26/09/2026
BNM’s 12th Balochistan International Conference in Geneva: Discussion on Human Rights, Justice and Baloch Political Future
Saturday, 26 September 2026 |
https://thebnm.org/programs/conferences/28855/
The Baloch National Movement (BNM) held its 12th Balochistan International Conference at the Geneva Press Club on the occasion of the 63rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council. The conference discussed the human rights situation in Balochistan, enforced disappearances, arrests of political activists, natural resources, the right to self-determination, and the political future of the region.
The title of the conference was “Occupied Balochistan at the Crossroads: Human Rights, Justice and the Struggle for Freedom, Honouring the Legacy of Chairman Zubair Baloch.”
The conference was attended by Baloch political activists and human rights representatives, as well as representatives from Sindh, Pashtun, Afghan, Kashmiri and Gilgit-Baltistan communities. Human rights experts from Europe, a British Member of Parliament and journalists also addressed the conference. The conference was part of BNM’s three-day Geneva campaign, during which the organisation highlighted the situation in Balochistan before international institutions and representatives.
Speakers at the conference included Dr Naseem Baloch, Chairman of the Baloch National Movement; Manzoor Pashteen, leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM); John McDonnell, British Labour Party Member of Parliament and former Shadow Chancellor; Dr Lakhu Luhana, Sindhi nationalist leader and prominent figure associated with the World Sindhi Congress; Jamal Baloch, Media Coordinator of Pang, BNM’s human rights organisation; Sohail Ahmed Abro, Chairman of the Jeay Sindh Freedom Movement; Sherbaz Khan, representative of the Worker Party Gilgit-Baltistan; Dr Ghafoor Leval, Afghan writer, author and former Afghan ambassador to Iran; Antonio Stango, President of the Italian Federation for Human Rights (FIDU) and Professor of International Organisations and Human Rights at Rome Link Campus University; and Shahid Qazi, a journalist from Balochistan. The conference was hosted by BNM members Mehrah Baloch and Saleem Baloch.
Dr Naseem Baloch: Behind Every Report and Statistic on Balochistan Is a Human Being
In his keynote address, BNM Chairman Dr Naseem Baloch said that this gathering was not merely another political gathering, but the voice of human lives that reflects the situation in Balochistan.
He said that behind every report, every photograph and every statistic about Balochistan, there is a human being.
According to him, a mother is waiting for the return of her forcibly disappeared son, a child is growing up without a father, and families are standing at the doors of prisons asking where their loved one is.
Dr Naseem Baloch also remembered Dr Abdul Rashid, alias Dr Nokap Baloch, a member of BNM’s Central Committee, who was killed by agents of the Pakistan Army on 10 September. He said that armed men came disguised as patients and killed the man whose work was to treat people.
Referring to the political struggle and thought of martyred Chairman Zubair Baloch, he said that he was targeted for speaking about national freedom, rejecting occupation, and creating political awareness among the youth.
According to him, the enemy took Zubair Baloch away from us, but could not take away his political vision.
Dr Naseem Baloch also mentioned the life imprisonment of Dr Mahrang Baloch, Sibghatullah Shah Ji and Gul Zadi Baloch. He said that BNM’s political position is for an independent and self-governing Balochistan, and that the struggle for human rights cannot be separated from the struggle for national freedom.
His address presented the humanitarian crisis in Balochistan not merely through statistics, but through the families and individuals directly affected by these circumstances.
Manzoor Pashteen: Peaceful Voices Are Being Imprisoned and Given Life Sentences
Manzoor Pashteen, leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), addressed the conference via video link.
Referring to Mahrang Baloch, Bibo Baloch, Gul Zadi Baloch, Bebgar Baloch, Sibghatullah Baloch and other activists, he said that the only crime of these individuals is raising a peaceful voice.
According to him, the state has imprisoned them and given them life sentences.
Manzoor Pashteen said that Baloch youth are being forcibly disappeared every day, while women and children in homes are being targeted by airstrikes. According to him, those who raise questions about natural resources are declared terrorists and sent to prison or forcibly disappeared.
