Feb 9, 2026
Press Release
Key resolutions and demands
The session unanimously called for the immediate release of Dr. Mahrang Baloch and other Baloch leaders, particularly women activists. Speakers highlighted how enforced disappearances, imprisonment of Baloch leaders, torture of youth, resource exploitation, and electoral manipulation have fueled alienation and separatist sentiment among the Baloch population.
The panel urged Pakistan to respond to requests from UN Special Procedure Mandate holders regarding breaches of its treaty obligations.
Stark warnings from Baloch leadership
Sardar Akhtar Mengal in an impassioned speech described the severity of the crisis. “Balochistan is not burning, Balochistan has been burnt to ashes. Even the bodies have been burned,” Mengal said. He criticised the federal government’s treatment of peaceful protesters, referencing how Baloch women were met with cold water on winter nights in Islamabad and arrested when seeking answers about missing family members.
Mengal traced the history of enforced disappearances to his own brother, Asadullah Mengal, and how the case was closed by authorities saying that they could not locate the family members of the missing person.
Mengal also condemned the profiling of Baloch students and house-to-house operations.
“People are being shot by entering houses, checking ID cards. Baloch students are being profiled,” Mengal stated, adding that the February 8 elections had sidelined genuine leadership in favor of manufactured political figures.
Call for constitutional solutions
Dr. Abdul Malik Baloch emphasized Pakistan’s multinational character and the need to protect linguistic and cultural identities. He noted that despite 2013 legislation for provincial languages including Balochi, Pashto, Brahui, Seraiki, and Sindhi, implementation remains lacking.
Federal government’s response
Senator Rana Sanaullah acknowledged that there are many challenges facing Balochistan’s but argued that there is a difference between political grievances and militant violence. He noted that when Punjabis are killed in targeted attacks after being identified on buses, the response in Punjab is restrained, with no collective blame placed on Balochistan.
“We’re confusing two separate issues, and that’s the problem,” Sanaullah said, referring to legitimate political concerns versus armed separatism. He stated that discussions about electoral fairness and resource distribution should be conducted through parliamentary processes, emphasizing that the 18th Amendment transferred significant powers to provinces.Rana Sanaullah invited Akhtar Mengal to come back to parliament in order to find a political solution to the crises in Balochistan.
Conference context
Moderator Mujahid Barelvi praised the conference organizers for having the courage to host such a session in the current political environment, acknowledging the risks faced by speakers addressing these sensitive issues.
The Asma Jahangir Conference, named after Pakistan’s legendary human rights defender, continues to provide a platform for critical discussions on constitutional rights, civil liberties, and federal-provincial relations.
The two-day event, titled ‘Erosion of Fundamental Rights and Resistance Across Borders’, was organized in collaboration with the Supreme Court Bar Association and Pakistan Bar Council.
Some of the more prominent themes of the conference included Free Speech and Expression, Gender Discrimination, Vulnerable Communities, Breach of International Law, Climate Change and Right to a Fair Trial.