A national liberation movement without the participation of women is incomplete.
—Karima Baloch
In December 2023, a group of Baloch women led a march from Pakistan’s Balochistan province to the country’s capital, Islamabad. This historic march covered over 1,600 kilometers and was the first in Pakistan to be led by women – an unprecedented act of public demonstration in a mostly conservative community. Women previously seen only as grieving mothers, daughters, and wives stepped into leadership roles. Their goal: to protest against the thousands of forced disappearances and extrajudicial killings of the Baloch people and other human rights abuses in their region, while demanding an end to global silence on the issue. Sparked by the killing of four young Baloch men believed to be in police custody at the time, the demonstration would become known as the Baloch Long March.
Baloch from all over Pakistan mobilized. The march, organized by the women-led activist group Baloch Yakjehti (“Solidarity”) Committee (BYC), started on December 6, 2023 from Turbat and reached Islamabad on December 20. Over the span of these two weeks, the mass movement grew from 300 people to almost 600 by the end, despite some marchers getting arrested along the way.
The local police force confronted the demonstrators as soon as they arrived in Islamabad, violently arresting at least 200 marchers, including children. The remaining crowd was disbursed by water cannons and tear gas. The arrests showed an astonishing level of force and were caught on video that went viral. After national public outcry, the state released the women and children, with the men let out a few days later. Many of the arrested were denied legal representation, and reports of mistreatment in custody circulated widely.
Despite the danger and threats of more imprisonment, the Baloch women continued to organize peaceful demonstrations in Quetta, Karachi, and other cities across Pakistan. Government forces have arrested at least four Baloch Long March organizers on accusations of terrorism since the end of March 2025: Dr. Mahrang Baloch (nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize this year), Sammi Deen Baloch, Beebow Baloch, and Gulzadi Baloch, along with their family members. (Baloch is a common last name in this community. It is also used informally to show tribal identity and solidarity and sometimes to provide anonymity for safety reasons.) At the time of publication, only Sammi Deen had been released.
That peaceful activism is being framed as terrorism demonstrates how threatened Pakistan is by an awakened Baloch population led by its women.
These arrests are part of a broader campaign of repression. The state is attempting to criminalize peaceful resistance by labeling activists as terrorists and linking them to militant groups without evidence. This tactic is not new. The federal government has engaged in similar repressive actions against other ethnic groups in Pakistan, including Sindhis, Pashtuns, and Kashmiris. However the case of the Baloch is particularly severe because Balochistan is heavily militarized, with limited media access and international oversight.
Balochistan is the largest and most resource-rich province in Pakistan. It is also the poorest. For decades, the Pakistani state has treated the province as a colony, exploiting its resources while suppressing its people. To enforce its control, the government set up police and military bases to kidnap and even kill dissidents. Human rights groups estimate approximately 45,000 Baloch people have been forcibly disappeared. Their number includes journalists, academics, human rights activists, and ordinary citizens. Ironically, many were targeted for their peaceful advocacy for the rights and dignity of the Baloch people and against state violence.
Similar to the civil rights movement in the United States, resistance to central government oppression has taken various forms in Balochistan. Many groups like the BYC organize peaceful demonstrations, while others have taken up arms and violently targeted Pakistani forces, foreign investments (particularly those linked to the China Pakistan Economic Corridor or CPEC), and government infrastructure. Despite the difference in methods, the demand for autonomy and dignity is consistent.
The exploitation of Balochistan’s resources – such as gold, gas, copper, and now critical minerals – has enriched the central government while impoverishing locals. The Reko Diq Mine in Balochistan is one of the largest copper and gold reserves in the world. Despite this, Balochistan’s poverty rate is almost twice that of the national average. Now entire villages have been displaced to make way for projects under the $62 billion CPEC, which offers little benefit to the indigenous Baloch population.
While armed movements continue in Balochistan, the BYC’s rise marked a shift in Baloch politics, highlighting how peaceful, grassroots organizing is gaining momentum alongside the ongoing insurgency. The BYC is a group of mostly women activists and community advocates pushing the Baloch solidarity movement forward through education, civil disobedience, and international advocacy. The BYC conducts youth outreach and political education, facilitating community discussions on the most pressing issues and needs of the people. They organize marches and rallies for Baloch rights and an end to forced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, torture, and military operations.
Their work has mobilized an unprecedented number of Baloch women and girls to publicly advocate for themselves and their families. The social media reach of prominent BYC members is in the hundreds of thousands.
