The recent violence by occupying Pakistani forces against unarmed Baloch women and children in Mai Kolachi (Karachi) reaffirms that the only solution to the Baloch nation’s suffering lies in the liberation of a united Balochistan — Free Balochistan Movement
In a statement, the spokesperson for the Free Balochistan Movement condemned the violence inflicted by Pakistani forces on women and children during a peaceful protest demanding the recovery of enforced disappeared persons in occupied Balochistan. The brutality of the Pakistani police and paramilitary forces in Karachi clearly illustrates the nature of the relationship between the Baloch and the occupying states.
The spokesperson emphasised that occupiers routinely subject subjugated nations to extreme repression in an attempt to erase their distinct national identity and political awareness through force.
The statement pointed out that freedom movements around the world are characterised by stories of oppression and violence, where colonial powers not only regarded the people in their occupied territories as inferior but also deprived them of all civic, political, social and fundamental rights. This was done to create an atmosphere of fear based on ongoing atrocities, thereby preventing the people in the occupied regions from engaging in political and social activities.
The actions of the Punjabi-dominated occupying army, including its violence against Baloch women and children, serve as reminders of the atrocities committed by the Serbian army and the role of the same Punjabi army during the Bangladesh Liberation struggle. The brutalities currently being inflicted upon the Baloch people mirror those witnessed in former East Pakistan. Baloch women and children are being denied even the political space to raise legitimate demands and are subjected to relentless violence.
The FBM spokesperson further stated that the time has come for Baloch political activists, from Bandar Abbas to Karachi, to expose the oppressive behaviour of the Punjabi and Persian forces and their naked aggression against the Baloch nation. The spokesperson urged all Baloch, regardless of whether they live on either side of the artificial borders drawn by British colonialism, to consider their collective pain and suffering as one. They must work together to present their plight to the world.
The statement criticised those who attempt to instil fear in the Baloch by claiming that advocating for a united Balochistan will lead to increased violence and genocide. Those who live in a world of fiction always tend to ignore facts. These individuals overlook the reality that the pace of the Baloch genocide is already alarming under the occupation of both Iran and Pakistan. The spokesperson emphasised that the Baloch nation must expose the truth about its plight, as both occupiers continue their systematic oppression.
Addressing the historical and territorial claims of the Baloch over Karachi, the spokesperson noted that Karachi, historically known as Mai Kolachi, has always been part of Baloch land. Occupation and the passage of time do not negate a nation’s legitimate claim to ownership of its ancestral land. The Baloch have never renounced their claim to their historical territory, nor will they ever do so. While respecting the rights of other nations under Pakistani occupation, the Baloch nation has always maintained that it will never encroach on the historical lands of the Pashtuns. Instead, when given the opportunity, the Baloch nation will work sincerely with the Pashtuns to resolve the colonial border issues created by British imperialism.
The statement urged other nations under Pakistani occupation to learn from the goodwill of the Baloch and acknowledge their historical right to their land. The Baloch nation will never surrender its rightful claim to Mai Kolachi (Karachi), regardless of how long it has been under occupation. If such logic were accepted, one could argue that Pakistan’s occupation of Balochistan should also be legitimised due to the passage of time—a notion that the Baloch vehemently reject.
The spokesperson further said that the Baloch nation, living under the shadow of oppression and violence from the Punjabi and Persian colonial powers, endures the pain of national genocide and the suffering of missing loved ones. The only path to relief lies in the liberation of a united Balochistan, which would involve erasing the unnatural borders drawn by British imperialism and presenting the entire land of Balochistan as a unified and independent entity.