Pakistan rejects criticism of UN HR experts

ISLAMABAD: In a hard-hitting rebuttal, the Foreign Office late on Wednesday night defended the recent measures, taken by police in Balochistan against activists of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), including the arrest of its leader Dr Mahrang Baloch and others.

“In this regard, the measures undertaken by the government [in Balochistan] are fully consistent with the international law, which categorically prohibits incitement to violence and terrorism. There can be no tolerance, let alone impunity, for terrorists, their facilitators, or their abettors,” said the Foreign Office.

In the statement, the FO did not name either the BYC or Dr Mahrang Baloch directly.

It was responding to a statement released from the office of the High Commissioner of the United Nations Human Rights in Geneva where some UN experts, while expressing their deepest sympathy to the victims of the Jaffar Express attacks, also demanded that Pakistan immediately release detained Baloch human rights defenders and cease its crackdown on peaceful protesters, a group of independent human rights experts said today.

“We have been monitoring with growing concern reports of alleged arrests and enforced disappearances of Baloch activists over the past number of months, and the violent incidents in the past few days have significantly increased our concerns,” the experts said. The Foreign Office said it had taken note of the press release issued by certain UN experts, which appears to be based on selective and unverified media reports.

“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 of the situation.

“Regrettably, these comments lack balance and proportionality, downplaying civilian casualties inflicted by terrorist attacks while disregarding the crimes committed by miscreants who deliberately disrupt public services, obstruct freedom of movement, and create an atmosphere of insecurity,” added the FO.

Any credible assessment pointed out the statement must recognise that these elements are not mere protesters but active participants in a broader campaign of lawlessness and violence.

“Their abuses of law and human rights violations cannot be ignored. Hiding behind a façade of alleged grievances, these elements are operating in collusion with terrorists — evident from their coordinated efforts to obstruct state responses, including synchronised roadblocks facilitating terrorist attacks,” said the Foreign Office.

The latest proof of this nexus, said the statement, was their unlawful storming of the District Hospital in Quetta, where they forcibly seized the bodies of five terrorists, eliminated during the Jaffar Express hostage rescue operation. Three of these bodies were taken back from the violent protestors by the police.

“International human rights law unequivocally prohibits individuals, entities, or groups from weaponising rights to infringe upon the rights and security of others. It also firmly upholds the right of sovereign states to take lawful and necessary action to maintain public order and ensure the safety of their citizens,” added the FO. The government is duty-bound it added to protect the lives and security of its people, particularly in areas where innocent civilians bear the brunt of foreign-sponsored terrorism.

“It has consistently pursued policies aimed at fostering social and economic development for all segments of society, regardless of ethnic or religious background. However, the persistent threat posed by terrorists and their enablers — through heinous attacks on civilians, security forces, and vital public infrastructure — undermines these efforts,” it added.

At a time when institutional and legal mechanisms remain fully available for all citizens seeking redress in accordance with their constitutional rights, the FO said that “it maintained 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.”

Earlier, the UN experts expressed concern about a series of actions by the Pakistan police against the BYC.

These actions, said the UN experts, intensified after a terrorist attack by Baloch militants on a passenger train on March 11, 2025.

“Once again we see the use of excessive force as a first response to peaceful protests,” the experts said. “We understand the deeply traumatic impact of the March 11 terrorist attack, and we express our deepest sympathy to the victims of this attacks, yet a response which relies on arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, and violent crackdowns on freedom of assembly cannot alleviate that trauma”.

In addition to BYC leader Mahrang Baloch’s case, the UN experts highlighted the arrest 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, and urged the Pakistani authorities to immediately release them and to refrain from “abusing counter-terrorism or public safety measures against human rights defenders.”