• CM warns bad governance adds to Balochistan’s woes, but violence biggest threat
• Says new law binds security forces to inform families, produce detainees before magistrates within 24 hours

ISLAMABAD: Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said on We­­dnesday that the policy of appeasement — such as the one adopted towards the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan — had always harmed the interests of the state, and the same was true in Balochistan.

“The policy of appeasement in reference to the prevalent situation in Balochistan has always damaged the cause of the state,” the chief minister said while addressing a reception hosted by the Supreme Court Bar Association at the Supreme Court building. On the occasion, he also announced a Rs100 million grant for the association.

When asked about the incarceration of rights activist Dr Mahrang Baloch, the chief minister alleged that her group had allegedly burnt the Pakistani flag at their events, replacing it with the flag of an “independent Balochistan”, and played the so-called national anthem composed by the banned Balochistan Liberation Army before their public meetings.

“Tell me, which country tolerates such advocacy on its soil?” he asked, adding that he wished to speak his heart out about the province’s situation, but in-camera rather than before cameras.

CM Bugti conceded that bad governance and rampant corruption had compounded the province’s problems. Still, he said the gravest challenge to the state was the violence unleashed by perpetrators who “as­­s­assinate travellers, civili­a­­ns or off-duty soldiers, and mercile­ssly kill Punjabi families in front of their wo­­menfolk”.

He said an even bigger cha­­llenge was the “fal­se narrative” built on social media portraying violence as legitimate and aimed at se­­curing people’s rights. He regretted that numerous centres abroad were engaged in spreading hate campaigns against Pakistan.

He said that even political leaders hesitate to oppose the “separatists’ narrative” simply because the state’s position is unpopular.

On the issue of missing persons, CM Bugti accused some political actors of exploiting the matter for political gain. He said his administration had addressed enforced disappearances through legislation binding security forces to inform families of any detained person, produce them before a magistrate within 24 hours, and house them in civilian centres subject to weekly medical inspections.

Meeting with Afghan envoy

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Sar­fa­raz Bugti met Afghanistan’s acting Consul General Maulvi Muhammad Habib Nasir on Wednesday to discuss the ongoing repatriation of Afghan refugees from Balochistan. The meeting focused on ensuring a humane, respectful and well-coordinated return process.

CM Bugti assured him that all possible assistance was being provided to Afghan refugees.

Saleem Shahid in Quetta also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2025