QUETTA: The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) has said that state repression in Balochistan continues as the organization’s central leadership completes one year in detention.
In a statement, the committee said it has been one year since key leaders of BYC, including Dr. Mahrang Baloch, Bebagar Baloch, Sibghatullah Shah Ji, Gulzadi Baloch, and Beebow Baloch, were imprisoned. According to the organization, their detention represents not only the imprisonment of a few individuals but also reflects what it described as an institutional alliance aimed at suppressing a peaceful public narrative.
The spokesperson stated that institutions including the military, intelligence agencies, and the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) are central actors in what the organization called a pattern of organized repression. The statement claimed that during 2025 and 2026, thousands of cases were reported in which anti-terrorism laws were used to silence political voices.
BYC further said that despite repeated calls from the United Nations and international human rights organizations, enforced disappearances have not been criminalized. Instead, the statement said that measures such as so-called “de-radicalization centers” have been used to legitimize unlawful detentions.
The organization also criticized the judicial system, claiming that courts have increasingly been used to justify politically motivated cases. According to BYC, its leaders were first detained for months under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) law and later charged under the Anti-Terrorism Act, which it described as false allegations.
The statement referenced the cases of Baloch and Hamdan Baloch, describing them as examples of judicial helplessness. BYC said that both individuals were killed in “fake encounters” shortly after being presented in court.
BYC also accused Pakistan’s national media of promoting what it described as a state narrative aimed at discrediting the political struggle of the Baloch people. The organization said peaceful activists, including Dr. Mahrang Baloch and her colleagues, are often portrayed as terrorists or facilitators of terrorism in television broadcasts and newspaper headlines.
According to the committee, this situation represents a broader threat not only to Balochistan but also to democratic values across Pakistan.
BYC called for enforced disappearances to be formally declared a serious crime and demanded the formation of an independent and empowered commission to investigate such cases. The organization also urged the judiciary to restore its independence and refrain from supporting politically motivated cases.
The statement further called for the removal of what it described as undeclared censorship on the media and demanded transparent investigations into alleged human rights violations under the supervision of the United Nations.
BYC warned that continued silence over human rights violations in Balochistan could further weaken democratic institutions in the country.
