ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign office on Wednesday dismissed a statement issued by United Nations experts demanding the release of Baloch activists arrested during a crackdown on protests in the southwestern Balochistan province, maintaining that the statement lacked “balance and proportionality.”
The arrests came days after the separatist Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) targeted a passenger train in the mountainous Bolan region on March 11, taking hundreds of hostages. The siege, which lasted for about 36 hours, ended after a military operation that killed 33 militants. The BLA attack also claimed the lives of over 30 civilians and security personnel and was one of the deadliest train assaults in the country’s history.
According to official statements, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), which has long campaigned for the rights of the ethnic Baloch community, initiated a protest seeking the recovery of the bodies of militants who targeted the passenger train. Subsequently, the BYC announced the arrest of its top leader, Dr. Mahrang Baloch, from a sit-in in Quetta where, according to the group, she and her colleagues were protesting with the bodies of three activists killed during clashes with the police.
The UN experts described these protests as “peaceful,” raising concern over “the use of excessive force” by the state against the protesters along with their subsequent disappearance.
“We have taken note of the press release issued by certain UN experts, which appears to be based on selective and unverified media reports,” the foreign office said in its statement. “It is imperative that public statements of this nature adhere to principles of objectivity, avoid selective criticism, reflect factual accuracy, and acknowledge the full context of the situation.”
“Regrettably, these comments lack balance and proportionality, downplaying civilian casualties inflicted by terrorist attacks while disregarding the crimes committed by miscreants who deliberately disrupt public services, obstruct freedom of movement, and create an atmosphere of insecurity,” it added.
The foreign office noted any assessment of these events should recognize that “these elements are not mere protesters but active participants in a broader campaign of lawlessness and violence.”
It maintained this was evident from the storming of the District Hospital in Quetta, where protesters “forcibly seized the bodies of terrorists” killed during the train hostage rescue operation.
“International human rights law unequivocally prohibits individuals, entities, or groups from weaponizing rights to infringe upon the rights and security of others,” the statement continued. “It also firmly upholds the right of sovereign States to take lawful and necessary action to maintain public order and ensure the safety of their citizens.”
Earlier, the UN experts had said they had been monitoring with concern reports of alleged arrests and enforced disappearances of Baloch activists over the past number of months along with the violent incidents in the past few days.
“Once again we see the use of excessive force as a first response to peaceful protests,” they noted. “We understand the deeply traumatic impact of the 11 March terrorist attack, and we express our deepest sympathy to the victims of this attack, yet a response which relies on arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, and violent crackdowns on freedom of assembly cannot alleviate that trauma.”
The foreign office said Pakistan has an open and constructive dialogue with UN Special Procedures Mandate Holders and will continue its engagement based on principles of mutual respect, objectivity, and adherence to facts.