The Pakistan Army has once again displayed its oppressive tactics by targeting the families of Baloch freedom fighters who have sacrificed their lives for the independence of their homeland.
Reportedly, the Pak military and intelligence agencies are coercing the families of Baloch sarmachars involved in Operation Herof to publicly denounce the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA). These families are being pressured to create videos condemning the BLA, with threats of forced disappearances or even murder of their relatives if they refuse to comply.
This deplorable act is just the latest in a long history of atrocities committed by the Paki establishment against the Baloch community. Since the forcible annexation of Balochistan in 1948, the Pakistan Army has relentlessly oppressed the region, abducting and killing thousands of Baloch activists, students, and civilians. The Army has systematically exploited POB’s rich natural resources, leaving its people impoverished and marginalized, while suppressing any voices of dissent with brutal force.
In this latest incident, the families of those who participated in Operation Herof, a bold and significant resistance movement by the BLA, are being targeted. The operation, launched on the night of August 25 and 26, saw BLA forces block key roads and launch attacks on Pak military installations, resulting in the deaths of over 130 soldiers and intelligence officers.
Among the martyrs was Mahil Baloch, a law student from Turbat University who carried out a self-sacrificing attack on a central Pak military camp in Bela. Rather than acknowledging the deep-rooted grievances that drive such acts of resistance, the Pak Army has chosen to sink even lower by threatening the families of these brave revolutionaries.
The persecution of Baloch families is a stark reminder of the Army’s desperation to maintain its illegitimate control over Balochistan. The world must take notice of these gross human rights violations and stand in solidarity with the Baloch people, who continue to resist against the tyrannical rule of the Pakistan. The Baloch struggle for independence is a just cause, and the sacrifices made by their revolutionaries should be honored, not met with cowardly threats against their loved ones.