‘Pakistan imposes ban on freedom of expression, peaceful protests’: Mahrang Baloch

Pakistan has imposed a complete ban on freedom of expression and peaceful protests, said Baloch activist Mahrang Baloch on Saturday sharing the recent example of a peaceful sit-in, which was met with an FIR by the Hub police, targeting family.

Sharing the pictures on X of the peaceful sit-in, Mahrang Baloch wrote, “The state of Pakistan has imposed a complete ban on freedom of expression and peaceful protest. A peaceful sit-in in Hub, led by the family of Zubair Baloch–a Balochistan University student demanding his recovery–was met with an FIR by the Hub police. The FIR targets Zubair’s family, including his 15-year-old sister @mahanbaloch370, members of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) and political activists, including women.”

“Similarly, another FIR was filed by the SHO of City Police Station Kalat against the family of enforced disappearance victim Akhtar Shah and a BYC activist after their peaceful sit-in in Kalat. The family, demanding Akhtar Shah’s release, has faced threats and intimidation from the authorities in an attempt to silence their struggle,” she added.

Further, Mahrang Baloch condemned the state’s actions, stating that instead of addressing enforced disappearances, the state is criminalizing peaceful protests and using fear to suppress the Baloch people’s fight for justice. “These actions expose the state’s fascist tactics,” she said

Earlier, Baloch activist Mahrang Baloch took to ‘X’ to condemn Pakistan’s treatment of Balochistan, describing it as a “colony where oppression and barbarity are enforced instead of constitution and law.”

Her remarks highlight the intensifying policy of Baloch “genocide” which has left the region in turmoil. Across Balochistan, families and communities are staging sit-ins to demand justice for victims of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.

Notably, the wave of protests across Balochistan reflects the people’s demand for their basic right to live freely on their own land. Despite decades of systemic neglect, enforced disappearances, and state-sponsored violence, the Pakistani government has shown little willingness to address the grievances of the Baloch people.

Activists and human rights organizations have long accused Pakistan of perpetrating a silent genocide in Balochistan. The region’s rich natural resources have been exploited for decades, while its people are subjected to extreme poverty, displacement, and suppression.

The international community must take note of the dire situation in Balochistan, where human rights violations are a daily reality. As protests intensify, Pakistan faces growing scrutiny for its actions in the province, which starkly contrast with its claims of upholding democracy and the rule of law.

Balochistan’s struggle for justice and autonomy remains a glaring indictment of Pakistan’s oppressive policies and a rallying cry for global intervention.