Senators in Pakistan have expressed grave concerns about the deteriorating situation in Balochistan, citing a alarming rise in enforced disappearances and daily protests that have paralyzed major highways across the region.
During a Senate session, Senator Kamran Murtaza of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) highlighted an intensification of enforced disappearances in recent weeks. He stated that highways in Balochistan are blocked daily by protesters, paralyzing movement and stranding thousands.
He described the deteriorating security situation, claiming that for several days, no government writ existed in the Mach area. He further added that conditions have worsened to the point where traveling at night on routes from Zhob and Loralai is no longer safe.
In a related address, Senator Jan Muhammad Buledi, a senior leader of the National Party, voiced similar concerns, alleging that the government is failing to address escalating crises in Balochistan.
He referred to an all-parties sit-in in Gwadar, ongoing for over a month, where demonstrators are demanding removal of border-trade barriers, dismantling of “illegal checkpoints,” and a ban on “illegal fishing nets” in Baloch waters.
Buledi claimed that instead of addressing these demands, the government raided the home of the sit-in’s convener, demolished his meeting space, and pressured him to end the protest.
He further alleged that political space in Balochistan is shrinking. He claimed that during elections in a Quetta constituency, record rigging occurred at 15 polling stations to send a message to political parties that there is no room for politics in Balochistan.
He said highways are blocked daily, leaving thousands stranded. “Young people are being disappeared every day, and the government’s writ has vanished, yet the state and the government fail to fulfill their responsibilities,” he added.
Buledi also criticized the government’s disregard for parliamentary processes, noting that the Prime Minister has not addressed the Senate in over a year, despite its proximity to the National Assembly and the Prime Minister’s residence.
“He travels worldwide, attends various institutions, but has yet to address the Senate,” Buledi said. He emphasized that critical issues, such as the 25 million children out of school, require coordinated policymaking by the National Assembly and Senate.
While welcoming recent negotiations with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) as a positive step, Buledi stressed that similar reconciliatory efforts are urgently needed in Balochistan.
He called for dialogue with local stakeholders and emphasized the importance of recovering missing persons to rebuild trust. “Instead of military operations, there is a need for a reconciliatory policy,” he concluded.