The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) has issued a statement accusing the Pakistani state of using anti-terrorism laws indiscriminately against political activists in Balochistan without providing solid evidence. The statement comes after Pakistan’s National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA ) added the names of BYC leaders Dr. Mahrang Baloch and Shah Ji Sibghatullah to the “proscribed persons” list, barring them from their fundamental, constitutional rights.
The BYC called it a misuse of anti-terrorism legislation and an attempt to equate peaceful civil and political activities with terrorism. The organization described it as a colonial and racist tactic aimed at targeting activists. The statement highlights that hundreds of Baloch and Pashtun leaders, political activists, teachers, and students have been added to the “proscribed persons” list, depriving them of fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution and international law, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
The BYC said that two of its leaders, Dr. Mahrang Baloch and Shah Ji Sabghatullah Baloch, have recently been placed on the National Counter Terrorism Authority’s (NACTA) IV Schedule list, which is viewed as a reflection of the state’s fear of their political activities against the ongoing “Baloch genocide.” Dr. Baloch is known internationally for her peaceful activism against grave human rights violations in Balochistan, such as enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings by law enforcement agencies.
International organizations, including the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and Amnesty International, have expressed serious concerns about the use of anti-terrorism laws against political activists and have called on the government to remove their names from lists that violate their basic rights.
Despite this, the BYC argues, the state remains committed to intensifying its “repression” and accelerating what they describe as an ongoing “genocide.” The BYC concluded its statement by asserting that such repressive measures by imperial powers are always short-lived and that peaceful activism and resistance will ultimately prevail in the Baloch people’s struggle for survival.