Sammi Deen Baloch, a leader of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), has condemned the killing and injuring of young girls in an alleged mortar attack by Pakistani armed forces in the Hoshab area of Kech district, calling it part of a long-running pattern of “state violence” in Balochistan.
In a statement posted on X, Sammi Deen said mortar shells struck homes in Hoshab on Saturday, injuring five girls. One of the victims later died from critical injuries.
She described the incident as “a continuation of the systematic state violence being carried out against the Baloch nation,” adding that “enforced disappearances, the recovery of mutilated bodies, raids on homes and shelling on populated areas have become routine in Balochistan.”
Local residents said several mortar rounds hit a house on 29 November, seriously injuring 11-year-old Durdanag, 12-year-old Tahira, 18-year-old Asiya and 13-year-old Yasmeen. Witnesses said Tahira and Yasmeen suffered the most severe injuries, including leg and spinal fractures and shrapnel wounds.
Yasmeen was initially treated at Turbat Teaching Hospital and later referred to Karachi in critical condition, but died on the way, according to local sources.
Related: One Child Killed, Several Injured in Mortar Shelling in Hoshab as Residents Block Highway in Protest
According to Sammi Deen, “even young children are no longer safe,” claiming the state was “targeting Baloch people on their own land through the use of force.”
She said similar incidents in the past had resulted in civilian deaths, but despite First Information Reports (FIRs) being registered and Joint Investigation Teams (JITs) being formed, “no one was ever held accountable.”
“Baloch blood has always been treated as cheap, and the state has never been answerable,” she said.
The BYC leader said the practice of throwing mutilated bodies of young men and labelling them as terrorists, along with enforced disappearances of men and women under the banner of counter-terrorism, formed part of what she described as the state’s narrative.
“But when innocent young girls are caught in the line of this aggression, under what logic will the state justify such an action?” she asked.
Sammi Deen also criticised what she called the silence of the international community, saying it had “further emboldened state violence.”
In a separate statement, Dr Shalee Baloch, organizer of the Baloch Women Forum (BWF), said the incident was “not an isolated event, but a compilation of events surrounding Baloch genocidal policies.” She said the shelling that killed Yasmeen and injured four other girls reflected “unendingly growing state atrocities irrespective of region, age, gender or status.”
Dr Shalee said targeting civilians was “nowhere a justification,” adding that Hoshab had previously faced similar incidents with “no practical or influential accountability.” She demanded immediate accountability and compensation for the affected families and called on people from every walk of life to resist such attacks.
Following Saturday’s shelling, families and residents staged a sit-in protest on the M-8 highway, blocking traffic and demanding action against those responsible. Protesters said the injury and death of children raised serious questions about accountability within state institutions.
Pakistani authorities have not commented on the allegations.