The Baloch Women Forum (BWF) has strongly condemned the continued human rights violations in Balochistan, stating that the suppression of Baloch voices has become an unending norm in the state. In a detailed statement issued by the central spokesperson, the forum highlighted a disturbing pattern of enforced disappearances, illegal arrests and violent crackdowns on peaceful protests.
Illegal Arrests of BYC Leaders and Members
BWF criticized the recent wave of arrests targeting members and leadership of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC). The forum noted that political activists such as Dr. Mahrang Baloch, Bebarg Baloch, Shah Jee Sibghat Ullah, Sammi Deen, Lala Wahab, and others have faced arbitrary detention under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO), a legal instrument the forum calls unconstitutional and a tool to silence dissent.
Most recently, Gulzadi Baloch was reportedly abducted on April 7 and taken to an undisclosed location. The BWF called her detention part of a broader crackdown on peaceful activism and demanded the immediate release of all BYC members.
Enforced Disappearances
The statement also shed light on the ongoing practice of enforced disappearances in Balochistan, describing it as a grave violation of human rights. The abductions of Nabeel Nodh Baloch, a poet and recent graduate, and Nizam Hassan, a teacher and commission-qualified youth, are cited as alarming examples of intellectual targeting. The forum urged authorities to ensure accountability and bring the disappeared before courts of law rather than holding them incommunicado.
Extrajudicial Killings and Fake Encounters
BWF raised concerns over the increasing number of extrajudicial killings in the province, where forcibly disappeared individuals are later declared “terrorists” and killed in staged encounters. The forum reported that at least 12 individuals were allegedly abducted from Mashkay, Awaran, in March and April, only for their bodies to be dumped and labelled as casualties of armed clashes.
The killing of Bahadur Shafi, a teenager from Washbood (Panjgur), on April 7 by armed militias, along with injuries to his three cousins, was highlighted as yet another chilling example of unchecked violence in the region.
Firing on Peaceful Protesters
The BWF also condemned the use of live ammunition on peaceful demonstrators. On April 7, a protest in Wadh (Khuzdar) was met with direct gunfire from paramilitary forces, killing one protester and injuring three others. This follows a similar incident during a sit-in in Quetta where three protesters were killed, later wrongly blamed on BYC activists.
The BWF has demanded an immediate end to indiscriminate firing on peaceful protests and called on state authorities to respond to the legitimate demands of the Baloch people rather than silencing their voices.
