Pakistan: Rights body protest over arrests, crackdown on Baloch people

A protest rally was organised by the leading Baloch human rights organisation, Baloch Yakjehti Committee, in the Lasbela region of Balochistan over the crackdowns taking place alongside the repression and oppression of Baloch people.

Sharing the details on X, it said that the rally took place early in the morning against several issues plaguing the Baloch people. These include the crackdown on their protests, subjecting them to oppression and repression.

“A protest rally was organized by the Baloch Solidarity Committee (Lasbela Region) against the crackdown on the sit-in this morning and for the recovery of the arrested comrades, along with a demonstration against the crackdown on protest sit-ins and the oppression and repression being carried out across Balochistan. A large number of people participated in this demonstration, including people from all walks of life, and in addition to them, the relatives of the missing persons ensured their participation in the demonstration”, BYC said on X.

The protests saw the turnout of a large number of youth, women and children.

People from all walks of life participated to highlight the issues their community is suffering from.

Notably, in another post on X, BYC announced that it will hold a “peaceful resistance sit-in” on March 24 to raise its voice against the forcible disappearance and arrest of political activists such as Mahrang Baloch, Bebigar Baloch and Bebo Baloch.

“The Baloch Solidarity Committee will once again hold a peaceful resistance sit-in tomorrow. As long as state oppression continues and Baloch leader Dr. Mahrang Baloch, central member Bebigar Baloch, Bebo Baloch and all the forcibly disappeared and arrested political activists are not safely recovered, the Baloch nation will not sit silent,” it announced.

“We appeal to every conscious individual of the Baloch nation, political activists, journalists, scholars, clerics, business community, women, workers and children to participate fully. National resistance is the guarantee of our survival, and silence against oppression is tantamount to supporting the oppressor. Time: 12 noon Date: March 24 Location: Burari Bypass,” the rights body added.

International figures have condemned the arrest and the treatment of Baloch activists. Mary Lawlor, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, criticised the crackdown on protesters in Quetta.

She highlighted the detention of Mahrang Baloch and other human rights defenders in Balochistan, stating, “Very concerned by reports that Mahrang Baloch and a number of other HRDs have been arrested in Balochistan following a crackdown on Baloch Yakjehti Committee protesters in Quetta.”

The arrest has sparked wider concerns regarding the Pakistani authorities’ handling of dissent in Balochistan.

Mahrang Baloch, a leading voice in the human rights movement, was reportedly dragged and arrested along with several others.