On the morning of September 25, a member of the Balochistan Awami Party, Farah Azeem Shah, who is associated with the controversial government of Balochistan, along with government spokesperson Shahid Rind, held a press conference in the presence of Adeela Bint Khuda Bakhsh’s parents. Adeela, a nurse at Turbat Teaching Hospital and a resident of Tump was presented as a suicide bomber during this press briefing.
From September 15, there were circulating reports about Adeela, daughter of Khuda Bakhsh being missing, and a few days ago, news appeared on social media platforms from individuals representing the powerful forces in Balochistan, claiming that Adeela Khuda Bakhsh had been arrested. However, she is now being labeled a suicide bomber through this press conference.
According to the law, no accused person can be declared guilty until the charges against them are proven in the relevant courts. However, in Balochistan, it has become routine for people to be arrested or forcibly disappeared and then coerced, along with their families, into being portrayed as militants or suicide bombers, making them hold press conferences against organizations fighting for freedom.
Adeela Khuda Bakhsh is not the first person who has allegedly held a press conference under state pressure. Before her, Mahal Baloch was arrested by the CTD from her home in Quetta on similar charges, and an illegal interview of hers was broadcasted from jail in an attempt to create a narrative against the Baloch freedom movement. However, these allegations could not be proven in court, and the court acquitted Mahal Baloch.
Instead of taking the Baloch issue seriously, Balochistan’s controversial government continues to ignore the objective realities and, by disregarding the rule of law, aims to suppress the Baloch freedom movement through such tactics, which amount to trampling on the civic, political, and human rights of the people of Balochistan.