Baloch activists organise poster campaign in Geneva

Geneva : Baloch rights activists have organised a poster campaign in Geneva to highlight Pakistan's "egregious infractions" in Balochistan where "enforced disappearances and killings" have assumed "epidemic proportions".

Significantly, the 'Stop Baloch Genocide' poster campaign, organised by the Baloch Human Rights Council (BHRC) at the Broken Chair monument area here, coincides with the 42nd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

Broken Chair is a monumental sculpture made in wood by the Swiss artist Daniel Berset.

Several protests and demonstrations in Geneva are organised in this area. "Balochistan is the most deprived region within Pakistan.

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) - a project allegedly aimed at improving the lives of the people of Pakistan and China - has only exacerbated the deprivation and given Pakistan an excuse to abuse and profit from the abundant resources available on Baloch lands," a BHRC release said.

What has been officially lauded as an effort to promote bilateral connectivity, investment, and trade initiatives has actually functioned as state-sanctioned "cultural extermination", it said.

The poster campaign that began on Friday comes at a time when Pakistan and India are engaged in a war of words on Kashmir after India abrogated Article 370 provisions. The Indian side has hit out at Pakistan for committing rights violations against ethnic and religious minorities.

The BHRC seeks to raise vital awareness about Pakistan's "egregious infractions" with the poster campaign and highlight the country's "ever-worsening exploitation" of the region.

The poster campaign asserts that "enforced disappearances and killings have assumed epidemic proportions".

"Villages have been slashed and burned by the Pakistani Army to make room for the settlement of Chinese colonies.

Those Baloch whose homes have been destroyed are forced to resettle in abject conditions near the Pakistani Army camps, where they suffer under incessant, hostile surveillance," the BHRC said.