The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) strongly criticized the recent surge of violence targeting human rights defenders in Balochistan, accusing Pakistani authorities of systematically going after Baloch activists, teachers, intellectuals, and students. The killing of academician Ghamkhwar Hayat Baloch was highlighted as a prime instance of what the rights body termed “state barbarism.” Hayat, a well-known poet, literary scholar, and educator, was reportedly gunned down by individuals associated with Pakistan-backed death squads on May 16 in the Killi Mengal area of the Nushki district.
Expressing deep concerns, the BYC denounced the threats directed at the advocacy group Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP), asserting that targeting the organization equated to an assault on freedom of speech and constituted severe human rights violations. The BYC emphasized VBMP’s resistance against the enforced disappearance of Baloch people by Pakistani authorities, noting the organization’s peaceful protest outside the Quetta Press Club for the past 6172 days.
The VBMP alleged receiving threats aimed at coercing the organization to close its longstanding protest camp and cease its campaign against enforced disappearances in Balochistan. Despite the intimidation tactics, the VBMP vowed to persist in its struggle against enforced disappearances. The Baloch National Movement (BNM) strongly condemned the assault by the Pakistani military and local death squads on the residence of a senior exiled party member, Nawaz, in the Tump area of Balochistan, labeling it as a manifestation of the “enemy’s frustration.”
According to the BNM, women and children were subjected to harassment and intimidation during the attack, with the house being vandalized and valuable possessions looted. The group highlighted that such incidents, characterized as acts of “oppression and repression,” are a daily occurrence in Balochistan by the Pakistani military. The BNM underscored that despite efforts to coerce BNM members and their families to abandon their national struggle, the Baloch national movement remains a constitutional, political, and internationally recognized fight for freedom.
