Pakistani security forces launched a violent crackdown on a peaceful sit-in called by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) in Quetta on Friday, firing live rounds, injuring several protesters, and making mass arrests.
The demonstration, scheduled for 3:00 PM outside Balochistan University, was organised to demand the release of forcibly disappeared individuals, including BYC central committee member Bebarg Baloch, his brother Dr. Hammal Baloch, Dr. Ilyas Baloch, and Saeeda Baloch, among others.
However, the protest was met with a preemptive crackdown. According to BYC and eyewitnesses, police accompanied by women constables began arresting people gathering near the university as early as 2:30 PM.
“Before the protest could even begin, the state launched a brutal crackdown,” the BYC said in a statement on X. “Police baton-charged demonstrators, opened fire, made mass arrests—including women and children—and used tear gas shelling to disperse the crowd.”
The BYC added that police fired indiscriminately at protesters, leaving several severely injured. One individual is reported to be in critical condition.
“The area was turned into a battlefield,” the statement read. “This escalation comes alongside ongoing arrests, brutal beatings, and a complete communication blackout.”
The group also reported that mobile networks and internet services were suspended to prevent real-time reporting of the crackdown. “To further suppress resistance, mobile networks and internet access in the area were cut off,” it said, adding that a search operation was launched in Sariab, with police raiding homes to arrest more protesters.
“The whereabouts of those already arrested remain unknown,” BYC said.
The protest was aimed at demanding justice and accountability for enforced disappearances, but the state responded with “force, repression, and bloodshed,” the BYC added.
Amnesty International Condemns the Crackdown
International human rights organisation Amnesty International condemned the wave of unlawful detentions and use of force in Balochistan, describing it as part of a “disturbing pattern” of targeting Baloch activists and dissidents.
“The ruthless repression against those seeking answers on the fate of their loved ones shows the authorities’ cruel disregard for the suffering of the families of forcibly disappeared,” Amnesty said in a statement.
It noted the arrests of BYC central organiser Bebarg Baloch and his brother Hammal Baloch, as well as Dr. Ilyas Baloch, Vice Principal of Bolan Medical College. Amnesty further highlighted the detention of five family members of the disappeared, including Saeeda Baloch and Nazia Baloch.
Amnesty International called on Pakistani authorities in Balochistan to “refrain from unlawful detentions and immediately release all those detained solely for exercising their human rights.”
Human rights activists and civil society groups also condemned the excessive use of force, calling it a gross violation of fundamental freedoms and another example of the state’s repressive tactics in Balochistan.
The BYC reiterated that peaceful protest is a fundamental right and warned that the state will “bear full responsibility” if any harm befalls the detainees. Despite the crackdown, the group vowed to continue peaceful resistance against what it described as “state oppression.”