For the past week, the entire province of Balochistan has been in a state of protest, with the families of forcibly disappeared persons and members of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) staging sit-ins on major highways. Over fifty people have been forcibly disappeared by Pakistani forces in just this one week, including personnel from the Coastal Highway Police and Balochistan Levies.
Amid the holy month of Ramadan, the families of the forcibly disappeared are blocking the Quetta-Karachi highway at Kalat and Surab, demanding the return of their loved ones. Protests are also ongoing on the Quetta-Taftan highway in the Kardegap area. However, instead of addressing this grave issue and providing justice to the families of the disappeared, the controversial Chief Minister of Balochistan, Sarfaraz Bugti, and members of the ruling Pakistan People’s Party are echoing the narratives of the powerful establishment through speeches in the assembly.
The policymakers of the Pakistani state believe that enforced disappearances can suppress the Baloch independence movement. However, it is the common people of Balochistan who are paying the price for these flawed policies, as the intensity of lethal attacks by Baloch insurgents continues to rise rather than decrease.
Enforced disappearances and state repression cannot suppress the Baloch movement, but the government’s lack of seriousness is further exacerbating this critical issue.
Every household in Balochistan is suffering due to the policies of Pakistan’s ruling circles. However, after the recent political changes in Balochistan, the Baloch people are no longer willing to remain silent in the face of state oppression. Instead, they will continue to adopt the path of protest for the recovery of their missing loved ones and for justice.