Several Baloch human rights organisations and activists on Thursday, 13 August flatly rejected the official account put forward by Pakistan's Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) regarding the deadly airstrikes in Surab, Balochistan, calling the military's statement 'false and fabricated'. The rejection came a day after the Pakistan Air Force reportedly carried out strikes on residential areas in the Gidar locality of Surab in the early hours of Wednesday, killing more than 30 civilians, including women and children, and injuring several others.

What the ISPR Claimed

The Director General of ISPR (DG ISPR) — the official spokesperson for Pakistan's armed forces — sought to attribute the casualties to the premature detonation of a Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED), allegedly linked to a militant group. Critics, however, say this account directly contradicts eyewitness accounts from residents of Surab, who allege that the Pakistan Air Force conducted indiscriminate bombardment of civilian homes under the cover of darkness.

Activists and Rights Bodies Push Back

Prominent Baloch human rights defender Mir Yar Baloch posted on X, stating: 'DGISPR, which serves as the official spokesperson for the Pakistani military, has long faced severe criticism over its misleading and fabricated statements and official positions regarding controversial military operations.' He further alleged that 'the Surab massacre was a planned act of collective punishment,' with local residents as witnesses to the deliberate targeting of civilians.

The Baloch Voice for Justice (BVJ) accused the ISPR of resorting to 'extreme exaggeration' and constructing a 'so-called narrative' to conceal what it described as ongoing 'war crimes' in Balochistan. The BVJ demanded an immediate, transparent, and independent investigation, calling for independent observers and journalists to be granted access to the affected area and for all available evidence to be preserved.

The Baloch Students Organisation (BSO)-Azad dismissed the ISPR's account as a 'fabricated and polished narrative,' calling on the international community to hold Pakistan accountable for what it described as the 'destruction of civilian homes and massacre of women, children, and elderly people.'

Shutdown Strike Across Balochistan

A shutter-down and wheel-jam strike was observed across several districts of Balochistan on Thursday, following a call by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) in solidarity with the people of Surab. The BYC stated that 'the loss of civilian lives, destruction of homes, and suffering of families in Surab demand urgent attention from human rights organisations and the international community.'

The committee framed the shutdown as part of a broader movement: 'This shutter-down is not an isolated act of mourning; it is a part of a growing movement across Balochistan demanding that the killing of civilians be met with accountability, not impunity.'

International Accountability Demanded

Across the organisations, a common thread was a call for international intervention. The BSO-Azad urged global bodies to take cognisance of what it called an 'ongoing genocide in Balochistan.' The BVJ underscored that 'no state institution should be allowed to target civilians and subsequently conceal the facts.' As of Thursday, Pakistan's government had not issued a revised statement in response to the mounting rejections. The episode is likely to intensify scrutiny of Pakistan's military operations in Balochistan at international human rights forums.