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Baloch Students Face Systemic Racial Profiling in Pakistan, Munir Mengal Tells UNHRC
- •Munir Mengal, President of the Baloch Voice Association, informed the UN Human Rights Council about systemic racial profiling and discrimination against Baloch students in Pakistani universities.
- •Baloch students are allegedly targeted under the guise of national security, facing surveillance, harassment, false charges, forced evictions, and enforced disappearances.
- •Mengal cited the disappearance of five Baloch students from Karachi in August 2026 and the Islamabad High Court's 2022 order for a commission to investigate racial profiling.
- •He highlighted that this issue is part of a broader pattern of racial and ethnic discrimination across Asia and the Middle East, including the Muhamasheen in Yemen and ethnic minorities in Iran.
- •Mengal urged the UNHRC to implement the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, calling for accountability and the dismantling of racial exclusion structures.
Key Questions Answered
Munir Mengal stated during the 63rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council that Baloch students in Pakistan face systemic racial profiling, surveillance, harassment, false charges, forced hostel evictions, and enforced disappearances, citing the specific disappearance of five students in Karachi in August 2026.
Mengal referenced the Islamabad High Court’s 2022 proceedings on the alleged racial profiling of Baloch students, noting that the court had ordered the establishment of a commission to examine the issue.
Mengal urged the UN Human Rights Council to ensure the concrete implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, called on states to fulfill obligations under CERD, and demanded accountability and the dismantling of structures of racial exclusion.