Several Baloch human rights activists strongly condemned the "inflammatory" remarks made by Pakistan's Balochistan province Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti against scholars and the broader intellectual community of the region
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QUETTA — Several Baloch human rights activists strongly condemned the "inflammatory" remarks made by Pakistan's Balochistan province Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti against scholars and the broader intellectual community of the region.
In a widely shared press conference circulating on social media, Bugti linked the intellectual community of Balochistan with the militant group Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), accusing them of rationalising violence and asking those who "have no love for Pakistan" to leave the country.
Expressing grave concern over the remarks directed at members of the intellectual community, Sammi Deen Baloch, a member of the human rights organisation Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), said that such statements were incompatible with democratic values and reflected a growing pattern of intimidation against critical voices in Balochistan.
Taking to her social media platform X, Sammi said, "I am deeply disturbed by the conduct of Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti against the PhD holders and the broader intellectual community of Balochistan. Time and again, we are observing attempts to intimidate and silence Balochistan's critical voices, whether they are journalists, writers, activists, poets, linguists, or now PhD scholars. This pattern of threatening the intellectual class is deeply concerning and unacceptable in any democratic society."
"Criticism, accountability, and questioning government performance are cornerstones of every functioning society. If a PhD scholar has written a critique or raised questions about governance, it falls within their right to free expression and academic freedom. No public office holder has the authority to threaten, intimidate, or mobilise media pressure against such voices," she added.
Sabiha Baloch, the central leader of the BYC, sharply criticised Bugti's remarks, accusing him of promoting a hostile narrative against Baloch scholars and intellectuals.
"Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti, on one hand, dangles dreams before the province's youth of pursuing PhDs from Oxford and Cambridge, while on the other, he appears to be crafting a negative and inflammatory narrative against that very educated class," Sabiha posted on X.
"In the past as well, his statements on the floor of the Balochistan Assembly created a dangerous atmosphere against Baloch poets and intellectuals, after which Baloch poet Gham Khar Hayat was targeted. Now once again, he seems to be fuelling a negative environment against the Baloch educated class, scholars, and PhD holders," she further said.
Condemning Bugti's remarks, Naseem Baloch, chairman of the Baloch National Movement (BNM), alleged that such statements reflected a long-standing pattern of targeting intellectuals and dissenting voices in Balochistan.
"The threats issued by Balochistan's puppet Chief Minister, Sarfraz Bugti, against PhD scholars are nothing new. He is simply continuing the same policy that his masters have always pursued. We repeatedly remind people of this so that history is not forgotten. Pakistan used the very same tactics in Bangladesh, where proxy groups and the Pakistan army itself targeted intellectuals, professors, students, writers, and poets during the genocide. Today, the same policy is being repeated in Balochistan," Naseem stated.