The ongoing insurgency in the Balochistan Region of Pakistan has led to sickening numbers of deaths among Baloch separatists and protesters of both the Pakistani and Iranian governments. The Balochs are rising against the powers of the state in order to gain greater autonomy, increased royalties from natural resources and provincial revenue, and to become an independent nation-state. The Pakistani and Iranian governments, of course, do not want or allow this to happen and have been waging guerilla war against them since 1948. This conflict, not widely publicized, has caused thousands of people to disappear without a trace, counted since only 2007. The region is rich in natural resources like natural gas, oil, coal, copper, sulphur, fluoride and gold and yet it remains the least developed province. The governments keep all the money made and do not give any back to the Baluch people. Clear human rights violations have been committed in the region, recognized by human rights counsels and organizations. However, no major steps towards halting the violations have been made. Instead, many people have chosen to flee the region to safer parts of Pakistan or elsewhere in the world, including parts of Europe. Some of these victims are family members of the nearly 1000 victims who’s bodies have been dumped carelessly throughout Balochistan. This disgusting act by Pakistan needs to be recognized more widely in the international community. The Balochs continue to be tortured, targeted, and oppressed unfairly by their governments. The state claims they have no involvement in the matter, but the evidence is too crucial to ignore.
