Following the Baloch Liberation Army’s hostage-taking of the Pakistan Railways’ Jaffar Express in Mashkaf Bolan and deadly assaults on military forces, ministers of Balochistan’s disputed government have accused leaders of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee of serving as a political front for Baloch pro-independence armed forces. They have called for their arrest as a means to restore peace in Balochistan. However, due to the flawed policies of the state’s ruling authorities, who appear oblivious to the on-ground realities of Balochistan, the situation continues to deteriorate rather than improve.
It has now been over a month since leaders of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee were arrested under the Maintenance of Public Order (3MPO) ordinance. In protest against the mistreatment by the Counter-Terrorism Department and other state agencies, the extra-constitutional transfer of Beebow Baloch to Pishin Jail, and alleged acts of torture, the Committee’s leaders have launched a hunger strike at Huda Jail.
The actions of Balochistan’s current, and widely regarded as controversial, Chief Minister—considered close to Pakistan’s establishment—have only exacerbated Balochistan’s unrest. State-aligned political figures continue to build narratives against the resistance leaders that are at odds with the facts on the ground. Nevertheless, despite restrictions and repression, thousands of Baloch citizens persist in protesting for the release of their political leaders, making it evident that the state’s narrative finds little traction among the local populace.
Attempts to suppress the Baloch Yakjehti Committee’s mass political movement through arrests, violence against protesters, torture, and harsh jail conditions have failed. Even behind bars, the leaders continue their resistance through hunger strikes. The history of political movements in Balochistan demonstrates that state repression may temporarily weaken popular resistance, but it has never been able to extinguish it entirely. True political resistance, rooted in the public’s will, cannot be eliminated by force—neither in the past, nor today.