QUETTA: The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) has announced that programs will be held across Balochistan and around the world on January 25 to observe Baloch Genocide Remembrance Day, aimed at highlighting what it describes as the ongoing genocide of the Baloch people.
In a statement, BYC said that genocide is not limited to direct mass killings but can also be a slow, systematic and silent process in which a people’s identity, existence and way of life are gradually erased. According to the committee, when a nation is targeted because of its identity, it is not only killed through executions and enforced disappearances, but also through deliberate neglect, disease, unsafe living conditions, economic deprivation and psychological terror.
The statement said that the genocide of the Baloch people began from the very first day they were targeted because of their identity. BYC claimed that this genocide is carried out not only through targeted killings, enforced disappearances and drone attacks, but also through denial of healthcare, economic exploitation, the spread of cancer, fatal illnesses and widespread psychological torture.
According to BYC, January 25 was formally designated as Baloch Genocide Remembrance Day in January 2024 during a historic gathering at Saryab Shahwani Stadium. The purpose of the day, is to inform the world about the ongoing genocide of the Baloch people and to highlight the urgent need for collective struggle for the survival of the Baloch nation.
The statement explained that January 25 commemorates the incident of January 25, 2014, when more than 100 mutilated bodies of forcibly disappeared Baloch youth were recovered from an abandoned secret camp linked to Pakistani intelligence-backed militias, also referred to as death squads, in the Tootak, Balochistan. BYC described the discovery as a permanent wound in the national memory of the Baloch people, stating that it continues to affect Baloch families, including mothers, sisters, brothers, fathers and children. The mass graves of Totak, remain a symbol of the tragedy, while families still await identification of their loved ones and justice.
Beyond Totak, BYC said several other mass graves have been discovered across Balochistan. The statement noted that countless bodies have been buried, while families of thousands of forcibly disappeared Baloch continue to wait for years and in some cases decades. According to BYC, these unidentified bodies and prolonged waiting have become part of the Baloch collective identity.
The committee stated that January 25 symbolically represents all such acts of genocide, noting that the bodies recovered from mass graves share one identity they are Baloch and that each year this remembrance renews the pain of waiting for hundreds of families.
BYC further said that following the declaration of the day, the Baloch nation organized a large gathering last year in Dalbandin, a resource-rich region of Balochistan, to send a message that the Baloch people are being subjected to genocide for the exploitation of their land and resources. The statement claimed that the state attempted to suppress the Dalbandin gathering through harassment of participants, jamming of communication networks, fabrication of cases, arrests and registration of FIRs. It added that internet and phone services were suspended for three days, and individuals were detained for providing logistical support, while personal belongings were confiscated.
According to BYC, the repression occurred because the Baloch people refuse to remain silent. The statement alleged that the state has entered what it described as its darkest phase of fascism, with public leaders imprisoned, peaceful assemblies banned, and intensified actions including drone attacks, enforced disappearances, and military operations affecting women and children. BYC said these actions demonstrate that the situation is not an ordinary conflict but the deliberate destruction of a nation.
The Baloch Yakjehti Committee appealed to Baloch people in Balochistan and across the world to begin preparations for January 25. It called on communities to organize protests, seminars, book stalls, video messages, press briefings, panel discussions, television programs, podcasts, webinars and cultural and artistic events. The statement also urged engagement with diplomats, activists, influencers and journalists in respective countries.
BYC announced that it will provide awareness materials, including pamphlets, brochures and booklets, through its official channels for distribution globally. It also instructed all BYC zones to launch public mobilization campaigns in cities and villages across Balochistan, document cases described as genocide, and establish direct contact with victims and their families.
The statement concluded by saying that January 25 is not only a renewal of the Baloch nation’s commitment to struggle, but also a call to awaken the conscience of the world so that the Baloch genocide is recognized internationally and immediate action is taken to stop it.
