Quetta, February 19 – Several religious scholars have called for resolving issues in Balochistan through dialogue and urged the Pakistani government to conduct a transparent investigation into all cases of missing persons. They stated that any individual found guilty should be tried in open courts, while innocent people should be released immediately, local media reported on Thursday.
Addressing a press conference after a seminar on ‘Restoring Peace in Balochistan and Confidence-Building, the Institutional Responsibilities of Ulema and Mashaykh’, the scholars – including Maulana Ata ur Rehman, Allama Muhammad Juma Asadi, Maulana Anwar-ul-Haq Haqqani, and Qari Abdul Rehman Noorzai – emphasized that lasting solutions lie in justice, mediation, and reconciliation rather than the use of force, according to Pakistan's leading daily, Dawn.
The scholars warned that Balochistan is now at a crossroads, with one path leading to complete separation while the other leads to a constitutional struggle for basic rights. They demanded that the people of Balochistan should be treated as partners of the state rather than suspects.
They demanded that local residents be given jobs to reduce frustration and anxiety among the youth, and that they have a meaningful stake in Gwadar, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and mining projects. They also demanded that the majority of the revenue generated from Balochistan's resources be allocated for local development, Dawn reported.
The clerics said the seminar proposed several measures for restoring stability, which include holding transparent elections in Balochistan, giving local residents a rightful share of natural resources, expanding education, providing job opportunities, regulating border trade routes, curbing drug and trawler mafias, giving more powers to the Human Rights Commission, and setting up a reconciliation council comprising ulema and respected community figures.
Last week, Baloch activists, political leaders, and human rights activists voiced concerns over the situation in Balochistan, focusing on issues like enforced disappearances and political representation, during the Asma Jahangir Conference in Lahore, local media reported.
Sammi Deen Baloch, a central member of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), participated in the conference and held meetings with diplomats, politicians, journalists, and reporters. The BYC stated that Baloch used the conference to highlight what it termed serious human rights issues and to raise the viewpoint of the Baloch people.
During the conference, Sammi Deen Baloch met several United Nations officials, including UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Gina Romero, UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls Reem Alsalem of Jordan, and senior adviser to UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Ed O’Donovan, as reported by The Balochistan Post.
During these meetings, Sammi Deen Baloch stated that peaceful assembly and freedom of expression were being restricted, and that people were not being allowed to protest or speak out against state actions in Balochistan.
She voiced concerns about alleged violence against Baloch women, including the enforced disappearance of women and minors, and what she termed as unlawful arrests.
She spoke about the systematic targeting of human rights activists, citing allegations of threats, harassment, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests, killings, and mentioned cases of Mahrang Baloch, Beebo Baloch, Gulzadi Baloch, and others.
According to a statement released by BYC, UN representatives voiced concern over the reported human rights violations and announced that they would highlight these issues at relevant UN forums.
