the poverty line. World Bank and ADB reports confirm that Balochistan lags behind in every human development indicator—education, health, sanitation, water, and electricity—which drives poverty.

In comparison, Jammu and Kashmir (India) has about 12% of its population below the poverty line, which is better than the national average in many other Indian states. People in Kashmir must raise their voices for the people of Balochistan, who are deprived of education, electricity, drinking water, healthcare, sanitation, food, medicine, and clothing, while also facing victimization at the hands of the Pakistani military. India, especially Kashmiris, need to stage protests in solidarity with these people who are facing the worst of times.

There are consistent efforts from the rights groups enforced disappearances, extrajudicial executions, and suppression of peaceful dissent. Students, journalists, political activists, and even ordinary citizens are targeted. Many are taken in the dead of night without warrants, never to be seen again. Others are later found dead, while grieving families face intimidation when they demand justice. Between January and June 2025, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) reported 752 enforced disappearances and 117 extrajudicial killings, most of them young students and activists. Protests demanding justice were repeatedly met with arrests, bans, and use of excessive force.

The Pakistani state has increasingly targeted grassroots movements. In March 2025, police opened fire on protesters demanding the release of activist Bebarg Baloch, killing three people. Within hours, women activists Mahrang and Beebow Baloch were arrested from a sit-in in Quetta. BYC leader Sammi Deen Baloch faced repeated arrests under Pakistan’s Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) law, a tool often used for prolonged detention without trial. Families of activists were also detained as a form of collective punishment.

In August 2025, mobile internet services were cut off across large parts of Balochistan under the pretext of “security.” Rights groups condemned the blackout as a way to prevent information on abuses from reaching the outside world, further isolating affected communities.

Human rights concerns in Balochistan extend to gender-based violence. On 4 June 2025, in Degari near Quetta, a young woman and her partner were executed in an “honour” killing sanctioned by a tribal jirga. The filmed execution shocked the nation. Despite arrests, activists fear such cases will persist unless jirgas are dismantled and perpetrators tried in proper courts.

In July 2025, Mastung district witnessed another tragedy when a pregnant woman and her husband were murdered by her own family. These incidents highlight the impunity and patriarchal customs that dominate the province. The repression has also undermined projects like CPEC and Gwadar Port, touted as Pakistan’s economic future. Without addressing the grievances of Baloch communities, these projects risk being seen as symbols of exploitation rather than development. POK is another example of authoritarian governance and repression under Pakistan’s control. While its people demand greater autonomy and recognition, they are instead met with constitutional marginalisation and ISI surveillance.

For over seven decades, POK’s youth have felt excluded and unrecognised. Pakistan’s constitution does not grant them sovereignty or provincial status. The POK Interim Constitution Act of 1974 placed ultimate authority in the Azad Jammu & Kashmir Council, effectively denying locals decision-making power. Critics argue this makes POK a colony under Pakistan’s control. Civil society, media, and even daily conversation remain under the watch of the ISI and Pakistan Army. Anyone critical of the military risks enforced disappearance. The climate of fear is pervasive, and human rights are routinely trampled. Despite vast tourism potential and natural resources, POK has been reduced to a launchpad for terrorism, while local communities face unemployment and underdevelopment. The result is a dissatisfied and alienated youth population, with many demanding separation from Pakistan. The tragedy is not confined to Balochistan and POK. In July 2025, Pakistani airstrikes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tirah Valley killed more than 30 civilians. The use of Chinese-made LS-6 bombs on villages like Matre Dara shocked the nation. These operations revealed Pakistan’s callous disregard for civilian life in its counterinsurgency campaigns. The people of KPK, like those in Balochistan and POK, often become collateral in the state’s power struggle.

In Jammu & Kashmir, India follows a democratic, civilian-centric model—protecting lives through precise, intelligence-led operations, even at high soldier costs. Pakistan, by contrast, relies on military suppression, indiscriminate airstrikes, and neglect of socio-economic development in Balochistan and POK. India promotes democracy, allowing even jailed leaders to contest elections, alongside youth empowerment, welfare, and cultural preservation. The two models reveal a stark divide: Pakistan’s authoritarian force versus India’s inclusive, developmental, and pluralistic governance.

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