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Leading Baloch human rights body, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), has organised a three-day sit-in protest in front of the Turbat Press Club against the illegal detention of its key leaders, the BYC said on Thursday.
The protest targets the arrest of prominent activists such as Mahrang Baloch, Bebarg Baloch, Sibghatullah Shajee, Gulzadi, and Beebo, who the committee says are "illegally detained by Pakistani authorities." The BYC shared in a post on X, "In front of the Turbat Press Club, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), Kech Zone, has organised a three-day sit-in against the illegal detention of its central organisers, Dr. Mahrang Baloch, Bebarg Baloch, Sibghatullah Shajee, Gulzadi, Beebo, and others who are illegally detained by Pakistani authorities." In a video message shared amid the protests, Saira Baloch, sister of forcibly disappeared brothers Asif and Rasheed Baloch, who have been missing for seven years after being taken by Pakistani forces, spoke out about the ongoing human rights crisis in Balochistan. She said, "In Balochistan, serious human rights violations are unfolding every day. Our youth, students, the elderly, women, and children are not spared. Young girls like Mahjabeen Baloch have been forcibly disappeared by Pakistani forces, and her whereabouts remain unknown." Saira highlighted the surge in extrajudicial killings, with victims often returning bearing severe torture marks; many who survive detention still do not survive the trauma inflicted inside torture cells. The BYC has stood firm against what it calls state barbarism, raising awareness and speaking truth to power. However, the committee itself is now under attack, with its leaders in illegal detention. On the first day of the sit-in, High Court Balochistan senior advocate Majeed Dashti demanded the immediate release of all detained BYC members, stating, "This camp demands the immediate and safe release of all detained BYC leaders, including Mahrang Baloch, Sibghatullah Shajee, Beebo, Gulzadi, and others, who are imprisoned simply for defending human rights. On June 22, it will be three months since their detention. We demand their release; this injustice must not be prolonged." https://x.com/BalochYakjehtiC/status/1936652121308549437 Human rights groups have long accused Pakistani authorities of abducting civilians in Balochistan without due process, using enforced disappearances to suppress dissent and intimidate communities in restive areas. Pakistani authorities routinely deny these allegations, but civil society continues to condemn the security forces' role in systematic abductions targeting students, political workers, and residents. (ANI)
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