Pakistan accused of enacting 'genocidal policy' against Baloch

Balochistan [Pakistan] January 25 (ANI): The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) has accused the Pakistani state of pursuing what it described as a deliberate and systematic campaign of genocide against the Baloch people, urging the international community to take immediate notice of alleged grave human rights violations, as reported by The Balochistan Post.
According to The Balochistan Post, the right to life is universal and any attempt to deny an entire nation this right based on ethnicity, language or identity falls under the international definition of genocide, according to a pamphlet released by the group. The BYC said genocide should be understood not as isolated incidents but as a structured policy aimed at eliminating a people wholly or partially, in line with definitions outlined by the United Nations. The organisation claimed that acts amounting to "full genocide" include mass executions, extreme physical and mental abuse, economic strangulation, famine, lack of access to healthcare, forced sterilisation and the removal of children from their communities. It added that "partial genocide" is reflected in the targeting of students, scholars, activists and women, as well as enforced disappearances and the suppression of language and cultural identity.
The pamphlet argued that the existence of armed conflict in Balochistan does not give Pakistan any legal or moral justification to carry out such actions. It pointed to alleged daily incidents of killings, bodies recovered after abductions, reports of mass graves and custodial torture as evidence of large-scale violence. Beyond physical violence, the BYC accused the authorities of using economic measures as weapons. It said raids on homes, harassment at checkpoints, barriers to employment, limits on border trade, land seizures and forced displacement have deepened poverty and food insecurity across the province, as highlighted by The Balochistan Post.
The group also warned of severe environmental and health consequences. It alleged that uranium-related activities in Koh-e-Sulaiman, nuclear operations in Khuzdar and past nuclear tests in Chagai and Kharan have led to sharp rises in cancer and other serious diseases, while inadequate healthcare has caused thousands of avoidable deaths annually, describing this as a "silent" form of extermination. Calling its mission one of survival, the BYC urged Baloch people to preserve their culture and language, avoid cooperation with state security forces and document abuses for global audiences, as reported by The Balochistan Post. (ANI)