Karachi – April 29, 2025:
Leaders of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) held a press conference at the Karachi Press Club today, highlighting the ongoing state-led crackdown on their organization and the arbitrary detention of its leadership, including Dr. Mahrang Baloch.
Speaking at the conference, BYC leader Sammi Deen Baloch said that for over a month, the entire leadership of BYC has been unlawfully imprisoned, while peaceful political gatherings have been banned in Karachi and several regions of Balochistan.
She stated that the crackdown escalated following a March attack on the Jaffer Express train in Balochistan. “The state opportunistically used that armed incident as a pretext to target our peaceful political organization, despite the fact that BYC has never endorsed or practiced violence,” she said.
The BYC leadership condemned the state’s efforts to link their movement with militant activities, calling it a smear campaign aimed at discrediting their peaceful advocacy for justice and human rights in Balochistan.
“Following the Jaffer Express incident, unidentified bodies were buried secretly in Quetta and families of enforced disappearance victims were denied access to morgues. The fear among these families intensified, recalling past incidents where forcibly disappeared individuals were later killed and falsely portrayed as militants,” said Sammi Deen.
She added that when families demanded legal identification of the bodies in accordance with constitutional rights, they were met with brutal repression and more enforced disappearances.
The press conference revealed that since the crackdown began on March 19, nearly 200 BYC members, including central leaders like Dr. Mahrang Baloch, Sibghatullah Shaji, Bibgar Baloch, Beebow Baloch, Gulzadi Baloch, and Sammi Deen herself, were detained. While a few, including Sammi Deen and Lala Wahab Baloch, have been released, most remain unlawfully imprisoned.
Tragically, the crackdown has already resulted in three deaths including a child and dozens injured. FIRs for the deaths have been registered against BYC leaders, despite the protests being peaceful.
“The targeting of BYC is clearly due to our vocal stance against human rights violations and state repression in Balochistan,” Sammi Deen stated. “Instead of addressing our legitimate grievances, the state has opted to vilify and silence us.”
She described further abuse within the prison system, noting that detained leaders have been harassed, threatened, and subjected to psychological pressure to abandon their political principles.
On April 24, police and CTD forces allegedly entered Quetta jail illegally and physically assaulted Dr. Mahrang Baloch, Beebow Baloch, and Gulzadi Baloch. Beebow Baloch was then forcibly disappeared for 24 hours before being transferred to Pishin jail, where surveillance cameras were installed even in her private spaces.
In protest, five leaders Dr. Mahrang, Sibghatullah Shaji, Bibgar, Beebow, and Gulzadi initiated a hunger strike inside the jail. Their health deteriorated severely until senior lawyers and families intervened to convince them to end the strike yesterday.
“We fear for the lives of our leaders,” Sammi Deen warned. “If anything happens to them, the responsibility lies squarely with the Government of Pakistan, the Balochistan administration, and Quetta authorities.”
The BYC called on the United Nations and international human rights organizations to urgently intervene and ensure the immediate release and safety of Dr. Mahrang Baloch and other detained leaders.
