A prominent human rights organisation on Saturday condemned Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti's threats to ‘burn and demolish’ orchards belonging to civilians in Mastung district and arrest their owners, calling the remarks “deeply alarming and condemnable.” The condemnation follows a public address by Bugti at the Central Police Office in Quetta on Friday, where he issued stark warnings to orchard owners in the region.

What Bugti Said

Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti warned that orchard owners would be treated as facilitators of militancy if security forces or the provincial interior minister were attacked from within their properties in Mastung. He stated that the government would consider two courses of action if private properties continued to be allegedly used for militant activities: large-scale relocation of residents to other areas, or the ‘elimination’ of orchards reportedly used for such purposes, according to Pakistani media outlet Daily Dunya.

Rights Body's Condemnation

The Baloch Voice for Justice (BVJ) sharply criticised the remarks, warning that threats against civilian property and economic resources raise serious concerns over violations of fundamental human rights, property rights, and the right to livelihood. “The human rights situation in Balochistan is already a matter of grave concern. Threats to burn local people’s orchards not only place their livelihoods and sources of income at risk but could also constitute a serious form of collective pressure and collective punishment against the local population,” the BVJ stated.

The organisation further said that “threatening to burn or demolish people’s orchards and arrest orchard owners would amount to collective punishment and a serious violation of civilians’ fundamental economic and human rights.” The BVJ called on Pakistani authorities to refrain from any actions aimed at intimidating civilians, damaging their property, or subjecting them to collective punishment.

Broader Pattern of Concern in Balochistan

The condemnation arrives against a backdrop of what rights groups describe as continuing violence against Baloch civilians across Pakistan. Separately, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) criticised the occupation of agricultural lands in Karachi's Malir district by Pakistani authorities, reportedly carried out “under the pretext of an Education City project,” calling the forced evictions of the Baloch community “unacceptable.”

According to the BYC, the Education City project endangers approximately 20,000 acres of land across six villages in Malir, with more than 80 settlements, ancient cemeteries, historical sites, and agricultural lands also at risk. The organisation noted that the immediate acquisition of nearly 1,000 acres for the project has become “a serious threat to the land-related rights of the local population.”

“The Baloch have inhabited Malir for centuries, and the lands, agricultural life, and local society of this region are part of their historical identity. The attempt to seize these lands from the local population under a project is in fact a policy to weaken their historical and collective existence,” the BYC stated.

What Comes Next

Rights organisations are pressing Pakistani authorities to ensure compliance with international human rights norms, particularly those prohibiting collective punishment of civilian populations. With multiple flashpoints — from Mastung to Malir — the situation in Balochistan and surrounding Baloch-populated regions is drawing increasing scrutiny from civil society groups.