Tara Chand, President of the Baloch American Congress, has appealed to Bollywood actors and the Indian film industry to make a strong and truthful film on what he called Pakistan’s forced occupation of Balochistan.
In a post on social media platform X, Chand said the film should present the historical reality of Balochistan. “The film should tell the truth that Balochistan became independent and was then forcibly and undemocratically occupied by Pakistan in March 1948,” he wrote. He claimed that since then, the Pakistani army has taken control of the region and continued its military presence there.
Chand alleged that Balochistan’s vast natural resources have been systematically exploited for decades, while the local population continues to suffer. He said billions of dollars’ worth of resources have been taken from the region. “Pakistan has looted our natural gas, minerals, gold, silver, coal, and even our coastal and ocean resources, but the Baloch people remain deprived, poor, and oppressed,” he said.
He also said resistance against Pakistan began immediately after the occupation. “The Baloch people rose in resistance from the very beginning of this forced occupation,” Chand stated. According to him, several uprisings have taken place over the years, with the largest rebellion starting around the year 2000. “This resistance continues even today,” he added.
Chand accused the Pakistani army of widespread human rights abuses during this ongoing conflict. “During this struggle, the Pakistani army has killed countless Baloch people and committed grave human rights violations,” he said.
He further alleged that enforced disappearances remain a major issue in Balochistan. Chand claimed that political activists, lawyers, teachers, doctors, students, educated youth, and women are regularly abducted. “Thousands of Baloch men and women are kept in military prisons without any legal process,” he said.
Despite the repression, Chand said the Baloch people have not given up their struggle. “Even today, the Pakistani army kidnaps innocent Baloch people daily and forces them to surrender, but the Baloch struggle for freedom is still alive,” he said.
Last week, on the occasion of International Human Rights Day, Chand again drew global attention to the situation in Balochistan. In another post on X, he alleged serious atrocities by what he described as Pakistan’s “radical Islamic army.”
“Today is Human Rights Day, and we want to remind the international community that Pakistan’s radical Islamic army has committed serious atrocities in Balochistan,” he wrote. He claimed that Baloch leader Mahrang Baloch and other leaders of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee have been illegally detained for months without charges.
Chand also alleged that several women activists and professionals have been forcibly taken by security agencies. “Nasreen Baloch, Mehjeen Baloch, Fauzia Baloch, and thousands of innocent Baloch students, lecturers, professors, doctors, and political workers have been abducted and taken to secret torture camps,” he said.
