BNM Protests Outside the UN During Shehbaz Sharif's Address
BNM Protests Outside the UN During Shehbaz Sharif's Address
The Baloch National Movement (BNM) staged a protest outside the United Nations headquarters in New York, drawing international attention to the human-rights situation in Balochistan — enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings among them — and calling on the UN for “immediate action.”
The demonstration was held from 12 noon to 3 p.m. on First Avenue, between 42nd and 43rd Streets, timed to the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. It took place while Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, was addressing the Assembly.
Slogans, banners, and a tableau
Demonstrators raised slogans against human-rights violations in Balochistan and carried placards and banners. A tableau was also staged on the theme of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, symbolically depicting the incidents and the plight of their victims. Among the slogans were “Free Balochistan” and calls for an end to enforced disappearances.
The protest was addressed by Samiullah Baloch, president of the BNM’s American chapter, and others.
Issues raised
Speakers foregrounded military operations in Balochistan, the enforced disappearance of thousands of people, and the detention of Baloch Yakjehti Committee leaders, women, and human-rights activists, alongside what they described as collective punishment. The BNM also raised the targeting of women and children, the destruction of homes, and the displacement of communities.
The movement called on the United Nations and the wider international community to “end their silence” over Balochistan and to take “immediate action.” According to the BNM, the New York protest was part of a broader effort to raise the Balochistan issue at the international level during the General Assembly session.
The Baloch National Movement (BNM) staged a protest outside the United Nations headquarters in New York, drawing international attention to the human-rights situation in Balochistan — enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings among them — and calling on the UN for “immediate action.”
The demonstration was held from 12 noon to 3 p.m. on First Avenue, between 42nd and 43rd Streets, timed to the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. It took place while Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, was addressing the Assembly.
Slogans, banners, and a tableau
Demonstrators raised slogans against human-rights violations in Balochistan and carried placards and banners. A tableau was also staged on the theme of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, symbolically depicting the incidents and the plight of their victims. Among the slogans were “Free Balochistan” and calls for an end to enforced disappearances.
The protest was addressed by Samiullah Baloch, president of the BNM’s American chapter, and others.
Issues raised
Speakers foregrounded military operations in Balochistan, the enforced disappearance of thousands of people, and the detention of Baloch Yakjehti Committee leaders, women, and human-rights activists, alongside what they described as collective punishment. The BNM also raised the targeting of women and children, the destruction of homes, and the displacement of communities.
The movement called on the United Nations and the wider international community to “end their silence” over Balochistan and to take “immediate action.” According to the BNM, the New York protest was part of a broader effort to raise the Balochistan issue at the international level during the General Assembly session.