Writer: Mazar Baloch
Hard state policies refer to a style of governance where state power is enforced through strictness and coercion. The goal is to strengthen governmental authority, ensure national security, and strictly enforce state laws. These policies typically involve rigid laws, expanded powers for security forces, restrictions on civil liberties, and oppressive measures to silence dissent. Often, such policies are introduced under the pretext of maintaining public order and creating national stability. However, in practice, they have serious consequences for democratic values, freedom of expression, and basic human rights. States that adopt hardline policies typically maintain control over the population through censorship, surveillance, and extraordinary powers. Any dissenting voice is silenced, political opponents are harassed or arrested, and the legal system is frequently manipulated to serve government interests. These policies may include anti-terrorism laws, strict national security regulations, and emergency measures that appear to serve the public interest but, in reality, promote state repression. While some may consider these policies necessary for national development, stability and security, in the long run, they often lead to public unrest, a climate of fear, and political and social instability. True democratic governance requires the strengthening of democratic institutions, freedom of public opinion, and respect for fundamental human rights. A balanced and sustainable system can only be achieved by replacing repressive policies with justice, equality, and transparency.
The Occupying State and Its Repressive Policies
An occupying state uses harsh state policies as a weapon to tighten its grip and crush resistance in the occupied territory. The primary aim of these policies is to suppress popular uprisings and movements for freedom, create an atmosphere of fear and intimidation and make its authority unchallengeable. Under these policies, occupying powers impose extraordinary security laws that normalize extrajudicial arrests, enforced disappearances and brutal military operations. By curbing civil liberties, enforcing strict media censorship and limiting freedom of expression, the occupying state seeks to silence the local population, preventing voices of resistance from taking root. Moreover, occupying regimes manipulate the legal system to serve their interests, targeting resistance leaders with imprisonment, exile, or even death. They alter educational curricula, attempt to erase cultural identities and carry out demographic changes to reshape the social and political structure of the occupied region, weakening the foundations of resistance. Through systematic repression, such states impose economic sanctions, restrict freedom of movement, and limit employment opportunities, forcing people into a daily struggle for survival and leaving little room for organized resistance. By implementing these repressive policies, the occupying state creates an environment steeped in fear, uncertainty and overwhelming state power an environment so suffocating that people are too intimidated to resist. Yet, history bears witness that rule founded on oppression is always temporary. The spark of resistance, in one form or another, endures and eventually paves the way toward freedom and justice.
Media, Propaganda and the Psychology of Occupation
An occupying state uses media and propaganda as powerful weapons to mentally condition its own population against the occupied people, portraying them as terrorists, traitors, or foreign agents in order to crush any possible sympathy for their cause. Through state-controlled media and an organized propaganda machine, reality is distorted to construct a narrative in which the occupying government appears as a guardian of peace and order, while the struggle of the oppressed is vilified as foreign conspiracy, extremism, or rebellion, stripping it of any legal or moral legitimacy. The media presents every act of brutality and repression as national defense, glorifying the occupying forces’ violence as heroism, sacrifice and patriotism. A toxic version of nationalism is instilled so deeply in the minds of the public that they lose the ability to perceive the truth. The cries of the oppressed, their blood-soaked homes and their devastated towns are ignored, only the state’s narrative is embraced. The citizens of the occupying state not only support this repression, they directly benefit from it. The occupied land is turned into a profitable economic venture, where resources are plundered, lands are seized and the local population is economically crushed to exploit their labor and wealth. These people don’t just accept the state’s violence, they take pride in it, because this oppression fuels their economy, enables the development of their cities and allows them to live in peace and comfort, while the people of the occupied land bathe in blood, endure suffering and cry out for freedom. For the people of the occupying state, war becomes a source of entertainment and national pride. They proudly watch their brutal army attacking the helpless, admire the scenes of destruction and sing praises of the oppressors. At dinner tables, they engage in hateful conversations about the oppressed, on social media, they justify their bloodshed and they frame every act of injustice as a necessary war for national survival. This propaganda and state narrative condition an entire society to support cruelty, repression, injustice, burying truth, silencing justice, and creating a world where joy is extracted from the suffering of fellow human beings, where comfort is built on others’ ruined lives and where tyranny is seen as a source of strength and progress.
