Geneva: BNM chief urges Pashtuns to declare struggle for 'freedom', unite with Baloch and Sindhi

Geneva [Switzerland], March 22 : Naseem Baloch, Chairman of the Baloch National Movement (BNM), appealed for unity among "oppressed nations" while addressing the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) event at the Geneva Press Club on Friday.
Urging the Pashtun leadership to take a decisive stand, he declared, "The time for waiting is over. The time for freedom is now. Pashtun brothers, do not wait any longer. Declare your struggle for freedom. Join hands with your Baloch and Sindhi brothers, for we are not fighting separate battles -- we are fighting one war against one oppressor."
Naseem Baloch underscored the systemic oppression faced by Baloch, Pashtuns, and Sindhis at the hands of the Pakistani state. Questioning the continued reliance on state institutions, he asked, "How much longer will we plead for rights from a state that sees us as its enemy? How much longer will we participate in a system that is designed to crush us?"
He emphasised that Pakistan fears the collective strength of oppressed nations, stating, "They want us to remain divided because if we unite, their system of oppression will crumble. They fear the day when Baloch and Pashtun march together. They fear the day when Sindhis and Hazaras demand justice alongside us. They fear the day when we stop asking for our rights and start reclaiming our freedom. If we remain divided, we will remain enslaved. But if we stand together, no force on earth can stop us."
Highlighting Pakistan's history of betrayal, he asserted, "Pakistan has never and will never trust the Baloch, the Pashtun, or the Sindhi. We have tried everything--elections, assemblies, courts--and every time, we have been met with betrayal, bullets, and bloodshed."
Naseem Baloch held the Pakistani state responsible for executing a systematic policy aimed at exterminating oppressed nations. He stated, "Pakistan has used the same tactics against all of us--kill, abduct, silence, divide. But today, here in Geneva, we stand together to say that their plan has failed."
Expressing solidarity with the victims of state oppression, he said, "Today, I do not speak as an individual. I speak as the voice of every Baloch mother searching for her disappeared son, every Pashtun father grieving for his murdered child, and every family in Sindh awaiting the return of their loved ones. I speak as a voice of resistance."
He also shed light on the economic exploitation of Balochistan, stating, "Balochistan is not just a victim of military occupation; it is also a victim of economic plunder. Our gold, copper, gas, and other resources are being looted, while our people are left in poverty, hunger, and disease. The state treats Balochistan as a colonial possession, a land to be exploited but never respected."
Condemning the role of the international community, he remarked, "The international community speaks of human rights, yet sends billions in military aid to Pakistan--an army that uses those funds to kill Baloch and Pashtun children. No one held Pakistan accountable for the Bengali genocide of 1971, yet today, they ignore its ongoing genocide in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Sindh. We do not seek privilege--we seek equality. We do not seek favours--we seek our rights. We do not want to rule others--we want to rule ourselves."