The recent attack on the Jaffar Express by Baloch armed fighters once again exposed the fragility of the Pakistani state’s control over Balochistan. But instead of responding directly to the armed organizations, the state unleashed a brutal crackdown on peaceful political activists—most notably the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC). Among the first to be targeted were BYC Central Committee member Sangat Bebarg and his brother Dr. Hammal, who were forcibly abducted from their home in Quetta and later detained under the so-called 3MPO law—a tool the Pakistani state uses to silence political activists.

In response, BYC announced a peaceful sit-in protest outside Balochistan University, demanding the safe release of Sangat Bebarg and his brother. The state responded not with dialogue but with violence. Security forces opened fire on unarmed protestors, killing several, including a 13-year-old child, Naimat. When the dead bodies of the martyrs were brought to Saryab Road demanding accountability, even the dead were not spared. The bodies of the martyrs were taken away by the forces forcefully, using tear gas and firing. During the chaos, the state agencies abducted the central organizer of BYC, Dr. Mahrang, along with many other Baloch protestors. After passing 24 hours, Mahrang was also detained under 3MPO in Hudda Jail, Quetta.

BYC was only asking for the identification of dead bodies brought to Civil Hospital by the state forces. There were concerns that these dead bodies were of missing persons because this wasn’t an isolated incident. In the past, whenever the Pakistani state suffered a blow at the hands of Baloch fighters, it took its frustration out on already-abducted Baloch by killing them in fake encounters, later declaring them terrorists to hide its defeat on the battlefield. The Baloch have seen this pattern before: in Ziarat, nine individuals were killed in a staged encounter; in Mach, Bolan, the same tactics were repeated.

The recent crackdown on BYC is just another chapter in this long history of state repression. Trying to crush civilians, particularly those involved in peaceful political activity or those who speak against state oppression and systemic genocide of the Baloch nation, BYC has become a central voice of peaceful resistance in Balochistan. It has become a voice for the families of the forcibly disappeared Baloch and given people the courage to speak up in the face of fear. It has raised questions that expose the double standards and cruelty of the state in Balochistan. For this reason, the state has turned all its firepower toward BYC. It has launched a coordinated campaign of media propaganda, disinformation, and online abuse against BYC leadership, particularly Dr. Mahrang Baloch, one of BYC’s leading voices. She has been targeted, accused, and attacked by state-sponsored trolls and personally defamed in an attempt to silence her.

The state has been trying to build a narrative to justify its crackdown on BYC, but violence against peaceful people can never be justified. The truth is that the state cannot tolerate a peaceful movement that unites the Baloch, speaks out against injustice, and exposes war crimes at both national and international levels. These so-called policymakers are actually the war beneficiaries in Balochistan; they are earning millions from the blood of the Baloch. People like Sarfaraz, Anwar Kakar, and Pakistani generals are the beneficiaries.

During the Raaji Muchi national gathering in Gwadar, the state used every tool in its arsenal to stop people from attending—blocking roads, threatening participants, and even opening fire on peaceful gatherings. The Baloch stood tall. The state’s desperation only showed that it fears the power of Baloch unity and resistance. It is the state using violence.

Since the occupation of Balochistan in 1948, the Pakistani state has waged a continuous war on Balochistan, a war of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, mass graves, fake encounters, forced displacement, and bombardment of entire villages. The same oppressive and colonial policies have continued in Balochistan for decades. From the day of occupation till date, those who speak or resist either get killed or disappeared.

If we analyze the situation post the killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti, Baloch resistance got stronger compared to the past. The state initiated a new wave of atrocities. According to the available data:

• From 2011 to 2013, over 592 bullet-riddled bodies were found in different parts of Balochistan.
• In 2014, a mass grave was discovered in Tootak (Khuzdar), where the bodies of 169 missing Baloch were dumped together to hide state crimes.
• Between 2016 and 2018, over 502 people were reportedly killed by state-backed death squads, still continuing in different parts of Balochistan.

Since 2021, a new face of genocide has emerged. The state now uses its so-called Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) to silence dissent through different mechanisms. Here, the Pakistani judiciary and institutions are the main facilitators of Baloch genocide by passing different laws and bills. This is a clear attempt to legitimize executions and erase any trace of state involvement in Baloch genocide.

The state has been repeating its colonial and repressive tactics since the forced occupation of our motherland. In the past, political organizations like BSO Azad and BMN questioned the very existence of Pakistan in Balochistan. The state had no answer but the use of violence to silence people—abductions, killings, defamation, surveillance, and whatever else they could use. Now, these same colonial tools are being used to crush BYC leadership because the oppressor fears the people, and the people are with BYC and its movement—the will of a people demanding only dignity and the right to live peacefully on their own motherland.

Oppression Fuels Resistance

The state believes that by abducting leaders and silencing voices, it can kill the spirit of resistance. But history has shown the opposite. Every act of violence only strengthens the resolve of the Baloch people. Every martyr becomes a symbol. Every disappeared person becomes a reason to fight more resiliently. The state thinks that targeting BYC leaders will dismantle the movement. But this struggle does not belong to one individual or a particular group, it is rooted in the collective pain and resistance of an entire Baloch nation. If the Baloch were not silenced in the past, they will not be silenced now. The resistance is maturing, growing, and becoming stronger. The more the state tries to crush it with violence, the more it will rise, because truth and freedom can never be permanently buried.

Today, the Pakistani state can no longer silence the Baloch. It cannot hide its war crimes through controlled electronic media or state-sponsored trolls. In the digital age, social media and other platforms for sharing information with the world have become powerful tools. The BYC and the Baloch nation will continue to use them to expose Pakistan’s war crimes. The Baloch speak, organize, and resist. They will continue to expose state brutality by any means available, and in every capacity they can.

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