By: Mir Yar Baloch
LONDON — A senior member of Pakistan’s ruling political party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), has sparked widespread condemnation after publicly calling for the use of chemical weapons against the Baloch people. Khawaja Usman, who made his inflammatory comments on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), urged the Pakistani military to deploy toxic gas against the Baloch ethnic group, even suggesting that pregnant women and their unborn children should be targeted.
Usman’s remarks, which have been condemned as genocidal rhetoric, are part of a broader narrative that paints the Baloch people as an expendable population, according to Baloch activists. The calls for the use of chemical weapons echo a long history of violence and state-led suppression in the region.
“The words of Khawaja Usman are not mere outbursts of anger; they are a chilling call for genocide,” said Mir Yar Baloch, a prominent activist, in a statement. “They expose a mindset rooted in deep hatred, which continues to fuel violence against our people. This is no longer just a political struggle; it is a fight for survival.”
Balochistan, a resource-rich but impoverished region of Pakistan, has long been the site of heavy military operations. The Pakistani government has denied numerous reports of human rights abuses and violent tactics used against the Baloch population, including forced disappearances, torture, and extrajudicial killings.
Balochistan’s Struggle for Survival
The Baloch people, who number nearly 60 million, have endured systemic marginalization by Pakistan’s central government. Balochistan, their homeland, lacks basic infrastructure, and the region has no national-language media outlets to voice the concerns of its people. According to Baloch activists, the Pakistani military has imposed an ongoing blackout on internet access, further silencing their stories and limiting communication with the outside world.
“How can the truth of Balochistan ever reach the world when our voices are systematically shut out?” Mir Yar Baloch asked. “Our only lifeline is social media, and now even that is under attack.”
The situation in Balochistan has been exacerbated by decades of conflict, including the controversial nuclear tests carried out by Pakistan in the Chagai region in the 1990s. In 1998, Pakistan detonated nuclear devices in the Ras Koh mountains without warning the local Baloch population, exposing them to toxic radiation. The legacy of those tests endures, with Baloch communities continuing to suffer from higher rates of cancer, skin diseases, and birth defects.
Chemical Weapons Use in Balochistan
The call for chemical weapons use is not unprecedented. During the tenure of former military ruler General Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan was accused of using chemical and phosphorus-based weapons in various Baloch regions, including Kohlu, Kahaan, and Dera Bugti. Human rights organizations have documented these attacks as war crimes, and Baloch leaders have vowed to seek accountability, including posthumous action against Musharraf at the International Court of Justice.
Recent reports suggest that the current military leadership, under General Asim Munir, may be prepared to escalate the use of chemical weapons in Balochistan. In what some observers describe as a bid to secure impunity, Munir has maneuvered Pakistan’s corrupt political establishment into granting him the status of Field Marshal for life, effectively shielding him from any legal accountability.
Calls for International Intervention
Baloch leaders have vowed to bring the case of Balochistan to the international community, calling for independent investigations into the alleged use of chemical weapons and the ongoing genocide in the region. Mir Yar Baloch and other activists are urging the United Nations and the International Criminal Court to launch probes into the human rights violations committed by the Pakistani military, particularly regarding the use of chemical weapons, mass graves, and enforced disappearances.
“We will take this struggle to global courts, capitals, and consciences,” Baloch said. “Justice delayed for Balochistan can no longer be justice denied.”
International Reactions and the Road Ahead
The international community has yet to respond to Usman’s remarks, but Baloch activists are hopeful that global pressure will force Pakistan to confront its actions in Balochistan. As Pakistan faces mounting criticism over its human rights record, the issue of Balochistan has become an increasingly urgent matter for global human rights organizations.
The United Nations and the European Union have previously expressed concerns over Pakistan’s treatment of ethnic minorities, but the calls for chemical warfare against the Baloch may mark a turning point in the international discourse.
For now, Baloch leaders continue to call for a just resolution to the decades-long conflict, demanding the right to self-determination, recognition, and an end to the violence that has claimed thousands of lives.
Mir Yar Baloch is a prominent Baloch activist and journalist.
