Detained Baloch rights activist Dr Mahrang Baloch has rejected accusations made by Pakistan’s military, describing them as “baseless” and part of a broader campaign to silence voices in Balochistan.
In a statement issued from jail and published on her official social media account, Dr Baloch responded to remarks made by the Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR), Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, who had accused her of being a “proxy of terrorists” during a press conference on Friday.
“This is a serious and recurring allegation made without a single shred of credible evidence,” Dr Baloch said. “This pattern of unsubstantiated claims has become a disturbing hallmark of the DG ISPR’s public statements.”
The military spokesperson had also criticised Dr Baloch for her demands following the Jaffar Express hijacking incident. Referring to her, he asked: “Who is she to seek the corpses of the terrorists?”
Dr Baloch rejected this portrayal, saying her March press conference had been “misused, fabricated, and taken out of context to distort my message.”
She said: “During my press conference in March, I did not condone any act of violence. My only demand was transparency. I asked for the identities of unidentified individuals, beyond the twelve named militants, who were buried in the dead of night at Quetta’s Kasi graveyard. These unidentified bodies deserve to be named, and their families have a fundamental right to know the fate of their loved ones. This demand is not only moral but a legal right in any civilized society.”
Dr Baloch pointed to a wider pattern of abuse. “For years, a disturbing pattern has emerged in Balochistan: following any violent incidents, law enforcement agencies have been involved in killing and secretly burying forcibly disappeared persons, later labelling them as ‘militants.’”
She cited the Jaffar Express hijacking case as an example. “The armed group responsible publicly released the names, photos, and details of the twelve men involved. Yet over two dozen bodies were brought to Civil Hospital Quetta. My question was: who were the others? Why were they buried in secrecy?”
Dr Baloch further questioned the credibility of the military’s accusations. “Once again, in response to the DG ISPR’s latest accusations, I ask: where is the evidence? If Pakistan’s intelligence and military institutions are as capable as they claim, why has no proof ever been presented against me?”
She described her activism as “peaceful, principled, and grounded in universal human rights values.”
“I have consistently condemned violence, whether committed by non-state actors or the state itself. But Balochistan today is a landscape scarred by systemic repression, enforced disappearances, and a complete breakdown of justice and accountability. Rather than address these realities, the state chooses to vilify those who dare to speak the truth.”
Dr Baloch concluded her statement by urging the international community to take action. “The people of Balochistan deserve justice, not smear campaigns. They deserve answers, not threats. And above all, they deserve to live without fear.”
The military has not yet responded to Dr Baloch’s latest statement.