Residents of Mand have accused Pakistani forces and government-backed groups of employing intimidation, arrests, and job dismissals to suppress peaceful protests against alleged extrajudicial killings of Baloch youth.
According to a TBP reporter, several participants of a demonstration held on 20 September under the banner of the Baloch Yekjehti Committee (BYC) are now facing threats. The protest was organised in response to the killing of three young men on 6 September in Mand, identified as Izhar, son of Mullah Mujeeb; Mullah Bahram Baloch; and Jalal, son of Haji Yar Muhammad. The three were reportedly killed within hours of each other in what locals described as targeted attacks by state-backed militias, commonly referred to as “Death Squads.”
During the protest, Mullah Rashid delivered a speech accusing authorities of committing “Baloch genocide.” Locals allege that he was later summoned to a military facility, tortured, and forced to record a confession video before being released. Soon afterwards, Rashid was rearrested by local police, reportedly on the orders of intelligence agencies.
Another speaker, schoolteacher Saima Sarwar, also faced repercussions. She was reportedly called to the office of her principal, Rahima — sister of former federal minister Zubaida Jalal — and summarily dismissed from her job without notice or legal process.
Family members of several other demonstrators say they were either threatened directly or summoned to military camps, where they were warned to prevent their children from joining such protests. Some were allegedly told that if their relatives continued participating in political gatherings, they could face enforced disappearance.
Locals told The Balochistan Post that these actions are part of a wider effort by the state to “silence dissenting voices” and discourage criticism of Pakistani forces’ role in Balochistan.
Pakistani officials or district authorities have not commented on the allegations.