Pakistani forces detain several young Baloch women in Khuzdar during peaceful campaign

Pakistani forces reportedly detained several young Baloch women in Khuzdar district, Balochistan, amid rising tensions surrounding a peaceful pamphlet distribution campaign for the ‘Baloch Raaji Muchi’ (Baloch National Gathering), The Balochistan Post reported.

The detentions, conducted by Frontier Corps (FC) personnel, have sparked outrage among activists and rights groups, who accuse the Pakistani state of escalating its repression of Baloch dissent.

According to the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), the arrests took place on Khand Road in Khuzdar city as the women were distributing pamphlets promoting the Baloch National Gathering. Among those detained are Saira Baloch, the sister of forcibly disappeared individuals Asif and Rasheed, and Sadia Baloch, the sister of Salman, as reported by The Balochistan Post.

Mahrang Baloch, a prominent Baloch activist, condemned the detentions in a scathing post on ‘X’. “This act is akin to pouring oil on a fire. The incompetent rulers and institutions of this state have no idea what they are doing,” she wrote. Mahrang warned that if Saira, Sadia, and the other detained women are not released immediately, “the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) will soon announce its next course of action.”

Local sources confirm that the detained women are being transported in FC vehicles to an undisclosed location. This development has led to widespread protests in Khuzdar, with reports of the Pakistani forces using gunfire to disperse the demonstrators.

Human rights organisations and activists have vehemently condemned these actions. The Human Rights Department of the Baloch National Movement (BNM), PAANK, denounced the detentions in a statement on ‘X’. “Pakistani forces have surrounded Saira Baloch and other family members of forcibly disappeared individuals, illegally detaining several women,” the statement read. “PAANK condemns these actions and calls for their immediate release. Such abuses must not be tolerated.”

Adding to the outcry, Baloch Voice for Justice also took to social media to denounce the state’s actions. “Saira Baloch, Sadia Baloch, and other female comrades have been illegally detained by the FC and agencies while they were distributing pamphlets for the Baloch National Gathering. This is state terrorism,” the group asserted.

The BYC has urgently appealed to international human rights organisations to intervene and advocate for the immediate release of the detained women. The situation underscores a troubling trend of increased repression against Baloch activists and peaceful demonstrators in Balochistan, The Balochistani Post reported.