A significant number of women and children have taken to the streets in protest in Mashkay, a district in Awaran, decrying what they describe as maltreatment and harassment by the Pakistani state. The demonstrators claim that local men are being forcibly detained, subjected to physical torture, and used as human shields during armed confrontations with Baloch pro-independence groups.
The ongoing situation, according to the protestors, involves the men being taken to security camps where they are allegedly tortured and compelled to perform strenuous manual labor. Several dozen men have reportedly been detained and remain unaccounted for.
Among the detained, three individuals were named by the protestors as Sajjad Azam, Wali Jan, and Muhammad Hassan, who were taken to a security forces’ camp and have not yet returned.
The majority of the protestors, comprising family members of the missing persons, have called upon Baloch organizations, particularly the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), to address the issue and ensure the safe return of those missing in Mashkay.
In response, BYC leader and human rights activist Sammi Deen Baloch issued a video message on a social media platform, condemning the forced labor and enforced disappearances allegedly perpetrated by Pakistani forces in Mashkay. She stated that such practices violate both national and international laws and constitute serious human rights violations.
Sammi Deen Baloch detailed that the security forces assemble the men in the morning and coerce them into laborious tasks at their camps. These tasks include clearing vegetation, cleaning roads, and, during patrols, using the men as shields against attacks from pro-independence groups.
She also highlighted the plight of the families left behind, noting that with the men missing or enslaved in the camps, women and children are left starving and in desperate need of assistance. Despite the lack of internet connectivity in the area, these women and children are marching on gravel roads to protest for their rights, and she urged her social media followers to support them.
Furthermore, the protestors in Mashkay reported being threatened by local death squads for their peaceful and non-violent protest. Sammi Deen Baloch acknowledged these threats, mentioning that the protestors had recorded videos they wished to share but were intimidated by the local death squads.