On January 25, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), a human rights organization led by Baloch women, organized a large rally in Dalbandin, Balochistan, despite an internet shutdown and a state crackdown.
Zohak Baloch, a 29-year-old Baloch protester from Khuzdar, Balochistan, told The Diplomat, “While the state tries to suppress our voices, we continue to protest for our rights. Our people, especially our women, are resilient. No one can stop us from standing up for our rights because our protests are peaceful, and we are determined.”
The BYC has provided new leadership from the Baloch middle class. While the tribal chiefs formerly enjoyed greater influence and power in the province, their privilege has been eroded. The new Baloch leaders are young, educated, dedicated, and articulate. They are well-versed in the language and concepts of resistance and mobilization, effectively communicating their message not only within Balochistan but also to the rest of the world.
However, the state’s response to these protests has only grown harsher.
Just days before the Dalbandin rally, Sindh police launched a crackdown on women protesting under the BYC banner in Karachi, inviting condemnation from human rights activists across the country.
An Oppressed and Impoverished People
The Baloch people in Pakistan have faced oppression for decades. The dynamics of Balochistan are complex, which is why their situation has not improved but has worsened over time.
Balochistan is home to about 15 million of Pakistan’s estimated 240 million people, according to the 2023 census. Despite being rich in natural resources – such as oil, coal, gold, copper, and gas – the province is the poorest in the country. These resources generate substantial revenue for the federal government, yet the local population remains impoverished.
Although the state has been held responsible for many of the challenges faced by the Baloch people, there are also factors within Baloch society that have contributed to their difficult situation. The society is predominantly feudalistic, and although a new and young Baloch leadership has emerged, the nawabs (tribal chiefs) are believed to be still playing a significant role in the province’s inequality.
Many nawabs have been found to be corrupt and brutal. Some even operate death squads, maintain private prisons, and act with brutal impunity. Recently, a Baloch girl named Asma Baloch was abducted – not by Pakistani authorities, but by a tribal chief. She was rescued following protests by her family and activism from the Baloch community.
Since 1948, the province has experienced successive waves of insurgencies. These insurgencies are a violent response to what Baloch separatists claim is the forced takeover of their homeland by Pakistan. The latest and fifth insurgency began in the early 2000s, and it escalated into a province-wide insurgency in 2006 following the killing of Baloch tribal chief Nawab Akbar Bugti, which Baloch nationalists attributed to the Pakistani military. Since then, the insurgency has continued, resulting in hundreds of deaths and instances of brutality and torture.
The state alleges that international proxies are active in Balochistan, causing divisions among the Baloch people and creating troubles for them. For example, militant organizations such as the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) are reportedly operating with foreign support from neighboring countries. The Pakistani state believes that these groups largely consist of young Baloch individuals from Balochistan province, which has drawn the ire of state security institutions.
While there is an active armed insurgency, a peaceful civilian resistance has also emerged. This civilian resistance gained prominence in late 2023 when a large protest against the extrajudicial killing of a young Baloch activist evolved into a long march to Islamabad. However, all along their way to Pakistan’s capital, the marchers were harassed and arrested, often finding their way obstructed by the authorities. The protestors left in dismay after over a month of persecution in Islamabad.
This situation raises a critical question: If armed separatist groups are a violent response to state brutality, why not allow dissenting Baloch people to peacefully advocate for their rights and turn away from violence? This could be a rare opportunity for Pakistan to address its security challenges in Balochistan once and for all, but no one seems wise enough to seize this opportunity.
Nevertheless, the protesters continued demonstrating across the southern parts of the country, organizing more than a dozen protests. In July 2024, the BYC organized a “Baloch Raaji Machi” (Baloch National Gathering) of people from across the province at Gwadar to protest against the denial of basic political, civil, and human rights. This event was momentous, as it was an effort to unite all Baloch people for a common cause. It led to the mobilization of people at a scale unparalleled in the history of Balochistan.
Yet the crackdown also continues. In January 2025, the police raided and disrupted a book fair in Gwadar. The fair, titled “Balochistan Kitab Karwan,” was organized to promote Baloch literature and education in the southern parts of the province.
Jamal Aziz, a 22-year-old student from Gwadar, told The Diplomat, “This is the peak of state oppression in Balochistan. Now, even books are not allowed. Book fairs are usually seen as symbols of peace and prosperity, but in Balochistan, they are viewed as a threat.”
“I don’t understand what the state wants. If we cannot even have book fairs, what are we supposed to have?” Aziz concluded.
Protesters hold photos of missing family members during a rally for Baloch rights organized by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee in Dalbandin, Balochistan, Jan. 25, 2025. Photo from the Baloch Yakjehti Committee
Baloch People’s Grievances
The Baloch people have several grievances, mainly regarding the misallocation of their resources, which are often used to benefit other provinces and the central government. This has contributed to the underdevelopment of their region. Some allege that their resources are being exploited, resulting in difficult living conditions exacerbated by international and regional players, specifically pointing to China and its mega development initiative, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Ali Bangulzai, a 27-year-old student activist from Kharan in Balochistan, told The Diplomat: “Our resources, especially natural gas, are being transported to Punjab and Islamabad. We, who deserve these resources, receive nothing in return. Moreover, under the guise of CPEC, our province has become increasingly chaotic, and Gwadar is effectively isolated from the rest of Pakistan.”
Bangulzai concluded, his voice trembling with anger and grief, “Our people remain impoverished while others benefit from our abundant resources. This is extremely unfair.”
The Baloch people also have persistently raised concerns that many of their loved ones have been forcibly disappeared. They estimate the number of missing individuals to be in the thousands. For instance, activists claim that the state had forcibly disappeared 14,000 Balochs. The provincial government disputed that number and has recognized only 100 cases.
Pakistan’s Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances recognized at least 2,708 cases of missing persons in Balochistan from 2011, the year when the commission was originally established, till August 2023. However, the commission reported that over 2,250 of these cases had been resolved, claiming that the individuals either returned home or were in internment centers or prisons. Determining the exact number of cases and reaching a consensus on it remains a challenging task.
Nevertheless, the Baloch people continue to demand that the Pakistani government return their loved ones back to them. The forcibly disappeared remain a powerful symbol of Baloch grievance against what they perceive as oppressive overreach by the state.
Mehnaz, a 50-year-old woman who participates in every BYC rally and protest, told The Diplomat, “My son disappeared a couple of years ago, and I haven’t heard from him since. We are told that no one has been forcibly disappeared, but where is my son then? For what purpose has he been taken away?”
“It’s easy to dismiss our complaints or not take them seriously, but the reality is that our loved ones remain missing. I need my son back. This needs to stop,” concluded Mehnaz.
Beyond disappearances, extrajudicial killings continue. Recently, an MPhil scholar named Allah Dad Baloch was killed, a death that the Baloch community believes was carried out by state forces. His murder was mourned and condemned by many across the country.
Mahrang Baloch, the organizer of the BYC, posted on X: “Allah Dad, a Baloch student, was harassed and threatened multiple times during his education in Punjab. He returned to his homeland, only to be killed by the state. This is the fate of every Baloch scholar under the shadow of state oppression – silenced for seeking knowledge, targeted for their identity.”
Since the launch of the BYC, Baloch protesters demanding basic rights – such as the recovery of their missing loved ones and a fair share of the benefits gained from the province’s resources – have faced increasing repression.
“The government continues to crack down on us, but it hasn’t diminished our spirit. In fact, our spirit has grown stronger,” concluded Zohak Baloch.