The Baloch Women Forum (BWF) has released a statement calling on authorities to immediately release the detained Baloch, including BYC leaders, and cease the ongoing crackdown against the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC). The forum condemned the state’s indiscriminate firing, arrests, and the false charges being levied against peaceful protesters, which have intensified chaos in Balochistan.
The spokesperson for the Baloch Women Forum stated that the state’s actions, targeting both women and men in Balochistan, have created a climate of fear and turmoil. “Earlier, Dr. Mahrang Baloch was illegally arrested, along with Bebow Baloch and others, during protests over the arrest and disappearance of BYC member Beebarg Baloch and his brother Hammal Baloch. Since then, law enforcement agencies have escalated their crackdown on protesters, including direct firing, tear gas shelling, and mass detentions,”.
The statement highlighted the ongoing repression, noting that the protests held today in Quetta and Karachi were met with brutal force. In Quetta, anyone associated with the protest, including men, women, and even passersby, were arrested and threatened by police. “A heavy deployment of state forces was seen in the area, and despite shifting locations, protesters still faced indiscriminate firing and arrests, including young girls, in Qambarani Road Quetta.
The BWF also reported that in Karachi, a so-called Section 144 was imposed after the BYC’s protest call. Despite this, when protestors, including human rights activists, gathered outside Karachi Press Club, police brutally detained BYC central leaders Sammi Deen Baloch and Lala Wahab Baloch, forcefully dragging them into a police van and taking them to an undisclosed location. The spokesperson said. “At the same time, a pro-state group was allowed to assemble in the same spot with state flags and anti-BYC slogans, with no action taken against them, illustrating the blatant discrimination,”
The BWF spokesperson condemned these actions as a direct violation of constitutional rights and international human rights laws, urging authorities to halt the oppression. “We call on the state to stop this unjust behavior, release the detained BYC leaders, and ensure justice prevails,
