BNM accuses Pakistan of using European tour to whitewash abuses in Balochistan

Balochistan [Pakistan], October 31 (ANI): A delegation from the Balochistan Provincial Assembly, led by Speaker Abdul Khaliq Khan and Provincial Ministers Saleem Ahmed, Sadiq Umrani and other leaders, embarked on an official visit to Europe on October 28.

The group's itinerary includes Berlin, Germany, and Paris, with the final stop scheduled in Rome, Italy, on November 2.

Taking to the social media platform X, the Baloch National Movement (BNM) stated that although publicly described by Pakistan as a routine parliamentary engagement, the organisation has strongly condemned the tour.

The BNM alleged that the visit is part of a calculated effort by the Pakistani establishment to mislead European governments and conceal the grim realities of Balochistan. According to the BNM, the delegation's true purpose is to propagate the state's narrative abroad and suppress international awareness about ongoing human rights violations in the region.

The BNM described the delegation members as products of a "manipulated and unrepresentative electoral system", a sentiment echoed by international election observers who have questioned the credibility of polls held in the province.

The organisation accused Pakistan of using such "manufactured representatives" to whitewash its image overseas while continuing a policy of repression at home. The BNM pointed to persistent reports of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and the systematic silencing of dissent in Balochistan as evidence of the state's ongoing abuses.

The BNM called upon the governments and parliaments of Germany, France, and Italy to challenge the Pakistani delegation on issues of state-sponsored violence and to recognise the Baloch people's right to self-determination.

The organisation asserted that the touring officials "do not speak for the Baloch nation" but rather serve to legitimise Pakistan's continued colonial control over Balochistan. (ANI)

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