Members of the Baloch community staged a protest outside the United Nations headquarters in New York on Friday, raising slogans and holding banners reading “Free Balochistan” to demand independence from Pakistan.
Sami Baloch of the Baloch National Movement criticised Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for speaking on global peace and Palestine during his UNGA address while ignoring what protesters described as Pakistan’s ongoing repression in Balochistan.
“The Pakistani Prime Minister said in the Assembly today, ‘We want peace for Palestine.’ What about us, Baloch? You have forcibly occupied us since 1948. You are carrying out extrajudicial killings, imprisoning peaceful protesters, and suppressing our voices,” Sami Baloch told ANI.
He argued that true peace in the region must begin with Balochistan. “If we want peace in this region, then Balochistan should be free,” he added.
The demonstration coincided with the fourth day of the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), where Prime Minister Sharif highlighted issues such as the war in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis in Palestine. He also drew attention to Pakistan’s devastating floods in recent years, calling them evidence of the disproportionate impact of climate change on vulnerable nations.
While Sharif urged world leaders to end conflicts and tackle climate challenges, protesters outside the UN accused him of ignoring what they called Pakistan’s “occupation” and “atrocities” in Balochistan.
