Last updated: July 2025

Who We Are

The Balochistan Dispatch is an independent, English-language news platform dedicated to accurate, balanced, and humane coverage of Balochistan and its people. We are not affiliated with any government, political party, armed group, or advocacy organization. Our loyalty is to our readers and to the facts.

We exist because Balochistan is one of the most under-reported and most misreported regions in the world. Coverage of the province is too often filtered through competing political agendas. Our purpose is to close that gap with journalism that is verifiable, fair, and rooted in the lived reality of the people of Balochistan.

Our Editorial Position

In news reporting, we are neutral. Our news coverage takes no side in Pakistan's political disputes or in the conflicts affecting Balochistan. We report what can be verified, attribute what cannot, and give all relevant parties the opportunity to respond.

In opinion and editorial content, we are open about our values. Our editorial voice supports a peaceful, equitable Pakistan in which the people of Balochistan enjoy full constitutional rights, economic opportunity, quality education, and access to healthcare. We advocate for gender equality, maternal health, and education. We hold these positions openly — and we engage opposing arguments fairly rather than ignoring them.

News and opinion are strictly separated. Every piece of opinion, editorial, or analysis content is clearly labeled as such. Readers should never have to guess whether they are reading reporting or commentary.

Accuracy and Verification

• We publish only what we can verify or clearly attribute. Claims we cannot independently confirm are labeled as claims, with their source named.
• Casualty figures: Figures for deaths, injuries, and disappearances in Balochistan are frequently disputed between official sources, armed groups, and independent monitors. As standing policy, all unverified casualty figures are labeled as claims and accompanied by a disclosure noting that figures are disputed and could not be independently confirmed. This applies to every story, without exception, regardless of which side the figure comes from.
• We distinguish clearly between the two separate conflicts affecting the province — the Baloch nationalist insurgency and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) insurgency — and do not conflate them. Reporting identifies which conflict an incident belongs to wherever this can be established.
• We prefer primary sources: official statements, court records, first-hand accounts, and on-the-ground reporting. Social media claims are treated as leads, not facts, until verified.

Fairness and Right of Reply

Any person or institution that is the subject of significant criticism in our reporting is given a genuine opportunity to respond before publication. If a response cannot be obtained, we say so and explain the attempt made. We report the positions of the state, of Baloch political movements, and of affected communities with equal seriousness, even where our editorial pages disagree with them.

Corrections

We correct errors promptly, clearly, and without defensiveness. Substantive corrections are noted on the article itself with the date of correction. We do not silently edit published stories on matters of fact. Readers who believe we have published an error may contact us through the Contact page; every credible complaint is reviewed. (See our separate Corrections Policy for full procedure.)

Sources and Confidentiality

Given the security environment in Balochistan, protecting sources can be a matter of life and death. We grant anonymity where naming a source would put them at genuine risk, and we tell readers why anonymity was granted. We never fabricate sources, and we never attribute to a source anything they did not say.

Images and Visual Content

We use only original photography, properly licensed images, or clearly credited material used with permission. We do not republish photographs from other outlets without a license. Where suitable images are unavailable, we use original text-based graphics instead. Graphic imagery of violence is used only when it serves a clear journalistic purpose, with appropriate warnings.

Independence and Funding

The Balochistan Dispatch accepts no funding, direction, or content requirements from any government, intelligence agency, political party, or armed group. Advertising and reader support fund our work; advertisers have no influence over editorial decisions. Sponsored content, if ever published, is clearly labeled "Sponsored" and is never presented as news.

Scope of Coverage

Our core mission is Balochistan: its politics, human rights situation, health, education, development, economy, environment, and culture. We also publish national, international, and general-interest content — including sports and utility information — to serve our readers' broader needs. Such content is always placed in its own clearly labeled sections and is never mixed with, or allowed to dilute, our Balochistan reporting.

Style and Standards

Our house style follows the conventions of professional South Asian English-language journalism, benchmarked against Dawn. We write clearly and humanely, avoid inflammatory language, and use precise, neutral terminology in news copy — for example, attributing characterizations ("which the government describes as...", "which the group claims was...") rather than adopting any party's vocabulary as our own.

Ethics in Reporting on Vulnerable People

Reporting on victims of violence, enforced disappearance, or abuse is done with dignity and informed consent wherever possible. We take special care in coverage involving women, children, and grieving families. We do not sensationalize suffering.

Contact

Questions, complaints, or feedback about our editorial standards may be sent through our Contact page. This policy is reviewed periodically and updated as the publication grows.