Paris [France] August 5 : Baloch Voice Association (BVA) has submitted a detailed 17-page report to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) ahead of its 63rd Session, alleging a deteriorating human rights situation in Pakistan's Balochistan province and calling for urgent international intervention to address enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, restrictions on civil liberties, and the broader political conflict in the region.
Titled "The Conflict in Balochistan: A Detailed Report on the Crisis, Human Rights, Enforced Disappearances, and the Suppression of Dissent," the report argues that the conflict in Balochistan is fundamentally political rather than a security issue. It alleges that decades of political marginalisation, economic exploitation, suppression of dissent, and widespread human rights violations have fuelled recurring insurgencies since 1948.
According to the report, Balochistan, Pakistan's largest province by area and home to an estimated 15 million people, possesses abundant reserves of oil, gas, coal, copper and gold but remains among the country's least developed regions. BVA claims that despite contributing substantially to Pakistan's economy, local communities have remained deprived of the benefits generated from these natural resources.
The report traces the origins of the conflict to the incorporation of the former princely State of Kalat into Pakistan in 1948, which it characterises as a "forcible annexation." It outlines five phases of insurgency, stating that the latest phase, which began in 2004, has intensified over disputes concerning political autonomy, resource control and allegations of enforced disappearances. According to the report, the conflict has witnessed a sharp escalation during 2024 and 2025.
BVA identifies several key demands raised by Baloch groups and human rights organisations, including an end to enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, greater provincial autonomy, political representation, control over local resources, and protection of cultural identity and dignity. It also argues that these demands represent minimum requirements under international human rights law.
A major section of the report focuses on enforced disappearances, describing them as the province's most pressing humanitarian concern. It cites official figures from Pakistan's Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (COIED), which recorded over 10,000 disappearance cases nationwide since 2011, including 2,752 from Balochistan. At the same time, the report notes that Baloch human rights organisations claim the actual number is significantly higher, alleging that around 18,000 people have disappeared since 2001.
According to BVA, it documented 885 enforced disappearances and 121 killings during the first six months of 2025 alone, while 109 disappearances were recorded in January 2025 across 14 districts of Balochistan. The report also refers to allegations of the "kill-and-dump" phenomenon, in which bodies of previously disappeared individuals are allegedly recovered in different parts of the province.
The report further cites findings by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), which described the human rights situation in Balochistan as "grave" following a fact-finding mission in 2025. According to the report, HRCP expressed concern over enforced disappearances, shrinking civic space, erosion of provincial autonomy and impunity, while also raising objections to detention provisions that permit extended custody without meaningful judicial oversight.
BVA also includes a list of individuals whom it says have been subjected to enforced disappearance over the years, including doctors, students, journalists and political activists. It notes that the list is representative rather than exhaustive and states that many families continue to search for missing relatives.
The report devotes significant attention to the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), describing it as a peaceful civil rights movement advocating against enforced disappearances and economic injustice. It details the cases of several BYC leaders, including Mahrang Baloch, Sibghatullah Shah, Bebarg Zehri and Sammi Deen Baloch, alleging they were arrested or prosecuted during a broader crackdown on peaceful activism. The report notes that Mahrang Baloch and Sibghatullah Shah were sentenced to life imprisonment in June 2026, a verdict that, according to BVA, prompted criticism from Amnesty International, United Nations experts and the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO).
Another section examines press freedom, alleging increasing restrictions on journalists and media organisations. Referring to reports by Freedom Network and Reporters Without Borders, the document states that journalists in Balochistan face intimidation, censorship, violence and legal action, while Pakistan's ranking in the World Press Freedom Index has declined. It also alleges that the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) has increasingly been used against journalists and social media activists.
The report further alleges restrictions on freedom of assembly, claiming that peaceful protests have frequently been met with arrests, force and legal action. It cites protests related to enforced disappearances, including demonstrations in Gwadar over issues linked to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), alleging that participants faced violence and repression.
Highlighting its own advocacy efforts, BVA states that it has regularly raised the issue of Balochistan before the UN Human Rights Council through exhibitions, side events and written submissions. The organisation says it has consistently urged the UN to address allegations of enforced disappearances and human rights violations in the province and has criticised the life imprisonment of Mahrang Baloch as an attempt to suppress political dissent.
In its concluding recommendations, the Baloch Voice Association calls on the international community to treat the conflict as a political issue requiring dialogue rather than solely a security challenge. It urges the United Nations and member states to dispatch fact-finding missions and special rapporteurs to Balochistan, investigate allegations of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, hold those responsible accountable under international law, facilitate internationally supervised dialogue between Pakistan and Baloch representatives, and support what it describes as the Baloch people's right to self-determination through a UN-supervised referendum or comparable mechanism.
The report cites documentation from multiple organisations and institutions, including the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), Amnesty International, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Human Rights Watch, the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, Reporters Without Borders, the Pakistan Press Foundation, the International Crisis Group and several international media organisations, alongside documentation compiled by the Baloch Voice Association itself.