25 September 2019, New York, USA — Human rights campaigners from the World Baloch Organisation continue their campaign to highlight the worsening human rights situation in Balochistan. In their latest initiative, a huge billboard has been put up near the iconic Times Square urging the United nations to help end human rights abuses in Balochistan.
The WBO believes the Billboards will serve as a reminder to world powers and jpurnalists in the city to cover the event to speak up against dire human rights situation in Balochistan, which has long been turned a blind eye towards due to the state imposed media black-out in the region.
According to the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances, an entity established by the
Pakistani government, 5000 cases of enforced disappearances have been registered since 2014. Most of them are still unresolved. Independent local and international human rights organizations put the numbers much higher. 20,000 have reportedly been abducted only from Balochistan, out of which more than 2,500 have turned up dead as bullet riddled dead bodies, bearing signs of extreme torture.
This comes as world leaders gather in New York City this week for the annual United Nations general assembly. Earlier mobile billboards were also seen driving around the city carrying messages such as “Baloch Lives Also Matter” in a bid to catch the attention of thousands there to attend the General assembly.
Pakistan’s establishment has been long criticized over its practice of enforced disappearances and
extrajudicial killings by International bodies and local human rights organisations that dare to speak
out on the issue. Before being elected as Prime Minister, Imran Khan had admitted in multiple TV
interviews the involvement of Pakistan’s intelligence agencies in enforced disappearances and extra
judicial killings and vowed to resign if he was unable to put an end to the practice, holding those
involved responsible. Families of the abducted victims have long been protesting for the safe recovery
of their loved ones in the provincial capital Quetta, and their protest camp has now completed more
than 3500 days.
The organizers of the campaign have long been engaged in efforts to highlight the worsening human rights situation in Balochistan at international platforms, organizing events around Europe and in the United States and focusing on advocacy activities in the European Parliament, the US parliamentary houses, and the United Nations.
