Several members of the Baloch National Movement (BNM) on 1 October 2026 raised serious concerns about the deteriorating human rights situation in Balochistan before the 63rd session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, alleging Pakistan Army airstrikes on civilian areas and systematic violations targeting Baloch women and girls across the province.

Airstrikes on Civilians: What BNM Alleged

BNM member Ahmed Baloch told the UNHRC session that a Pakistan Army airstrike in Surab on 12 September 2026 killed six civilians, including a woman and a two-year-old child, and injured nine others, most of them young children. He said Pakistani authorities attributed the casualties to 'concealed explosive devices', while, according to Ahmed Baloch, 'photographs and footage from the area showed fragments of numbered munitions and damage consistent with aerial bombardment.'

Ahmed Baloch alleged that the Surab strike was not an isolated incident, pointing to earlier alleged airstrikes in Zehri and the Chiltan area of Shaal. He warned that the increasing use of fighter jets, drones, and helicopter gunships in populated areas was putting thousands of Baloch lives at risk. He called for an end to airstrikes, international access to Balochistan, and recognition of what he termed the 'Baloch nation's right to self-determination.'

Baloch Women and Girls: Rights Violations Highlighted

BNM member Mahrah Baloch drew the Council's attention to the situation of Baloch women and girls, stating that 'serious violations of their fundamental rights by Pakistani authorities continue, including enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention, torture, extrajudicial killings, and restrictions on peaceful political expression.' She noted that Baloch women have played a prominent role in movements for justice and accountability, yet many continue to bear the emotional, social, and economic consequences of the enforced disappearances and killings of their family members.

Mahrah Baloch described the pattern of conduct by Pakistani authorities as 'state terrorism' and called on the Council to ensure independent monitoring of Balochistan, transparent investigations, and protection for those who peacefully document and challenge alleged abuses.

BNM Chairman's Remarks at Balochistan International Conference

The Geneva-based advocacy followed remarks made the previous week by Naseem Baloch, chairman of the BNM, at the 12th Balochistan International Conference in Geneva. Addressing human rights defenders, representatives of various nations and organisations, media members, and Baloch political activists, Naseem Baloch accused Pakistani authorities of subjecting successive generations of Baloch political activists, students, doctors, teachers, lawyers, and ordinary citizens to imprisonment, enforced disappearance, exile, and death.

He alleged that decades-long efforts by Islamabad to suppress what he called the 'Baloch national question' involved military force, political engineering, enforced disappearances, imprisonment, and control over Balochistan's resources. This comes amid a longstanding pattern of BNM and other Baloch diaspora groups using UN forums to internationalise the situation in the province, which Pakistan consistently disputes.

Pakistan's Position and International Context

Pakistan has historically rejected allegations of systematic human rights violations in Balochistan, framing military operations in the province as counter-terrorism measures against armed groups. Islamabad has not issued an immediate public response to the specific UNHRC allegations made on 1 October 2026. The UNHRC session provides a formal multilateral platform where member states and civil society groups can raise concerns, though resolutions or investigative mandates require broader consensus among member states.

The allegations, if independently verified, could increase diplomatic pressure on Pakistan at a time when international scrutiny of the province has been growing. Whether the Council takes any formal action in response to the BNM's submissions remains to be seen.