On International Women’s Day, Dr. Sabiha Baloch, former chairperson of the Baloch Students Action Committee (BSAC) and a leader of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), shared a powerful message addressing the plight of Baloch women amid ongoing violence and enforced disappearances in the region.
In a video message posted on X (formerly Twitter), she spoke about the decades-long conflict in Balochistan, describing it as a struggle for survival rather than just a fight for gender equality. She highlighted the widespread enforced disappearances and killings of Baloch men, which, she stated, have forced women to step forward in a deeply patriarchal society.
“I come from Balochistan, a region in Pakistan that has faced more than two decades of violence. This violence, largely perpetrated by the state, has led to enforced disappearances and killings of thousands of young Baloch men,” she said. “Baloch women are not just fighting for equality today; we are fighting for survival. Our struggle is not just a political struggle, but a battle for dignity — the fundamental right to live without fear.”
She further lamented that while global crises such as those in Kashmir, Afghanistan, and Iran receive attention, Balochistan’s suffering remains largely ignored. She emphasized that the ongoing conflict has left Baloch women to take up the fight for justice in the absence of their disappeared loved ones.
Dr. Mahrang Baloch, leader of BYC and a 2025 Nobel Peace Prize nominee, also marked International Women’s Day with a statement on X, expressing solidarity with women worldwide in their fight for justice, dignity, and freedom. She paid tribute to the resilience of Baloch women leading the struggle against enforced disappearances and custodial killings, stating that their determination would one day bring an end to such human rights violations.
Both leaders reinforced that for Baloch women, the struggle goes beyond gender rights — it is a fight for survival, justice, and the right to exist without fear.