The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) on Friday expressed solidarity with the people of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, where security forces have launched a crackdown on protests led by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC).
In a statement, the BYC said the demonstrations in Kashmir represent a “grassroots, indigenous movement” demanding civil and political rights, reforms in the legislative structure, and free access to essential services such as education, healthcare and infrastructure.
“Instead of engaging in dialogue and addressing these just and legitimate demands, the Pakistani state has resorted to violence,” the group said, noting that several protesters had been killed and dozens injured over the past five days. The region has remained under a complete shutdown, which the BYC described as “an alarming reflection of the state’s unwillingness to resolve grievances.”
The group accused Islamabad of hypocrisy, saying that while the state outwardly claims to champion the rights of Kashmiris, it denies them “their most basic civic freedoms” and uses “brute force to suppress their collective voice.”
The BYC called on national and international human rights organisations to intervene, urging them to safeguard the lives and liberties of civilians in Kashmir. “The state must be held accountable for its crimes, and the democratic aspirations of the people must be recognized and respected without delay,” it said.