Pakistan’s military spokesperson has accused Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leader Dr Mahrang Baloch and Baloch armed groups of acting as “Indian proxies”, declaring them “wajib al-qatl” — or “worthy of death”.
Lieutenant General Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry, Director General of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), made the remarks during a speech at “Hilal Talks 2025” in Rawalpindi. The event, organised by the military’s media wing, was attended by hundreds of university faculty members from across the country.
“There is no idea or ideology behind the insurgency in Balochistan – it is entirely India-sponsored,” General Chaudhry said. He alleged that Baloch fighters receive financial, medical and logistical support from India, and are trained via camps based in Afghanistan.
“We have termed all Baloch militancy as ‘Fitna al-Hindustan’. Their leaders are treated in India, their passports are issued there, and their training takes place via Afghanistan,” he claimed.
He dismissed talk of Balochistan’s secession as “misleading propaganda”, asserting that the province is “deeply woven into Pakistan’s economy and society”. “No one can separate us,” he added.
Addressing Dr Mahrang Baloch by name, the ISPR chief accused her of acting as a “proxy of terrorists” and questioned who funded her travel and public activities. “You mentioned that doctor — ask her who funds her trips to Norway,” he said. “Who supports her gatherings? Why are Jews and Hindus backing her?”
The allegations were swiftly rejected by Baloch journalist Kiyya Baloch, who said Dr Baloch had been invited to Norway by the World Expression Forum (WEXFO), a human rights organisation. “All travel, hotel, and accommodation expenses were covered by WEXFO,” he wrote on social media. “Their funding is publicly available on their website.”
This is the second time in ten days that the Pakistani army spokesperson has publicly attacked Dr Baloch. At a press conference in late May, he alleged that she was linked to “terrorist networks” and urged media outlets to expose what he called the “sinister face” of the BYC.
Dr Baloch rejected those allegations as “a serious and recurring accusation made without a single shred of credible evidence”. “This pattern of unsubstantiated claims has become a disturbing hallmark of the DG ISPR’s public statements,” she said.
General Chaudhry also accused Dr Baloch of politicising the burial of militants killed during the Jaffar Express hijacking earlier this year. In both his May and June addresses, he criticised her demand for the identification of unidentified corpses. “Who is she to seek the corpses of the terrorists?” he asked.
In response, Dr Baloch said her March press conference had been “misused, fabricated, and taken out of context”. 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.”
Legal experts have also raised concerns over the military’s framing of her statements. “She made a clear and lawful request for transparency — the identities of the unidentified dead,” said a Quetta-based lawyer. “This is a right enshrined in Pakistan’s own legal framework. Turning that into a national security accusation is both troubling and legally indefensible.”
Meanwhile, rights groups have expressed alarm at the use of the term “wajib al-qatl” by a high-ranking military official. Though not a formal legal designation, the term is rooted in Islamic jurisprudence and has historically been used to legitimise targeted killings.
Human rights advocates warn that applying such labels to political figures could endanger their lives, particularly in an environment where both state and non-state actors have a history of violence against dissenters.
The statement also comes amid escalating threats from the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), which in late May declared war on Baloch groups, including the BYC.
ISKP subsequently published a 117-page booklet titled The Deception of Nationalism, targeting Baloch nationalist groups and leaders. The publication denounced ethno-linguistic nationalist movements and singled out the BYC and Dr Mahrang Baloch as threats to Islamic unity.
Security analysts and civil society observers say that the convergence of state-backed accusations and threats from extremist groups has created an increasingly hostile environment for Baloch political activists.
“This kind of rhetoric, from both ISPR and ISKP, adds a dangerous layer to an already volatile situation,” one human rights observer told TBP. “Labeling people as enemies of the state or religion often precedes violence. The consequences could be deadly.”