Members of the Baloch National Movement (BNM) addressed the 63rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, raising concerns over the situation in Balochistan, Pakistan Army airstrikes in Surab, Zehri, and Chiltan, and the challenges faced by Baloch women and girls.
BNM is continuing its political and diplomatic activities in Geneva during the 63rd session of the Council.
BNM member Mahrah Baloch drew the Council’s attention to the situation of Baloch women and girls. She stated that serious violations of their fundamental rights by Pakistani authorities continue, including enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention, torture, extrajudicial killings, and restrictions on peaceful political expression.
Mehrah Baloch said that Baloch women have played a prominent role in movements for justice and accountability. However, many women continue to bear the emotional, social, and economic consequences of the enforced disappearances and killings of their family members. According to her, their voices, rights, and participation in public life must be protected and respected.
She described this pattern of conduct by Pakistani state authorities as state terrorism and called on the Council to ensure independent monitoring of Balochistan, transparent investigations, and protection for those who peacefully document and challenge alleged abuses.
BNM member Ahmed Baloch drew the Council’s attention to Pakistan’s use of air power against civilians in Balochistan. He stated that a Pakistan Army airstrike took place in Surab on 12 September 2026, killing six civilians, including a woman and a two-year-old child. Nine others were injured, most of them young children.
Ahmed Baloch said that Pakistan attributed the deaths to concealed explosive devices, while photographs and footage from the area showed fragments of numbered munitions and damage consistent with aerial bombardment. According to him, the incident in Soorab was not an isolated occurrence; Pakistan Army had previously used air power in Zehri and in the Chiltan area of Shaal.
He stated that the increasing use of fighter jets, drones, and helicopter gunships in populated areas is putting thousands of lives at risk. Ahmed Baloch called for an end to airstrikes, international access to Balochistan, and recognition and support for the Baloch nations’s right to self-determination.