The Occupying State and Its Fear of Truth
An occupying state is always afraid of the truth, because truth is the greatest enemy of tyranny. Whenever a political or social movement dares to expose the repression of the occupier, raises the voice of justice, or defends the rights of the subjugated people, the state treats it as a threat and launches a brutal crackdown. This crackdown takes many forms. First, a vicious propaganda campaign is initiated to discredit these movements. They are branded as rebels, supporters of terrorism, or foreign agents and their image is distorted before the public so that people begin to see them as enemies of the state. A storm of false accusations is unleashed through the media and the voices that speak the truth are dismissed even before they are heard. When propaganda fails, the state unleashes unrestrained force. Offices of these groups are raided, their leaders are arrested under fabricated charges and their members face enforced disappearances, torture, or extrajudicial killings. Those who survive are intimidated to the point of silence or forced into exile. But the state’s repression doesn’t stop there. Journalists, writers, or intellectuals who give space to these groups’ perspectives are also targeted. They are accused of sedition, lose their jobs, or are silenced with threats of death. On social media, freedom of expression is curtailed. Censorship, bans and restrictive cyber laws are employed to suppress dissenting voices, so that no one dares to speak the truth against the occupying state. All of these tactics reveal the deep fear the occupying state holds toward truth. It knows that if the truth reaches the people, if they become aware of their rights and if the reality of oppression is exposed, the foundations of its tyranny will begin to crumble. That is why it leaves no stone unturned in crushing every movement, every voice and every act of resistance that dares to challenge its injustice through the power of words. But history teaches us that tyranny never lasts forever and the flame of truth, no matter how much it is suppressed, only burns brighter.
History is filled with countless instances where occupying powers and oppressive regimes have enforced harsh state policies in an attempt to suppress the truth, crush the oppressed and prolong their rule. These policies were imposed under the guise of peace and stability, but in reality, their true aim was to keep subjugated nations in chains, maintain control over resources and silence every voice that spoke of freedom and justice.
British Colonialism and India (1857–1947)
After the War of Independence in 1857, the British Empire tightened its grip on India by enforcing a series of harsh and repressive policies. Fearing another uprising, the colonial rulers curtailed civil liberties, imposed strict censorship on the press and declared political activities as threats to the state. Freedom fighters were branded as traitors and nationalist aspirations were criminalized. The infamous Rowlatt Act of 1919, also known as the “Black Act,” empowered the British authorities to arrest and detain individuals without trial, stripping the Indian people of even the most basic legal protections. This draconian law institutionalized the suppression of dissent and laid the foundation for state-sanctioned brutality. One of the most horrifying expressions of colonial repression was witnessed during the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, where hundreds of unarmed civilians were gunned down under General Dyer’s command. This atrocity was not just an act of terror, it was a deliberate message, any challenge to imperial authority would be met with ruthless violence. Over time, the British also manipulated the education system and censored cultural expressions, attempting to erase indigenous identity and suppress national consciousness. Surveillance increased, freedom of speech was systematically silenced and any form of resistance, be it literary, political, or civil, was met with imprisonment, exile, or execution. Despite these repressive tactics, the spirit of resistance never died. From the nonviolent civil disobedience movements led by Mahatma Gandhi to the revolutionary actions of figures like Bhagat Singh and Subhas Chandra Bose, the Indian people continuously challenged colonial domination. The British, in turn, responded with even more repression, passing a series of emergency laws, expanding police powers and using divide-and-rule tactics to fracture the growing unity among Indians. In essence, the British Raj’s rule in India was not just an exercise in governance, it was an architecture of control built on violence, fear and legal tyranny. Yet, history stands as a witness: no amount of oppression could extinguish the flames of resistance, and no empire, however powerful, can silence the cry for freedom forever.
