27 March 2026
On Friday, 27 March 2026, from 12:00 to 15:30, in Geneva, during the 61st session of the UN Human Rights Council, the Baloch National Movement organised the event “Baluchistan: 78 Years of Occupation, Human Rights Abuses and Failure of International Accountability”. During the gathering, the situation in Balochistan, international responsibility for human rights violations, and the recent arrests of Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha were brought together at the centre of the discussion. The event brought together speakers from politics, journalism, academia, international advocacy and human rights work.
Balochistan was at the centre
During the event, Balochistan was presented as a case of seventy-eight years of oppression, brutality, genocide, denial of national identity and exploitation of natural resources. Dr. Naseem Baloch, chairman of the Baloch National Movement, said that the Baloch were living in subjugation as a people, as individuals and as a nation. He linked that directly to the demand for freedom for Balochistan and described that freedom as a fundamental right on their own land and a right of future generations.
In his remarks, he extended that line to the present situation. He spoke of young men and women being tortured in unofficial detention centres, of people dying in custody, and of mutilated bodies being returned. He also referred to mothers waiting at their doors for years for children who never returned. In that context, he placed emphasis on enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, collective punishment and the exploitation of natural resources in Balochistan. He said that such acts were not domestic matters, but violations of international law, and he called for independent and transparent investigations into what he described as war crimes.
Arrests of Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha
A key part of the gathering was the attention given to the recent arrests of Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha. Dr. Naseem Baloch presented their situation as an example of the pressure placed on people who defend fundamental rights and speak up for those who have no voice. He said that Imaan Mazari, as a lawyer, had repeatedly stood for justice and had supported the cases of Baloch missing persons, giving a voice to families who had remained unheard for a long time.
During the event, it was stated that both Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha were themselves facing hardship because they had spoken out and defended fundamental rights. Their situation was linked to broader concerns about the protection of human rights and freedom of expression. Along that line, the event called for their immediate release.
Moderation and structure of the programme
The event was moderated by Mahra Baloch and Salim Baloch. They led a programme focused on human rights, international accountability and the place of Balochistan within broader regional and international tensions. It was an afternoon programme in which a range of voices took the floor one after another, each contributing from a different background to the same central issue.
That structure gave the event a broad profile. It did not only feature Baloch speakers, but also representatives of other oppressed peoples, journalists, academics, international organisations and individuals with experience in UN-related frameworks. This gave the gathering a wider political and human rights significance.
Speakers from human rights work and politics
Sherbaz Khan took part as a social and political activist, human rights activist and representative of the Workers Party Gilgit Baltistan. Gary Cartwright spoke as publisher and editor of EU Today and as a former adviser to British Members of the European Parliament between 2004 and 2014. He also brought experience from a range of political campaigns in the United Kingdom and the United States.
Hatim Baloch took part as coordinator of Paank, the human rights department of the Baloch National Movement. His work was connected during the event to highlighting enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, military operations and other human rights violations in Balochistan. Dr. Hidayat Bhutto spoke as organiser for the United Kingdom and Europe of the World Sindhi Congress and as an advocate for the Sindhi people on international forums, including the United Nations, where he had been active for more than twenty years.
Mercè Monje Cano took part as secretary general of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization, an international network of more than forty marginalised and unrepresented peoples and communities. Her work was linked during the event to human rights, self-determination and support for communities facing repression and exclusion. Her contacts with UN bodies, civil society organisations and policymakers also gave added weight to her intervention.
International and legal voices
Ana Lorena Delgadillo joined by video. She took part as a member of the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances and as a Mexican human rights lawyer with more than twenty years of experience in women’s rights, migrants’ rights, disappearances, femicide, the criminal justice system, judicial independence, militarisation and public security. During the event, her work was also placed in the context of contributing to legislation, policy and public recognition of victims of grave human rights violations in Mexico and Central America, especially in cases involving impunity and a lack of rule of law.
Andy Vermaut took part as a European Climate Pact Ambassador, investigative journalist and human rights defender. During the event, his work was linked to raising the issue of enforced disappearances and digital repression, as well as to his regular interventions at the United Nations in Geneva. Saqlain Imam spoke as a journalist and former presenter and programme editor at the BBC World Service, Urdu service. He therefore brought extensive journalistic experience into a debate strongly centred on rights and political accountability.
Political and academic input
Manzoor Pashteen participated by telephone. He was presented in the programme as leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement and as an outspoken voice against enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings of the Pashtun nation. Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa spoke as a senior fellow at the Department of War Studies at King’s College London and as the author of two books, including Military Inc, Inside Pakistan’s Military Economy. She thus brought an academic and analytical perspective to the discussion.
Sardar Akhter Mengal joined by video. He took part as chairman of the Balochistan National Party, former Chief Minister and former member of the National Assembly of Pakistan. His role during the event was linked to his long-standing advocacy for Baloch rights within Pakistan’s parliamentary politics and to his call for a peaceful and democratic way out of the crisis in Balochistan.
Closing political message
The closing contribution came from Dr. Naseem Baloch. During the event, he said that the Baloch were not asking for privileges, but for justice and for the right to national freedom as laid down in the Charter of the United Nations. He stated that the Baloch met the principles and standards of that right. At the same time, he warned that silence strengthens the oppressor and leaves the oppressed even more vulnerable. According to him, continued silence would not only be a failure for the Baloch people, but also for the conscience of humanity.
By linking, in the same gathering, the historical charge of seventy-eight years of occupation with the current arrests of Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha, the event took on a direct and immediate relevance. In Geneva, the discussion was not only about a long political struggle, but also about very concrete cases involving people who are paying a price today because they speak out. It was precisely that link that made the gathering stand out. It is something that will continue to be followed today on indegazette.be.
Balochistan, Geneva, Dr. Naseem Baloch, Imaan Mazari, Hadi Ali Chattha, Human Rights Council, BNM, Enforced Disappearances, Andy Vermaut, Mercè Monje Cano
Sources:
Chairman speech
Moderator script
Baloch National Movement
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