Human rights activist Arif Aajakia accuses Pakistan of systemic abuses across provinces

Sep 16, 2025

Geneva [Switzerland], September 16 (ANI): Arif Aajakia, a well-known human rights defender and Executive Director of the Asian Human Rights Forum, has strongly criticised Pakistan for what he describes as ongoing human rights violations and systemic exploitation of ethnic minorities and marginalised provinces. Speaking during a recent address, Aajakia alleged that the situation in Balochistan amounts to genocide. "Balochistan is an occupied nation. Its people are facing both physical and economic genocide," he said. According to him, the province, which is rich in natural resources, is being exploited by the Pakistani state with the support of the Chinese Communist Party. “All the resources are being looted, and the local Baloch population receives nothing. When they resist, they are met with brutal repression by what he called 'Pakistan's terrorist army, the Punjabi army” he added. Aajakia further claimed that enforced disappearances, including those of women and children, are widespread in Balochistan, and that no meaningful human rights protections exist in the region.