Nazi Germany and the Holocaust (1933–1945)
Under the leadership of Adolf Hitler, the Nazi regime in Germany implemented fascist state policies that aggressively suppressed freedom of expression and silenced all forms of dissent. Any individual who dared to challenge the government’s ideology or question its actions was swiftly labeled a traitor and dealt with through intimidation, imprisonment, or execution. The Jewish population, in particular, became the primary target of a relentless campaign of hatred and dehumanization. Through a calculated and extensive propaganda machine, Jews were falsely portrayed as conspirators and threats to the German nation. This vilification laid the groundwork for one of the most horrific genocides in modern history, the Holocaust. The Nazi regime seized complete control over the media, using it as a weapon to mold public opinion and conceal the atrocities being committed. State-controlled newspapers, films and radio broadcasts glorified the Nazi vision, celebrated militarism and incited racial hatred, while simultaneously silencing voices of reason, morality and resistance. Laws such as the Nuremberg Laws (1935) institutionalized anti-Semitism by stripping Jews of their citizenship, banning intermarriage between Jews and non-Jews, and excluding them from public life. Jewish businesses were boycotted, synagogues were burned and entire communities were forcibly relocated to ghettos, where they lived in deplorable conditions. Eventually, this systemic persecution escalated into the “Final Solution”, a state-sponsored program of industrialized extermination. Millions of Jews were rounded up and transported to concentration and extermination camps like Auschwitz, where they faced unimaginable cruelty, forced labor and mass execution in gas chambers. The Nazi regime also targeted other marginalized groups, including Romani people, disabled individuals, political dissidents, LGBTQ+ individuals and Slavic populations. The aim was not merely political control, but the creation of a racially “pure” state through violence, fear and genocide. In Nazi Germany, the combination of authoritarian governance, propaganda, surveillance and brutal laws created a society where conformity was enforced and empathy was extinguished. The Holocaust stands as a chilling reminder of what happens when hatred is codified into law, truth is silenced, and an entire state machinery is mobilized to destroy a people.
History compels us to remember: the road to genocide is paved with censorship, scapegoating, and unchecked power. The memory of these atrocities is not just a record of the past, but a warning for the future.
Israeli Occupation of Palestine (1948–Present)
Following the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, a long and painful chapter of displacement, repression and systemic violence began for the Palestinian people, a chapter that continues to this day. The newly formed Israeli state enforced ruthless policies aimed at uprooting Palestinians from their ancestral lands, demolishing their homes, villages and suppressing their right to resist occupation by branding their liberation struggle as terrorism. Through military force and legal mechanisms, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forcibly expelled during the Nakba (the “catastrophe”), turning them into refugees overnight. Those who remained faced a brutal system of segregation, surveillance and daily humiliation under an expanding occupation. Entire neighborhoods were razed, olive groves destroyed, and generations were raised under the shadow of military checkpoints, walls and airstrikes. The Israeli state tightly controls the narrative through a powerful propaganda network and media influence, projecting itself internationally as a victim defending its sovereignty, while portraying Palestinians as aggressors. This calculated distortion of reality allows state-sponsored violence to continue largely unchecked by the international community. In the occupied territories, particularly the West Bank and Gaza, extraordinary security laws are routinely enforced. Arbitrary arrests, administrative detentions without trial, house demolitions and collective punishment have become tools of control. Night raids, curfews and enforced disappearances are part of everyday life for Palestinians living under occupation. In Gaza, a 15+ year-long blockade has created a humanitarian crisis, turning the region into what human rights groups describe as the world’s largest open-air prison. Infrastructure has been crippled, medical supplies are scarce and children grow up amid bombings and trauma. Meanwhile, illegal settlements continue to expand across the West Bank, fragmenting Palestinian land and erasing any viable hope for sovereignty. Even peaceful forms of resistance, like protests, boycotts, or cultural expression, are met with violent crackdowns. Palestinian journalists, activists and artists are routinely targeted, imprisoned, or killed for simply telling their stories. This decades-long occupation reflects a system that seeks not only to dominate land but to erase identity. Yet despite generations of suffering, the Palestinian people continue to resist, with their voices, their culture and their unwavering demand for freedom, justice and the right to return. The occupation of Palestine remains one of the most visible and tragic examples of modern-day colonialism, where power is enforced through walls, weapons, propaganda and yet still fails to silence a people’s cry for liberation.
