On September 29, 2025, the Baloch American Congress, led by its President Dr. Tara Chand, issued a direct and impassioned appeal to U.S. President Donald Trump. In a detailed letter, Chand urged Trump to address what he described as grave and ongoing human rights abuses committed by the Pakistani military in the province of Balochistan. The letter, covered by both IANS and ANI, paints a stark picture: enforced disappearances, torture, extrajudicial killings, and systematic repression have, according to Chand, plagued the Baloch people for decades.
Chand’s message, delivered from Washington, DC, was anything but subtle. He argued that the Pakistani state, and particularly its military—dominated by what he called a "Punjabi elite"—has "used Balochistan's wealth as a bargaining chip in global deals, while subjecting the Baloch people to enforced disappearances, military operations, censorship, and economic disenfranchisement." According to Chand, the world has largely ignored Balochistan’s cries for justice, allowing exploitation of its people, land, and resources to continue unchecked.
In the letter, Chand did not mince words. “Mr. President, this is not simply a regional issue; it is a moral one. It is about a nation fighting for its right to self-determination, to live freely, and to control its own resources,” he wrote, as reported by IANS. Chand’s appeal was built on the foundation of international law and the universal right to self-determination, echoing past American rhetoric about sovereignty and justice. “You have often spoken of protecting sovereignty and standing up to injustice. We ask you now to extend that principle to the oppressed Baloch nation, whose suffering has been hidden behind a wall of state propaganda and strategic alliances,” Chand continued.
At the heart of Chand’s concerns is the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a vast infrastructure project that includes the strategic Gwadar Seaport. While CPEC is often hailed by Pakistani officials and Chinese partners as a game-changer for regional development, Chand’s letter tells a very different story. He claims that these projects have been imposed without the consent of the indigenous Baloch population, resulting in more military checkpoints, land grabs, and displacement—without any tangible benefits for locals.
“The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), especially the Gwadar Seaport, has become a symbol of how Balochistan’s resources are being exploited without local consent,” Chand wrote. He asserted that China’s presence in Balochistan is "deeply resented by the locals," and that opposition to these projects is "growing stronger day by day." According to ANI’s coverage, Chand argued that while these ventures benefit foreign powers and Pakistan’s ruling elite, "they offer nothing to the local communities who suffer under their impact."
The letter’s demands were clear and uncompromising. Chand urged President Trump to publicly recognize the right of the Baloch people to self-determination under international law. He called on the U.S. government to refrain from entering into any agreements or strategic partnerships with Pakistan that involve Balochistan’s resources unless the indigenous people are properly consulted. “We urge you to stand with the Baloch, not with those who seek to silence them,” Chand concluded, as reported by IANS.
But Chand’s appeal did not stop at the U.S. government. He also called on American and Western businesses to avoid investing in CPEC or Pakistani-led projects in Balochistan unless they have the "free, prior, and informed consent of the local population." He further encouraged support for international investigations into what he described as "genocide and cultural erasure" of the Baloch people.
“History will remember those who stood with oppressed nations when they needed a voice. The Baloch are a proud, ancient people who have never accepted occupation, nor will they ever surrender their right to exist with dignity,” Chand wrote, as cited in both ANI and IANS. He pressed Trump to use his platform to "bring global attention to their plight and ensure that the ideals of liberty and justice are not selectively applied."
The letter also provided a sobering account of everyday life in Balochistan, according to the Baloch American Congress. Dr. Chand described a relentless pattern of "enforced disappearances, military operations, censorship, and cultural erasure" that has left the region "marginalised and its people voiceless." The exploitation of Balochistan’s rich natural resources, he wrote, has come at the expense of the indigenous population, who have seen little to no benefit from the vast mineral and energy wealth extracted from their land.
The call for action was not limited to moral appeals. Chand grounded his message in practical terms, urging the U.S. to halt any strategic partnerships or economic agreements with Pakistan that involve Balochistan’s resources unless "meaningful consultation with local communities" occurs. He argued that the international community must "support efforts to investigate and halt the genocide and cultural erasure of the Baloch people," and that businesses should "avoid investments in CPEC or Pakistani-led projects in Balochistan that do not have the free, prior, and informed consent of the local population."
The letter’s tone was urgent and its timing deliberate. According to ANI, Chand made a point of referencing Trump’s own record. “Dr. Chand appealed to Trump's past rhetoric on national sovereignty and justice, urging him to apply those same principles to the Baloch cause.” The implication was clear: if the principles of sovereignty and justice are to mean anything, they must apply to all nations, including the Baloch.
The Baloch American Congress’s appeal comes amid a long history of tension between Balochistan and the central Pakistani government. The province, rich in natural resources but among the least developed in Pakistan, has seen repeated cycles of insurgency, military crackdowns, and allegations of human rights abuses. The CPEC initiative, while promoted as a boon for regional development, has become a flashpoint for local resentment, with many Baloch leaders and activists arguing that it exacerbates their marginalization.
Chand’s letter, while directed at President Trump, is also a broader call to the international community. It asks world leaders, businesses, and human rights organizations to look beyond strategic interests and to consider the human cost of silence and complicity. The Baloch American Congress’s message is unmistakable: the struggle for justice, dignity, and self-determination in Balochistan is far from over, and the world cannot afford to look away.
As diplomatic circles and advocacy groups weigh the implications of Chand’s appeal, the plight of the Baloch people—long overshadowed by geopolitics—has been thrust, at least for a moment, into the international spotlight.
