Dr. Mahrang Baloch, the leading figure in the ongoing Baloch protest in Islamabad, has expressed strong criticism towards the Pakistani media’s coverage of their demonstrations. In a video message from the protest camp outside the Islamabad Press Club, Dr. Baloch condemned what she perceives as significant hostility and bias from certain journalists towards the Baloch demonstrators.
Dr. Baloch pointed out that, apart from a few journalists who reported sincerely, she encountered considerable animosity from others, whom she accused of acting as state agents under the guise of Pakistani journalists. “In these three days in Islamabad, we encountered nothing but hatred towards the Baloch from those masquerading as journalists,” Dr. Baloch stated.
She expressed her intention to share these experiences of hostility with the Baloch nation, viewing it not as a cause for sorrow but as an opportunity to reveal the true attitudes of Pakistani media personnel towards the Baloch people.
This criticism from Dr. Baloch follows recent interactions with various media figures, including Gharida Farooqi and a journalist from BOL TV. Participants in the Islamabad protest expressed frustration that, rather than focusing on the core issues of the protest – enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings – these journalists shifted the focus to questioning why the protesters do not condemn the killings of non-locals and security forces in Balochistan.
Protest participants stressed that maintaining peace and addressing the underlying causes of unrest in Balochistan is the state’s responsibility. They called on journalists to hold the state accountable for its role in the Baloch genocide and the issue of enforced disappearances, urging them to focus on these crucial matters instead of diverting attention away from them.