Racial Apartheid in South Africa (1948–1994)
In South Africa, the white minority regime institutionalized a system of racial segregation known as Apartheid, under which the Black majority population was stripped of their most basic rights and subjected to brutal state control. Harsh and discriminatory state policies were implemented to ensure white supremacy: Black South Africans were confined to designated “homelands,” denied access to quality education, decent employment, political participation and treated as second-class citizens in the land of their ancestors. Apartheid was not merely social discrimination, it was a carefully crafted system of legal, political and economic oppression. The regime used laws to enforce racial separation in every sphere of life, schools, transport, housing and even public benches. Marriage and relationships between races were criminalized. Those who dared to speak against this system faced arrests, torture, exile, or death. Thousands of freedom fighters, including Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, and Steve Biko, were imprisoned for years, enduring inhumane conditions in notorious prisons like Robben Island. The regime deployed a ruthless security apparatus that surveilled, harassed, and silenced dissenters. Media was censored, political organizations were banned, and entire communities were uprooted in forced removals. Yet, despite the systemic brutality, resistance never ceased. From mass protests, student uprisings, and worker strikes to international solidarity movements and sanctions, the call for justice grew louder each day. The 1976 Soweto Uprising, led by schoolchildren protesting inferior education, became a powerful symbol of defiance. The state tried to maintain its grip through propaganda, portraying apartheid as a necessary system for “order” and “development,” but the truth, of racism, violence, and dehumanization, could not be hidden forever. As the struggle intensified and global condemnation increased, the apartheid regime began to crumble under the weight of its own contradictions and resistance. In 1994, after decades of sacrifice and unwavering struggle, apartheid was officially dismantled, and Nelson Mandela became the first Black President of a democratic South Africa. Though the scars remain, the end of apartheid marked a monumental victory against state-sponsored racism and a testament to the power of collective resistance and enduring hope.
Pakistan’s Hard State Policies in Balochistan
Another manifestation of the Pakistani state’s repressive policies is the recent crackdown on the Baloch Yakjahti Committee (BYC) and its leadership. Led by Dr. Mahrang Baloch, BYC is a resistance organization that raises its voice against enforced disappearances and conducts peaceful protests grounded in the principles of justice. But instead of listening to the cries of the oppressed, the state chose the path of further repression. March this year, when Mahrang Baloch, Beebow Baloch and Bibagar Baloch were demanding justice while carrying the bodies of three innocent Baloch martyrs, they were arrested. Their only crime was speaking up for those young men who had been gunned down by Pakistani security forces. When Sammi Deen Baloch and Sigbatullah Shahji organized peaceful demonstrations to demand their release, the state targeted and imprisoned them too. These arrests reveal the state’s determination to silence any voice that challenges its violence. Instead of offering solace to grieving families, the state inflicts further pain. The purpose behind the state’s oppression of BYC leaders is clear: to deter the Baloch people from pursuing their rightful struggle, to instill fear, and to crush resistance through brute force.
Yet history bears witness that repression cannot extinguish resistance, it only strengthens it. The more the state tightens its grip, the more it fuels the fire of defiance. The cries for justice may be silenced for a moment, but they echo louder with every act of injustice.
