Mahrang Baloch denounces ‘State Violence Against Baloch Women’ and urges police officers to resign

Mahrang Baloch, leader of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), has vocally condemned the violent crackdown on women and children during the Hub Chowki protest, urging Baloch police officers to show moral integrity by resigning rather than executing what she termed the illegal orders of the state.

Despite the brutal attacks and multiple arrests, Dr. Baloch stated that the sit-in in Hub continues unabated. She accused the so-called Chief Minister of Balochistan of instructing the district administration to use force against peaceful demonstrators, including women and children.

“Dr. Baloch officers within the administration must reject the oppressive and illegal commands of outsiders and instead resign,” she asserted.

Dr. Baloch further emphasized that state oppression in Balochistan has reached alarming heights. “While our loved ones are forcibly disappeared, we are met with torture and arrests when we peacefully protest for their release,” she lamented.

She also warned that state forces were being deployed again to violently confront protesters. Baloch called on the people of Hub to join the sit-in and show solidarity with families of those who are missing.

Reports indicated that Hub police carried out a brutal crackdown on families of the forcibly disappeared who were peacefully demonstrating at Bhawani Bypass on March 2nd. Security forces reportedly fired shots, used batons against protesters, and arrested nine women, including Seema Baloch (sister of missing activist Shabir Baloch), Mahzaib Baloch (niece of Rashid Hussain Baloch), and the elderly mother of Zafar Gishkori, as well as several children. Protesters expressed concerns for the safety of the detained individuals, who were taken to an undisclosed location. In defiance of the crackdown, the protesters retook the highway, continuing their demonstration.

The BYC condemned the government’s actions, stating that the authorities were intimidating victim families instead of addressing the issue of enforced disappearances.

Sammi Deen Baloch voiced her deep concern over the missing women, revealing that police stations were effectively sealed off, denying even lawyers access to the detainees.

The Balochistan Bar Council labeled the use of force against women and children as both illegal and unconstitutional, accusing the government of fostering an environment of lawlessness. Dr. Naseem Baloch, chairman of the Baloch National Movement (BNM), drew parallels between the crackdown and Pakistan’s actions in Bangladesh in 1971, warning that the state’s policy of Baloch genocide is escalating.

The violent measures employed by the state also drew widespread condemnation from Baloch activists. Dr. Sabiha criticized the “state’s brutality” occurring on the first day of Ramadan, appealing to the United Nations, Amnesty International, and the European Union to intervene, emphasizing that Pakistan’s actions infringe upon human rights norms associated with its GSP+ trade status.

In a video statement, Seema Baloch recounted the severe mental and physical torture endured during her 18-hour detention, describing how police had dragged, beaten, and threatened them with indefinite detention unless they ended the protest. Nevertheless, she asserted that she and the other women would not back down, stating that if their forcibly disappeared brothers could withstand years of torture, they were prepared to endure the same.

Following negotiations, the detained women were released, and the protesters temporarily concluded their sit-in, allowing the government 15 days to address their demand for the return of their missing loved ones.