Rights group slams Pakistani forces for backing Daesh in Balochistan

Quetta, Sep 5 (IANS) A leading human rights organisation alleged that the so-called "Islamic State Pakistan Province" operating under the name of terrorist organisation Daesh is carrying out its activities across Balochistan with the patronage of the Pakistani Army and intelligence agencies, aimed at targetting Baloch national movements.

The remarks came from Baloch Voice for Justice (BVJ) after the United States on Thursday strongly condemned the September 2 suicide attack in Quetta at a Balochistan National Party meeting, which killed 15 and injured many others.

“We offer our sincere condolences to the loved ones of those who were killed and injured. The Pakistani people deserve to live free from violence and fear. The United States stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Pakistan against reprehensible terrorist groups such as ISIS-Pakistan Province, that has since claimed responsibility for this attack and in the global fight against terrorism," the US Embassy in Islamabad posted on X.

The BVJ stressed that although it is widely acknowledged that terror group Daesh and the Taliban have benefitted from the patronage of the Pakistani establishment, the US continues to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Pakistani Army.

"Shafiq Mengal, who is the head of Daesh Khorasan, has, for the past two decades with the tacit support of the Pakistani military been involved in the targetted killings of Baloch political activists, enforced disappearances, and heinous crimes such as burying young people in mass graves," read a statement issued by the rights body.

According to the BVJ, repression by Pakistani authorities has sharply increased across the provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in recent days following the US President Donald Trump’s expression of support for Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir.

“If Washington is truly committed to ending religious extremism, it must reconsider its policy of close ties with Pakistan’s military establishment. Instead, the United States should establish direct engagement with the Baloch nation and provide political, diplomatic, and moral support to the Baloch national movement, a force indispensable for ensuring long-term peace and stability in the region,” the human rights body stated.

--IANS

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