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Key Points

The Balochistan government has issued a directive forcing families to submit sworn affidavits disowning relatives accused of militancy. The Human Rights Council of Balochistan strongly condemns this order as collective punishment that violates international law. Families face threats of criminal prosecution, property confiscation, and withdrawal of state benefits if they refuse to comply. This policy particularly targets families of enforced disappearance victims and shifts responsibility from authorities to victims.

Key Points: Balochistan Forces Families to Disown Militant Kin or Face Prosecution

  • Government directive forces families to disown kin accused of militancy
  • Threatens criminal prosecution and property confiscation for non-compliance
  • Targets families of enforced disappearance victims
  • Violates international human rights and humanitarian law
2 min read

Families forced to disown 'militant' kin in Balochistan, rights body calls it state persecution

Human Rights Council of Balochistan condemns government order forcing families to submit affidavits disowning relatives accused of militancy under threat of punishment.

"This order constitutes collective punishment in direct contravention of international human rights and humanitarian law. - Human Rights Council of Balochistan"

Quetta, Sep 21

A human rights body has strongly condemned the recent directive from the Balochistan government that compelled families to submit sworn affidavits disowning relatives accused of "militancy", under threat of "criminal prosecution, confiscation of property, and withdrawal of state benefits".

"This order constitutes collective punishment in direct contravention of international human rights and humanitarian law. By seeking to criminalise entire families for the alleged actions of individuals, the state is not only violating the principles of individual responsibility and due process but is also engaging in a policy that bears the hallmarks of a crime against humanity," read a statement issued by the Human Rights Council of Balochistan (HRCB).

According to the HRCB, the directive is particularly abhorrent in how it treats the families of victims of enforced disappearance.

The rights body asserted that forcing families to report to Pakistan's Army and Frontier Corps -- the very institutions credibly accused of carrying out enforced disappearances across Balochistan constitutes an act of "deliberate humiliation, coercion, and psychological torture".

Such measures, the HRCB said, further entrench impunity for grave violations while shifting the burden of responsibility from the Pakistani authorities to the victims themselves.

The rights body urged the international community, the United Nations human rights mechanisms, and legal experts to unequivocally denounce this "draconian and unlawful policy."

"It is imperative that this measure be recognised for what it is: a blatant violation of Pakistan's obligations under international law, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Convention Against Torture (CAT)," the HRCB stated.

The rights body also emphasised that rather than persecuting families and institutionalising collective punishment, the Pakistani Government must be held accountable for "ending enforced disappearances, ensuring due process, and upholding the rule of law in Balochistan".

"Anything less perpetuates a cycle of repression that may amount to state-sanctioned persecution of an entire population," the HRCB added.

People from Balochistan are currently fighting for their independence from Pakistan.

Various human rights organisations of Balochistan have time and again highlighted the repression by Pakistani forces in the province, which includes violent raids on the homes of Baloch leaders and civilians, unlawful arrests, enforced disappearances, the 'kill and dump' policy, detention under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, and the filing of fabricated police cases.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
As an Indian, I've seen how Pakistan treats its minorities and dissenting voices. This is yet another example of state oppression. The international community must intervene immediately.
A
Aman W
Collective punishment is never the solution. This reminds me of some draconian laws we've fought against in our own history. Every citizen deserves due process and individual accountability.
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Sarah B
While I understand security concerns, punishing entire families is unacceptable. There must be better ways to handle militancy without violating basic human rights. This sets a dangerous precedent.
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Vikram M
The Baloch people have been suffering for decades. India should raise this issue in international forums. This is not just about Pakistan's internal matter - it's about human rights violations that concern us all.
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Nikhil C
Forcing families to report to the same institutions accused of disappearances? This is psychological torture indeed. The UN human rights mechanisms must take immediate notice and action.

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