Baloch Activist Dr Naseem Baloch condemns enforced disappearance of Prof. Usman Baloch, highlights plight of missing persons

Berlin [Germany] August 18 (ANI): Chairman of the Baloch National Movement (BNM), Dr. Naseem Baloch, has vociferously condemned the forced disappearance of Prof. Dr. Usman Baloch and his sibling, Jibran Baloch, labelled it yet another instance in what he sees as the systematic targeting of Baloch intellectuals.

In a post shared by Dr. Naseem Baloch on X, he pointed out the extensive list of slain Baloch scholars, authors, and thinkers, asserting that Pakistan is conducting a campaign to silence Baloch voices. He highlighted that the abduction of an educator like Prof. Usman Baloch constitutes not just a crime against an individual but also an affront to the dignity and respect of the entire Baloch teaching community.

Drawing a historical comparison, the BNM Chairman remarked that Pakistan's actions resemble the genocide inflicted on Bengalis in 1971, during which teachers and intellectuals were systematically targeted, degraded, and executed in detention facilities. He asserted that just as India intervened to halt those atrocities, it is now imperative for both India and Bangladesh to support the Baloch nation in putting an end to what he categorised as genocidal crimes.

Focusing on the human impact of enforced disappearances, Dr. Naseem recounted the story of young Shaari, who clutches a portrait of her uncle, Shabeer Baloch, who has been missing since October 2016 after allegedly being taken by Pakistani forces. For nearly ten years, Shaari's family has endured the pain and uncertainty of denial. Shaari is among the numerous Baloch women and children who have been participating in a sit-in protest in Islamabad for over a month, urging the recovery of thousands of missing persons and the release of leaders from the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC). Despite the peaceful nature of their protest, Dr. Naseem noted that the Pakistani state and its media have remained intentionally silent, highlighting how "every pillar of the state stands united in silencing the voices of the Baloch nation," as stated in his X post.

He expressed that Shaari's innocence should have been safeguarded, and her childhood ought to have been free from such sorrow. Instead, she has been compelled to grow up bearing the burden of her uncle's disappearance, becoming a witness to her people's suffering. "Her face," Dr. Naseem stated, "is the testament of a nation's anguish and serves as a reminder that enforced disappearances are not just statistics; they represent lives, families, and generations irrevocably affected," he said in his X post. (ANI)

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