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The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) has alleged that residents of Sardasht in Pakistan's Balochistan province are being displaced from their homes under the pretext of security concerns, calling the alleged evictions a state assault on Baloch survival.
In a post on X, the BYC said Sardasht, located near Shadi Cor in Gwadar district, is an ancient Baloch settlement where nearly 3,000 people have lived for generations. The group claimed that areas including Reke Bazaar, Syed Muhammad Bazaar and Tolgo form the social and economic centre of the local population and alleged that residents are now being forced to leave their homes, lands and ancestral territory. Displacing the people of Sardasht under the pretext of a security threat is an occupation of Baloch land and a state assault on Baloch survival, the BYC said. The committee rejected the security justification for the alleged displacement, arguing that authorities should protect residents if there is a genuine security threat rather than evict them. Evicting three thousand people from their homes does not make them safe; rather, it turns them into refugees, unemployed, and displaced within their own homeland, the organisation said. The BYC further alleged that the developments in Sardasht are part of what it described as a broader policy of displacement in Balochistan, particularly along the Makran coast. It referred to what it described as restrictions, checkpoints, fencing proposals around Gwadar, limitations on fishermen and restrictions on border employment, alleging that these measures collectively seek to increase control over Baloch territory and resources. The group also alleged that the evictions violate several provisions of Pakistan's Constitution and international law, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The BYC questioned the legal basis of the alleged clearance operation, asking, Under what law is Sardasht being cleared? Where is the written order for this? Who will compensate the victims for their losses? Who will guarantee their return? The committee demanded an immediate halt to the alleged eviction process, withdrawal of related orders and the return and compensation of families already displaced. It also called on national and international human rights organisations to take notice of the situation and conduct independent fact-finding missions. The BYC said the people of Sardasht should be allowed to remain on their ancestral land and pledged to continue what it described as a peaceful political struggle against displacement. (ANI)
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