Since the end of March, following a high-profile train hijacking by a Baloch militant group, BYC members have been targeted. The government has raided their homes, and arrested the activists, along with other family members. The Pakistani government is accusing them of terrorism and, without evidence, attempting to link them to militant groups. The arrest of BYC leaders has created fear among Baloch families and deepened public anger. These women have been at the frontlines of peaceful community organizing, public speaking, and legal advocacy. They are now in prison.
Dr. Mahrang Baloch co-founded the BYC in response to a series of atrocities targeting her family and the Baloch community at large. She became active in the Baloch rights movement when her father was kidnapped, first in 2007 and then again in 2009, allegedly by Pakistani security forces. He never returned after his second kidnapping; his tortured body was found two years later. Mahrang’s brother was also kidnapped, though he thankfully returned alive.
Mahrang’s advocacy and political education to the youth, especially girls, has empowered Baloch women and girls of all ages to show up on the streets and demonstrate for their rights and the safety of their loved ones. She has led peaceful sit-ins, marches, and strikes across the province. Mahrang has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize this year and listed both as Time100 Next and BBC 100 Women in 2024.
On March 22 of this year, while at a sit-in in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, Mahrang was detained by the Pakistani government. Family visitations have since been restricted. Mahrang’s sister and mother have repeatedly expressed concerns over her health and treatment in prison whenever they have talked to her. Human rights defenders, such as Amnesty International, Malala Yousafzai, and United Nations experts, have called for her release, but she is still detained under difficult conditions.
Sammi Deen Baloch, another central leader of the BYC, got involved in the Baloch movement at a young age. She was 10 when her father was abducted in 2009. Since then, she has become one of the most recognizable voices for the families of missing persons. She has spoken at international forums and national events, despite threats, and received the Front Line Defenders’ Human Rights Defenders at Risk Award in 2024. Sammi was arrested, released, and rearrested in March. Her arrests triggered international outcry and solidarity campaigns, which eventually led to her release in early April. Sammi’s father, however, remains missing.
Two more prominent members of the BYC, Beebow Baloch and Gulzadi Baloch, have been arrested in the past few weeks. Beebow used her large social media reach to expose forced disappearances and missing people. Her father has also been arrested, despite a lack of evidence of his involvement in the movement. According to BYC reports, Gulzadi was severely beaten after her arrest. Both Beebow and Gulzadi are still being held.
The Pakistani government is now targeting Dr. Sabiha Baloch, another BYC leader and medical doctor by profession. Sabiha sets up temporary health clinics throughout Balochistan to provide medical care to remote communities and organizes people to show up at demonstrations decrying what many community members describe as “Baloch genocide.” Recently, the state arrested Sabiha’s father and his whereabouts remain unknown. Sabiha and her family report intelligence agencies are demanding that Sabiha turn herself in or resign from the BYC. Despite her father’s kidnapping, Sabiha continues her organizing work.
It is difficult to talk about Baloch women activists today without honoring Karima Baloch. Karima was arguably the most prominent Baloch woman activist. After many years of harassment, raids of her family’s house, and attempts to imprison her, Karima went into hiding, and received asylum in Canada. She continued advocating for the Baloch while in exile until her untimely passing in December 2020. Karima’s body was found in the Toronto harbor a day after she went missing. The authorities said there was no evidence to indicate anything other than suicide, but her family and close colleagues believe otherwise. Karima is no longer physically with the movement, but her spirit lives on in every Baloch girl and woman who dares to speak out.
The current government crackdown highlights a disturbing reality that peaceful protest in Pakistan, particularly by ethnic minorities like the Baloch, is met with brute force. Home raids of anyone suspected to be part of the liberation movement continue. Though this article highlights prominent Baloch women activists, many other BYC members, including men, and affiliate groups are targeted, harassed, and imprisoned. Students, authors, artists, and poets are profiled. The crackdown is not limited to Balochistan. In major Pakistani cities like Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi, Baloch people face racial profiling, surveillance, and arrests.
Baloch women are the state’s newest targets in its attempt to dismantle the growing solidarity movement. However, the number of Baloch women showing up on the streets of Balochistan has grown from tens to thousands, making history for their people. Their influence is spreading outside the province, with demonstrations from Karachi to Islamabad. They are rising up and demanding justice for their families, dignity and rights for the Baloch, and a future where no one is punished for raising their voice, and no community is forgotten or erased.