Islamabad: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has raised significant concerns following its recent fact-finding mission to Balochistan, highlighting a severe human rights crisis in the province. The mission’s findings point to ongoing enforced disappearances, the erosion of civic space, and a lack of provincial autonomy, all of which contribute to public alienation and political instability.
The HRCP mission noted that state representatives now recognize enforced disappearances but frame them as a consequence of insurgency, potentially normalizing what international laws deem a crime against humanity. The commission calls for independent investigations into reprisals against those who protest these disappearances.
The mission criticized the Anti-Terrorism (Balochistan Amendment) Act 2025, which allows for 90-day detentions without adequate judicial oversight, raising fears of torture and abuse. The HRCP urges the government to rescind the Act and align counterterrorism efforts with human rights obligations.
Electoral manipulation and the marginalization of nationalist parties have undermined public trust in democracy, according to the report. The mission recommends ensuring transparency and fairness in electoral processes by investigating allegations of rigging and depoliticizing administrative structures.
The HRCP also calls for the demilitarization of civilian law enforcement, advocating for a unified civilian police force trained in community-based, rights-compliant policing. The current reliance on paramilitary and military forces should be reduced.
The report stresses the need to legitimize civil society movements like the Baloch Yakjehti Committee. It warns against equating human rights advocacy with militancy, which deepens alienation, particularly among youth. The state is urged to affirm the role of human rights defenders and ensure their protection.
The mission recommends reinstating constitutional protections under the 18th Amendment and respecting provincial autonomy, especially in managing natural resources. Projects like Saindak and amendments to the Balochistan Mines and Mineral Act require local consultation and fair benefit-sharing.
The HRCP concludes that without a transparent, inclusive, and rights-based political solution, conditions in Balochistan will worsen. The risk of ethnic reprisals beyond the province is increasing, threatening national unity, and calls for principled leadership rather than further securitization.