Pakistan: BYC decries state crackdown on Baloch Long March

Leading Baloch human rights organisation, Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), extended its support for the Baloch Long March to the Balochistan National Party (BNP), which has been prominently raising the issue and leading the cause of state-crackdown on Baloch people.

The announcement was made in a post on X by the BYC.

It said, “BYC fully supports the decision by the Balochistan National Party (BNP) to block highways and hold a shutter-down strike across Balochistan. The state crackdown on the Baloch Long March, the arrests of political activists, and the violence against protesters are the worst examples of state terrorism. The state of Pakistan has practically imposed fascism on Balochistan, where not only political voices are being suppressed but the freedom of expression has also been completely stripped away.”

BYC highlighted that its leaders have been illegally imprisoned for raising their voices against human rights violations in Balochistan. “As an organization, BYC is facing a severe state crackdown. It was against these arrests and atrocities that Sardar Akhtar Jan Mengal announced the Long March, which continues to face relentless state oppression”, BYC noted.

In its statement, BYC noted that it fully endorsed the protest actions of BNP and instructed workers across Balochistan to block all major highways and ensure the success of the shutter-down strike to be held on Monday.

BNP has been marching for the release of Mahrang Baloch and other leaders from the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), as reported by The Balochistan Post (TBP).

Quetta-Karachi Highway and obstructing roads with containers to hinder the march. The long march, initiated from Wadh on March 28 under Mengal’s direction, was organized to protest the detention of BYC leader Mahrang Baloch and other activists, as highlighted in the TBP report.

After facing numerous challenges, protesters managed to reach Mastung, where the authorities cordoned off key routes into Quetta, such as Lakpass Tunnel and Kund Masuri. The protest has since evolved into a sit-in at Lakpass. In a post on X on Friday, Mengal reaffirmed the party’s dedication to carrying on with the march, as noted by TBP.

Balochistan struggles with state repression, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings of activists, scholars, and civilians. The region faces economic neglect, poor infrastructure, and limited political autonomy. Despite its wealth of natural resources, local communities benefit little, while forced disappearances continue to be a widespread issue.