Tensions in Balochistan have surged as the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) rallies against human rights abuses and exploitation of local resources. The authorities have responded with severe restrictions and violent crackdowns on peaceful protests, highlighting the region’s longstanding grievances. These events are set against a backdrop of a two-decade-long insurgency fueled by allegations of systemic neglect.
The BYC, known for its peaceful advocacy for Baloch rights, has gained significant influence and popularity in Balochistan. The group vocally addresses pressing human rights issues, including enforced disappearances, custodial killings, and the exploitation of the region’s resources. Their agenda strongly resonates with the Baloch public, earning them considerable trust in a short period.
Background
In a significant and concerning move, authorities in Pakistan’s Balochistan province have imposed stringent restrictions in Gwadar, a coastal town, just a day before the planned Baloch Raji Machi, or Baloch National Gathering. The event, organized by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), also known as the Baloch Solidarity Committee, was scheduled for July 28. The BYC is a leading civil rights organization that advocates for safeguarding civil, political, and economic rights. They also demand an end to the enforced disappearances and custodial killings of Baloch people in the region.
As convoys from various parts of Balochistan made their way to Gwadar, law enforcement began blocking major highways, which led to clashes. The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) reported that during one such clash in Mastung district on Saturday, security forces opened fire, resulting in one death and several injuries. BYC representative Bebarg Baloch told Al Jazeera, “The paramilitary force fired on a convoy of hundreds, including women and children, traveling from Quetta to Gwadar.”
In a statement on Monday, the Pakistani military said one soldier was killed and 16 others injured in “unprovoked attacks by a violent mob.” Numerous Baloch individuals were arrested during the clashes, and Gwadar experienced its fifth consecutive day of mobile and internet service suspension on Wednesday.
The BYC revealed that two key leaders, Sammi Deen Baloch, and Sabiha Baloch, were detained by authorities in Gwadar on Monday, with their current whereabouts unknown. This spurred angry protests in other towns, including Quetta, Kech, and Mastung, where demonstrators demanded their release.
Late Sunday night, BYC leader Mahrang Baloch issued a statement detailing two primary demands: reopening the highways to allow Baloch protesters to reach Gwadar and releasing the members arrested by law enforcement. Speaking to a large crowd in Gwadar, Mahrang, 31, declared that the people had gathered in large numbers to stand against “state oppression.”
However, Balochistan’s Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti criticized the protests on Monday. “We offered them an alternative location for their rally, but they insisted on holding it in Gwadar. They aim to undermine the development and progress our province has achieved,” Bugti stated from inside the state assembly.
He acknowledged the citizens’ right to assemble but emphasized that they should not have “intentions to disrupt peace and order.”
The BYC’s primary demand is the end of enforced disappearances in Balochistan, which they rightly deem illegal and unconstitutional. The leadership consistently stresses that individuals suspected of unlawful activities should be tried in court under Pakistan’s constitution, rather than being disappeared or killed.
The Balochistan government’s violent crackdown on peaceful protesters last week violated Articles 15 and 16 of the Constitution of Pakistan, which ensure freedom of movement and the right to peaceful assembly.
Decades of Strife
For the past two decades, Balochistan has faced a violent separatist insurgency, the most prolonged and intense in its history, outstripping the previous four insurgencies. The removal of the National Awami Party by Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1972, which ignited an insurgency and a harsh military crackdown, should have been a cautionary tale against interference in Balochistan’s politics. Instead, Pakistani leaders have undertaken further political adventures, including the forced disappearance of political activists, the banning of political parties, and the suppression of peaceful rights movements.
The ethnic Baloch claim that the Pakistani state has neglected its community while exploiting the province’s mineral resources. This sense of neglect has fueled separatist sentiments, with Balochistan experiencing at least five rebellions since Pakistan’s creation in 1947. The latest insurgency, beginning in the early 2000s, calls for a greater share of the province’s resources and even complete independence. In response, Pakistani security forces have launched a severe crackdown, resulting in thousands of deaths over the past two decades.
The delayed action by the authorities to address these issues has deepened mistrust between the central government and Baloch youth. This erosion of trust in Baloch parliamentary parties has led the public to support alternative voices like the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), which has avoided participating in elections or joining assemblies in Pakistan. Despite this, the BYC seeks solutions within Pakistan’s constitutional framework. Their month-long sit-in in Islamabad from December to January, where participants faced mistreatment, sent a disappointing and negative message. The alleged abuse of Baloch women and elders by Islamabad police likely motivated subsequent violent attacks in Balochistan.
Over time, this will create more significant challenges for Islamabad in addressing Balochistan’s two-decade-long insurgency and resolving the province’s issues. It also complicates China’s investment efforts in Balochistan, particularly in Gwadar.
Sources: Al Jazeera, The Diplomat, DW News
