Claim: Shahzain Bugti said, “Those people can never be recovered who were never born and went missing by their fictitious names.” In the context of the Baloch genocide March, this statement implies that Bugti is casting doubt on the veracity of the survivors’ and their families’ claims regarding the issue of enforced disappearance or missing persons in Pakistan.
Fact: In a public post on X, Shahzain Bugti confirmed that the statement is being falsely associated with him and that he believes in people’s constitutional right to due process.
On 26 December 2023, a digital news social media account called, Daily Intekhab shared an image and statement of Nawabzada Shahzain Bugti on X with the following caption:
“وہ لوگ کسی صورت بازیاب نہیں ہوسکتے جو پیدا ہی نہیں ہوئے اور فرضی ناموں پر لاپتا ہوئے، شاہ ذین بگٹی” [Translation: Those people can never be recovered who were never born and went missing by their fictitious names.]
What is the Baloch Genocide March?
The Baloch Long March is a protest movement led by Mahrang Baloch and other Baloch women. The March started in response to the growing number of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in the region. The specific event that triggered the March was the death of Balaach Mola Bakhsh in November 2023.
The March was initiated in Balochistan on 6 December 2023, stopping on the way at places like Kalat. At least 200 people were arrested, including protest leader Mahrang Baloch, as they entered the capital on 21 December 2023. Videos on social media show thousands of ethnic Baloch coming out in different cities to show solidarity with the protesters.
Fact or Fiction?
On 27 December 2023, Nawabzada Shahzain Bugti reposted the claim with a quote tweet, providing his clarification:
“مجھ سے منسوب یہ بیان سراسر غلط اور فیک نیوز ہے ۔ میں نے ایسا کوئی بیان نہیں دیا۔ جمہوری وطن پارٹی کا لاپتہ افراد کے متعلق اصولی موقف ہے کہ ہم آئین پاکستان کے ساتھ ہیں اور آئین پاکستان میں لوگوں کو لاپتہ کرنے کی کوئی گنجائش نہیں ۔ اگر کوئی شخص کسی بھی مشتبہ غیرقانونی سرگرمی یا جرم میں ملوث ہے تو اسے گرفتار کیا جائے اور عدالتوں میں پیش کیا جائے اور تمام آئینی اور قانونی تقاضوں کو پورا کرتے ہوئے انصاف کی فراہمی کو یقینی بنایا جائے ۔ “
[Translation: This statement is being falsely attributed to me. I have not given any such statement. Jamhoori Watan Party has taken a principled stance against the issue of missing persons that we are with the Constitution of Pakistan and the constitution does not allow for anyone to be forcefully disappeared. If a person is involved in any kind of illegal activity or crime, then they should be arrested and tried by the courts, keeping in line with the principles laid out by the constitution.]
This proves that the statement was falsely attributed to Bugti..
Daily Intekhab also shared an article with their post on X. The article covers a statement given by a major leader of the Jamhoori Watan Party from NA-253, Nawabzada Shahzain Bugti. The article clarifies that Bugti claimed that if he wins he will play an instrumental role in the recovery of the missing persons and condemned the torture and mistreatment of Baloch women protesters.
Bugti did give a statement, but his words were taken out of context, misconstrued and misquoted to imply that he is giving a statement against the Baloch protesters who are currently in Islamabad.
Virality
On X (formerly, Twitter) the claim received more than 400 interactions and was viewed 176,600 times.
Conclusion: Shahzain Bugti did not make a statement casting doubt on the veracity of the survivors’ and their families’ claims regarding the issue of enforced disappearance or missing persons in Pakistan.
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Background image in cover photo: ABC News
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