QUETTA, BALOCHISTAN: The recent tragedy in Ziarat has once again exposed the reality that the people of Balochistan have, for decades, been facing conditions arising from the state’s repressive policies conditions in which the use of state power has profoundly affected the lives of ordinary citizens.
The Baloch people in Balochistan have long faced enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, collective punishment, and the suppression of political voices, while in Pashtun-populated areas as well, repressive policies, insecurity, displacement, and continuous unrest have subjected the population to severe hardship. The Baloch Yakjehti Committee believes that all these conditions have arisen as a result of the state’s policies of repression and oppression and are also part of a genocidal policy directed against the Baloch and Pashtun nations. This incident, too, is another link in that same chain.
A week has passed since the Ziarat tragedy, yet the affected families continue their peaceful protest to secure their legitimate demands. The core demands of these families are justice, a transparent investigation, the identification of those responsible, and protection of the victims’ rights. It is the state’s responsibility to hear their voice, take their concerns seriously, and resolve the issues through justice and political dialogue rather than through force, silence, or neglect.
The Baloch Yakjehti Committee makes clear that the suffering of the Baloch and Pashtun people is shared both nations have faced mass killings and state repression for decades. We make it clear to the state that lasting peace is not possible through the use of force, but only through justice, the rule of law, respect for human rights, recognition of the people’s political voice, and dialogue. Until the basic rights of the people, protection of life and property, and political participation are guaranteed, the dream of durable peace and stability in this region cannot be realized.
The Baloch Yakjehti Committee expresses its complete solidarity with the victims of the Ziarat tragedy and their families and reaffirms its full support for their legitimate demands. We appeal to all political and social forces, as well as human rights organizations, to express solidarity with the victims and raise their voices for human rights and justice in Balochistan.
The Baloch Yakjehti Committee stands with every voice raised for human dignity, justice, peace, and a future in which no human being has to face violence, fear, and injustice.