He mentioned more than 200,000 victims, thousands of deaths and missing persons in Pashtun areas. According to him, 72 children aged one year or younger were killed in military drone attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during 2025 and 2026.
Addressing Europe, he said that if it is not possible to take a major political step, then at least no further funds or weapons should be provided to such a state.
Referring to the Pakistani prime minister as Trump’s sycophant, he said that the flattery of one man was being given more importance than the deaths of millions.
John McDonnell: Britain Should Recognise the Baloch People’s Right to Self-Determination
John McDonnell, British Labour Party Member of Parliament and former Shadow Chancellor, addressed the conference via video link. He has represented Hayes and Harlington since 1997.
He said that Britain’s colonial history places a special responsibility on it to recognise the Baloch people’s demands for peace, justice and the right to self-determination.
John McDonnell said that he would continue to provide political and diplomatic support in Britain to Baloch people affected by Pakistani repression.
Referring to the new restrictions, he said that they had increased the difficulties faced by asylum seekers. According to him, some people seek asylum because their lives are at risk.
He also acknowledged that changing British policy is not easy because of relations between London and Islamabad. However, he said that there is a need for extended discussions with the new leadership regarding immediate issues and civil liberties.
Dr Lakhu Luhana: Balochistan Is Not at a Crossroads; It Is on the Road to Freedom
Dr Lakhu Luhana, a Sindhi nationalist leader and a former prominent figure associated with the World Sindhi Congress, disagreed with part of the conference title, saying that Balochistan is not at a crossroads but is on the road to freedom.
He said that on 27 March 1948, a night of slavery fell upon Balochistan. “That night has not ended; it is becoming deeper.”
Dr Lakhu Luhana referred to Balochistan’s natural resources and said that despite the presence of gold, copper, coal, gas and oil, poverty and malnutrition persist in the region, while maternal and child mortality rates also remain high.
Referring to Sui gas, he said that a large portion of the gas has been extracted, but women still travel for miles to obtain water.
He asked how many more bodies would bleed from Balochistan before the world would acknowledge that atrocities are taking place and need to be stopped.
He invited Sindh and Balochistan to move together on a shared political journey, saying that Balochistan is not at a crossroads but is on the road to freedom.
Paank: 485 Enforced Disappearances and 181 Deaths Reported in Six Months
At the conference, Jamal Baloch, Media Coordinator of Paank, a human rights organisation in Balochistan, presented figures from the organisation’s documented report.
According to Jamal Baloch, during the past six months, Paank received reports of 485 enforced disappearances and 181 extrajudicial killings. According to him, 32 disappearances of women and children were also recorded.
He clarified that these were only the incidents that reached Paank, while many families do not report incidents because of threats.
According to him, based on the six-month figures, an average of 81 enforced disappearances were reported each month, while an average of 30 forcibly missing persons were killed. The monthly average and reported figures presented by Paank were also highlighted by external reporting on 25 September.
Jamal Baloch also mentioned drone attacks and aerial bombardments in Balochistan. According to him, six people were killed in such attacks last month, including three children. He said that a 285-kilogram bomb was used in one attack.
Regarding political activists, he said that they are first forcibly disappeared, later shown as arrested, and then made to read prepared statements in the media.
He said, “We have the right to live. We want to be free. We have the right to be in our schools.”
Sohail Ahmed Abro: Referendums Should Be Held in Balochistan, Sindh and Other Regions
Sohail Ahmed Abro, Chairman of the Jeay Sindh Freedom Movement, said that Balochistan remained an independent state for centuries and came under military occupation on 27 March 1948.
He said, “The state sees mines and land, not the people.”
Sohail Ahmed Abro said that more than 30,000 Baloch are forcibly missing, while more than 8,000 people have been killed over the years. He also mentioned aerial bombardment in Sorab.
He described Sindhi, Baloch, Pashtun, Kashmiri, Gilgiti-Baltistani and Saraiki people as oppressed nations under the same occupation and proposed adopting a joint strategy.
He called on the United Nations to hold referendums in Balochistan, Sindh, Pakhtunkhwa, Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and Saraiki Waseb.
At the conclusion of his address, he repeated the words of G.M. Syed: “Freedom is our right, freedom is possible, and one day we will achieve freedom.”
