Accusing the Pakistan Army of resorting to "policy of rape and pillage in Balochistan", Baloch leader Mehran Marri said on Tuesday that two women were raped by the army in the area last month.
"Pakistan Army is notorious for its policy of rape & pillage like they conducted Operation Searchlight in Bangladesh. It is resorting to same policies in Balochistan now," Marri was quoted as saying by ANI.
"In space of one month a lady from Mardan and another from Gwadar has been raped by this coward army. They (Pakistan Army) have to be held accountable, be it Bajwa, Musharraf or any of these dictators, they have all committed crimes against humanity," added the Baloch leader.
Human rights activists have time and again staged protests and demonstrations at prominent places to drive attention towards atrocities committed against Baloch people.
The Baloch Human Rights Council (BHRC) organised a briefing on 'The Humanitarian Crisis in Balochistan' in front of the United Nations headquarters in Geneva on September 10. The activists stated that the army continues to exploit the people in the region, which has also led to mass enforced disappearances.
Nabi Bakhsh Baloch from the US-based Baloch National Movement told ANI: "Until Pakistan has its foot in our territory, Balochistan will never be at peace."
"Shah Mahmood Qureshi (Pakistan's Foreign Minister) will never reveal what atrocities are being committed by Pakistan there (in Balochistan). That is why we are here. Who will listen to our voices if we come out and speak," ANI quoted the activist as saying.
A statement released by BHRC further called Balochistan the "most deprived region within Pakistan". It said that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has further exacerbated the deprivation.
"What has been officially lauded as an effort to promote bilateral connectivity, investment, and trade initiatives has actually functioned as state-sanctioned cultural extermination," it said.
The protests came in the backdrop of Pakistan trying to internationalise the issue of India abrogating the special status granted to Jammu and Kashmir through Article 370 of the constitution.
