Thousands of people gathered in Khuzdar’s Naal on Tuesday to protest against the recent killing of Shah Jahan Kurd, the attack on Nasir Kareem Baloch, and to mark eleven years since the enforced disappearance of former Baloch Students Organization-Azad (BSO-Azad) Chairman Zahid Baloch.
The protest, organized by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) Jhalawan Region, drew participants including women, elders, and youth, who expressed profound grief and anger at what they described as the “ongoing genocide of the Baloch nation.”
Shah Jahan Kurd was shot dead recently in Naal by individuals whom locals allege are members of a “state-backed” armed group. His brother, Zahid Kurd, was abducted and forcibly disappeared from Quetta on March 18, 2014. Despite repeated appeals by family and human rights organizations, there is no information about his whereabouts.
Adding to the family’s anguish, their father, Ilahi Bakhsh Baloch, died on April 19, 2020, reportedly from trauma caused by Zahid’s disappearance. He passed away without ever learning the fate of his forcibly disappeared son.
Addressing the massive crowd, Kambar Zahid, son of Zahid Baloch, spoke emotionally about the hardships his family has faced.
“It has been eleven years, yet we have not even seen the shadow of our father. We do not know where he is or what condition he is in. Our father [figure after Zahid’s disappearance] was Shah Jahan Baloch. We were in Quetta when we were told to come to Naal because there was good news. We became happy, thinking perhaps our father had returned. But when we arrived here, we learned that even this support had been snatched away from us,” he said.
The protestors condemned what they called relentless “state oppression,” stating that Shah Jahan’s killing was part of a systematic effort to silence the Baloch people.
Dr. Mahrang Baloch, a prominent activist and organizer of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee, addressed the crowd, emphasizing the resilience of the Baloch nation despite “ongoing atrocities.”
“Living nations cannot be wiped out,” she said. “Today, our land is in the hands of beasts, and Baloch sons are being mercilessly killed. Our mothers have been shedding tears for years, waiting for their missing children, yet not a single sigh escapes their lips. Our people are enduring these pains and sufferings. The Baloch struggle is for justice.”
Dr. Mahrang further highlighted the devastating impact of enforced disappearances and targeted killings.
“We are not occupying anyone’s land, yet they come from outside and snatch children from these mothers. Chairman Zahid has been serving the sentence of being a Baloch for eleven years. We must confront this state oppression together as a united Baloch nation. Today, thousands of Baloch women are living half-widowed lives. Life in slavery is painful. Outsiders come and kill our people in front of our mothers and sisters. And then they do not even give us the right to speak against this oppression.”
Criticizing recent threats of further military operations in Balochistan, Dr. Mahrang said.
“We do not expect mercy from this state. Today, they openly declare intentions to conduct military operations in every Baloch home. The state is preparing to wipe out the Baloch nation. Until the Baloch unite and struggle against the curse of slavery, they will continue to be killed like this.”
Protesters urged immediate action from international human rights organizations to hold Pakistani authorities accountable and demanded the safe recovery of all forcibly disappeared persons, including Zahid Baloch.