UN experts demand Pakistan release Baloch activists, halt crackdown

More than a dozen United Nations experts demanded Wednesday that Pakistan immediately release detained Baloch rights defenders and that it halt its crackdown on peaceful protests.

Among those arrested in recent days was Mahrang Baloch, one of Pakistan's most prominent human rights advocates, who has long campaigned for Baloch rights.

She and other activists took part in a sit-in protest on Friday in the provincial capital of Quetta.

They demanded the release of members of their support group, whom they allege had been detained by security agencies.

"We have been monitoring with growing concern reports of alleged arrests and enforced disappearances of Baloch activists over the past number of months," the independent experts said in a statement.

Police launched a pre-dawn raid on Saturday, arresting Baloch and other activists, during which at least three protestors died. Both sides blamed each other for the deaths.

On Sunday, Baloch and other protesters were charged with terrorism, sedition, and murder, according to the police charge sheet seen by AFP.

In their statement, the experts, including the UN special rapporteurs on the situation of human rights defenders, on minority issues, and counter-terrorism and human rights, decried "the use of excessive force as a first response to peaceful protests".

Pakistan has been battling a separatist insurgency in Balochistan for decades, where militants target state forces and foreign nationals in the mineral-rich southwestern province bordering Afghanistan and Iran.

Police actions against Baloch activists have intensified after Baloch separatists earlier this month launched a dramatic train siege that officials said ended in around 60 deaths, half of whom were separatists behind the assault.

"We understand the deeply traumatic impact of the March 11 terrorist attack, and we express our deepest sympathy to the victims," said the experts, who are mandated by the UN Human Rights Council but who do not speak on behalf of the United Nations itself.

"Yet a response which relies on arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, and violent crackdowns on freedom of assembly cannot alleviate that trauma."

In addition to Mahrang Baloch's case, the experts highlighted the arrest on Monday of another woman human rights defender, Sammi Deen Baloch, along with others in front of the Karachi Press Club as they protested against the crackdown.

"We urge the Pakistani authorities to immediately release them and to refrain from abusing counter-terrorism or public safety measures against human rights defenders," the experts said.

Pakistan rejects criticism

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, however, dismissed the statement by UN human rights experts regarding the detention of Baloch activists, calling it "selective and unverified."

In a statement, the ministry said the UN experts’ remarks lacked objectivity and failed to acknowledge the broader context of the situation.

“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,” the statement said.

The ministry accused the UN experts of downplaying civilian casualties caused by terrorist attacks while ignoring what it described as “lawlessness and violence” by certain groups. It argued that the groups were actively working to disrupt public order and security.

“These elements are operating in collusion with terrorists, evident from their coordinated efforts to obstruct state responses, including synchronized roadblocks facilitating terrorist attacks,” the statement said.

The ministry also stressed that legal and institutional channels remain open for citizens seeking redress.

“We maintain an open and constructive dialogue with UN Special Procedures Mandate Holders and will continue our engagement based on principles of mutual respect, objectivity, and adherence to facts,” the statement concluded.