London (Page 3 News Worldwide) — A body styling itself as the Court of the Republic of Balochistan has issued a judgment accusing Pakistan’s serving Chief of Army Staff, General Syed Asim Munir Ahmed Shah, of war crimes, crimes against humanity and the plunder of natural resources, warning that he will be declared a fugitive if he fails to appear before it within 20 days.
In a detailed verdict dated 12 January, the court said it had issued a formal charge sheet against General Munir and ordered him to present himself before what it described as the National Court of the Republic of Balochistan. Failure to do so, it said, would result in him being declared an absconding offender and the issuance of arrest warrants under its laws.
The ruling asserts that Balochistan is a sovereign and independent state and that the Pakistan Army’s presence there is illegal. It claims General Munir bears “command responsibility” for military operations conducted in the territory during his tenure as army chief.
According to the judgment, the court took “judicial notice” of statements attributed to Pakistani officials, including military and police representatives, acknowledging that around 90,000 military operations were carried out in Balochistan during 2025. On this basis, it alleges that the Pakistan Army engaged in large-scale war crimes.
The court accused General Munir of responsibility for indiscriminate attacks on civilian populations across multiple districts, the use of prohibited weapons including chemical and phosphorous arms, the destruction of agriculture, and the mass starvation and killing of civilians. It also alleged the sheltering, training and financing of militant groups.
In addition to the alleged conduct of hostilities, the judgment accuses the army chief of overseeing the illegal extraction and removal of Balochistan’s natural resources, particularly rare earth minerals, without the consent of what it calls the Baloch nation.
The court said it intended to compile records of Pakistani military chiefs and political figures dating back to 1948 for alleged crimes in Balochistan and declared that all such individuals could face prosecution before its national courts. It also announced an intention to pursue cases at the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court.
The ruling further called on the United States and the wider international community to take notice of the allegations and said it planned to freeze any assets of General Munir within its jurisdiction, while urging foreign states and institutions to seize what it described as illicit overseas wealth linked to Pakistan’s military leadership.
Pakistan’s authorities have not responded to the judgment. The claims made by the court, which is not recognised by Islamabad, could not be independently verified.
