Doctor Shalee Baloch, the central organiser of the Baloch Women Forum (BWF), has released a statement urging the people of Balochistan to support BYC in every way.
She stated that worsening situations across the Baloch areas witness an air of barbarity, spreading the poison of injustices, victimising Baloch based on their identity. Key Baloch figures like Dr. Mahrang Baloch and Sammi Deen have faced bogus charges, further clarifying how the state of lawlessness prevails in the open sky under the tyrannical regimes. Had illegal arrests, state violence – including tear gas shelling and indiscriminate firing – and bogus ‘terrorism’ charges been the solution to the ongoing Baloch rights violations, it would have been long finished when the independent Kalat State was what we believe as a fact, forcefully annexed to the state of Pakistan in 1948. Since then, we have observed continuous state crackdowns on, in fact, peaceful human rights movements. The present crackdown is the latest episode of the decades-long state policy of a sense of alienation towards the Baloch.
Only within the last three days, there have been around 200 irregular detentions in various parts of the country, including charges of ‘disturbing peace and tranquillity’ against Mahrang Baloch, Sammi Deen Baloch, Bebow Baloch and others under Article 3 of Maintenance of Public Order (3MPO) which, I believe, is nothing but taking the cover of the law to hide and divert the peaceful movements of and for the Baloch. Indiscriminate firing resulting in several deaths and injuries has further fueled the storm of anger on their illegal use of power to silence the dissent.
While search operations are still underway, particularly in Quetta, to harass and threaten the Baloch to stay away from resistance and calling for the safe release of the detained leaders and members. The illegal raid on Gulzadi Baloch’s room last night, searching and taking away all her belongings and threatening her to quit on her struggle to demand the rights of the Baloch is the series of the same war crimes the state institutions have been purely relying on with the back-stage support of the so-called Balochistan government. However, the illegal detention of two minor girls, including the 17-year-old Muzlefa Qambrani, from Qambrani Road yesterday when they were on their way back home is a critical and concerning point considering the social Baloch organisation and norms.
I am of the opinion that the state authorities are reluctant to let the flag of tranquillity and justice wave under the sky of peace for the Baloch. Because Balochistan is a war or conflict zone, where several people are gaining personal benefits as warlords. A peaceful Balochistan would curb their interests, forcing them to deliberately put efforts into disturbing the peace of the region with acts such as using violence in a month as Ramazan – not even considering the age, gender and health conditions.
In times as such when we have lost all hope in the present government and all the state institutions, we require the masses to shout out loudly against the barbarism Baloch are facing as a nation. The clouds of emancipation and peace can only rain when we stand united as a nation and demand collective accountability from all those responsible for using force on our people. Besides this, the state’s excessive and irregular use of law to suppress the Baloch voices is nothing but their attempt to hide their inhumane and barbaric acts and attitude towards the Baloch.
She concluded her statement by saying: “I urge the indigenous people of Balochistan to stand by Baloch Yakjehti Committee, its leaders and members and all those who are on just and demanding what belongs to them in such a critical time. It is the only way to bring peace, tranquillity and justice to the people of Balochistan as a whole.”