Dr. Naseem Baloch, Chairman of the Baloch National Movement (BNM), spoke at a side event during the 57th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council and criticized China’s growing influence in Balochistan. The event was organized by the Tumuku Development Cultural Union (ECOSOC) and chaired by Fazal Ur Rehman Afridi, Principal Representative of the union and Head of the PTM Europe Committee on International Advocacy & Foreign Affairs.
Dr. Naseem Baloch highlighted the dangers posed by China’s partnership with Pakistan through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
“China seeks not only economic dominance but also control over a vital maritime route,” Dr. Baloch said, stressing the strategic importance of Gwadar, located near the Strait of Hormuz. He emphasized that the ongoing fencing of Gwadar is not merely about controlling the Baloch people, but is a reflection of China’s ambitions to secure influence over a region critical to global power dynamics.
Dr. Baloch underscored the human rights violations resulting from China’s involvement in Balochistan. He pointed out that CPEC, often portrayed as a development initiative, has exacerbated exploitation of the region’s rich resources, including gas, gold, and copper, while displacing entire villages for projects like the Gwadar port. “CPEC does not promise prosperity for the Baloch; instead, it is another mechanism of marginalization and dispossession,” he added.
The militarization of Gwadar, a city of deep cultural significance to the Baloch, was also a focal point of Dr. Baloch’s speech. He lamented that local residents are now unable to access their own city without military approval, as the area is transformed into a militarized zone under China’s broader geopolitical ambitions.
Dr. Baloch, a survivor of enforced disappearance, also spoke on the dire human rights situation in Balochistan. He recounted his own experience and highlighted the systematic policy of enforced disappearances by Pakistan to silence Baloch aspirations for freedom. He described Pakistan’s ongoing campaign of terror, including extrajudicial killings and torture, which has plagued the Baloch people since the forced annexation of Balochistan in 1948.
Addressing the larger issue of human rights violations in Pakistan, Dr. Baloch mentioned the thousands of Baloch, Pashtun, Sindhi, and Kashmiri individuals held in internment centers without trial. He condemned these centers as “black holes of injustice” where detainees endure horrific torture, many never to be seen again.
In concluding remarks, Dr. Baloch urged the international community to break its silence. “The ongoing human rights abuses in Balochistan demand urgent international attention. Pakistan must be held accountable for its actions,” he said, calling for an independent investigation into the human rights violations and the imposition of sanctions on Pakistan for its persistent abuses.
“This is a fight for our very survival,” Dr. Baloch declared, urging the world to stand in solidarity with the Baloch people in their struggle for self-determination and freedom.