CM Bugti calls for correction of misleading Balochistan narrative nationally, globally
Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti has noted that the narrative being promoted at both national and international levels regarding province is often inconsistent with facts and requires correction to reflect a balanced and accurate perspective.
He urged human rights organisations to develop an impartial and fact-based understanding of Balochistan's history, current realities, and overall situation.
Chief Minister Bugti shared these views during a meeting with a delegation from the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) at the Chief Minister's Secretariat in Quetta on Saturday. The meeting involved detailed discussions on law and order, the human rights situation, and the province's social development initiatives.
Bugti clarified that the accession of the State of Kalat to Pakistan was the result of a mutual agreement, not coercion. He alleged that certain groups deliberately distort historical facts to mislead those unfamiliar with the region's true history.
Read More: Terrorists slaughter nine passengers
Referring to recent terrorist incidents, he strongly condemned the targeted killings of innocent passengers based on their identity, describing it as part of a broader agenda orchestrated by hostile foreign powers, particularly India.
He emphasised that these terrorist acts have nothing to do with a legitimate struggle for rights, but rather form part of an organised attempt to destabilise and divide Pakistan. 'What kind of rights movement involves killing people based on their ethnic identity?' the chief minister asked, questioning the legitimacy of such violent actions.
Bugti further stated that the elements behind such attacks reject dialogue and openly speak about dividing Pakistan — a mindset, he stressed, that is unacceptable in any civilised state or society.
He reiterated that the state has a constitutional and legal responsibility to protect the lives and property of its citizens, and this obligation will be fulfilled under all circumstances.
A day earlier, terrorists belonging to the Fitna al-Hindustan on Thursday killed at least nine passengers after abducting them from buses in the Loralai district of Balochistan, a district administration official and the provincial government spokesperson said.
Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind said that the terrorists, who carried out this gruesome attack belonged to the "Fitna-al-Hindustan". The term refers to India-funded terrorist organisations operating in Balochistan.
Also Read: Seven 'India-backed terrorists' killed in Balochistan
On the issue of missing persons, Bugti acknowledged the seriousness of the matter but noted that it is not exclusive to Balochistan — similar cases occur in other provinces of Pakistan and globally. However, he expressed concern that in Pakistan, there is a tendency to blame state institutions without presenting solid evidence.
He pointed out that in several verified cases, individuals initially labelled as 'missing' were later found to be involved in serious terrorist activities.
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"In a country where conviction rates often fall to single digits, visibility - and the uproar it brings - has its advantages," said constitutional lawyer Asad Rahim Khan. Read more: Three killed in honor-related incident in Bajaur "It jolts a complacent state that continues to tolerate jirgas in areas beyond its writ." Khan said rather than enforcing the law, the government has spent the past year weakening the judiciary and even considering reviving jirgas in former tribal areas. "It's executive inaction, most shamefully toward women in Balochistan," Khan said. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in recent months has asked senior ministers to evaluate proposals to revive jirgas in Pakistan's former tribal districts, including potential engagement with tribal elders and Afghan authorities. The Prime Minister's Office and Pakistan's information minister did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Viral and then forgetten? The Balochistan killings were raised in the Senate, where the human rights committee condemned the murders and called for action against those who convened the jirga. Lawmakers also warned that impunity for parallel justice systems risked encouraging similar violence. Activists and analysts, however, say the outrage is unlikely to be sustained. "There's noise now, but like every time, it will fade," said Jalila Haider, a human rights lawyer in Quetta. "In many areas, there is no writ of law, no enforcement. Only silence." Haider said the killings underscore the state's failure to protect citizens in under-governed regions like Balochistan, where tribal power structures fill the vacuum left by absent courts and police. "It's not enough to just condemn jirgas," Haider said. "The real question is: why does the state allow them to exist in the first place?"
