Washington, Oct 22 (IANS) Baloch American Congress (BAC) President Tara Chand Baloch on Thursday urged the international community to intervene and stop the forced displacement of Baloch families from Kalat district of Pakistan's Balochistan province.

Citing reports, Tara Chand said that Pakistani forces and provincial authorities have been allegedly forcing Baloch families to abandon their ancestral homes and villages in the Kalat Shor Parod region. He stated that people who have committed no crime should not be punished, uprooted or deprived of their fundamental human rights.

"Urgent Appeal to the International Community: Stop the Forced Displacement of Baloch Families in Kalat, Balochistan. Disturbing reports are emerging from the Kalat Shor Parod region of Balochistan, where the Pakistani military and provincial authorities are allegedly forcing innocent Baloch families to abandon their ancestral homes and villages," Tara Chand Baloch wrote on X.

"These families have lived on their land for generations, some for hundreds of years. Today, women, children, elderly people, and entire families reportedly face displacement in the name of so-called peace and security operations. Their homes, schools, hospitals, livelihoods, and ancestral lands are reportedly under threat. Families who have committed no crime should not be punished, uprooted, or deprived of their fundamental human rights," he added.

Tara Chand urged international humanitarian organisations to demand an immediate end to forced displacement, collective punishment and destruction of civilian property.

"Peace cannot be achieved by destroying homes, displacing children, and terrorising innocent civilians. I urgently appeal to the United Nations, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and all international humanitarian organisations to investigate these reports, intervene through appropriate humanitarian channels, and demand an immediate end to any unlawful forced displacement, collective punishment, and destruction of civilian property," he said.

The BAC President stressed that Baloch people deserve to live in peace, dignity, and safety on their ancestral land, and the world must not remain silent when innocent families are suffering.

Tara Chand Baloch's statement comes after the Balochistan government ordered around 5,000 families in Kalat’s Shoor Paarod area to vacate their homes by October 30 and warned that people who refuse to leave will be removed by force.

As many as 30,000 people living in the mountainous area will be impacted by the relocation plan approved by Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti. The families will be shifted to designated camps, The Balochistan Post reported.

While addressing a press conference in Quetta on Tuesday, Additional Chief Secretary for Home Muhammad Hamza Shafqaat said people had been directed to vacate the area and that camps and other arrangements had been made, The Balochistan Post reported.

"If they do not vacate the area, the forces will remove them by force," he said adding that an operation was already being conducted in Shoor Paarod. Officials have said that the area was government land and evacuation was needed due to the presence of armed fighters.

--IANS

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