The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) on Sunday said that “institutional repression” in Balochistan had intensified over the past year, as several of its central leaders completed twelve months in detention.
In a statement, the group said Dr Mahrang Baloch, Beebarg Baloch, Sebghatullah Shah Ji, Gulzadi Baloch and Beebow Baloch have remained imprisoned for a year.
It added that the issue was not limited to the detention of a few individuals but reflected what it described as an institutional alignment aimed at suppressing an unarmed political movement.
The BYC said the military, intelligence agencies and the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) were “central actors” in what it described as organised repression, alleging that in 2025 and 2026 thousands of cases were registered in which counterterrorism provisions were “used as a shield” to silence political dissent.
The statement further said that, despite repeated calls from the United Nations and international human rights organisations, enforced disappearances had not been criminalised, adding that measures such as “de-radicalisation centres” were instead being introduced to provide cover for unlawful detention.
The BYC also criticised the judiciary, saying courts had legitimised what it described as politically motivated cases. It said its leaders were initially detained under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) law before later facing what it termed false terrorism charges.
The statement further accused Pakistan’s national media of becoming “a primary instrument” of the state narrative, adding that peaceful political activists were portrayed as terrorists or facilitators in what it described as “organised propaganda” used to justify repression and silence dissent.
The BYC called for enforced disappearances to be declared a serious crime and urged the creation of an independent commission to investigate cases. It also called for the restoration of judicial independence and the lifting of what it described as an undeclared media blackout in Balochistan.
Pakistani authorities did not immediately comment on the allegations.