Throughout history, oppressive regimes have used collective punishment as a strategic tool to suppress dissent when individuals cannot be silenced through intimidation or coercion, the authoritarian regimes turn toward soft targets, family members, this tactics have been in practice long, international humanitarian law in fourth Geneva Convention strongly prohibits the collective punishment, calls for the protection of especially portative person.

This aims to silence the sane voice by attacking, intimating, or threatening the entire community. There are numerous such accidents that the general public has targeted. Incidents such as Jallianwala Bhag massacre on 13 April 1919 in Amritsar, unarmed civilians targeted by British forces, killing hundreds and injuring thousands, was a clear message of intimidation to the general public, to not stand face of oppression, not to question the oppressor, not to resist, accept the colonial masters.

 Whether it is the British forces in India, Israeli forces in Gaza, or the Pakistani forces in Balochistan, the collective punishment continues to be a common tool of repression.

For Instance, The Israeli force uses collective punishment as pressure Hamas by imposing. Blockades Gaza, cutting food and medical supplies, bombing civilian homes, razing their homes, killing thousands of the civilians, and committing inhumane acts against the population

 The same case is for the Baloch, where state targets the families of political activists, intellectuals, teachers, and poets—all the conscious mind of the society

 Dr. Sabiha’s Unyielding Resistance

One prime example is Dr. Sabiha, a central leader of Baloch Yakjehti Committee and former chairperson of the BSAC. Although she has not taken up arms or broken any laws, her commitment to peaceful resistance and her unbreakable courage has shaken the very foundations of a nuclear state.

 Unable to silence her through intimidation or violence, the state forces, forcefully abducted her brother and cousin , demanding her to refrain from activism. Despite their inhumane treatment, Dr Sabiha stood firm against oppression. The authorities continues to target her family.

Later, following the Raaji Mochi (Baloch National Gathering) in Gwadar on 28 July 2024, the state machinery lodged numerous fake FIRs (First information report), and added her family members name in the 4th schedule (Proscribed Persons) just to terrorize her when this failed too, now the state abducted her elderly father Basheer Ahmed from Hub chowki ( industrial city of Balochistan ) his whereabouts remains unknown to this date, These tactics aimed to silence her strong voice for Baloch, how a conscious mind like Sabiha remains silent when the whole Balochistan burns. 

Dr Sabiha is not alone, there are hundreds of Baloch families in different parts of Baluchistan families face similar state retaliation when stands up against state atrocities in Balochstan.

Sammi Deen standing firm in the face oppression, seeking justice

Similarly, Sammi Deen any another victim of the collective punishment doctrine, whose father Dr. Deen Muhammad forcefully abducted on 28 June 2009 from Ornach, Khuzdar.  Since then, there has been no trace of him, Sammi chose not to remain silent. For simply seeking justice for father, she has faced ongoing intimidation, harassment from the state forces and multiple fake FIRs, an attempted silence her, the authority has also detained her using the so called 3MPO law.

Mashkay Tragedy: The Case of Bayandur Baloch

In Mashkay, district Awaran, a similar tragic story unfolds. Bayandur Baloch, a university student, was abducted in Uthal. In response of Bayandur abduction, his family along with fellow students protested and set up sit-in camps in front of Lasbela University of Agriculture, Water, and Marine Sciences (LUAWMS) in Uthal Balochistan. The state police and its agencies pressurized the family to end the protest, however the family didn’t succumb to the pressure, continued their protest for the safe release of Bayandur. The forces retaliated by abducting his two of his cousins Zaheer Niaz and Mehraj Niaz. Became latest victim of collective punishment. . Both were illegally detained and later found murdered with signs of severe torture in March 2025. The family was punishment for speaking, standing in the face of oppression, asking to live peacefully. Bayandur`s whereabouts remain unknown, and his family continues to suffer in silence

The tactic of collective punishment aims not just at activists but also at preventing the exposure of atrocities in a region where media and internet access are restricted. In Balochistan, every Baloch is potentially a victim. 

Beebow: a strong voice

Take Beebow Baloch another political activist facing fake charges, fake FIR and detention under the doctrine of 3MPO (maintenance of public order), a law used to suppress dissent. She is being pressurized to give up activism, however, she did not bow to the pressure and refused to surrender her activism, the Pakistani state turned to her father, Abdul Gaffar, elderly man abducted from his home Quetta, tortured and harassed mentally, physically, later detained under him the same so called 3MPO law . The goal was simple to break her by punishing her family. In the prison, Pakistani state agency continued to harass her through different shameful tactics.  She was forcefully dragged and tortured later shifted her from Hudda jail Quetta to Pishan jail without any legal notices in midnight, after severe mental and physical tortured again she was shifted to Hudda jail Quetta. Such cheap acts won`t break  the courage of Bebow 

But the repression does not stop at political activists. Every ordinary civilian faces collective punishment, their home razed to the ground, abducted, abused, tortured, humiliated, and forced displacement. These are common encounter in their daily lives. 

Civilian suffering 

 In Paroom, panjgur,  after an attack on Pakistani military by a Baloch armed organization, the state forces  responded , by abducting six innocent people, including two brothers, named Asgar Muhammed  Ali and Ateeq Muhammed Ali, while rest of them were released after extreme tortured, Ateeq remains missing till date

To make matters worse, the people of Jaheen paroom (the place attacked happened) were barred accessing the Jeerak border, a vital trade route with Iran, causing immense economic suffering. Such acts are common in remote and inaccessible areas of Balochistan where there no networks, complete media blackout, if any one dare to speak is either killed or abducted 

Pakistan state policy of fear and silence

The collective punishment remains a deliberate strategy to crush voices in Balochistan. It not only target activists but entire families, spreading fear and silence through violence. Despite international laws prohibiting such actions, the Pakistan state operate with complete immunity, No one is held accountable, no trail, no authority is questioned. Silence of international community encourages the Pakistani state to continue its repression without the fear of accountability. The so called champions of human rights need to speak up and should hold Pakistani state accountable for its atrocities in Balochistan.

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