Protests erupted across Pak-occupied-Balochistan under the powerful theme “Breaking the Silence: Standing Against Enforced Disappearances”, as Baloch community raised their voices against Pakistan’s oppressive tactics of forced disappearances. In Nokundi, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) organized a large rally that saw men, women and even children marching in unity, carrying photos of their loved ones who have vanished under mysterious circumstances attributed to the Pakistan Army’s actions. The rally moved from Shaheed Hameed Chowk to Nokundi Bazaar, where protesters held a sit-in, demanding justice and the immediate release of those abducted.
These protests form part of a larger campaign by BYC, which has already seen powerful demonstrations in Karachi, Hub Chowki, Khuzdar, Turbat, Panjgur, Kharan, Quetta, Nushki, Dalbandin, and Chagai. Each protest serves as a testimony to the deepening crisis in POB, where enforced disappearances have become a daily reality for families who live in fear under an occupying force that seems hell bent on silencing the Baloch voice.
‘Breaking the Silence’
BYC’s recent calls to action come amidst an alarming spike in the frequency of these disappearances, driven by the Pak Army and its shadowy network of collaborators. Human rights groups and international observers have long criticized Pakistan for its unchecked use of enforced disappearances as a weapon to suppress Baloch community in their homeland. However, the silence of global human rights defenders only compounds the suffering, as the Paki establishment grows more emboldened in its campaign of terror against the Baloch people.
The voices that echoed through the streets of Nokkundi, as in many other towns across POB, were not just cries for justice—they were defiant calls against an occupation that has pushed POB into a state of constant fear and insecurity. The Pak Army’s actions have left a trail of despair, as families wait endlessly for news of their disappeared loved ones, often only to discover their tragic fates later in the form of mutilated bodies. The “Breaking the Silence” campaign stands as a stark reminder of the human cost of Pakistan’s authoritarian rule in Balochistan.