In a strongly worded statement, the Baloch National Movement (BNM) has denounced the Pakistani military for what it terms a “baseless propaganda campaign” against its leadership, escalating tensions in the already volatile region of Balochistan.

The confrontation comes as the BNM intensifies its European campaign to challenge Pakistan’s preferential trade status under the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+), citing widespread human rights violations in Balochistan.

According to the rights organization, Pakistani military forces are not only perpetrating “grave crimes against humanity” through state power against the Baloch people, but are also orchestrating media trials and employing what they describe as “fifth-generation warfare doctrine” to spread disinformation about the movement and its leaders.

“The objective of this propaganda is not only to generate negative opinion on social media regarding the Baloch movement, but also to create serious and tangible difficulties for peaceful political activists both inside the country and abroad,” the BNM stated in its release.

The group specifically defended its leader, Naseem Baloch, whom Major General Ahmed Sharif, the Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), has accused of involvement in armed activities. The BNM maintains that Baloch advocates for freedom through peaceful political means and categorically rejects what they call “false and malicious propaganda” against him.

This dispute highlights the long-standing conflict in Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by area, which has seen decades of insurgency by various groups seeking greater autonomy or independence. The region, rich in natural resources including natural gas, coal, and minerals, has been a flashpoint for tensions between local populations and the central government.

The BNM’s campaign across Europe has sought to bring international attention to human rights concerns in the region, including allegations of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and torture of Baloch activists and civilians. According to human rights organizations, thousands of Baloch individuals have been subjected to these practices, though exact figures remain disputed.

The organization claims that as their GSP+ campaign gained momentum in European forums, Pakistani state institutions intensified their counter-narrative efforts. The GSP+ status provides Pakistan with significant trade advantages in the European market, making it a crucial economic lifeline for the country’s export sector.

“European institutions must now develop a clearer understanding that Pakistan not only physically harms peaceful political activists but also seeks to destroy their reputations and lives through systematic disinformation and false propaganda,” the BNM emphasized in its statement, adding that “Pakistan has a long-standing practice of portraying victims as criminals and the oppressed as oppressors.”

The Pakistani military, which wields substantial influence in the country’s political landscape, has consistently maintained that it is combating terrorism and separatism in Balochistan, while denying human rights abuse allegations.

International observers note that this exchange represents a broader struggle for narrative control in a conflict that has received limited global media attention despite its severity. Human rights watchdogs have repeatedly called for independent investigations into abuses in Balochistan, while Pakistan has largely restricted media and observer access to affected areas.

The BNM concluded its statement by asserting that the Baloch people would not be intimidated into silence by such tactics, characterizing Pakistan’s propaganda efforts as harassment and pledging to continue confronting the state “at every level.”

As this dispute unfolds, the European Union faces increasing pressure to reevaluate Pakistan’s trade status in light of human rights considerations, potentially setting the stage for diplomatic and economic consequences that could reverberate beyond the immediate conflict.