A Netherlands-based Baloch rights group has announced it will stage a protest outside the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague on International Human Rights Day, calling on the world to speak out against what it describes as widespread abuses in the troubled region of Balochistan.
The demonstration, organised by the Free Balochistan Movement (FBM) Netherlands branch, is scheduled to run from 12:30pm to 2:00pm and aims to draw global attention to alleged atrocities committed by Pakistani and Iranian forces in the area.
According to the group, the rally will appeal to “the humanitarian forces of the world” to break their silence, recognise Balochistan as an occupied region and support efforts to end what it claims is a cycle of state-led violence against the Baloch people. FBM has urged human rights activists and “compassionate individuals” across Europe to join the protest.
Reports of Killings Fuel Anger
The call for action comes amid disturbing reports from the region. According to local sources cited by the group, four bodies were recently discovered in Badrang, Khaliqabad district of Khuzdar. The victims—identified as Khuda Bakhsh, Zahoor Ahmed and Barkat Khan, said to be cousins from the Lehri tribe—were allegedly found showing severe signs of torture and close-range gunshot wounds.
In a separate incident in Zehri, the body of a young man, named as Shahzaib, was found near a football ground. Activists claim all the victims had been abducted and murdered while in the custody of Pakistani security forces—allegations the group describes as “cold-blooded killings”.
Claims of Widespread Abuses and Military Operations
The FBM further accuses both Pakistani and Iranian forces of conducting large-scale military operations across the region, displacing “hundreds of thousands” of civilians and carrying out mass detentions under what it alleges are fabricated charges.
The group also claims that thousands of Baloch civilians have been killed through drone strikes and other military actions, alleging the use of chemical weapons, widespread enforced disappearances and the discovery of mass graves. It also points to a recent briefing by Pakistan’s military media wing (ISPR), in which it reportedly acknowledged conducting more than 67,000 operations this year—something the FBM describes as a “confession of war crimes”.
‘Humanitarian Crisis’ and Calls for International Intervention
The organisation says Balochistan is facing a humanitarian crisis and is urging the international community—including the United Nations, the International Court of Justice, and international human rights organisations—to intervene.
According to FBM, only external action can “free an entire nation” from what it calls foreign occupation by Pakistan and Iran and pave the way for regional stability.
The protest comes as Baloch groups increasingly attempt to draw international attention to the decades-long conflict, which has seen long-standing nationalist movements clash with state forces.
