In a vibrant display of unity, thousands of people rode motorbikes and cars in Gresha in a resolute cry for justice for the Baloch community. This Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) led demonstration is only one part of a growing wave of protests that calls for an end to all atrocities faced by the Baloch community by the oppressive Pak Army.

This is just another instalment in a series of rallies, as the BYC led another mass demonstration in Karkh yesterday, where people can be seen holding banners, and passionately chanting for life resistance, peace, and freedom and calling for an end to the systemic oppression that is faced by the innocent Baloch community.

In its continued and resolute effort to address the issues of the Baloch community, BYC arranged a massive rally in Dhadar, Bolan. This protest is part of BYC’s third phase of the campaign against the “Baloch genocide.”

Yet another impactful march in Khuzdar was organised by the BYC as part of its commitment to end the prevailing human rights issues and advocate for justice for the Baloch people. This vibrant march was diverse and inclusive of hundreds of women and children who took to the streets to voice their protest.

The BYC’s tireless efforts in several areas, such as Dhadar, Bolan, Gresha, and Karkh, demonstrate the increasing strength of the movement against the Baloch genocide, with the call for justice resonating throughout the diverse landscapes of Balochistan. This rally serves as a powerful expression of solidarity and unity in the face of difficulties.

The Pak Army is waging a systematic assault on humanity in Balochistan. Since March 27, 1948, the Baloch people have faced regular home invasions, kidnappings for ransom, target killings, forced disappearances, and torture. Exploitation has been directed towards the resource-rich provinces of Pakistan-occupied Balochistan, where the Pak Army is executing an evil plan to loot the region’s wealth.

In a glimmer of hope for the struggling Baloch community, prominent activists Sammi Baluch and Mahrang Baloch met with the representatives from the United Nations mission to Pakistan yesterday. This represents a significant step in its constant pursuit of an impartial inquiry into human rights issues in the area by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC).

BYC was able to garner widespread support for its petition to the UN fact-finding mission to Balochistan. In less than ten hours, the petition drew over 10,000 signatures representing the solidarity and urgency to address the violations of human rights in Pakistan-occupied Balochistan.

The human rights violations committed against the Baloch community during their forcible occupation by the Pak Army on March 27, 1948, have resulted in a miserable list of suffering. Since then, horrifying daily reports have surfaced on home raids, enforced disappearances, staged encounters, torture, humiliation at checkpoints, kidnappings/ abduction for ransom etc. 

A UN-led probe would send a strong message to the offenders to put human rights first and ensure that the Baloch people are given justice. The BYC has pledged to keep up its lobbying efforts, pressing the UN to fulfil its word and send a fact-finding team to Balochistan. The meeting today was an important step in making sure that the voices of the Baloch people are ultimately heard even though the future is uncertain, their calls for justice are taken seriously.

In yet another merciless act the Pak Army has once again targeted an innocent Baloch refugee Zahir Baloch in Zarabad, Pakistan-occupied Balochistan. Zahir Baloch was shot dead by the Pak Army on January 13, 2024, and his tragic death is evidence of the horrific atrocities carried out by the Pak Army in Mashkay, where he was forced to flee his home in Kandadi in 2020 as a result of their brutal military operations.

Tragically, Zahir Baloch’s death is not an isolated incident. Like him, countless other Baloch refugees have suffered violence at the hands of the Pak Army. A long list of miseries has resulted from the human rights violations against the Baloch community during their forced occupation by the Pak Army on March 27, 1948. Since then, horrifying daily reports about home invasions, kidnappings and abductions for ransom, enforced disappearances, staged encounters, torture, and humiliation at checkpoints have surfaced. 

It is impossible to overestimate the urgent need for global attention given that these ongoing acts of brutality constitute a troubling pattern of injustice. Every incident increases the number of innocent lives lost, necessitating the international community’s swift investigation and condemnation. Collective action must be taken to end the widespread violations of human rights and to demand justice for those who have suffered at the hands of the Pak Army, as the plight of the Baloch people cannot be ignored any longer.

In a remarkable display of solidarity and urgency, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) has garnered widespread support for its petition to the United Nations that calls for a fact-finding mission to Balochistan, it gained over 10,000 signatures in just less than ten hours. This utterly speaks to the urgency to address the violations of human rights and calls for immediate attention to the current affairs in Balochistan. An independent and impartial UN fact-finding mission is very important to investigate the long series of human rights abuses in Pakistan-occupied Balochistan to alleviate the sufferings of the Baloch community.   

This is a crucial manifestation of the urgent need for the grave situation in Balochistan to receive international attention. The human rights violations committed against the Baloch community during their forcible occupation by the Pak Army on March 27, 1948, have resulted in a miserable list of suffering. Since then horrifying daily reports have surfaced on home raids, enforced disappearances, staged encounters, torture, humiliation at checkpoints, kidnappings/ abduction for ransom etc.  

The petition on the UN fact-finding mission has the potential to significantly alleviate the sufferings of the Baloch population in Pakistan-occupied Balochistan. The widespread support for the petition highlights the global call to address these atrocities and hold those responsible for the ongoing violations accountable. Engaging and standing together, the international community is crucial to forcing a thorough investigation of the circumstances in Balochistan and, ideally, to spark significant action to end the agony that the Baloch community has suffered for far too long.