Sherbaz Khan: Expression of Solidarity from Gilgit-Baltistan
Sherbaz Khan, representative of the Worker Party Gilgit-Baltistan, addressed the conference and expressed solidarity with the other oppressed nations of the region.
He expressed solidarity with the people of Gilgit-Baltistan and nations struggling for rights and political demands in the region.
Dr Ghafoor Liwal: The World Is Still Not Properly Hearing These Issues
Dr Ghafoor Liwal, Afghan writer, author and former Afghan ambassador to Iran, addressed the conference via video link.
He said that human rights violations in Balochistan and Pashtun areas have still not been properly understood at the international level.
According to him, families have lost loved ones. Women and children are taken from their homes. Tortured bodies are later found. Thousands have been forcibly disappeared.
He said that the issue is not only the violation of human rights, but also that the world is not fully aware of the demands of these people and the reasons behind their sacrifices.
Dr Ghafoor Liwal identified two fronts in this regard. According to him, one front is to inform people inside the country about their rights, while the other is to provide reliable information to the international community.
He said that people living under pressure cannot do this work themselves; therefore, exiled intellectuals, journalists and communities should become their voice.
He said, “This is not only a struggle for facts. It is a struggle of the audience, a struggle for truth, a struggle for education, and a struggle to have someone’s voice heard.”
Antonio Stango: Access of Many Nations to International Institutions Is Restricted
Antonio Stango, President of the Italian Federation for Human Rights (FIDU) and Professor of International Organisations and Human Rights at Rome Link Campus University, spoke about the global human rights system and its practical situation.
He said that the theory of human rights and the reality of human rights violations are moving further apart.
According to him, when representatives of nations deprived of collective rights participate in United Nations meetings, some government representatives call them terrorists and say that they should not be at the forum but in prison.
He said that this conference is being held at the Geneva Press Club rather than at the Palais des Nations because some governments oppose such meetings inside the United Nations.
Antonio Stango agreed with the conference’s position that sustainable peace is not possible without justice and reconciliation is not possible without trust.
Referring to the International Criminal Court in The Hague as a court for serious international crimes rather than a political court, he said, “International justice must work.”
Shahid Qazi: The Balochistan Issue Cannot Be Viewed Only from a Security Perspective
Shahid Qazi, a journalist from Balochistan who has hosted the programme The Unmuted Voice and previously worked with NBC News and ITV, spoke about the political and humanitarian dimensions of the Balochistan issue.
He said that the Balochistan issue has long been presented only from a security perspective, while its humanitarian and political dimensions cannot be ignored.
He said that student protests, the search for a missing son and the demand for justice are not a national security threat but a human rights issue.
According to him, “Death brings grief. Enforced disappearance brings uncertainty.”
He said that Balochistan’s natural resources are extracted, but people’s lives do not change. If people’s dignity is ignored, no port can become a symbol of prosperity.
He told the international community not to accept any claim blindly, but to listen, investigate and verify.
According to him, “Truth does not fear transparency.”
He said that if the disappearance of a person in Europe is an important issue, then disappearance in Balochistan should also be considered important, and if the right to freedom of expression exists in Geneva, then it should also exist in Shaal.
He concluded his address with the words: “Fear will make you a prisoner; hope will set you free.”
Conclusion of the Conference: Emphasis on Viewing Human Rights, Justice and Political Future Together
In the various addresses at the conference, the situation in Balochistan was presented as a set of interconnected questions involving human rights, enforced disappearances, arrests of political activists, natural resources, justice, the right to self-determination and the political future.
In their respective addresses, the speakers also referred to the issues of Sindh, Pashtun areas, Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and the Saraiki region, and identified common political and human rights aspects among them.
At the conclusion of the conference, the common point among the speakers was that the questions of imprisonment, enforced disappearance, natural resources and the political future in Balochistan cannot be viewed separately from one another.
The conference was dedicated to the political struggle and thought of martyred BNM Chairman Zubair Baloch, while through the conference, the human rights and political issue of Balochistan was presented before international human rights circles, political representatives, journalists and other participants present in Geneva.
