The Baloch Human Rights Council (BHRC) has raised alarm over Pakistan’s ongoing exploitation of occupied-Balochistan’s resources and the increasing encroachment by China, according to a written statement submitted to the United Nations Secretary-General through the Center for Gender Justice and Women Empowerment. The BHRC has called for immediate intervention by the UN to address the severe economic and humanitarian crises facing the region, as discussed in the 57th session of the UN Human Rights Council.
The statement points out that despite POB’s wealth of mineral resources and its valuable coastline, the region remains economically backward. It suffers from poor infrastructure, inadequate educational facilities, and insufficient healthcare services, resulting in widespread poverty and unemployment. The statement highlights that Pakistan’s systematic exploitation of POB’s natural resources, combined with China’s growing colonial involvement, has intensified these issues and imposed unprecedented suffering on the local population.
“Pakistan has handed over strategic control of the coastal city of Gwadar to China, enabling the activation of major projects such as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). While these projects are marketed as development initiatives for the Baloch people, they primarily serve Pakistan and China’s economic and strategic interests, offering minimal benefit to the local population. The rollout of CPEC has caused large-scale displacement, environmental degradation, and heightened concerns about the erosion of Balochistan’s cultural identity, demographic balance, and autonomy,” the statement said.
BHRC Demands UN Action
The BHRC also said that China has extensively exploited POB’s resources, depleting valuable minerals such as gold, platinum, and uranium from Chagai District. In Gwadar, China has developed a deep-sea port and an international airport, surrounded by extensive fencing that has effectively converted some parts of occupied-Balochistan into restricted zones for the local people. The BHRC condemns the Pak military’s forced displacement and destruction of hundreds of villages to secure the CPEC route, resulting in the internal displacement of approximately one million Baloch residents.
The BHRC stresses that CPEC is not a developmental project but rather a “corridor of death and destruction” for the Baloch people. It represents the exploitation of resources through military aggression and stands as a modern example of colonialism. This exploitation and oppression are seen as direct violations of the United Nations Charter, which condemns all forms of colonialism.
“BHRC urges the United Nations to take immediate and decisive action to end the colonial exploitation of Balochistan’s resources and to restore the rights and dignity of the Baloch people,” the statement concludes.