Balochistan [Pakistan], December 12 (ANI): The Baloch National Movement (BNM) has condemned the US Export-Import (EXIM) Bank’s approval of $1.25 billion in financing for the Reko Diq mining project, saying the move will strengthen Pakistan’s control over Balochistan and escalate state repression, The Balochistan Post reported.
In a statement, the BNM voiced “deep concern”, calling the financing a breach of international ethical standards and an endorsement of Pakistan’s exploitation of Baloch resources. The group argued such international partnerships fuel what it described as “genocide, enforced disappearances, and plunder of the Baloch nation’s natural wealth.”
The BNM said the package, framed as development aid, would instead facilitate further military operations, forced displacement, and heightened surveillance in resource-rich areas, warning that US involvement amounts to “aiding Pakistan’s occupation” rather than fostering regional stability. The organisation urged Washington—given its own history opposing colonial domination—to recognise the consequences of backing repressive regimes, saying the decision undermines the Baloch struggle for self-determination and empowers Pakistan’s repressive apparatus.
The spokesperson added US financing would likely enable construction of additional army posts, checkpoints, and security infrastructure commonly used to suppress dissent. Highlighting a continuing humanitarian crisis, the BNM called attention to thousands of Baloch youth who remain missing and are reportedly held in secret military detention centres under harsh conditions, leaving families in prolonged grief.
“The United States must choose between supporting human rights and endorsing oppression,” the statement concluded. “Such assistance doesn’t heal the wounds of the Baloch; it deepens them,” The Balochistan Post reported. (ANI)