The clash between state oppression and the resistance of truth is a recurring chapter in history, where occupying and authoritarian regimes have always relied on false charges, propaganda, and brute force to silence those who dare to speak the truth. Whenever an oppressed people have raised their voice for survival and dignity, the state machinery has sought to mislead the public by branding them as terrorists, rebels, or foreign agents.
Mahatma Gandhi’s Satyagraha movement stands as a classic example of this confrontation between tyranny and truth. The British Empire, threatened by a popular leader who believed in nonviolence, viewed him as a danger to its colonial rule. Gandhi launched powerful movements of non-cooperation and civil disobedience, such as the Salt March and peaceful defiance of unjust laws, to challenge British injustice. Yet, despite his nonviolent stance, the colonial state repeatedly imprisoned him, imposed draconian laws, and tried to discredit the independence movement by portraying him as a subversive instigator. But in the face of all this repression, the struggle for truth and justice prevailed. The British state failed to crush the spirit of resistance, and eventually, this movement led to India’s hard-won freedom.
This enduring story serves as a reminder: no matter how powerful the oppressor, truth has a way of breaking through. And when truth and resistance walk hand in hand, even empires must bow.
The same story was repeated in South Africa, where Nelson Mandela resisted racial discrimination, but state oppression branded him a terrorist and imprisoned him for 27 years. The white supremacist regime tried to create the impression that Mandela and his party, the African National Congress (ANC), were promoting unrest and terrorism in the country, when in reality, they were fighting solely for equality and freedom. The state kept the media tightly under its control and worked relentlessly to instill the propaganda that those who spoke of justice were, in fact, enemies of the nation. But after Mandela’s release, the world saw the truth: those who had once been labeled terrorists were actually the true champions of freedom and human rights. Mandela’s story, like so many others, exposes how oppressive regimes weaponize fear, falsehood, and state machinery to silence truth. And yet, despite years of incarceration and demonization, the voice of justice emerged stronger, reminding the world that standing up for what is right can never truly be defeated.
In the United States as well, the struggle of African American citizens under the leadership of Martin Luther King Jr. faced intense state repression. He led the fight for civil rights through nonviolent resistance, but the American state and its intelligence agencies, particularly the FBI, sought to portray him as a communist, a traitor, and a conspirator against the state. His phones were tapped, every attempt was made to sabotage his movement, and eventually, he was assassinated. Yet, his sacrifice was not in vain. His movement broke through the walls of injustice and opened the doors to racial equality in America.
The same policy was imposed upon the Palestinian people, where the occupying Israeli state sought to equate the struggle for freedom with terrorism. Any Palestinian who stood up for their land was branded a terrorist under the state narrative and either killed or imprisoned. The global media was manipulated by the occupying state to portray the conflict in its favor, convincing the world that Palestinians fighting for their land, identity, and very existence were terrorists, while the real terrorism was being carried out by the Israeli military, which rained bullets on unarmed civilians. Yet despite all this, the spirit of Palestinian resistance did not weaken; instead, it grew stronger with time.
The same policy is now being repeated in Pakistan with regard to Balochistan, where leaders of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) are being arrested under false charges of terrorism simply for raising their voices against enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and state repression. Leaders like Dr. Mehrang Baloch, Sammi Deen Baloch, Sigbatullah Shahji, Beebo Baloch, and Bibgar Baloch, who were peacefully demanding justice, have been targeted by the state as if they were criminals. Throughout this ordeal, the state narrative has remained consistent with that of all oppressive regimes: to portray the oppressed as terrorists and those who speak of justice as rebels.
All these examples prove that oppressive states always resort to force, lies, and propaganda to silence the voice of truth. Yet history has shown time and again that such tactics ultimately fail. Those who were once branded as terrorists are later recognized as heroes of freedom, and the movements that were targeted for destruction end up reshaping the course of history. Every act of oppression gives birth to new resistance, and every attempt to suppress the truth eventually becomes the cause of the oppressor’s downfall.
