Mehrang Baloch criticises global silence on atrocities against Baloch in Pakistan

Baloch rights activist Mehrang Baloch has raised concerns over the international community’s silence on the atrocities being committed against the Baloch community in Pakistan. She expressed concern during a conference in Beirut, Lebanon on Sunday that highlighted the problems faced by youth due to recurrent wars and clashes in the Middle East and North Africa.

The event titled ‘Middle East and North Africa Youth Conference’ (MENAYC) was attended by many youth activists from around the world and over 80 delegates from 14 countries.

In his/her video message, Mehrang Baloch said, “We the Baloch people are facing terrible genocide even in the 21st century and we deeply regret the world’s silence over our plight. For seven decades, the youth, mothers, sisters and daughters of our country have suffered the worst tragedies of war.”

My Video Talk:

I am very proud to have been invited to the ‘Middle East and North Africa Youth Conference’ held in Beirut, Lebanon. Unfortunately, I could not attend due to prior commitments. However, I recorded a video message which I shared with Courageous Young Voices… pic.twitter.com/mkrpTR5ZQR

— Mahrang Baloch (@MahrangBaloch_) June 10, 2024

She said, “People all over the world are raising their voice for the oppressed people, but the biggest setback for us is that no human rights organisation has raised its voice for us, nor have anti-war advocates addressed our genocide. Today, when the suffering of the Baloch people is discussed, the issue of enforced disappearances comes to the fore. I say with full confidence that Balochistan is one of the regions with the highest number of enforced disappearances in the world.”

In his/her video statement, Mehrang Baloch accused the Pakistani army and intelligence agencies of carrying out enforced disappearances. he/she also said that the most affected among the Baloch community are the youth as they are often abducted when they speak out and express their concerns against the administration.

In his/her statement, the Baloch activist said, “This number has reached thousands in the last two decades. Many Baloch youth have been missing for years, with government agencies not even telling their families whether their loved ones are alive or dead. This terror is not limited to the youth but also extends to teachers, journalists, poets, intellectuals, artists, women, children and the elderly.”

She said, “The pain of enforced disappearances in Balochistan is unimaginable and beyond words. We have girls who have never seen their fathers, and they were forcibly disappeared at birth, and grew up without them. We have hundreds of women whose husbands have been forcibly disappeared, even after 10 years, they don’t know if they are still married or widowed, because the state refuses to tell them if their husbands are alive or dead.”

Mehrang Baloch said that her father was also a victim of enforced disappearance. Sharing her pain, Baloch said, “When my father was enforced disappearance for the first time, I was only 13 years old. I protested along with my siblings for his/her safe release, but instead I got the mutilated body of my beloved father. he/she was killed, his/her mutilated and badly tortured body was dumped in a remote forest.”

Sharing details about her participation in the event, Mehrang Baloch said in a post on X, “My video talk: I am deeply honored to have been invited to the ‘Middle East and North Africa Youth Conference’ in Beirut, Lebanon. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend due to prior commitments. However, I recorded a video message that I shared with the courageous young voices of North Africa and the Middle East who, like Baloch, are facing systematic wars and crises that tragically rise to the level of genocide. Thank you for inviting me.”